Daily
Herald
THE BROWN
vol. cxlviii, no. 120
Hopefuls vie for R.I. governor seat Mayor Angel Taveras and Treasurer Gina Raimondo are frontrunners for the Democratic nomination By KATHERINE LAMB SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Democratic and Republican primary races for the 2014 gubernatorial election have been in flux during recent weeks as new candidates enter the race, fresh poll results redefine the contest’s frontrunners and campaign fundraising reports offer new takes on where the races are headed. Candidates will compete for the office currently held by Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17, who announced Sept. 4 that he will not run for a second term and will instead use the power of the office to address the concerns of Rhode Islanders without having to devote energy to electoral politics. Chafee, only the fourth governor in Rhode Island history to not seek a second term, leaves behind a complicated legacy. He spearheaded the state’s successful efforts to reduce wait time at the Division of Motor Vehicles but has remained widely unpopular in part due to tax hikes early in the term. Voters now look to gubernatorial candidates promising large-scale reform and economic improvement. Though Rhode Island votes blue in national elections — no Republican presidential candidate
CITY & STATE
since 1891
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013
has carried the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984 — since 1995 only Republican and Independent governors have been elected. Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo are widely seen as the frontrunners in next year’s Democratic primary. The two have much in common — both are Harvard graduates with law degrees, and both are currently in their first terms as elected officials — but the election will likely focus on their differences. If elected, Taveras would be the state’s first Latino governor and Raimondo would be the first female governor. Taveras wrote in an email to The Herald that his personal background and experience as mayor set him apart from the pack. “My journey has taken me from Head Start to Harvard and then back to Providence, where as mayor I have worked to rescue a city on the brink and put the needs of people first. Today, our state needs a new direction, new ideas and a governor who will create the same opportunity I had as the son of a factory worker,” Taveras wrote. If elected, Taveras would be the first Providence mayor to become governor since Dennis Roberts in 1950, Rhode Island Public Radio reported. Though she has not officially announced her candidacy, Raimondo leads the 2014 gubernatorial race in fundraising, the Providence Journal reported. At the time of her most » See GOVERNOR, page 2
Attendance at Paxson’s office hours rises Following controversies, the president held 11 meetings in her last three open office hour sessions By MICHAEL DUBIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Attendance at President Christina Paxson’s office hours has increased moderately in the wake of the decision not to divest the University’s endowment from companies profiting from coal and the cancellation of a scheduled lecture by New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Paxson has held 17 meetings during her six office hour sessions this semester, according to records kept by Assistant to the President Kimberly Roskiewicz, who staffs the meetings. Of those 17 meetings, 11 were in the three » See PAXSON, page 3
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
President Christina Paxson has held an average of two office hour sessions a month this fall. Herald file photo.
Social media may affect admission Rhode Island does not ban college admission officers from examining applicants’ online profiles By MAGGIE LIVINGSTONE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The college application process no longer relies solely on paper and pencil. With a digitized Common Application, virtual campus tours and outreach through social media, institutions across the country, including Brown, increasingly depend on online tools to promote themselves and to reach applicants unable to visit campus. But the focus on online exposure
means applicants who cultivate their own virtual presences could harm their chances of being accepted to their desired universities. Building buzz The University’s social media presence has grown exponentially in the last two years, said John Murphy, the University’s social media specialist. Brown maintains official accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram and Google+, he said. Social media platforms offer glimpses into campus life to prospective students who are unable to travel to universities, admission officers and experts said. The Office of Admission hosted its
first-ever Google Hangout On Air Nov. 23. Two admission officers answered prospective students’ questions on a live webcam, said Chris Belcher, an admission officer who participated in the hangout. Admission officers at other institutions, including Bowdoin College and Tufts University, have hosted similar Google Hangouts, Belcher said. “It’s embracing technology for students who can’t get to campus,” he said. Too much information? Though social media can help promote a university, some students may find these sites detrimental in the college admission process. » See SOCIAL MEDIA, page 2
Seniors power Bears to fourth Three arrested in FOOTBALL
By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
inside
Running back John Spooney ’14 was a major sparkplug for the offense, accumulating more than 1,200 total yards. Herald file photo.
A blowout win at Columbia put an exclamation point on an up-and-down season for the football team, which finished fourth in the Ivy League with a modest 6-4 overall record and 3-4 record against Ivy competitors. The campaign featured high points, like a 27-0 drumming of defending league champion Penn and a perfect 3-0 record out of conference, but it also included painful lows: The Bears blew double-digit leads to rivals Harvard and Princeton. » See FOOTBALL, page 5
cell phone robbery DPS officers apprehended the primary suspect based on a description offered by a witness By JILLIAN LANNEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Department of Public Safety officers arrested three individuals in connection with a cell phone robbery on Manning Walkway Monday afternoon, said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police for DPS. Around 4:35 p.m., an unarmed male suspect approached a student from behind and stole his cell phone, according to a crime alert email sent by DPS. A bystander who witnessed the incident called DPS and described the
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Open your eyes
TRI-Lab leaders look to grow the program in future years
Mayor Angel Taveras proposes expanding prekindergarten education
Moraff ’14 tells students not to believe the U. cannot afford need-blind admission
UNIVERSITY NEWS, 3
CITY & STATE, 4
COMMENTARY, 7
weather
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suspect, Shanley said. “Within 10 to 15 minutes,” an officer stationed nearby apprehended the suspect near the scene of the crime. The student’s cell phone was recovered, Shanley added. The suspect, a juvenile whose name could not be released, was charged with three felonies: larceny from a person, conspiracy to commit larceny from a person and extortion. Upon further investigation, DPS officers charged two additional men with conspiracy to commit larceny from a person in relation to the same incident, though Shanley declined to provide further details. Rico Goncalves, an 18-year-old Providence resident, was held overnight at the Providence police station “pending a court date” scheduled for Tuesday. The other conspirator was another juvenile male, Shanley said. t o d ay
tomorrow
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