Friday, October 11, 2013

Page 1

Daily

Herald

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 88

since 1891

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013

U. officials deny ‘crackdown’ on frat parties Lectures Some students say they have noticed more rigid enforcement of security and safety policies By JILLIAN LANNEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Fraternity members and unaffiliated students alike have perceived an increase in the University’s efforts to police Greek and program house parties this semester, but University officals denied any increased focus. “There is no deliberate crackdown on frats. If there was a deliberate crackdown on frats, you would know about it,” said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of the Office of Residential Life.

Discussions about any alleged “crackdown” primarily center around Class F events — parties where admission is charged, alcohol is sold and permits must be obtained from the city — thrown by fraternities and program houses such as Buxton House and Machado House. Natalie Basil, director of Residential Experience for ResLife, added that though sororities tend not to throw Class Fs due to their national affiliations, they would be allowed to if they expressed interest. “These are permits that are pulled from the city, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that they are managed correctly,” Bova said, adding that while the University recognizes the need to ensure such events run » See FRATS, page 5

aim to promote creativity

‘Creative Mind’ speakers included Michael Stewart, Julian Jimarez Howard ’11 and Maria Popova By EMMAJEAN HOLLEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER CORRINE SZCZESNY / HERALD

The University now requires hosts of Class F parties to pay for contracted security officers, who must check IDs at the door.

Under strategic plan, Ratty could receive overhaul Renovations would focus on plumbing and other utilities, as well as building aesthetics By JOSEPH ZAPPA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CORRINE SZCZESNY / HERALD

Renovations to the Ratty need to be approved as part of Paxson’s strategic plan, and administrators said they did not yet have a project cost estimate.

The Sharpe Refectory will be renovated in the next few years, pending approval of President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan. Renovations would address the Ratty’s electricity, plumbing, heating and air circulation, while focusing on making the building “more convenient and comfortable for students,” wrote Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 in an email to The Herald. Specific plans for when and how the Ratty will be renovated have yet to be made,

Schlissel wrote. Due to the early stages of planning, administrators said they do not yet know the cost of possible renovations. If the building did not undergo renovations, its utility systems would face “imminent failure sometime in the near future,” said Senior Associate Dean of Residential Life and Dining Services Richard Bova. Administrators would “definitely be working with students” in determining how to make the building more student-friendly, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services. The Office of Campus Life and Student Services is in dialogue with the student-run Residential Council, she added. Students expressed mixed » See RATTY, page 2

In a snapshot of a page from a writer’s notebook, strips of text overlapped at perpendicular angles like woven ribbons. The notebook belongs to Lecturer in English Michael Stewart, one of three speakers at the Creative Mind lecture this past Wednesday. The lecture, which took place in the Englander Studio of the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, was the first Creative Mind lecture of the 2013-2014 academic year. The series aims to promote and explore creativity across multiple fields of study. In addition to Stewart, speakers included curator Julian Jimarez Howard ’11 and blogger Maria Popova. Aside from his award-winning publications in fiction and poetry, Stewart, who spoke first, more recently authored “The Answers,” a website of responses to anonymously submitted questions. Stewart’s poetic but often tangentially related answers aim not to serve a practical purpose, but an artistic one. » See CREATIVITY, page 6

ARTS & CULTURE

Physics professor not included in Nobel Prize spotlight By ISOBEL HECK AND STEVEN MICHAEL SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Every October, the world awaits the announcement of the year’s Nobel Prize winners, but when it comes to awarding the Nobel in scientific fields, there is often not enough room in the spotlight to recognize the many scientists whose efforts contribute to breakthrough discoveries. The scientific community was especially aware of the narrow spotlight this

inside

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

year — while it was widely expected that the physics prize would be awarded to the individuals who made last summer’s discovery of the Higgs boson possible, there was less consensus as to which physicists would receive the honor. Many news sources named University Professor of Physics Gerald Guralnik as a possible contender for the prize, but he ultimately was not recognized. Peter Higgs, professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Edinburgh, and Francois Englert, professor emeritus of physics at the Universite libre de Bruxelles, were announced as this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics Tuesday for their pioneering theory of the Higgs boson — a particle that helps explain the existence of mass. Their theoretical paper was originally » See BOSON, page 5

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

The origin of the Higgs boson’s discovery remains contested: Three papers about this particle were published in 1964 in the Physical Review Letters. Scientists Peter Higgs and Francois Englert were ultimately honored.

CS surge

Art-oui!

D&C

The number of students taking CS courses increased drastically in recent years

Items from a Parisian factory are transformed in the “Toluca Editions” exhibit

Jhumpa Lahiri gets a diamond this week — find out why

UNIVERSITY NEWS, 3

ARTS & CULTURE, 7

COMMENTARY, 10

weather

The more collaborative nature of science means not all researchers could be honored

t o d ay

tomorrow

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