Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 119
since 1891
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013
TWC leaders aim to propose new name by July BSA The centerâs mission and releases U. finances were also discussed at Tuesdayâs preview of BUCC meeting new app By KIKI BARNES
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The app will include information on campus events and dining hall offerings
Leaders of the Third World Center hope to propose a new name for the center to President Christina Paxson by July 2014, said Mary Grace Almandrez, associate dean of the College and the centerâs director, at a Tuesday Brown University Community Council meeting. The group also discussed priorities for a new dean of the College, the current state of the University endowment and an upcoming proposal for a new bike-sharing program. A new TWC strategic planning committee of administrators,
By KATYA BARRETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Brown Student Agencies launched the online version of a new digital application earlier this month, in the first step toward releasing an official University-run app that distributes news at Brown and information from the local community. BSAâs new app provides online users with links to events and dining hall menus, news from Providence and contact information for the Universityâs departments and divisions. The app, which can be found at m.brown.edu, will be available to download for free onto both Apple and Android devices starting this spring. A BSA development team headed by Elisabeth Berger â14 and Connor Shinn â14 created the app in conjunction with Computing and Information Services, which aided with producing the technical structure. App developers said they have been working on the project for nearly two years. âWe took a poll of about 350 students in the nascent stages of this project and asked them what they thought about a mobile app for Brown,â Shinn said. » See APP, page 3
ALAN SHAN / HERALD
The Brown University Community Council also discussed the search for a new dean and a proposal for a new bike-sharing program.
undergraduates, faculty members and alums will convene by December, Almandrez said. The center has already undergone a self-evaluation and external review, she said. The committee will strive to âdevelop a mission and vision that speaks to students of color,â including holding community-wide discussions to decide on a new name and reinvigorating the centerâs commitment to student activism, Almandrez said. âWe will try as much as we can to make this process inclusive,â she added. In a discussion about the search for a new dean of the College, council members highlighted communicativeness and accessibility as key traits a new dean must possess. So far, community feedback has emphasized that candidates should » See BUCC, page 2
Seeking âreal worldâ projects, midyear grads on the rise This Decemberâs graduates took time off to pursue endeavors such as internships and community service By EMILY WOOLDRIDGE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Though the graduates at the Midyear Completion Celebration Dec. 7 will not be sporting caps and gowns, they will still be celebrating a momentous rite of passage. The number of midyear graduates has risen 28 percent over the past five years, according to data provided by the Office of Institutional Research. Between 2012 and 2013, 167 students completed their undergraduate degrees midyear, compared to 121 between 2009 and 2010. Many students graduate in the middle of the academic year after taking a semester away from the
University. Bridget Sauer â13.5, who left Brown to pursue an internship in the Paris office of the fashion designer Hermes, said the experience was âlife-changing and eye-opening.â Other midyear graduates shared similar sentiments about their experiences away from College Hill. Ian Trupin â13.5, spent eight months in Tanzania working on community projects with his sister and getting to know his grandparents for the first time, he said. Rie Ohta â13.5, who spent time abroad working for Habitat for Humanity in West Africa, said she came back âready to take advantage of all Brown has to offerâ and with a
perspective helpful for her development studies concentration. Other midyear graduates took time off to work on their senior theses or to pursue independent studies. Rob Bentlyewski â13.5 stayed at the University for a ninth semester to conduct an independent study on Bruce Springsteenâs songwriting, while also squeezing in one more season with the rugby team, he wrote in an email to The Herald. By holding events such as potlucks off campus, leave-taking coordinators bring midyear graduates together to build a sense of community, Ohta said. Ashton Strait â13.5 might not have been able to take time off without community support because her parents were already âa bit worriedâ by her plan, she wrote in an email
Midyear completions Since 2008, the number of students who graduated in the middle of year increased by 28 percent. 167 157 154 129
121
â08-09 â09-10 â10-11 â11-12 â12-13 Source: Office of Institutional Research
to The Herald âI think for their generation, people âtook time off â as a way of dropping out of college, which obviously wasnât my intention, but they still » See MIDYEAR, page 2
Foot traffic and culinary culture draw food trucks to Thayer Street
By CAROLINE KELLY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Thayer Street at dinner time, a veritable United Nations of aromas wafts through the air as Korean spices from Mama Kimâs mix with the savory aura of Plouf Ploufâs truffle frites. Behind the mobile walls of the trucks offering this variety of cuisines lie back stories as unique as the food served.
FEATURE
inside
âSomething differentâ Many food truck owners said they decided to pursue their culinary dreams
by opening food trucks due to the comparatively lower startup costs of trucks over other food businesses. âYou donât have too much overhead at first, so I think itâs a great way to get your feet wet in the food industry if you want to own a business,â said Jason Vargas, co-owner of Fusion Gourmet, or Fugo, a Latin-and-Asian fusion truck. Mario Molliere, owner of Plouf Plouf Gastronomie, said he opted for a food truck because it made business sense given the âbad economy.â âI decided to do something different,â he added. âThe operating costs are cheaper than a restaurant,â said Molliere, who previously owned two French restaurants in Connecticut. Owning a food truck âwas a cheaper start for us, so that was much better than getting a full restaurant,â said Talita
Luna-Stackpole, who co-owns the Brazilian truck Lady Copacabana with her husband, Chris Stackpole. The increased flexibility of location offers another benefit, owners said. With a food truck, âyou can go anywhere,â Luna-Stackpole said. âYou go to people â you donât have to wait for people to come to you.â âYou have to choose your location if you have a restaurant, and itâs too much of a risk,â she added. âYou can do a lot, actually, in a food truck. You can go places, you can go to fairs, and if you have a restaurant, youâre going to be just there.â Owners also described gratifying interactions with customers who wholeheartedly support their mission. âPeople really like coming, talking to you, because (food trucks are) » See FOOD TRUCKS, page 4
HERALD FILE PHOTO
Sook Kim Pâ01 and her son, Hyun Kim â01, co-own Mama Kimâs Korean BBQ. Hyun Kim balances his work with an overseas job for the United Nations.
Year 40 for MPC
Time for Recess
Human works
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Minority Peer Counselor Program
Briz â14 launched a website for Brown and RISD students to share nonfiction and art
Montes â16 advocates for revamping the humanities to increase job prospects
UNIVERSITY NEWS, 3
ARTS & CULTURE, 5
COMMENTARY, 7
weather
Truck owners described lives of mobile adventure and connections with student customers
t o d ay
tomorrow
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