Monday, November 4, 2013

Daily

Herald

THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 103

since 1891

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

As Paxson charts U.’s future, Simmons’ influence lingers Shifting economic circumstances instilled caution in President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan

By KIKI BARNES AND MICHAEL DUBIN SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

In the weeks after Christina Paxson was named the University’s 19th presi-

The first in a four-part series

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

President Christina Paxson’s plan builds on her predecessor’s but contrasts with Ruth Simmons’ vision of Brown in terms of specificity and ambition.

dent, the transformative tenure of her predecessor, Ruth Simmons, set the backdrop against which Paxson’s presidency would be viewed.

That lens can set expectations for and illuminate Paxson’s strategic plan “Building on Distinction: A New Plan for Brown,” released last month and approved by the Corporation the

weekend of Oct. 26.

Simmons’ Plan for Academic Enrichment, released in 2004, was the first formal strategic plan in the University’s history, and Building on Distinction, the next document to articulate a vision for Brown’s future, will be measured in the context of its legacy.

But Building on Distinction was forged in vastly different institutional and economic circumstances than the PAE. The University’s improved instutional strength made it possible for this planning process to be broader and more inclusive, said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15.

But some questioned the degree to which input from outside University Hall influenced the plan’s original draft, which faced criticism for its lack of definitive goals. Administrators responded that the plan was crafted with flexibility in mind.

With Brown embarking on the next decade guided by Paxson’s plan, this four-part series will examine the plan’s

FOOTBALL

Bruno crushes Quakers in shutout game Spooney ’14 showcased his speed with 232 rushing yards and two breakaway touchdowns

By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Entering the game with a losing conference record, blowing big leads in all its Ivy League matchups and hosting the reigning league champions, the football team seemed poised to continue its slide towards mediocrity. But a 27-0 thrashing of Penn (4-3, 3-1 Ivy) has thrust

the Bears (5-2, 2-2) back into the mix in the Ivy League.

Playing for the first time since an injury sidelined him halfway through the Princeton game Oct. 19, John Spooney ’14 electrified Brown Stadium with 232 rushing yards and two breakaway touchdowns of over 90 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Bruno defense pitched its first shutout of the year, holding the Quakers to 249 total yards on the day.

“We came in here knowing it was going to be a physical game. We wanted our team to play physical, and I think that’s what we did,” said Head Coach

Phil Estes. “We made the plays we had to make.”

The first half showcased Spooney’s game-changing speed. On the first play from scrimmage — and his first carry back from injury — Spooney tried the middle but could not find a hole, so he bounced outside. A gap opened up on the right side, and Spooney hit it with the speed that has won him five Ivy track and field championships. Ninety-three yards later, Spooney and the Bears were celebrating an early lead.

“I saw a hole (up the middle), but it closed really fast, so I had to look to other options and (the outside) was

open,” Spooney said. “I was thrilled. I came into that first play knowing that anything could happen.”

The Bears did not waste any time adding to their lead. Facing a third and six in their next possession, quarterback and co-captain Patrick Donnelly ’13.5 connected with Jordan Evans ’14 on a drag route, and the receiver showed his ability to run after the catch, breaking free down the sideline for 39 yards to the Penn five-yard line. Two plays later, a well-designed play pulled all the Bears and Quaker defenders to the right while tight end Andrew Marks » See FOOTBALL, page 8

New member of bear family moves into Ittleson Quad

By REBECCA HANSEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

inside

Administrators officially welcomed Indomitable, a new life-size kodiak bear sculpture, to campus Saturday in a ceremony at the sculpture’s new home on Ittleson Quadrangle.

The sculpture was installed Oct. 28 ­in front of the Nelson Fitness Center.

Nick Bibby, the artist who created the sculpture, joined President Christina Paxson, Director of Athletics Jack Hayes and Jo-Ann Conklin, director

of the David Winton Bell Gallery in List Art Center and a member of the University’s Public Art Committee, for the dedication ceremony, attended by about 80 people. Administrators thanked Jonathan Nelson ’77 P’07 P’09 and H. Anthony Ittleson ’60 for donating some of the funds used to construct the sculpture.

The Public Art Committee, which procures artwork for University spaces, commissioned the creation of Indomitable through the Percent-for-Art program, which guarantees that 1 percent of all funds used in a specific building project go to art creations and installations for the space under development, Conklin said. She said additional funding came from Nelson, who also helped » See INDOMITABLE, page 5

DAVID DECKEY / HERALD

The statue “stands for excellence, stands for unity (and) stands for a first-class institution,” said its sculptor, Nick Bibby.

An app a day

Coal concerns

Ray or racist?

Fradin ’15 and Subiotto Marques ’16 developed their own smartphone apps

Brown Divest Coal responds to the Corporation’s decision not to divest from coal

Two columnists share opposing opinions about the Ray Kelly lecture and protest

FEATURES, 3

COMMENTARY, 7

COMMENTARY, 7

weather

‘Indomitable,’ the life-size bear, weighs 3.2 tons and is covered with a halfinch-thick bronze shell

broader historical context, the financial strategies that will underpin forthcoming initiatives, the significance of the plan’s intentions to expand Brown’s presence in the greater Providence community and the implications of its academic proposals.

Terra firma The PAE was formulated during an “era of instability,” Schlissel said.

Simmons’ arrival in July 2001 came at a tenuous time for the University.

Former President E. Gordon Gee’s short tenure and unexpected resignation in February 2000 and the subsequent interim presidency of Sheila Blumstein, currently a professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, left the University lacking consistent leadership and lagging behind its peers.

“The interim president is in a sense a placeholder,” Blumstein said. The Corporation “wouldn’t provide funds in the absence of a sitting president.”

Former Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Richard Spies » See PAXSON, page 2

Five travel to D.C. to rally against mass surveillance The students protested with StopWatching in response to the NSA’s intelligence program

By WING SZE HO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Five students participated in a large-scale rally protesting the National Security Agency’s use of mass surveillance in Washington Oct. 26. The trip was organized by the Brown American Civil Liberties Union and funded by the Undergraduate Finance Board.

The students joined StopWatching. us, a coalition of more than 100 public advocacy organizations and companies, in the Rally Against Mass Surveillance.

The rally, organized in response to disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about the agency’s spying programs, included a march on the National Mall with more than 3,000 participants from across the country.

The rally was held to show Congress that mass surveillance violates the U.S. Constitution, said Vivian Hsiao ’14, a rally attendee. “We were right on Capitol Hill so people working in (Washington) and on the Hill can see,” Hsiao said.

“Privacy is important,” said Joshua Liebow-Feeser ’15, treasurer of the » See NSA, page 3 t o d ay

tomorrow

45 / 30

52 / 36

2 launching a legacy? » PAXSON, from page 1

calendar TODAY

NOVEMBER 4

5:30 P.M.

TOMORROW

NOVEMBER 5

12:30 P.M.

Lecture by Peter Der Manuelian

Cholesterol Awareness

Rhode Island Hall 108 5:30 P.M.

Hillel 6 P.M.

Annual Stanley D. Simon Lecture

Morgan Stanley Info Session

Alpert Medical Building 160

Faculty Club

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Meatball Grinder, Bulgar Stuffed Peppers, Lo Mein Noodles, Snow Pea Pods, Broccoli Florettes

Cavatini, Red Potato Frittata, Sauteed Zucchini and Onions, Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Steak Fries

DINNER Acorn Squash with Curried Rice and Chickpeas, Bourbon BBQ Chicken Quarters, Vegan BBQ Tempeh

Chicken Pot Pie, Vegan Ratatouille, M a s h e d B u t t e r nu t S q u a s h , Washington Apple Cake, Parslied Rice

sudoku

crossword ACROSS 1 At close range 7 Midsummer mo.

10 Not that many 14 Relating to breathing pauses 15 Eisenhower, familiarly 16 Parvati’s husband, in Hinduism 17 Dismantle, as parts 18 Grassland 19 Holm oak 20 United Kingdom northerner 21 Consume food 23 Flesh on the calf?

25 Writer of pulp novels 27 Hair for the bald 28 Superego counterparts 31 Become visibly lost 34 Dance sport on ice 36 Not old 37 White and wild, e.g.

39 Energy un.

40 Highest and most active European volcano 41 Oomph 42 “$@~#*&^!” politely 44 Elbow : Forearm : : Knee : ____ 45 Ireland, natively 46 Suffix on buccan- and auction47 Say something 48 ____ domestic product 49 Fraying bits 52 In an uncomprehending way 53 “To _____ is human” 54 Poke one’s nose into 55 Cremation vases 57 Global air traffic control agcy.

59 Simple rhyme pattern 60 Cézanne or McCartney 64 Third-largest city in Poland 66 Common 60’s hallucinogen 68 Non-seriousness 70 Plant not biologically categorized as a plant 71 ___ Zeppelin 72 More roomy 73 Swerve suddenly

Free Space

By Ian Everbach ’17

11/4/13

74 Times and Trafalgar, 35 4-prefix for example (abbr.) 38 Dir. from Philly to Trenton 75 Unrhymed iambic 40 Psychic ability, abbr. pentameter 42 Types of sleeping DOWN bags 43 Each, poetically 1 Bottoms of paws 2 Multinational oil grp. 47 9-digit identifier 49 Place for a massage 3 Interested by, 50 Crux of the matter informally 51 Fail 4 Poetic ‘under’ 56 Highest structure on 5 Muscular a church contraction 6 Unlimited freedom 58 Nicholas II, for example 7 Ditch 59 Sums together 8 Hawaiian guitar 61 Arab ruler 9 Not touching 10 Largest continent 11 Section on some tests 12 Christmas ____ 13 Melting substance in candles 22 Alias abbr.

24 Essential omelet ingredient 26 Beast of burden 27 Cord-like 29 First symptom of shock 30 Plush 31 Revolutionary War general Nathanael 32 More greasy 33 Starting pistol’s shot

62 Practical applications 63 Apollo’s harp 64 WC 65 Bullfighting cry 67 And what follows, for short 69 Diagnosis that causes AIDS For solutions, contact: crosswords@ browndailyherald.com.

For past crosswords, see acrosstobear. wordpress.com.

said the University was “a little bit stuck” when Simmons arrived.

She was immediately tasked with restoring Brown to the level of its peers, the impetus behind the PAE. “If we were starting from a position with no programmatic and institutional deficits, our task would be somewhat different,” the PAE reads.

Contemporary circumstances led Simmons’ plan to take a reactive rather than a proactive approach.

“There are things we couldn’t pursue until other things were put in place,” said Spies, who also served as a senior adviser to Simmons.

In particular, Spies said master’s programs and general expansion of graduate education were implausible without significantly growing the faculty, as the PAE ultimately did.

While the PAE addressed many deficits, “Building on Distinction” comes at a stronger time in Brown’s history, Paxson and Schlissel said.

What senior administrators called a restoration of institutional health allowed the recent strategic planning process to take a more forward-looking approach, Paxson said.

“We now have the luxury of making choices about where we want to focus resources,” she said. “We’re now in a position where we can say, ‘Okay, what are the areas where we can be really, really great?’”

But others said Brown was not in decline when Simmons arrived.

Brown “might have been moving in a direction that President Simmons and her staff didn’t think was the right direction, but I don’t think it was in dire straits,” said Professor of History Howard Chudacoff.

The course she laid out for the University may have been misguided, said Stephen Nelson, a higher education expert and senior scholar at the Leadership Alliance at Brown.

“There are a lot of old-timers at Brown who feel … that Simmons spent the first couple of years here trying to turn Brown into Princeton,” Nelson said.

The uncertainty principle Though the University rehabilitated its core during Simmons’ tenure — expanding the faculty and improving facilities — the 2008 financial crisis produced new cracks in the foundation. In January 2009, Simmons projected an $800 million loss to the University’s endowment, requiring deep budget cuts and dramatically changing the nature of strategic planning, Paxson said.

“We live in a more uncertain world than we did 12 years ago,” she said, a theme that surfaced repeatedly in interviews with senior administrators.

Uncertainty stems not only from the 2008 crisis and its aftershocks but also from the lingering possibility, narrowly avoided in recent weeks, that the United States could default on its debt, which could sink the nation back into recession, Schlissel said.

Paxson said economic instability has led to less predictable endowment returns and the sequester has slashed federal research funding.

That context engendered a decisively more cautious plan than the PAE, a distinction exemplified by each document’s language on financial aid.

The PAE declares, “Brown will offer need-blind admission for all undergraduates, including international

and transfer students” — a goal not fully realized.

Building on Distinction is more hesitant: The University “will work toward Brown’s long-standing goal of becoming fully need-blind for all students.”

“While I would love to be needblind for financial aid, we can’t do that unless we can be sure need-blind is very financially prudent and responsible,” Paxson said.

Adaptability has thus replaced boldness as the chief virtue in a strategic plan.

“A plan should set out directions that allow for the flexibility that’s going to be required as we go forward,” Paxson said. At the time the PAE was released, she said, it was more common to have “a much more set-instone plan.”

Schlissel warned against creating “false expectations” and making promises on which the University might renege.

Nelson expressed support for Paxson’s more cautious approach. “If they overreach with a plan and they don’t get the significant pieces of it … there’s no quicker way to demotivate a whole culture,” he said.

But Professor of Biology Ken Miller ’70 P’02 said he appreciated Simmons’ boldness. “Rather than say money first, then we go need-blind, she said we have to go need-blind, and we’ll count on the money to show.”

Professor Emeritus of Engineering Barrett Hazeltine GP’15 said Building on Distinction appears unfinished, while the PAE was more “fully fleshed out.”

The PAE is about four times the length of Building on Distinction and articulates goals in more specific terms.

Paxson “put out a beta version, so to speak,” Hazeltine said.

But Paxson said the speed of this planning process — twice as fast as that of the PAE — “is reflected in the fact that it doesn’t contain the full set of metrics by which we will measure ourselves.”

Reaching out Though the PAE incorporated many voices, Paxson’s planning process was more inclusive, Schlissel said.

Planning centered on six committees composed of administrators, faculty members, undergraduates and graduate students. The administration also surveyed the community, collected data and held open forums. It was a very “iterative and consultative process,” Schlissel said.

But despite students’ formal inclusion, some expressed skepticism about the weight of their contributions.

Though students “were consulted,” their voices lacked a major impact on both the PAE and Building on Distinction, said John Savage P’88 P’95 P’03 P’05 GP’17, professor of computer science.

“Students, both graduate and undergraduate, were not well represented,” wrote Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies Harold Roth in an email to The Herald. “This is unfortunate because in a real way students have the most insight into what is disctinctive about the Brown education and what elements of it need to be preserved.”

Students may not be the only constituency with tenuous influence.

The faculty has historically had an important role in determining

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

University priorities, as when it “had the last say on the curriculum” in the 1960s, said University Historian Jane Lancaster.

Faculty members can still influence and exert significant pressure on administrators, Savage said.

But Roth wrote in a Herald Opinions column that it was “disappointing” not to see mentions of recommendations made by the Joint Committee on Employee Benefits in the new plan.

The faculty had unanimously approved the committee’s recommendations at its February meeting.

The roles of many outside University Hall in the planning process were more “cosmetic” than substantive, said a long-time faculty member who wished to remain anonymous.

While Simmons’ efforts to solicit input were not “a charade,” Nelson said, “my hunch is that she had a pretty good idea in her own brain what she felt Brown needed.”

‘On each other’s shoulders’ The successes and shortcomings of the PAE’s implementation loom large over Building on Distinction.

“These plans always build on each other, and presidents stand on each other’s shoulders,” Nelson said.

Paxson cited the PAE’s pushes for more competitive financial aid, faculty salaries and graduate stipends as critical pursuits for Building on Distinction to continue.

“If we retreat on those, we will go backwards,” Paxson said.

Paxson’s plan might therefore be expected to build on the PAE in continuing unfinished initiatives and using the fortified faculty and facilities to push forward new ideas.

Building on Distinction maintains the PAE’s unfulfilled goal of adopting a universal need-blind admission policy.

Though 2007 marked the beginning of need-blind admission for domestic applicants, the University remains needaware when considering international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education applicants.

Paxson’s plan will “continue our commitment to need-blind admission and will move in the direction of expanding it,” Miller said, but that extension goes “not quite as far as I would like.”

Building on Distinction’s proposal for incremental faculty growth represents another continuation of the PAE, which called for 100 new faculty members in its initial stages, followed by an annual 1 to 2 percent growth in the faculty.

Paxson has said she also expects to grow the student body by about 1 percent annually, with matching faculty expansion.

Miller said he sees in Building on Distinction the same desire as in the PAE to expand the physical campus in addition to its population. The PAE said it would add over 500,000 gross square feet of academic space and renovate 250,000 more. While Paxson’s plan does not set out square footage goals, it proposes “new buildings to house exceptional scholarly initiatives” and additional space for the School of Engineering, the Alpert Medical School and the Brown Institute for Brain Science.

But Building on Distinction’s proposals for the physical campus seem to emphasize “refinements” rather than major new construction, Nelson said.

Like the PAE, Paxson’s plan bolsters » See PAXSON, page 5

arts & culture 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Concert honors prize-winning composer App makers release More than 100 people attended the six-part tribute to Ned Rorem at the Granoff Center

By MANDI CAI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ninety years of singing, songwriting and musical poetry are surely deserving of a birthday party. Four well-known opera singers and pianists from the New York Festival of Song gave Ned Rorem, the famed American composer and Pulitzer Prize-winner, such a celebration Friday.

In a concert in the Martinos Auditorium at the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, sponsored by the Department of Music and Visiting Artist Musician Fund, Kate Lindsey, a mezzo-soprano, and Andrew Garland, a baritone, sang in Rorem’s honor, accompanied by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett on the piano.

The concert included “highlights from (Rorem’s) half-century career as a songwriter, along with music by his friends and inspirations: Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Bowles, Benjamin Britten, Theodore Chanler, Aaron Copland, Noel Coward, Francis

» NSA, from page 1 University’s ACLU chapter and rally attendee. “It’s good for college students to be part of these things, or at least be aware of it.”

Liebow-Feeser learned about the rally through emails from outside political groups and proposed attending to the Brown ACLU chapter. After internal voting, the group applied for UFB funding, which covered the transportation costs for five students.

Both Liebow-Feeser and Hsiao described the NSA’s use of mass surveillance as threatening to “civil liberty” and “free speech,” particularly in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The violation of privacy makes people “lose the ability to speak freely because of the fear over repercussion,” Liebow-Feeser said. He described the silencing effect as a “chilling,” particularly for activists involved in “politically controversial” issues.

“The government wants to sweep it under the rug and wave it away,” Hsiao said, “but other Congress people and activists are not willing to let this go.”

Hsiao added that President Obama’s administration cannot “justify surveillance” by calling Snowden a “traitor” to distract attention.

Liebow-Feeser described the revelations of mass surveillance with documents provided by Snowden as “extraordinary.” He said the mass surveillance issue is “traditionally not very visible” because the officials try “very hard to keep it out of people’s eyes or conscience.”

“It opposes civility,” Hsiao said.

But the recent revelations of spying on European leaders have made this “an international issue” so it is “more likely something is to be done.”

Liebow-Feeser said the trip was “a lot of work to organize but (he) absolutely looks forward to organizing similar events” in the future. He said he sees rallies as “a form (of political participation) that works,” drawing examples from the protests for civil

Poulenc and Virgil Thomson,” according to the program.

The recital was divided into six sections — “Setting Out,” “Inspiration,” “Lovers,” “Friends and Teachers,” “War,” “Intimates” and “Envoi.” Each segment consisted of compositions embodying the theme implied by its title.

Lindsey and Garland have appeared in some of the world’s most renowned opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Seattle Opera and the Santa Fe Opera. Garland is also a teaching associate in the Department of Music.

“I chose this group (of performers) because I had seen some of their productions in New York City and really liked how they structured song recitals to bring together a couple of different singers to showcase solo pieces and duets,” said Fred Jodry, director of choral activities. “Rorem is a composer who has written all kinds of songs, and I do think that he is one of the most interesting and expressive American song composers.”

Pianists Blier and Barrett often engaged with the crowd, making casual remarks about Rorem’s life between songs.

At least 100 people attended the hour-and-a-half-long performance,

which included compositions by Rorem such as “The Lordly Hudson” and “Life in a Love.” The crowd, an even mix of professors, students and outside guests, including music teachers and students from the Boston area, gave a standing ovation after the final song.

Caroline Miller, a Princeton student in attendance, said she found the concert both “comedic and enlightening,” adding that she “loved Lindsey’s expressions during more playful songs like ‘Sigh No More, (Ladies)’ and ‘(Good) March, come in!’”

Blier, who teaches at the Juilliard School, and Barrett, who directed at the Tisch Center for the Arts, formed the New York Festival of Song together in 1988.

“I gravitated towards music when I was very young,” Blier said. “I had a xylophone, and I would start playing songs on the piano from my xylophone.

When I was 13, I played for my first professional.”

As follow-up to Friday’s concert, Blier and Barrett taught a master class for those interested in Grant Recital Hall Saturday. “The purpose was to expose our voice students to a very high level of voice singing,” Jodry said. “To hear one or two singers sing in a small, intimate space is a kind of storytelling.”

liberties in the 1960s. He said the form is “good for people who are not experts” because unlike organizing a large-scale rally, participation does not require as much effort.

Hsiao noted that “peaceful demonstration” coupled with other forms of activism are “very powerful.” She described the trip as “a lot of traveling” but said that the rally was “full of energy.” She said she learned a lot from the speeches from “both sides of the political spectrum.”

About 25 students applied to join the trip over the course of two weeks.

“There was a waiting list, but UFB could only fund five,” Liebow-Feeser said.

UFB Chair Leila Veerasamy ’15 said the board “evaluates applications on a case-by-case basis” and considers whether “events proposed fit (the) mission statement and the capacity of UFB.” The groups funded by UFB are expected to “bring something back to the Brown community,” Veerasamy added.

She said UFB does not “look at ideology” and does not “balance” the number of political groups with different views on campus. UFB currently funds several political groups on campus including the Brown Democrats and the Brown Republicans. This trip was classified as a conference for funding purposes, she added.

software, gain experience Students have made a foray into the iPhone app world with ‘Punch’ and ‘CopyBoard’

By ALIZA REISNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As smartphones continue to become more widespread, students are finding both social and academic reasons to join the app craze.

Noah Fradin ’15 developed an app called “Punch-Hang With Friends,” which was released in the Apple Store Sept. 3. Punch is “the way to find and share spontaneous activities with friends,” Fradin said.

Users type messages to note where they are so their friends can join without directly communicating, he added.

“Punch is a great way to keep friends posted and spend more time with the people you love,” Fradin said, adding that he came up with the idea for the app based on his own difficulties planning with friends. While the app does not yet have many users, consumers have given it a five-star rating in the Apple App Store.

Fradin said he decided to launch the app because “it’s about time that we utilized (our phones) to augment our real-world, everyday life as opposed to pulling us away from it.”

Unlike other social media platforms, Fradin did not design Punch with the intent of sucking in users for a long time, he said. The goal of Punch is to get users in and out of the app as quickly as possible.

Alfonso Subiotto Marques ’16 designed “CopyBoard,” an app for Mac computers that allows users to copy and paste five things simultaneously, he said. Instead of having to paste a copied item before copying and pasting

FEATURE

another, CopyBoard users can copy up to five items at once to paste without toggling back to the original page.

Subiotto Marques decided to create the app for personal use to help him code more productively based on his experience in his computer science classes. He also said he wanted to learn about iOS, a computer operating system he was previously unfamiliar with.

Subiotto Marques was in part inspired to create CopyBoard after CSCI 0150: “Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming” gave him the “skills to be able to pick up a book (about) iOS programing and go ahead and build an app,” teaching himself about the system along the way, he said. Though he had never coded before Brown, the course provided him with the tools he needed to become an avid programmer, he said.

Both Fradin and Subiotto Marques said creating an app is a very timeconsuming process. But Fradin said he was happy to spend the time because he loves developing apps.

While Subiotto Marques said he developed the app on his own, Fradin said he worked with a team of other Brown and RISD students. Fradin and his team split the coding and design work, he said, adding that most of their work was completed last semester.

Fradin said the app filled a void to become something his friends and other students use and enjoy, he said. So far, Brown students have had very positive responses to the app and comprise most of the app’s daily users, he added.

Fradin said the future is looking bright for Punch, with an update for the iPhone and a version compatible with the Android both coming out soon.

Subiotto Marques’ app is still in development. “I worked on the app more for the experience, which is why I haven’t really finished working on it,” he said.

4 sports monday

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

M. HOCKEY

Bruno drops one, ties one in opening home weekend

The Bears fell to No. 17 Clarkson in home opener before tying St. Lawrence in their second game

By DANTE O’CONNELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Bruno emerged from its opening weekend at home winless in its first two conference matchups. After a 4-3 loss to No. 17 Clarkson University and a 3-3 tie with St. Lawrence University, Brown is one of four teams in the ECAC yet to notch a league win.

“One point on a home weekend is not what we want, but I thought we played a much better game (Saturday),” said Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94. “It makes it hard when you have to work out kinks in league games.”

Coming into the weekend, Brown’s opponents had played eight and five games out of conference, respectively, while Bruno (2-1-1, ECAC 0-1-1) had played just two.

The penalty kill was the most visible “kink” for the Bears this weekend. In both games, Bruno gave up two first period power play-goals after scoring first.

“It’s goofy,” Whittet said. “The momentum of the games changed pretty quickly. We were just letting their guys who can rip pucks just step into their shots with nobody around them.”

“There’s a lot to improve on,” said captain Dennis Robertson ’14. “We need to get everybody on the same page. That’s

JESSE SCHWIMMER / HERALD

Dennis Robertson ’14 (above) said the team needs to improve communication to achieve as much success as last year. how we were successful last year. It was our downfall this weekend.”

Six different players scored Bruno’s six goals this weekend.

Clarkson 4, Brown 3 Bruno put together a strong offensive effort in its home opener, but early penalties and a late turnover cost it the game.

“We were really sloppy,” Whittet said.

“We spotted them a lead, and we were in the box too much. That just can’t happen.

It’s too short a season.”

The Bears got off to a quick start when Ryan Jacobson ’15 started the scoring less than five minutes into the game. After Clarkson goalie Greg Lewis turned away a shot from Michael Juola ’14, Jacobson stuffed in a backhand shot to put Bruno up 1-0.

After an interference penalty on Robertson, Sam Labrecque tied the game for Clarkson with a sharp wrist shot from the blue line that sailed over the left shoulder of goalie Marco De Filippo ’14. Two minutes later, the Golden Knights (7-2-1,

1-1-0) capitalized on another Brown penalty when Will Frederick backhanded a loose puck into the net.

With just 30 seconds left in the period, Allan McPherson shoveled a rebound past de Filippo to take the Golden Knights into the locker room with a 3-1 lead.

Little scoring and much physicality characterized the second period. Scuffles broke out in front of the net twice, sending two men from each team to the penalty box for roughing.

Just 20 seconds into the third period, Matt Lorito ’15 broke the scoring drought for the Bears by sliding in a juicy rebound from a Mark Naclerio ’16 wrist shot.

After missed power play opportunities on each side, Nick Lappin ’16 tied it up at three with 2:56 left in the game on a tip-in off Robertson’s slap shot.

With just under two minutes to play, Clarkson responded with a Kyle Essery goal over the shoulder of de Filippo for the game-winner after a Bruno turnover in its own zone, bringing the comeback effort to a screeching halt.

“It was an inexcusable mistake,” Whittet said. “It’s hard to take when you come back and then you give up a twoon-one. It’s not smart hockey.”

Brown could not tie the game with the extra attacker despite a flurry of shots on goal in the final 90 seconds.

Brown 3, St. Lawrence 3 In the second game of the weekend, the Bears came back from an early deficit to force a tie against the Saints (4-2-2, 0-0-2).

“It was an unbelievable battle,” Whittet said. “They’re a very good hockey team and we’re a very good hockey team, and I thought it was an excellent game.”

Bruno started off strong for the second game in a row when Matt Wahl ’14 got on the board midway through the first period. The defenseman gathered a rebound at the blue line, toe dragged to the center of the zone and fired a wrist

shot past goalie Matt Weninger.

Two minutes later, Gavin Bayreuther tied the game for the Saints with a sharp wrist shot past goalie Tyler Steel ’17.

Garnet Hathaway ’14 responded for the Bears later in the period with his second goal of the season. Collecting a loose puck from a Zack Pryzbek ’17 shot, Hathaway spun and fired, finding the back of the net to give Brown the lead.

But St. Lawrence’s Carey brothers would have none of it. On yet another first period penalty kill for the Bears, Greg Carey fired a wrist shot through traffic and over Steel’s glove. Two minutes later, freshman forward Matt Carey added another goal for the Saints, taking them into the locker room with a 3-2 lead.

After a relatively quiet start to the second period, two St. Lawrence penalties gave Bruno a five-on-three opportunity with 2:19 left in the frame. Robertson took advantage a minute later, launching a wrist shot from the blue line past Weninger on the blocker side to tie the game at three.

“They had some tired (penalty) killers, so that gave me some room to find a lane and get a shot through,” Robertson said. “That’s how it’s designed.”

Despite being outshot 8-3 in the third period, Brown held onto the tie, sending the contest into overtime.

“After we scored the tying goal, they came out hard in the third period,” Robertson said. “We had to weather the storm. We were definitely on our heels for a bit.”

Lappin had the best opportunity for the Bears in extra time, but Weninger blocked his shot in front of the net.

For the first time since going down with an injury last year, Kyle Quick ’15 returned to the lineup against St. Lawrence.

“I thought (Quick) did a good job for his first game back,” Whittet said.

“He acquainted himself well.”

Brown will start a six-game road trip next weekend against Quinnipiac (8-10, 2-0-0) and Princeton (1-3-0, 0-2-0).

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

» PAXSON, from page 2 the University’s commitment to graduate and professional education, Miller said. He cited the increased number of graduates from the Med School — 120 per year, double that when the PAE was released. Building on Distinction calls for a growth in the number of master’s and medical students and seeks to enhance doctoral education.

These expansions to graduate and medical education and intensified attention to research — made possible by the continued expansion of the faculty and enhancement of research facilities — are central to understanding whether the University intends to focus over the next decade on its role as an undergraduate college or on its role as a research university.

Paxson rejected the assertion that increasing the scope of graduate education detracts from undergraduate education.

“This is not a zero-sum game,” she said.

But “in spite of all of the promises that it won’t, I think (the focus on research) has the potential to change the nature of the traditional undergraduate commitments,” Chudacoff said.

Departures Though faculty members are conscious of the two plans’ shared elements, some struggled to identify proposals in Building on Distinction that are uniquely Paxson’s — initiatives separate from what appeared in the PAE. “I can’t see specifics of a big departure,” Miller said.

But Hazeltine pointed to integrative scholarship as distinct from any facet of Simmons’ plan. Though the PAE called for the development of multidisciplinary initiatives and programs

»INDOMITABLE, from page 1 finance the Nelson Fitness Center, and Ittleson.

The statue weighs 3.2 tons and consists of a half-inch thick shell of bronze and a stainless steel support system, Bibby said. Bibby is a British artist based in Devon, England, according to his website.

The bear “stands for excellence, stands for unity (and) stands for a first-class institution,” he said.

Hayes used the occasion to tout the Bears’ 27-0 football victory over Penn Saturday. “Today at the stadium, the Brown bear stood for total dominance,” he said.

Paxson opened her remarks with an anecdote about a recent experience with Brown’s favorite animal. “I was in Alaska last summer hiking, (and) I saw one of these bears from a distance. Seeing the sculpture, I’m glad I didn’t see it up close,” she said.

The bear mascot is a “good symbol for all students” for its strength, power and independence, Paxson said. She added that she hopes the statue will “motivate anyone who walks by to recognize their inner strength.”

Administrators initially discussed moving Bruno, the bear sculpture on the Main Green, to Ittleson Quad, Conklin said. But Public Art Committee members ultimately decided against moving the old bear sculpture because they wanted a bigger sculpture that more appropriately fit Ittleson Quad’s large green space, she said.

Committee members approached Bibby last year about creating a new bear sculpture because the British artist “really studies animals,” Conklin said. “He’s an

launching a legacy? 5 generally, it did not enumerate specific interdisciplinary areas in which the University would make targeted investments — something Paxson’s plan does.

One of the integrative themes, brain science — a field the original PAE never explicitly mentioned — emerges as a key area of academic interest for Building on Distinction.

Building on Distinction has a much more global scope than the PAE, Nelson said. This is evidenced in the themes, which were chosen so the resulting scholarship would have “a positive impact not only on the Brown campus but also in the community, the nation and the world,” according to the plan.

The word “world” is used in Paxson’s plan more than twice as frequently as in the PAE in nearly a quarter the number of pages. The words “global” and “globe,” used 10 times in Building on Distinction, do not appear in the original version of the PAE. But aspects of Paxson’s plan relating to technology are the most distinct from the PAE, representing a field less ripe for exploration a decade ago.

Massive open online courses, online academic tools like Canvas, the opening of the Digital Scholarship Lab in the Rockefeller Library and academic investments in engineering and computer science all reflect the effects of technological innovation on undergraduate and graduate experiences.

With attention given to “the potential applications of digital technology to teaching and learning” and “the creative use of online technologies,” Building on Distinction emphasizes and promotes augmenting technology’s presence in the classroom.

Recent technological developments have also led to the rise of Big Data, prompting Building on Distinction to

avid self-taught zoologist and naturalist.”

“He creates really beautiful sculpture (and) makes pieces that are very evocative,” she added.

In the dedication ceremony, Bibby said receiving the University’s request to create Indomitable was “the dream phone call” because the project offered a larger-scale opportunity than his usual artwork.

The design process for Indomitable involved collaboration between Bibby and administrators on figuring out how to best portray the newest representation of Brown’s mascot.

Committee members agreed that they did not want an overly aggressive bear, Conklin said. Bibby said he wanted to avoid creating a “couch-potato zoo bear.”

Bibby completed the sculpture at his studio in England Oct. 2, and Indomitable was then transported to the United States, Conklin said. The new sculpture is the sixth work commissioned by the Public Art Committee in its mission to help fill campus spaces with more artwork, she added.

Some students who attended the dedication ceremony said they approve of Indomitable becoming a fixture on campus.

“It’s a great representation of Brown and students in general,” said Renee Edelman ’17, a member of the gymnastics team.

Sebastian Levin ’15, a member of the wrestling team, described the statue as “awesome.” He said he saw the statue’s installation last week while he was at practice and was surprised that it was “way bigger than expected.”

include “data fluency and analysis” as one of the five sections listed under educational leadership.

“In 2002, we didn’t have digital or online learning,” said Vice Chancellor Jerome Vascellaro ’74 P’07. “The world has changed around us, and the plan is reflective of that.”

Community reaction Because many of the PAE’s initiatives were put in motion before its release, the document’s unveiling to the community was relatively uneventful, Spies said.

He added that most reactions were voiced in February 2002 as the planning process unfolded and the administration was deciding the “flesh” of the document.

Many worried the PAE aspired to do too much, Spies said.

Though community members voiced concerns over the feasibility of the PAE’s ambitions and whether undergraduates would be “swamped” by investments in graduate education, Spies said, “I don’t think anyone thought we got the big picture wrong.”

Building on Distinction incited both praise and criticism from students, faculty members and campus organizations, but Schlissel said reaction to the plan has been insufficient — in a community of 10,000, only between 100 and 150 attended the open

A four-part series

forum he and Paxson hosted after the plan’s release. They also attended several campus group meetings as part of the public comment period.

Many students may not have opinions on the strategic plan at all. In a Herald poll conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 1, around 16 percent of undergraduate respondents indicated they had not heard of the strategic plan, and almost half were aware of the plan but did not know enough to form an opinion.

Despite evidence of low engagement with the plan, existing opinions are strong.

Within two weeks of the draft’s release, Paxson surprised the community by announcing she would revise the document before submitting it to the Corporation based on feedback from the various forums and meetings, reversing an earlier statement that she would not change the draft.

Paxson said “the process of vetting it on campus … has made me realize that things I take for granted, people wanted to see in the plan laid out.”

Undergraduate advising, competitive graduate stipends and the idea of the “university-college” were implicit in the original draft, Paxson said, but she revised the plan to include them.

Paxson said concern about the absence of the phrase “university-college” surprised her. None of the planning committees or groups who read the

draft before it was released discussed whether to include the phrase, she said.

Despite Paxson’s revisions, some concerns — like commitment to growing financial aid — have not been addressed, and some still question the plan’s overall vision.

The balance between personal growth and pre-professional preparation has long been a hallmark of Brown, Roth wrote in an email. “Sadly, I do not see this well-reflected in the strategic plan as it was presented last month.”

Disagreements, though they are “a challenge to deal with,” are necessary to the planning process, Spies said. “I’d say people be patient, work on these with the administration and others to fill those blanks in.”

A lengthy process of feedback, revision and eventual implementation is key to strategic planning, Vascellaro said. “There is a long arc to these things.”

Like Simmons, whose Campaign for Academic Enrichment funded key components of the PAE, Paxson will have to develop major fundraising initiatives to implement priorities outlined in her strategic plan. Tomorrow’s story explores potential University strategies to finance Brown’s development over the next decade and what they could mean for the University.

This four-part series examines the broad impacts President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan could have on the University and its implications for the next decade. Read it online at: thebdh.org/legacy.

Today: Today’s story compares Paxson’s strategic plan to that of former President Ruth Simmons, analyzing how developments on and off College Hill have affected the ambition and scope of Building on Distinction.

Tomorrow: Tuesday’s story examines the financial strategies the University may use to support the strategic plan’s proposals and endeavors while assessing how financial realities determine what projects Brown can undertake.

Wednesday: Wednesday’s story explores how Building on Distinction could shape Brown’s presence in the Jewelry District, looking at the effect that presence may have on academic culture and the broader Providence community.

Thursday: Thursday’s story analyzes how the strategic plan could impact Brown’s status as a “university-college,” navigating tensions between the liberal arts and preprofessional programs, humanities and sciences, and undergraduates and the Graduate School.

6 commentary LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

EDITORIAL

Protest blocked free speech Disappointment with divestment decision To the Editor:

believes passionately that his policies protect minorities. Many of us disagree, but we have devalued ourselves and our University by not allowing him to speak.

Brown is approaching its 250th anniversary. We will not abandon our core values — they reside in every sinew of our collective being. Some argue Kelly’s policies are so vile that they are justified in their behavior, however contrary to the code of conduct and the essence of a democratic society.

That justification is quite a stretch in this circumstance. Moreover, what hubris for anyone to appoint themselves as the deciders of what ideas the Brown community is permitted to discuss.

The protesters prevented the listeners from deciding this issue for themselves. They lost the chance for a robust question and answer session after the speech. They ignored values that are prerequisites to the liberal education that they came here to receive. Whatever their goal, they paid too high a price.

I strongly oppose stop-and-frisk.

Experts disagree on whether or not it reduces crime, but that begs the point.

It is an affirmation of racial profiling and collective guilt. It humiliates its victims, mostly minorities, in a society that often holds prejudices against people of color. Humiliation is the most heinous form of insult. It leaves wounds almost impossible to cure. Even if these policies somewhat reduce crime, the price is far too high.

Notwithstanding this opinion, I abhor behavior that prevents a speaker at Brown from expressing his or her views. Protest is a valid form of disagreement. However, when it infringes on the right of free speech, it is certainly not. Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their ideas. Not that long ago McCarthyism corroded our own civil society. Universities must be a citadel for freedom of expression, constructive dissent and openness to ideas. If not here, then where?

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is an honorable man who has committed his life to the service of public safety. He is not a racist. He

Stephen Robert ’62 P’91 Chancellor of the University, Emeritus

Ray Kelly was not silenced To the Editor: Thanks to Associate Professor of History Naoko Shibusawa P’14 for conveying her support and admiration for those who protested against New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly last Tuesday. I join her in standing in solidarity with these students and members of the Providence community. We live in a conflicted, unequal society and are at times presented with situations that can’t be adequately confronted within the customs of polite, institutionally structured debate alone. As Shibusawa says, there is a long, honorable history of disruptive protest that is

part of the tradition of political democracy.

Professor of Biology Ken Miller’s ’70 P’02 claim that last Tuesday’s protest represents “a step . . . towards mob rule” strikes me as alarmist and one-sided. Kelly has not been silenced: His advocacy for a policy of intimidating racial profiling is widely known and currently being debated in the federal courts. For people who are being threatened and violated by stop-and-frisk, the time has come to combine serious debate with serious action.

Last Sunday, President Christina Paxson informed the Brown community of the Corporation’s decision not to divest the University’s endowment from its holdings in large coal companies. Many were disappointed, given the strength and energy of the campaign by student activist group Brown Divest Coal and the supportive report produced by the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policy. With clear evidence asserting both the coal industry’s contribution to global climate change and coal’s harmful effects on health, we hope the Corporation will revisit the decision and critically address its financial ties to some of the companies in question. The University may have lost an important opportunity to lead on this issue, but we are hopeful that campaigns at other Ivy League schools will encourage the Corporation to keep pace. And while the members of Brown Divest Coal are certainly disappointed, we hope their energetic and enthusiastic campaign will continue to press the Corporation on this and other on-campus environmental efforts.

Brown’s investment in coal, as a fraction of its overall endowment, is minimal at only 0.1 percent. If the figure were to be any higher, the Corporation’s decision against divestment could be financially justified. Not only are Brown’s holdings in coal relatively small, but coal itself also appears to be a relatively poor investment. Paxson’s letter to the community explaining the rationale against divestment, which attests to the economic presence of coal in developing countries as a reason for investment, is effectively negated in a guest column written by Brown Divest Coal. The article states that the “global push for increased carbon regulation” has actually encouraged the World Bank Group to “eliminate financial support for coal production in developing countries” (“Yes to divest,” Oct. 1). This drastic measure reveals that major global institutions are indeed taking substantial measures against coal production. While the arguments of Paxson’s letter address the stability and presence of coal, reality shows that the global community also has a conscience through its varied efforts to fight climate change. With constant fears of regulatory interference, the coal industry faces little escape from the watchful eye of the global community.

Given that Brown’s investment is so small, we must then direct our concerns toward the five members of the Corporation known to have financial connections to the coal industry. We urge the Divest Coal campaign to continue pushing this particular argument, as it is such an obvious conflict of interest. If this issue is reconsidered, these five must recuse themselves, and we hope media attention will push them to do so. But with the Corporation’s refusal to remain accountable to such fundamental demands, we cannot reasonably expect to hold its decision as earnest and genuine. Without addressing the five Corporation members who actually command important roles in sustaining coal’s power, the letter’s appeal to coal as a global economic force reads as a defense of these individuals.

The University’s past divestments from tobacco, HEI Hotels and Resorts and businesses in apartheid South Africa have demonstrated its past commitment to valuing the moral and social aspects of financial decisions. These actions had little effect on the University’s endowment at those times, a result we would expect to also see from coal divestment. But the Corporation currently maintains that coal is not the issue and that divestment is not the current answer. Instead, the Corporation suggests the University should focus its efforts toward studying and understanding the matter, ignoring that immediate actions against global climate change are necessary for the continued preservation of our world. This is an excuse that underestimates Brown’s global presence. The national attention and commentary the events of last week have brought should stand to convince the Corporation of the potential for campus decisions to be heard on the national level.

Through the efforts of Divest Coal and others in revealing the complexities and consequences of coal production, combined with the recent surge in student activism, we are hopeful the University will eventually recognize the numerous calls to divest from coal. If this decision is reversed quickly, Brown can still make an exemplary statement and be recognized for its social conscience. The alternative — waiting until forced by pressure from peer institutions to do so — would yield the same ultimate result with no potential for positive press. There is still time for Brown to be a leader on this issue, and we hope Paxson and the Corporation will reconsider as quickly as possible.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Rachel Occhiogrosso, and its members, Daniel Jeon, Hannah Loewentheil and Thomas Nath. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“I was in Alaska last summer hiking (and) I saw one of these bears from a distance.” ­— President Christina Paxson See indomitable, page 1.

William Keach Professor of English

Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com

CORRECTION Due to an editing error, an article published in Friday’s Herald (“Teach-in addresses racial implications of policing practices,” Nov. 1) incorrectly reported that Stefano Bloch said he was “incredibly proud” of protestors when they told Kelly to “shut his (expletive) mouth.” In fact, Bloch said he was “incredibly proud” of protestors when they told Kelly to “shut his expletive mouth.” The Herald regrets the error.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

An open letter to President Paxson and the Corporation BROWN DIVEST COAL guest columnists

We regret your decision. We regret your continued and deliberate willingness to invest in an industry quickly consigning our generation to life on an inhospitable planet. Understand that you do so in defiance of thousands of students, hundreds of faculty members and members of the Brown community all over the world. You do so in defiance of your own Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, which concluded, “The companies recommended for divestment perpetrate grave, indeed egregious, social harm, and there is no possible way to square our profiting from such harm with the values and principles of the University.” This conversation is not over. We will divest from coal.

We reject both of your critiques.

First, the coal industry’s harms are, in fact, “sufficiently grave” to warrant divestment, regardless of divestment’s symbolic value. Yes, “the reality is that (coal) still provides 40 percent of global

electricity.” But if coal-driven climate change continues unchecked, the reality is that we could lose as much as 20 percent of global gross domestic product. It is precisely coal’s embeddedness in our energy system that makes it so dangerous.

It will take vision and leadership to get us off coal in time. This week, you demonstrated neither. Remember that we only developed manufacturing technology that did not rely on child labor after social outcry demanded an end to the practice. Instead of demanding change, your short-sighted response shackles us to an unsustainable status quo of mountaintop removal, lethal air pollution and climate change that has pushed us to the brink of ecological collapse and massive human suffering.

You argue second that divestment would not send an effective message because it lacks a comprehensive policy agenda to overhaul the global energy economy. This is an impossible standard. A recent Oxford study showed the coal industry is so harmful we cannot in good conscience continue to profit from it. Of course divestment is a means, not an end. How we expedite

the transition away from coal to mitigate climate change and avert disaster indeed calls for research and education to which Brown should contribute.

But that research and education must

“It is precisely coal’s embeddedness in our energy system that makes its harms so dangerous.

It will take vision and leadership to get us off coal in time. This week, you demonstrated neither.” not coincide with the coal industry’s continued malpractice and must not disguise and rationalize inaction. Your refusal to divest condones an industry that makes its money marginalizing people here and abroad. How you reconcile this choice with Brown’s mission to “serve the community, the nation and the world” is unclear to us.

We were taken aback by your mention of lunch counter sit-ins as a foil to coal divestment. This appropriation

of civil rights protests is opportunistic and ahistorical — not to mention ironic. In the same way you admit coal’s harms while saying no to divestment, white moderates in the 1960s claimed to support integration and equal rights while decrying sit-ins and Freedom Rides. Just as their moderation looks like cowardice and hypocrisy today, your rejection of divestment will look the same when half of Florida, and the vast majority of its economy, is underwater.

Your compliments regarding our “commitment and purpose” are condescending. Time and again you invoked the campaign, without our consent, to promote Brown’s “spirit of open discussion” to donors and prospective students. Meanwhile, you attempted to end this community’s commitment to divestment in a closed-door meeting that welcomed zero students or faculty members but welcomed at least five Corporation members with significant financial ties to the coal industry. And then, you didn’t even take a vote.

Concluding your letter with an allusion to the “social choice fund” was especially cynical — an immoral

equivocation to keep donations rolling in. This hedging admits to the community that investment in coal ethically compromises the rest of Brown’s investments. Socially responsible investment should be the rule, not the exception.

We have gone through your established channels — bureaucratic machinery designed to sap the energy from every campaign on campus fighting for social justice — and they have yielded exactly nothing. You say that you are creating a task force to identify “bold and aggressive ways” in which Brown “can lead ... the societal response to climate change.” And we have an idea to get the task force started: Divest From Coal.

We will see you at the next Corporation meeting, and every one after that, until you act in a way that bespeaks the conviction and conscience of your faculty members, alums and students.

Yours in Protest, Brown Divest Coal Brown Divest Coal stands in solidarity with students across campus demanding accountability from our administration.

Kelly protesters empowered the voiceless CASEY GORDON guest columnist

It is telling that of all the reflections on last Tuesday’s events circulating on Facebook, The Herald and other media, those that only superficially engage the concept of “free speech” as an abstract principle and couch their arguments in the rhetoric of respect and civility bewail the protesters’ tactics. In contrast, those that critically engage the notions of free who and civil rights as tangible ideas that relate to and affect real communities throughout Providence and the United States in diverse ways boldly defend the protesters’ actions.

If my implication is vague, let me clarify: The thought process of those who dismiss the shouting down of New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as “inarticulate,” “uncivilized” or “myopic” is fundamentally shallower than that of those who stand by the protestors’ decision to deny the commissioner his chance to speak. The latter is considerably less egoistic, far more nuanced and profoundly more empathetic.

If I seem unduly pejorative, I would ask you to give me the chance to empathize with those whom I have just criticized. I understand that you feel uneasy, perhaps even angry, that members of our community were denied their chance to engage Kelly in an open forum. I have no doubt that had his speech been allowed to take place, the question and answer

session would have been a display of intellectual force he would have been woefully unable to withstand. We could have collectively exposed him for the menace that he is and done so in an unimpeachably civil fashion that allowed us to feel good about our community as a place in which tolerance and reason triumph over intolerance and bigotry.

But that’s where it would have stopped: our community. This civil discourse would simply not have resounded far beyond the lecture hall, and word of 100 Brown students’ intellectual triumph certainly would not have traveled to the communities throughout the country that are victims of the violent policies men like Kelly perpetuate and amplify.

I myself do not come from such a community, and I cannot claim to

know the pain and degradation that Kelly’s victims are forced to live with every single day. However, I can sure as hell feel angry when people who come from privileged backgrounds like mine abuse their positions to wreak further social and economic violence on already marginalized communities, and I can do my best to sincerely help the voices of those communities ring loudly in settings where they all too often remain completely unheard.

I can appreciate the value of a society in which civil discourse is the only discourse, and I can appreciate the desire of many of my peers to act and speak in a fashion that adds to this value, but the truth of the matter is that we live in a world where this type of society cannot yet be realized. Civility that comes

Defend free inquiry at Brown

ANDREW POWERS opinions columnist

A few weeks ago, Zach Ingber ’15 wrote a column lamenting the prevalence of “intolerance for certain political perspectives” (“Free speech at Brown?” Oct. 20). Ironically, much of the student body received his plea for free inquiry with the exact type of intolerance that he described. And just last week, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was shouted down by protesters as he attempted to give a lecture presumably regarding his support for the controversial stop-and-frisk policy.

It’s a common but apt refrain: “We don’t have free speech so that we can talk about the weather.” While this isn’t a discussion about the right to free speech per se, it’s still instructive to look at why this right plays a central role in a functioning society.

Historically, the disregard and suppression of ideas has been used to

perpetrate atrocities on a grand scale.

Rights are designed to protect individuals from force and coercion. Successful societies protect and promote free inquiry and discourse because they recognize the unreliability of the mob. I don’t think I need to list the innumerable cases of suppression of speech in which those resorting to force believed morality to be on their side. And it’s circular to assert that this time the action actually is justified since the assumed justification is under contention.

It’s logically unconvincing to say that stop-and-frisk is immoral, and we therefore shouldn’t talk about it, because plenty of people disagree with the initial premise that stop-and-frisk is inherently immoral. As a university, we need not actively support and represent each and every voice, but we should not disregard them, and we certainly should not suppress them.

Free inquiry is about being humble — it’s about recognizing personal intellectual imperfection while striving for unattainable perfection. To me, this unwillingness to consider, or even allow, opposing perspectives demonstrates a

real dearth of the humility necessary for free inquiry. We arrogantly idolize ourselves as models of perfection and disrespectfully belittle our peers — offhandedly dismissing the views of equally rational, intelligent and well-informed individuals — because they disagree with our conclusions.

And this pretension extends beyond arguments, affecting dissenters at an individual level. Often — and I’ve experienced this personally — such convictions of infallibility are used to justify comments regarding the “bad character” of defenders of these views. Beyond relying upon the aforementioned circularity, this point is particularly annoying to me as someone who holds free inquiry at a premium. It’s a tragic state of closedmindedness when all attempts to provide reasoning that could exonerate one’s character will only ever be interpreted as further evidence of culpability. It’s analogous to calling someone argumentative, and then taking their disagreement as further evidence of that point. This isn’t substantive “evidence,” because there would be disagreement irrespective of the truth of the initial claim.

By walking away from the debate and insisting upon the soundness of our conclusions, we afford ourselves an intellectually privileged position of self-ascribed infallibility. It’s darkly ironic to me that this is the ubiquitous fallback position taken up by the same individuals who fallaciously cite “privilege” as grounds to dismiss the arguments of others.

Ideas should be evaluated on the basis of their content, not their origin.

The validity of an argument exists independently of those who espouse it. This specious logical connection between arguer and argument through privilege is a disturbingly pervasive instance of an ad hominem fallacy. At best, the “evidence” to which individuals of privilege might not have equivalent access is purely anecdotal in nature and does not establish a legitimate basis for policy.

Many condemned President Christina Paxson’s response — as well as the responses of students who agreed with her — through an irrational appeal to this unrestricted umbrella of privilege.

For those in our community who were offended by Paxson’s response, perhaps the identical advice former President

at the expense of further marginalizing the subjugated is not only worthless, but also criminally dishonest.

Because of this, I can appreciate that there are certain moments when an eruption of raw emotion — albeit a disruptive one — better empowers the voices of the oppressed than any sterile exercise in “intellectual rigor” undertaken on their behalf ever could.

Upon reflection I have come to understand that last Tuesday was one of those moments, and I hope those of you who have not already will soon come to do the same.

Casey Gordon ’14 is intellectually rigorous and civilly disobedient. He can be reached at thecaseygordon@gmail.com.

Ruth Simmons offered to incoming students in her 2001 convocation address will be more convincing.

“When I was your age, I was like many of such an age — confident of my opinions…One day in the middle of a classroom discussion about apartheid…a lone young white South African woman spoke up in class and defended her way of life…I have never forgotten these simple words spoken in opposition to my own…And I have regretted for 30 years that I did not engage this woman’s assertions instead of dismissing her as racist…Those moments will come to you in this place. You can look away…or you can engage them and not look back 30 years later wishing that you had the opportunity to do it.”

Learning at Brown is a process in which disagreement plays an integral part. As Simmons concluded, “Welcome to this quarrelsome enterprise that we call a university. Enjoy.”

Andrew Powers ’15 can be reached at andrew_powers@brown.edu and will respectfully respond to you as an intellectual peer.

daily herald sports monday THE BROWN

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Defensive line protects Bruno’s lead

Saturday was the first time the Bears were able to prevent a comeback after an early advantage

By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

From the ashes of an 0-2 conference start, the Bears are reborn. From the cellar of the Ivy League, Bruno has climbed into a tie for fourth with its only remaining games coming against bottom-of-the-division teams. Dropping the conference favorite Penn in convincing fashion has the squad back in the picture, and this is how it happened.

ANALYSIS

What’s strong?

Eye-popping rushing statistics for John Spooney ’14 got him mentioned by more than just Ivy League football fans. Over 200 yards on the ground in the game’s first 17 minutes not only pushed the Bears out to a steep 21-point advantage, but it caught the attention of national media outlets, including a tweet from ESPN College Football.

Head Coach Phil Estes called the back

“game-changing” prior to the season, and he was just that. Twice Spooney scored on the first play of Bruno drives, taking the pressure off the offense and establishing insurmountable momentum for the Bears.

But in all the Spooney heroics, there was another Bruno unit worthy of attention: the defensive line. Though Penn starting quarterback Billy Ragone missed the game due to injury, backup Ryan Becker proved a commendable replacement with a big game against Yale last week. This week, Becker took hit after vicious hit. The defensive pressure led to sacks, bad throws, interceptions and, ultimately, a stagnant Quaker offense.

What’s wrong?

Even the staunchest of critics would have a hard time pointing out flaws in Bruno’s performance Saturday. For nitpickers, the team committed eight penalties for 68 yards versus just 25 yards in infractions for the Quakers.

Another lopsided total in these categories is alarming for the Bears after penalties may have cost them a win earlier this season against Princeton.

Penalties tend to be a difference-making category when games are close, and the

Bears kept them from being a factor.

But the pattern of undisciplined play showed itself again Saturday and could hurt Bruno again in the future.

What’s new?

Early in the second quarter, with the Bears holding a 21-0 lead, the Quakers marched all the way to the Bruno oneyard line. This must have seemed like the replay of a bad movie for Brown and fans. The Bears has been able to jump out to early leads in every Ivy League game this year, but Saturday was the first time they prevented a comeback.

Even in its conference win over Cornell, Bruno lost a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter only to pull out a late victory.

The Bears’ second quarter goal line stand proved they had learned from past games. After holding up Becker on a fourth-down run to get the ball back late in the second period, the defense did not allow Penn to drive into the red zone for the remainder of the game.

Stingy defense and a heroic running back have changed the image of Brown’s 2013 campaign, and, with three games remaining, the Bears could make the Ivy League title race much more interesting if they continue to play like they did Saturday.

FOOTBALL

5-2, 2-2

4-3, 3-1

27 vs. 0

W. HOCKEY

Bears face tough ECAC competition Bruno held his own defensively and in goal despite powerful offensive pressure from both teams

By LAINIE ROWLAND SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The women’s hockey team trekked six hours north this weekend to take on the Clarkson Golden Knights and the Saint Lawrence Saints at their respective home rinks. Bruno tied Clarkson 1-1 and lost to St. Lawrence 5-1.

Clarkson (7-2-2, 2-1-1 ECAC) and St. Lawrence (4-6, 3-1) are perennial hockey powerhouses. The Golden Knights were ranked fifth in a preseason U.S. College Hockey Online poll, and the Saints have topped Brown (1-2-1, 0-1-1) in their past 18 matchups. These teams also hold an additional advantage over Bruno as they have been practicing and playing since September. Ivy League hockey teams are not allowed to start practicing until two weeks before the start of their seasons, said co-captain Jennifer Nedow ’14. “We were playing two really hard teams who have already played a lot of games,” she said.

Clarkson 1, Brown 1 Friday night’s game against

IVY FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

Clarkson proved a defensive test for Brown, with goalie Aubree Moore ’14 saving 53 of 54 shots, while Clarkson only had to defend 11 shots from Bruno. Following the trend from last weekend’s competition against the RIT, the Bears were once again outshot by a high margin but still managed to keep the game close through skillful defensive efforts. Penalties, like goals, also proved to be few and far between, with Bruno notching one and Clarkson two, resulting in a lack of power plays.

Clarkson scored first to take a 1-0 lead near the end of the first period.

The goal was answered by Bruno’s Ariana Rucker ’16 as she deflected a rebound off Erin Conway ’17 to tie the game in the second period. The rest of play proved scoreless for both teams, though Clarkson turned up the offensive pressure in overtime, testing a solid Moore in goal.

St. Lawrence 5, Brown 1 Saturday the Bears took on St. Lawrence in a higher scoring game, though the goals were not in Brown’s favor.

The offensively strong Saints outshot Bruno by a 33-18 margin.

St. Lawrence took an early lead in the first period, with a goal off a power play and an additional one at 18 minutes, 47 seconds to make the

score 2-0 going into the second period.

St. Lawrence doubled the margin, as it scored two more times to bring the score to 4-0. Brown got on the board in the third period, as Rucker scored for a second time in the weekend off an assist from Brittany Moorehead ’15, bringing both Rucker’s and Bruno’s total goal count for the weekend to two. But the Saints scored again in the third to seal their victory 5-1.

Moore’s standout performances in goal brought her shots saved total to 167, an average of 42 per game for the season so far.

“We know we have a team that never quits and great goaltending,” said Head Coach Amy Bourbeau.

Having a strong defense allows the team to be more aggressive offensively and take chances by having a fourth man in the zone, Nedow said.

The defensive trend continued on the road back to Providence as the team’s path was briefly blocked.

In a moment that was “no big deal,” the returning team encountered five “moose in the middle of the road on (their) way home from Canton, N.Y.,” according the team’s Twitter.

The Bears will host Quinnipiac in their first home game of the season Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Meehan Auditorium.

Yale 53 Columbia 12

Princeton 53 Cornell 20

Brown 27 Penn 0

Harvard 24 Dartmouth 21

NEXT WEEKEND’S GAMES: Brown @ Yale Princeton @ Penn

Harvard @ Columbia Cornell @ Dartmouth

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

Running back John Spooney ’14 racked up over 200 yards on the ground in the first 17 minutes and caught the attention of ESPN College Football.

» FOOTBALL, from page 1 ’14 went left. Donnelly floated the ball to Marks, who was all alone in the end zone, and the Bears had a 14-0 lead after two possessions.

Unlike their first two conference games — in which Bruno lost big leads in the second quarter — the Bears extended the lead in the second period.

The team had its back against their own end zone for a second time early in the second quarter. Again, the Bears turned to Spooney, and again, he delivered.

Exploiting a small hole up the middle, Spooney split the Quaker defense and did not stop until he hit pay dirt. The second run of over 90 yards for Spooney had the Bears comfortably ahead 21-0.

“When he plays four quarters, he can control a football game,” Estes said of his star tailback. Jokingly, he added, “the way he rips off runs, he scares me a little bit.

The referees were out of breath and asked if we could slow him down.”

Late in the first half, the home team proved it was their day. Penn was knocking on the door, facing a fourth and goal at the one-yard line. But a stout defensive line dropped Quaker quarterback Ryan Becker for a loss to give Bruno the ball.

Three plays into the ensuing drive, with the clock winding down in the half, Donnelly pulled a play action and hit receiver Tellef Lundevall ’13.5 over the middle for 67 yards. The bomb set up kicker Alexander Norocea ’14 for a 44-yarder as time expired, and Bruno carried a 24-point advantage into the locker room at half.

After Spooney and company built the lead, the Bruno defense ensured there would be no comeback this time. The Quakers managed just 52 yards in the third quarter, and Becker spent most

of the quarter on his back thanks to an aggressive Bears’ pass rush.

“The up-front guys did a really good job of getting to the quarterback,” Estes said. “With Becker, we needed him to prove himself, we wanted him to have to pass the football, and we had some schemes to do that.”

With starting quarterback Billy Ragone sidelined with an injury, Penn struggled to move the ball the whole game. Brown Stadium has proved a difficult place for the Quakers to score points. Since 2009, the Bears have held Penn scoreless in 11 consecutive quarters of regulation play in Providence. The shutout was a major lift for the Brown defense.

The shutout “means everything,” said cornerback Emory Polley ’14. “That’s all we were talking about on the sideline. To shut a team out is a sense of pride for us.”

Every time Penn seemed to gain some momentum, Becker would be taken down for a sack. When he was able to get his passes off, Becker completed only 50 percent and was intercepted three times. Polley accounted for two of the picks, including running down and snatching an overthrown ball to seal the shutout late in the fourth.

Having won nine of its last 10 conference games, Penn did not expect to be upended by the powerful Bruno attack, especially by such a wide margin.

“I honestly did not see this coming,” said Penn Head Coach Al Bagnoli. “They just thoroughly outplayed us. They dominated us in every aspect.”

The rejuvenated Bruno team heads to New Haven, Conn., next week, looking to grab its first winning record in conference play with a win against Yale (4-3, 2-2).