Thursday, February 20, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 20

UCS discusses qualities for new provost UCS members hope Provost Mark Schlissel’s P’15 successor prioritizes undergrad experience

Ray Kelly Committee releases initial report Paxson emails phase one report detailing context and facts behind the October incident

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Undergraduate Council of Students members described qualities they hope to see in the new provost, including attentiveness to undergraduate issues and a familiarity with Brown’s unique culture, at Wednesday’s open forum, which featured two members of the provost search committee.

Wendy Edwards, professor of visual arts, and Daniel Pipkin ’14, the undergraduate appointment, represented the committee at the forum.

Edwards opened the forum by describing how the committee’s current goal is gathering feedback from community members to inform its decision making. “Our process right now is going out into the community and taking information back to the committee,” she said.

Several UCS members expressed a desire for the new provost to prioritize undergraduate issues, such as expanding financial aid and research funding.

Sam Rubinstein ’17, a UCS general body member, said he wants “to be confident that when Brown makes

since 1891

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

affiliated with the Brown community.

In its first phase, the committee — headed by Professor of Africana Studies Anthony Bogues and comprising five faculty members, two administrators, two undergraduates and one graduate student — met with participants on all sides of the event, including students, faculty and community members.

The committee also looked over documentation, correspondence and publicity surrounding the event.

Yesterday’s report marks the conclusion of the first half of the committee’s work. Having established the facts surrounding the incident, the committee will now turn to broader questions of inclusivity, community dialogues and freedom of speech, with recommendations set to be released by the end of the semester, Bogues told The Herald.

Though not on the original list of potential speakers for the annual Noah Krieger ’93 Memorial Lecture, Kelly was suggested by the Krieger family, who endowed the lecture fund, according to the report. His official invitation last May included potential topics for the lecture, such as how terrorism has affected policing in major cities after September 11th.

The report states that the event title » See KELLY, page 2

By TONYA RILEY UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Provost search committee members Wendy Edwards, professor of visual arts, and Daniel Pipkin ’14 heard UCS members’ feedback at the forum. an offer to a student anywhere in the world, (it does not) lose that student due to their inability to pay.” He also wants the provost to focus on increasing funding for research, which would benefit both undergraduates and faculty members, he added.

Justice Gaines ’16, who plans on joining the Council, said he seeks a provost “focused on the

undergraduates” who sees “how everything ties back to the undergraduate.”

Many Council members also said they would appreciate a provost who engaged with the student body in a direct manner.

Kiera Peltz ’16, chair of the UCS Communications Committee, said she hoped the new provost would be » See UCS, page 2

When administrators decided to shut down New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s lecture last semester, they did so partly because some feared that mounting student and community member protests could turn violent.

That detail is one of several revealed in yesterday’s release of the first report from the Committee on the Events of October 29, 2013, which President Christina Paxson tasked with a factfinding mission upon its creation last semester.

The report, which was emailed to the community yesterday afternoon, describes the events leading up to and during the planned October Kelly lecture hosted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The report concludes that administrators canceled the lecture due to concerns that Department of Public Safety officers would not be able to address conflict with protestors not

72 companies recruit Taveras leads in gubernatorial primary Recent poll results show gaining support at Spring Career Fair Taveras since October, leading FEB. 3-6 POLL OF LIKELY DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS:

“If the Democratic primary for Governor were being held today, for whom would you vote?”

By GABRIELLE DEE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

As students immerse themselves in the hunt for summer internships and full-time job offers, 72 companies will recruit prospective graduate and undergraduate employees from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at CareerLAB’s annual Spring Career Fair. The fair is divided into two sectors — 35 employers in Sayles Hall for the general fair and 37 in the Kasper Multipurpose Room for the Social Impact Job and Internship Fair, which CareerLAB devised last year in conjunction with the Rhode Island School of Design.

Employers are always looking to recruit students from Brown, said Andrew Simmons, CareerLAB director, emphasizing the importance of career fairs for finding employment at companies that do not necessarily have specific job postings.

“This is just one piece of the overall fabric that we have at Brown for

advising,” Simmons said, adding that there are CareerLAB resources for students whose interests lie outside of the companies represented at the fair.

Though employers were pleased overall with the Brown students at last year’s fair, many noted students did not seem prepared to sell themselves, Simmons said. CareerLAB focused on better preparing students for the fair this year by offering a video with tips including advice on clothing, resumes and follow-up emails, he said.

The video, along with other resources for Career Fair preparation, are on CareerLAB website, he said.

Casey Kim ’17, a visual arts concentrator, said she is not currently looking for an internship and did not know CareerLAB was hosting a fair. As a VISA concentrator, she said she does not see a need to attend and would like to see the University focus on bringing more companies offering design-based internships to the fair.

Twenty-five of the 35 companies recruiting at the general fair this year seek students with tech-based skill sets, according to the Spring Career Fair schedule.

The high percentage of tech firms » See FAIR, page 2

Raimondo by four points

40 percent of respondents

By ALEXANDER BLUM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Mayor Angel Taveras has gained a slight lead over General Treasurer Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to a poll released Feb. 12.

Shedding new light on what could be a very close race for the governorship, the polls shows Taveras commanding 31 percent of the 503 likely Democratic voters polled, while Raimondo was preferred by 27 percent. Clay Pell had the support of 15 percent of those polled, Todd Giroux, a perennial candidate, was backed by 1 percent and 25 percent of respondents said they were undecided.

The results of the poll, which was conducted by the consulting firm Fleming and Associates, differ sharply from an October poll conducted by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The Taubman poll showed Raimondo backed by 42 percent of voters, with 33.6

METRO

Metro

31%

30 27%

25% 20 15% 10

1%

0 Gina Raimondo

Angel Taveras

Clay Pell

Todd Giroux

Undecided

Note: 1.4 percent of respondents declined to answer.

Source: Providence Journal/WPRI poll JACQUELINE FEILER / HERALD

percent favoring Taveras. Taubman Center Director Marion Orr called the gap “a substantial margin,” The Herald previously reported.

“I think it is always risky to make big generalizations,” said Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science and public policy, referring to the discrepancies between the various polls. Instead, it is important to look at trends across polls,

Commentary

Parents call for improved student transportation in Providence after district-wide cuts

R.I. politicians pass legislation to protect social media data from employers and colleges

Dreshler ’15: UCS vets student groups to provide equal access to funds

Delaney ’15: Disparities in paid and unpaid jobs avert applicants from working for common good

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General fair features 35 employers, with remaining at second annual social impact fair

understanding that margins of error should also be taken into account, she added.

But “any gap between the candidates that is beyond five percent is usually pretty accurate,” Schiller said. By these standards, Taveras’ four-point lead over Raimondo indicated by the Fleming poll is within the margin of error. » See PRIMARY, page 3 t o d ay

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2 university news » KELLY, from page 1 and description provided by Kelly’s staff did not prompt “any reaction or discussion by Center staff before adoption.”

The Taubman Center was not aware of concerns about the event until leaders received an email from an alum about two weeks before the lecture, which denounced the decision to invite Kelly as the speaker because of the controversial stop-and-frisk policies he implemented in New York, according to the report.

In the week leading up to the lecture, the Taubman Center was contacted by a student asking to meet and discuss concerns about the event. On Oct. 25, “students delivered (a) petition to the Taubman Center, along with the signatures of approximately 300 students, alumni and community members,” according to the report.

The report states that tensions between students and the administration were high at the time of the Kelly protest, in part due to the Corporation’s decision not to divest the University’s endowment from major coal companies the previous weekend. This contentious atmosphere was critical to the context of the event, Bogues said.

“A lot of the students we interviewed mentioned it,” he said, adding that “there was a general feeling of not being listened to” by the administration.

The day before the lecture, administrators and Orr met to discuss reshaping the event to include a lecture simulcast in the next room and a discussion between students and Kelly after the lecture. They then met with

a student, who brought a petition of about 500 signatures, to discuss a possible meeting with Kelly, which did not come to fruition.

Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn, currently acting dean of the College, “offered to sponsor and fund another event later in the academic year so that other perspectives on the controversial topic of stop-and-frisk could be heard,” according to the report.

During this meeting and before the lecture, the Student Code of Conduct policies on student protest were reviewed. It is standard procedure to read this policy before a potentially controversial event, said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations.

University administrators also decided the day before the lecture not to remove event posters that had been defaced with swastikas, determining that “the symbols should be protected as a form of free speech and the flyers would not be taken down,” according to the report.

When informed by the Taubman Center of the controversy surrounding the lecture on campus, the report states, Kelly “expected some degree of controversy on college campuses, while the Krieger family was hopeful that the controversy would lead to fruitful discussion.”

The report also notes the uniformed police attendance at the event, which it says was perceived by protestors as “a visual symbol of the potentially threatening nature of Commissioner Kelly’s policies for Rhode Islanders of color.” The officers included Providence

police, whose presence had been approved by the University, and DPS officers.

According to the report, administrators canceled the talk after 25 minutes because of disruption by student and community members.

“I want to make this clear that you’re cancelling this event. … I’m willing to speak,” Kelly said, according to the report.

In its next phase, the committee hopes to expand the scope of students and faculty members it interviews to include those who were not involved with the events, Bogues said. The goal is to determine how the community should move forward in addressing the University’s handling of issues of freedom of expression and to work toward defining community values, Bogues said.

“We want the University community to really help us out in the second part,” he said.

The second phase will also provide a chance for the University to examine its relationship with the city and state communities, he said.

While the committee will not issue recommendations about disciplinary action, its reports will provide context for proceedings in the Office of Student Life, which is currently reviewing questions of potential violations of the Student Code of Conduct by protestors using its normal procedures, Quinn said.

The committee does not have a release date for its second-phase recommendations or findings, but it will conclude its findings by the end of the semester, Bogues said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

» FAIR, from page 1 can be attributed to the industry’s rapid growth, which has caused increased demand for talent in that field, Simmons said, adding that because these fields generate large revenues, the major tech companies can devote more funds to recruiting at campuses.

Tom Doeppner, vice chair of the department of computer science , said the tech industry has always maintained a high demand for employees, and the number of recruiting firms has been on the rise recently. Technology recruiters are not indicative of University support for the industry but represent a combination of high demand for Brown students and the current state of the economy, which demands more tech-oriented employees, he added.

Zifan Yang ’14, a biomedical engineering concentrator, said he

» UCS, from page 1 a “major presence on campus and a big personality” who would facilitate a greater connection between the student body and the administration.

“The provost should be enthusiastic about being involved … (and) should want to hear what we have to say and be involved in what we’re doing,” said Heather Sabel ’17, a UCS general body member.

Some also stressed that the new provost should be mindful of the University’s unique culture as a universitycollege.

Kevin Carty ’15, a UCS general body member, said he wants the new provost to support the ideas former president Henry Wriston outlined in his essay “The University College,” such as the importance of a broad liberal arts undergraduate education.

Carty called the trend of placing emphasis on pre-professional or graduate schools “antithetical to the university-college.”

Several Council members also stressed the importance of selecting

also noticed a large tech presence at startup fairs he attended in Boston.

He added that he was not aware of today’s fair and is not attending, though he found previous fairs extremely helpful, as they taught him how to present himself to companies.

Doeppner said most computer science students secure employment through the department’s Industrial Partners Program, and the Career Fair caters mostly to students who have only recently begun their coursework in computer science — such as first-years and sophomores — and students who joined the concentration later in their undergraduate careers.

Despite the high number of technology companies at the Fair, Simmons said students not studying computer science should still attend the fair, because companies could be looking for students with a wide variety of skill sets. a provost who appreciates Brown’s culture of openness.

Elena Saltzman ’16, a UCS general body member, said she would like the provost to have “an appreciation of our culture of inclusivity and acceptance” and prove to be “enthusiastic about cultivating that culture during their tenure at Brown.”

Alex Drechsler ’15, chair of the UCS Student Activities committee and a former Herald opinions columnist, said he hopes to see “a provost who has a very Brown flavor about him.”

In response to a community member’s request for committee members to ask applicants why they want to come to Brown specifically, Edwards said “Those questions will be addressed.”

The provost committee representatives declined to comment in response to specific questions about the search process, including queries about names of applicants.

President Christina Paxson “has asked that we hold back on some of the information that we share from the committee at this time,” Pipkin said.

university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Focus groups suggest Dining U. buildings extend access until 3 a.m.

Services improvements Student demand for study Student feedback shows Dining Services should consider social aspects of campus eateries

By SANDRA YAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Brown Dining Services and the outside firm Envision Strategies held focus groups last week as part of ongoing efforts to get student feedback on dining experiences, said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life and dining services.

The focus groups drew around 30 students and aimed to “take a comprehensive look at Dining Services (with) respect to services for students, faculty and staff,” Bova said.

Dining Services conducted a separate study on the Sharpe Refectory in conjunction with Envision Strategies last year, Bova said. The study found students enjoyed their eating experiences but thought dining halls could be improved as social spaces, Bova said.

These results “led us to believe studying the whole entire dining operation would make the most sense” in terms of determining how students eat and utilize the facilities, Bova said.

For the focus groups, Dining Services reached out to students from a variety of circumstances and groups, including members of the Undergraduate Council of Students and Residential Council, students on and off meal plan and students who live on and off campus, Bova said, adding that a survey will be sent to the

entire Brown community in the upcoming weeks to gather more data.

Jana Foxe ’16 attended the focus group for students who live on campus but are off meal plan. She said the staff members at the focus group were particularly interested in knowing what students want to see and asked questions about what kinds of dining spaces and meal plans would be appealing.

“We could just talk at them about what we thought was right and what was wrong,” she said, adding that she took the opportunity to talk “quite a bit about the need for better kitchens in dormitories.”

Other students off meal plan voiced concern over the cost of eating at the Ratty and frustration over not having access to the Ratty or the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall as social spaces, Foxe said.

Adam Horowitz ’16, who attended the same focus group, said he shared the concerns about the dining halls’ lack of vegan food options. Though he tried in the past to bring up this issue, “Dining Services kind of stonewalled me — they wouldn’t give me the time of day,” he said.

“It’s definitely a great idea to listen to what students have to say before they jump into anything,” Horowitz said.

The focus groups will help determine “what our next generation of feeding students will look like,” Bova said.

A final review will likely be ready early in the fall semester, Bova said. The focus groups were “hugely helpful, hugely informative and will lead to the product that is the next step in our generation of Brown Dining Services with students,” he said.

Weekly crime roundup: Feb. 12 - 19, 2014

By STEVEN MICHAEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The following is an account of crime events that took place this past week, reported to The Herald by Deputy Chief of Police for the Department of Public Safety Paul Shanley: February 12, 2014 The Department of Public Safety

arrested and charged a juvenile in the case of the assault of a Brown community member Feb. 12. At around 9:30 p.m., five unknown males assaulted the Brown community member at the intersection of Angell and Brown Streets, according to a campus-wide email sent Feb 13. There is no known motive, and it is believed the victim was chosen randomly. The investigation is ongoing.

spaces results in extended access hours for JWW, Smitty B and B&H

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After the Undergraduate Council of Students conducted a successful pilot program last semester, J. Walter Wilson, Barus and Holley and Smith-Buonanno Hall will stay open for students until 3 a.m. via swipe access, UCS leaders said.

The Council decided to prolong these buildings’ closing time from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. in response to student feedback from avenues such as the UCS Fall Poll and UCS office hours, said UCS President Todd Harris ’14.5.

“It seemed to have a good showing last semester — we got a lot of good feedback from students saying that they liked having the buildings open,” Harris said. “As we continue to hear feedback, if students want different buildings open, we’ll pursue other options as well.”

The Sciences Library and Rockefeller Library do not have many large study rooms, making it “hard to find rooms where groups can study together,” said UCS Treasurer Alana Bhatla ’16, who spearheaded the pilot program. “So opening up these classrooms seemed like the most efficient way to add more spaces where students could do that.”

The buildings were selected for the pilot program because they were already swipe accessible, Bhatla said.

The Department of Facilities Management “wanted to make sure that students using those spaces later at night wouldn’t make them too dirty … so this semester we’re just starting off with having those three buildings open,” she said.

Looking ahead, UCS could further extend the hours and expand the number of buildings, as long as the

» PRIMARY, from page 1 “I think it is a wide-open race at this point,” said Ian Donnis, political reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio, adding that the addition of new candidates — such as Clay Pell — to the race provides more choices for voters, which “is going to divide the support in a new way.”

The launch of Clay Pell’s campaign Jan. 28 could have been an important factor in the results of the poll, which was conducted Feb. 3 - 6, Schiller said. Voters who do not find Taveras particularly appealing, but are also committed to not voting for Raimondo “now have another choice,” she said.

Pell’s name is a valuable asset in itself, given the widespread recognition of his grandfather, Claiborne Pell, who served as U.S. Senator for Rhode Island from 1961 to 1997, Schiller said.

“It looks to me like some of Taveras’ voters may have gone to Pell,” Donnis said, noting that Pell still has a lot of progress to make if he is going to compete with Taveras and Raimondo, who appear to be the race’s current frontrunners.

“He has a big challenge to overcome,” Schiller said of Pell, adding

ZHEIN KHLEIF / HERALD

J. Walter Wilson, Barus and Holley and Smith-Buonano Hall were selected as late-night study spaces, open until 3 a.m. through swipe access.

Department of Public Safety and Custodial Services approve, Bhatla said.

One option under consideration is implementing 24/7 access during finals period, she added.

Facilities Management workers have voiced only minor complaints about students trying to stay in the buildings after 3 a.m., said Darlene Williamson, assistant director of operations and data systems for Facilities Management.

“Those buildings are cleaned overnight from 4 to 7 a.m. so that they’re ready for the next day of classes, so Custodial (Services) just worked with me and I worked with UCS to make sure that students would stick to the 3 o’clock cut off, so that the buildings could be refreshed for the next day,” Williamson said.

UCS Vice President Sam Gilman

’15 said the program aims to increase both the accessibility and diversity of study spaces. “We’re trying to give students more access to study spaces that are closer to them,” he said, noting that students living on the Pembroke campus can now use more nearby study spaces.

“The idea was ... to have a diverse set of places where students can go and work later and feel that they have different environments that they can study in and stay in the places they like to work,” Gilman added.

“The building openings for study hours was a UCS project that I helped to support,” wrote Dean of the College Margaret Klawunn in an email to The Herald.

“It was a student-driven effort,” she added. “I think we can continue as long as students find it useful.”

that many Rhode Island voters consider previous leadership experience to be a valuable trait, and Pell has never held public office.

But “there’s still time for (Pell’s) support to grow,” Donnis said, adding that Pell’s ability to contribute personal funds to the campaign could be a valuable advantage.

Taveras has traditionally received his strongest support from union Democrats and Latinos, while Raimondo is especially appealing to women and fiscal conservatives, Schiller said. But these groups may not remain completely loyal to their historically-preferred candidates, she said, adding that in the Sept. 9 primary, the candidates will likely “attract supporters from each other’s base.”

“A lot of division in the primary could open the door for a Republican governor,” Schiller said. Both Republican candidates, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Ken Block, are strong contenders, she added.

Predicting the outcome of the race between Fung and Block is complicated due to the small size of the Republican voting base, which makes it difficult to obtain a reliable sample size, Donnis said.

“Although Rhode Island is perceived as a very liberal state … we’ve

seen a strong tendency among Rhode Island voters to elect Republican governors,” Donnis said. Bruce Sundlun was the last Democrat to be elected as the Ocean State’s governor in 1990.

Though Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 registered as a Democrat in May, he was elected as an Independent.

Both Taveras and Raimondo “are trying to cater to liberal elements within the primary electorate,” Donnis said, adding that he would currently characterize the Democratic race as “a fiercely contested, wide-open primary that any of the candidates could win.”

Though 62.5 percent of Rhode Islanders polled by the Taubman Center in October indicated that the state was not headed in the right direction, Donnis said he thinks there will be a “fairly robust” turnout for both the September gubernatorial primary and the November general election.

Though “there is a lot of political apathy,” and “a fair degree of cynicism” among Rhode Islanders, Donnis said voters will be eager to elect an official who can address Rhode Island’s unemployment rate — the highest in the country.

“This governors race will be a feast for political junkies,” Donnis said.

4 university news

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

BUCC pushes for development of student resources Council discusses possible Renaissance Hotel boycott in reponse to federal investigation

By JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Mental health services, internship expansion, ethical spending standards and a possible University boycott of the Renaissance Hotel dominated discussion at the Brown University Community Council meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Psych Services and Mental Health Psychological services clinicians saw 1,562 students last calendar year.

Twenty percent of undergraduates, 13 percent of grad students and 10 percent of medical students made use of the office.

Julia Lynford ’14, co-president of Active Minds, a group aiming to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, expressed concern over the limit of seven sessions with a Brown psychological services clinician per academic year and the average wait time of two weeks for an appointment.

Both the appointment limit and the wait time are due to limited resources, said Sherri Nelson, director of psychological services.

The office helps students explore options for local therapy even after they reach their University appointments limit, Nelson said. The University also

offers same-day crisis care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, she added.

Similar short-term individual therapy options are common among the University’s peer institutions, said Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services and interim dean of the College.

Extending services will become even more necessary as master’s programs and the undergraduate student body expand in coming years in accordance with President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, Nelson said.

Brad Marston, professor of physics and BUCC member, called for the development of protocol to help faculty members detect students who need help, so they can refer them to Psychological Services.

Klawunn said she would send out regularly-distributed emails containing information on how students and faculty members can help other community members seek help with mental health issues.

Psychological Services should pay special attention to international students, said BUCC member Sveta Milusheva GS, as some may come from countries where seeking help for mental health is stigmatized.

Internships “We simply need more (internships) and we need a broader range to satisfy the really broad range of student interests,” said Andrew Simmons, director of CareerLAB and associate

dean of the College.

Simmons said he hopes CareerLAB can develop into a “comprehensive program to strengthen students’ academic experience and preparation for life after Brown.”

CareerLAB will initiate three pilot programs this summer aimed at expanding internship opportunities, increasing internship funding for students on financial aid and offering summer networking programs in “key cities,” Simmons said.

“Good things always happen” when alumni and students are in a room together, he said, adding that it is important to build on networks such as BruNet, which currently has 5,000 alums, in order to strengthen connections between students and alums.

Increased internship funding was part of Paxson’s strategic plan, and the University announced a plan to fund unpaid internships for all students on financial aid last month.

“It’s been thrilling to hear that every student will have a research or internship opportunity regardless of financial need,” Klawunn said.

Renaissance Hotel Boycott Student Labor Alliance members Shelby Mack ’14 and You Bin Kang ’14 partnered with Courtney Smith ’10 to ask the BUCC to boycott the Renaissance Hotel.

Workers at the Renaissance Hotel decided working conditions were not acceptable last March, Smith said, adding that workers were receiving

“poverty wages” that did not let them afford their rents or take care of their children.

The Renaissance Hotel has already been found to have violated several Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, Smith said.

The National Labor Relations Board is looking into charges against the hotel’s owners, the Procaccianti Group, which allegedly intimidated workers into not forming a union.

Mack said the council made a comparable decision to boycott a hotel four years ago, and the decision led to positive developments for the workers in a labor dispute with the hotel.

BUCC members were hesitant to vote on the issue, fearing that they did not have enough information.

The Procaccianti Group was not represented at the meeting.

Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 said taking a position on the issue on behalf of the University made him nervous and suggested the committee wait until the NLRB comes to a conclusion on the case.

“This isn’t Brown trying to take the NLRB’s place,” Cameron Johnson ’17 said. “Brown doesn’t want to be complicit with some of these things going on by not doing anything,” he added.

“Time is of the essence,” Smith said.

“These workers have been at labor dispute for 10 months.”

“No one’s ringing any false alarms,” she added. “As an alumni and someone who takes pride in coming from this university,” she would urge that the BUCC make a decision, she said.

The council ultimately decided to refrain from casting a vote, though UCS President Todd Harris ’14.5 and UCS Communications Chair Kiera Peltz ’16 said they would be willing

to do so.

Schlissel and Paxson said the issue might be tabled if a vote was cast and came up negative.

“If there is a no vote, it might send the wrong message,” Schlissel said.

The Renaissance Hotel may receive patronage from members of the Brown community in the months before the council reaches a decision, especially considering the fast-approaching 250th anniversary celebrations March 7 and A Day on College Hill, according to the SLA members.

But the University can explore other avenues to voice support for the workers while taking time to gather more evidence before it makes a definite decision on the SLA’s resolution, Huidekoper said.

University Procurement Standards The University should aim for more than getting the maximum value out of every dollar it spends, said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration.

“We want to do it in a way that is consistent with our values as an institution,” Huidekoper said.

Spending University money in compliance with laws “seems like a reasonable thing to ask,” she said, but community members are “not always” doing that.

Though she estimated 99 percent of University transactions meet moral standards, Huidekoper said she sees a need for greater vigilance and plans to review the University’s vendor code of conduct.

“We don’t want anything that we use to have been made in sweatshops,” whether it carries a Brown logo or not, she said.

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

The Management Partnership Services, Inc. report recommended changing schools’ start and dismissal times to aid the student transportation process.

» PPSD, from page 8 year, but that they were acting within the budget constraints created by the mayor’s office.

“If there’s someone at fault here, I blame the mayor’s office,” because they created budget cuts “that are not fair to the children of the city” without making “changes to their own internal system and incompetencies,” Meek said.

The tardiness of the buses has

largely been resolved, O’Reilly said.

Buses were late at much lower rates in January than they were in October or November, according to the PPSD reports.

But Meek emphasized the importance of continuing to improve the school transportation system.

“The unfortunate part is that the buses are the most minor issue in the PPSD … But if you can’t even get kids to school on time, you’re not really setting kids up to succeed,” she said.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

showtime VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Eggplant Par mesan Grinder, Mushroom Quiche, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Herbs

Sloppy Joe Sandwich, Grilled Montreal Chicken, Vegetarian Pot Pie with Biscuits, Frosted Cupcakes

DINNER Mediterranean Eggplant Saute, Mediterranean Orzo, Toasted Ravioli with Italian Salsa, Cajun Apple Cake

Cachupa, Vegetarian Jagacida, Vegetarian Tamale Pie, Sweet Potato in Madeira, Pudim de Leite (Flan)

JOSIAH’S

THREE BURNERS

QUESADILLA OR GRILLED CHEESE

Stuffed French Toast

Make-your-own quesadillas

BLUE ROOM

SOUPS

DINNER ENTREES

Corn Chowder, Hearty Country Vegetable, Turkey Chili

Tomato Chicken with Vegetables, Zucchini Masala Potatoes

sudoku

COURTESY OF DANIELLE PERELMAN

The Fusion Dance Company rehearses for its 31st Annual Spring Show. The show will have its opening night Friday, Feb. 2, featuring contemporary, jazz, modern and ballroom dancing styles and will run through Saturday.

comics

Bacterial Culture | Dana Schwartz RELEASE DATE– Thursday, February 20, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis c r o s s 36 wDay o__r d ACROSS 5 __ of 48 __ Canal

1 __ Club 5 Eat __ 9 Film __ 13 Sleep __ 14 Mata __ 15 “I’m __ you!”

16 “__ to please!”

17 __-steven 18 SWAT __ 19 Blank 22 __ of bounds 23 Electric __ 24 Blank 31 “It __ to reason” 33 “You’re taking a big __” 34 __-TURN 35 Good for what __ you 36 Costa del __ 37 __ Elevator Company 38 “I Like __” 39 __ the scales 41 San Diego __ 43 Blank 46 Hopping __ 47 Jacqueline Kennedy __ Bouvier 48 Blank 56 Quod __ demonstrandum 57 __ to one’s senses 58 Shed __ 59 __-Honey 60 “Rock of __” 61 From beyond the __ 62 __ nuts 63 “__-a-Cop”: 1988 film 64 “Jane __” DOWN 1 X-Ray __: U.K. punk band 2 Take __: doze 3 Golda __ 4 “It’s the __ story”

drawers 6 __ Shankar 7 __ Cakesters 8 __ circle 9 __ motel 10 “A Room of __ Own” 11 “Take __ a compliment” 12 CD-__ 13 “I’m in __”: “Wow!” 20 Soap __ 21 __ and potato soup 24 Van __ 25 Carry-__: luggage 26 Victoria __ 27 Olive __ 28 __-level 29 Peau de __: satin-weave cloth 30 __ 22-Across: solve 31 Set __ 32 __ torch

37 “__ to Joy” 39 Suit __ 40 __ Series: auto races 41 __-à-porter: ready-to-wear 42 __ Joe 44 Caveat __ 45 Civil __: protest

49 __ for life 50 Rib __ 51 “__ to that!”

52 “Lord knows __!”

53 __ Abby 54 __ birth to 55 “... __ I saw Elba” 56 __ and flow

Class Notes | Philip Trammell

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

calendar TODAY xwordeditor@aol.com

02/20/14

FEBRUARY 20

11 A.M. SPRING CAREER FAIR

Learn about internships and full-time opportunities at the annual Spring Career Fair. Employers will be in attendance to recruit and hold discussions with both undergraduate and graduate students. Business casual attire is recommended.

Sayles Hall and Kasper Multipurpose Room ALL DAY DRESDEN AND NYMPHENBURG PORCELAINS FROM THE ANNE S.K. BROWN MILITARY COLLECTION

Twenty-one porcelain figures from a factory in Bavaria, Germany, collected by John Nicholas Brown in 1945 are currently on display. The display includes other porcelain additions from the Dresden porcelain factory. Rockefeller Library TOMORROW

FEBRUARY 21

12 P.M. CHINA AS NUMBER ONE: SO WHAT?

Damien Man, co-author of ‘In Line Behind a Billion People,’ will speak on the social and economic struggles of China’s past and future as its influence as a world power continues to grow. Watson Institute, Birkelund Board Room 9 P.M. BROWN ALZHEIMER’S ACTIVISTS PRESENT: MORE THAN MEMORIES

Brown Alzheimer’s Activists will be holding an art show and open mic night that focuses on the themes of memory. The

By Paul Hunsberger (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

02/20/14

event is co-sponsored by WORD! and Brown Unheard. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, The Underground

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

EDITORIAL

A retreat on gun safety As has happened in similar contests around the country, the Republican primary for governor in Rhode Island is pushing candidates to positions outside the mainstream of Rhode Island voters. Both Republicans in the race, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and Barrington resident Ken Block, have already begun to distance themselves from their earlier, more moderate positions on gun laws.

At the time of the Newtown school shooting, one could have been forgiven for thinking the tragedy would effect systemic change on American gun laws. Sadly, not even the sustained and emotionally charged lobbying efforts of the Newtown families could reach those who opposed even the most moderate restrictions. In state legislatures as well as the federal government itself, these attempts were defeated by the all-powerful National Rifle Association, causing national political positions on gun safety to further ossify.

Block, in the aftermath of the Newtown shooting, indicated tentative support for an assault weapons ban — which, we should be clear, only targets the most dangerous form of guns, not those used for any kind of recreational hunting. Rather than standing by this admirable position that protects all citizens, particularly schoolchildren, and is utterly unthreatening to hunters, Block has chosen the cowardly route. He recently described his earlier sensible beliefs as “a mistake,” influenced by the emotional nature of the Newtown tragedy and promised that he has “no intention or desire to change the gun laws,” according to the Providence Journal.

For his part, Fung once supported increased firearms regulation but now claims that he is a “recreational” shooter and that his firing range experiences have caused him to rethink his past position. While he once supported a measure calling on Congress to renew the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, he now proclaims that he is committed to “upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” and that “the real issue is ensuring that guns don’t end up in the hands of criminals,” according to the Providence Journal. Unfortunately for Fung, the growing body of evidence is not on his side — a new study tracking the 2007 repeal of a Missouri law that had mandated gun purchasers to be vetted and licensed has found an increase of roughly 60 additional gun murders per year.

Both candidates are attempting to run to their right while painting their opponent as a flip-flopper. Unfortunately, both have demonstrated that they lack the courage needed to stand up to the most dangerous elements of their party, a decision that will likely prove costly in the general election. Each candidate should rethink their newfound message and refocus on a strategy that can provide safer communities for all Rhode Islanders. With convictions like these, who needs an opposition?

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Matt Brundage ’15 and Rachel Occhiogrosso ’14, and its members, Hannah Loewentheil ’14 and Thomas Nath ’16. Send comments to editorials@ browndailyherald.com.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

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

“This governors race will be a feast for political junkies.”

— Ian Donnis, political reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio

See primary on page 1.

CORRECTION An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“TWC forms committee to rewrite mission,” Feb. 19) misidentified the Third World Center director and assistant dean of the College. Her name is Mary Grace Almandrez, not Mary Almandrez. The Herald regrets the error.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

UCS categorization process is equitable ALEX DRECHSLER guest columnist

Last week, The Herald published an opinions column (“Abolish the UCS categorization system,” Feb. 14) criticizing the Undergraduate Council of Students’ categorization system. Zach Ingber ’15 argued that abolishing the UCS categorization system would improve extracurricular activities on campus. While I understand that our system is not perfect, I firmly believe that the UCS categorization process allows the University’s limited resources to be used in a way that is far more efficient and equitable than if the system were abolished.

Ingber states that UCS functions “to prevent students from starting a new group should they so desire.” This is untrue. Many student groups exist outside of the UCS categorization process, as they are recognized by academic departments or are independent from the University. However, Brown’s limited resources are a constraint on the number of groups that can exist: student groups already compete for the school’s limited funding and campus spaces; Morning Mail is already too long for most students to stomach and the Activities Fair always has a long wait list for students interested in taking part.

If the UCS categorization pro-

cess did not exist, the number of groups at Brown would inevitably increase. These groups would then compete for an even smaller pool of funds. How these funds are distributed would become increasingly arbitrary. For instance, groups with a better understanding of the process or more capacity would dominate the resources. Many of these groups

groups.

As a result of this resource constraint, only a certain number of groups can be funded. The UCS system thus serves as a vetting mechanism to limit groups with overlapping missions or those that pose safety or legal challenges to the University. Furthermore, it allows smaller campus groups with just as

leadership structure is sustainable — UFB can focus on funding needs alone. UFB already spends hours analyzing the funding requests it receives from student groups. The categorization process provides helpful information to UFB and also acts as a check on its power.

Some groups may not become categorized, but at the very least,

The UCS system thus serves as a vetting mechanism to limit groups with overlapping missions or those that pose safety or legal challenges to the University. Furthermore, it allows smaller campus groups with just as important functions as large groups to have equal access to Brown’s limited resources.

could even be overlapping in mission, which is both wasteful and inefficient.

As the number of groups increased, the largest groups would take space and money that smaller groups can currently use. There are certainly a number of groups with a smaller membership that still provide an important resource for students, such as Native Americans at Brown, the Brown University Student Veterans Society and the Association of Central and Eastern European Students — to name a few. These groups require the institutional support of the UCS process in order to compete with larger

important functions as large groups to have equal access to Brown’s limited resources.

Ingber argues that funding should be allocated as if it were a “free market.” However, even he concedes that funding would still be allocated through the Undergraduate Finance Board. Given that funding will still come from a board of students, the UCS categorization process makes funding more efficient and equitable. Because UCS can look into possible groups before they go to UFB — and ask questions like how long the groups have been around, if they have a certain number of involved students and if their

this process can be done by a group of students rather than by the administration, which does it at other schools. The op-ed claims that “the fact that a group of a few students decides whether student organizations can exist is undemocratic.”

However, UCS is a student body that consists of at least 70 undergraduate students, led by an elected Executive Board. Our policy allows any student at Brown to join UCS at any point during the semester, ensuring that many voices can be heard on the Council.

UCS oversees hundreds of student groups, and each is evaluated on an individual basis. That said,

Ingber’s op-ed cited one particular club called TOMS Campus Club, which he argued should have received categorization. This particular scenario is more complex than Ingber lets on. This group of students requested to be recognized as a “Service Group,” which requires that their “primary purpose [be] to raise funds for off-campus service organizations and have a strong community service mission.” UCS questioned whether a group that was tied to brand promotion for the for-profit TOMS corporation could be designated a “Service Group” under UCS, even if TOMS Campus Club is technically a nonprofit.

We know that our organization has room for improvement, and we encourage students with concerns about UCS operations to express them to us or to join the council. Rather than abolishing the UCS categorization process, the Student Activities Committee will work to re-evaluate its process so that it can continue to best serve the student body.

Alex Drechsler ‘15 is chair of the Student Activities Committee and is responsible for overseeing the UCS categorization process. Any students with additional questions or concerns can contact him at alex_drechsler@brown.edu or studentactivities.ucs@gmail. com.

Salaries don’t reflect our priorities DANIEL DELANEY opinions columnist

Like many of my junior classmates here and across the country, I’ve been spending most of my time looking for a summer internship.

Because I’m applying for internships this semester, I feel like I’m taking seven classes instead of four, and I know many of my peers feel similarly. One of the greatest challenges is finding a paid internship. Our parents have now paid two full years’ worth of Brown tuition — which is, stupidly, now even more expensive, though I’ll leave that for another columnist — and they expect us to start earning a bit of something.

Paid internships are a hot commodity, and, naturally, we want to be employed where the pay is the best. As my research has shown, the highest pay for undergraduates tends to be in finance and business, though these salaries often seem disproportionate to the value they actually provide society.

As is true in any capitalist society, jobs with the highest salaries attract many of the smartest and most talented people in the country.

The problem is that we’re incentivizing the wrong jobs. I’m not saying that financiers, hedge fund managers and stockbrokers are doing nothing, but shouldn’t we be incentivizing teachers and nonprofit leaders instead of paying Wall Street employees $10 million per year to invent ways to create money?

I recently listened to a TED talk by Dan Pallotta, the founder of a former for-prof-

it charity fund. He theorized that if he ran a nonprofit the same way he would run a forprofit business, he would attract greater talent and generate more money for a good cause. It turns out he was right, and here’s why.

The most important reason is that compensation is vastly different in the for-profit and nonprofit sector. To put it in Pallotta’s words, “We have a visceral reaction to the idea that anybody would make money helping oth-

tract bright and talented people to work at his organization, and their talent paid off.

In 2002 alone, his company netted $71 million for breast cancer research after all costs were accounted for. Unfortunately, the company subsequently went out of business. Despite the massive sums it raised for major research ventures, the media coverage of Pallotta’s business model was overwhelmingly negative, causing most of his investors to pull

As is true in any capitalist society, jobs with the highest salaries attract many of the smartest and most talented people in the country. The problem is that we’re incentivizing the wrong jobs. er people. Interesting that we don’t have a visceral reaction to the notion that people would make a lot of money not helping other people.

You want to make $50 million selling violent video games to kids, go for it. But you want to make $500,000 trying to cure kids of malaria, you’re considered a parasite.”

Tens of thousands of the best and brightest minds in the country head straight for the for-profit sector every year, because they are unwilling to sacrifice a better, more financially stable life for themselves to benefit a good cause. Can we blame us?

Pallotta’s for-profit charity was able to do things that no other organization had done before. He took a publicity hit in order to at-

their support.

Pallotta was able to make a business out of helping people because of his careful approach to talent acquisition. But more importantly, Pallotta’s story speaks to the kinds of solutions we need to make nonprofit organizations and other sectors more effective and productive in the United States.

Apart from a small sample of truly dedicated graduates from top universities, it’s incredibly difficult to find college graduates willing to make a financial sacrifice in the interest of helping others. Ask yourself right now — would you take a $300,000 a year salary at a nonprofit over a $500,000 salary at an investment bank? If we could find a way

to better incentivize jobs that create so many positive externalities, we could seriously benefit as a nation and society.

The defense budget in 2012 was approximately $680 billion dollars. There are about 7 million educators in the United States, who make an average of $65,800 per year. If we reduced the defense budget by 10 percent and committed all $68 billion towards supplementing teachers’ salaries, we would raise the average teacher’s salary to $75,000 per year and still spend $340 billion more on defense than the entire European Union combined. Whereas that $68 billion might mean we have one fewer military base in the Middle East, that same $10,000 per teacher could mean the difference between high- and lowquality education for thousands of students in underprivileged school districts. While moving money from one sector to another is never this simple, it’s just one example of how we can incentivize highly qualified people who may otherwise be bankers to consider teaching.

I don’t expect this argument to change the goal of your job search. Money is money, and if we can accept an internship with high wages, it’s definitely in our best interest to do so. But if we think critically about redirecting money to underfunded sectors and applying lessons from Pallotta’s business model, we may have a chance to eventually overhaul the system and contribute to the common good.

Daniel Delaney ’15 can be reached for comment at daniel_delaney@brown. edu.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD metro thursday City students face transportation delays

Reduction in total bus number reduces delays created by reformed school starting times

Late bus arrivals, by school Carl G. Lauro and Frank Spaziano elementary schools, two of the schools with the highest frequency of late bus arrival rates, showed significant drops in late bus arrivals over the last several months as the district began to implement a new busing system.

100 percent frequency of lateness

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Many parents of Providence Public School District students have expressed concerns over student transportation issues this year, pointing to scheduling adjustments and budget cuts as problematic for elementary through high school students trying to get to school before the morning bell.

The PPSD brought in a consultant fall of 2012 from Management Partnership Services, Inc., a student transportation consulting firm, who made recommendations on how to improve the district’s transportation system and minimize expenses for the 2013-14 school year. The recommendations included changing the elementary and middle schools’ start and dismissal times in order to optimize the number of buses needed from First Student, the bus company that contracts with the PPSD for elementary and middle school student transportation.

Though PPSD complied with the recommendation in cutting the number of school buses used in the district, it implemented different schedule adjustments than were recommended by the consultant.

High school students who live more than three miles away from their schools are issued a Rhode Island Public Transit Authority pass, and no changes to this policy were made as a result of the consultants’ recommendations.

Classical High School, Central High School, the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex and Mount Pleasant High School now start 90 minutes late on Wednesdays to “allow teachers time to collaborate,” the Providence Journal reported.

Mark Binder, a parent of three students at Classical High School wrote that the RIPTA bus that would normally carry students from the East Side to Classical is now full by the time students on the East Side need to board on Wednesdays, and other

80

Oct.

Nov.

20 0

BY KATHERINE LAMB, METRO EDITOR

General Assembly activities were cancelled last Thursday due to a snowstorm. Rhode Island legislators also have this week off for the Assembly’s mid-winter recess and will reconvene Tuesday. Several bills proposing marijuana regulation, early voting procedures and the establishment of an official state appetizer were introduced just before the recess.

Marijuana measure

60 40

SPOTLIGHT ON THE STATEHOUSE

Jan. Carl G. Lauro Elementary Bus 101

Frank Spaziano Elementary Bus 78

Note: Data for the month of December was not available.

Source: Bernie Luger, Chief Operating Officer of Providence Public Schools ARELY DIAZ / HERALD

buses do not get the students to school on time, the Journal reported. Some students who live within the threemile radius of their high school have also had problems getting to school.

Brett Smiley and Jorge Elorza, both candidates for mayor, have spoken out about this issue.

There is a strong correlation between cold weather and absenteeism in the Providence school district, Elorza said in a statement Feb. 2, pointing to the large minimum distance required for students to receive a free bus pass as a possible cause.

Christina O’Reilly, spokeswoman for the Providence School Department, said that this correlation is likely not caused by transportation difficulties, as high absentee rates in Providence have been historical, whereas the transportation issues are more recent. PPSD is reconsidering its policy of issuing RIPTA bus passes only to students living outside a three mile radius of their schools, she added.

For the 2013-14 school year, the PPSD had decided to change the bell time structure of the elementary and middle schools so that many elementary schools start at the same time and all of the middle schools start at the same time. These changes were not made in response to the transportation consultant’s recommendations but were made to allow professional

development and collaboration time for teachers, said Keith Oliveira, president of the Providence School Board.

Oliveira said because the bell time changes were made without considering the effects on student transportation, many school busing issues came up last fall. “I think it was a self-inflicted problem,” he added.

But the PPSD did implement cuts to the number of school buses in accordance with the consultant’s recommendation.

Michele Meek, a parent of a PPSD student, told The Herald the board “decided to cut over a dozen buses in the system and double up on some routes,” adding that the plan did not account for accurate transportation times.

Many bus drivers were given routes that took much longer to accomplish than the time allotted, which resulted in students arriving to school late, Meek said. “My daughter was late to school every day for the first few weeks of school,” she said.

One bus was late to pick students up from school 94 percent of the time in October, according to First Student reports.

Meek pointed to several different factors contributing to this problem.

She said that the school district created the transportation issues by rerouting the buses for this school » See PPSD, page 4

Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston and Providence, and Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, announced Feb. 12 that they will introduce a bill calling for the legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana.

The introduction of the bill marks the fourth consecutive year marijuana legalization legislation has been proposed to the General Assembly, the Providence Journal reported.

“Most Rhode Island voters agree it is time to end marijuana prohibition and start treating the product like alcohol,” Ajello said, according to a General Assembly press release.

If enacted, the legislation would permit adults 21 and older to possess and grow limited amounts of the substance with a wholesale tax of up to $50 per ounce, according to the press release. The bill also stipulates that no more than ten stores would be authorized to sell marijuana, the Providence Journal reported.

Early bird gets the ballot A bill proposed Feb. 12 by Sen. Erin Lynch, D-Warwick and Cranston, would allow Rhode Islanders to cast their votes in the weeks preceding all state elections, except for special elections.

“Early voting encourages citizens to cast their ballot, because they have more opportunity to do so,” Lynch said, according to a General Assembly press release.

The legislation would permit Rhode Islanders to vote in-person at approved locations for approximately three weeks before general elections and two weeks before primary elections, according to the release.

If the legislation is enacted, Rhode Island will join 32 states that already have early voting measures, according to the release.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary for consideration.

R.I. — the squid state?

Twin bills introduced Feb. 12 by Sen. Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown and New Shoreham, and Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick and Cranston, would name “Rhode Island-style calamari” as the official state appetizer.

The Rhode Island squid-fishing industry catches roughly half of all squid caught along the East Coast, and the style of calamari preparation common in Rhode Island restaurants has been replicated throughout the country, according to a General Assembly press release.

“It is the juxtaposition of those two things — that squid is the state’s most valuable commercial fishery and that a cuisine distinctive to Rhode Island is served and enjoyed around the country — that make this special to our state, something to call our own,” Sosnowski said, according to the release.

This is the second year a bill calling for the naming of calamari as the state’s official appetizer has been introduced in the House.

R.I. politicians propose social media privacy legislation

Bill prevents employers and schools from demanding social media contact information

By ALEK MATTHIESSEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, D-Providence and North Providence, and Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy, D-Hopkinton and Westerly, introduced legislation to limit the information employers and schools can obtain from social media sites, according to a General Assembly press release.

The bill prohibits employers and educational institutions from penalizing an employee or student for refusing to disclose social media information, divulging the personal

social media contact information of its students or employees or compelling an employee or student to divulge any information regarding their personal social media account, according to the press release.

Kennedy said he believes legislation needs to grow alongside technology, because the privacy of individuals suffers if it falls behind. “As more and more people use social media sites, it becomes even more important that we have laws in place to ensure their privacy and prevent outside parties — such as employers and universities — from requiring access to that personal information,” Kennedy said.

“Even in an age of rampant social media and instant access to most everything, individuals have a right to share their personal thoughts with whom they choose. There must be a presumption of privacy in certain

areas of social media interaction, and account holders — whether students applying to a new school or job applicants — should not be threatened or coerced into providing certain private information,” Ruggerio said, according to the press release.

Additionally, the law would allow federal regulatory agencies to access information about employees working in regulated industries, Kennedy said.

The legislation introduced by Ruggerio and Kennedy is not the first of its kind. Texas, Oklahoma, Florida and California have introduced similar privacy laws to limit the access of schools and businesses to online personal data, the New York Times reported. Some of these laws include provisions imposing punishments on people who post pornographic images online without the subject’s consent and requiring warrants for records of

e-mail searches.

The primary federal law protecting students’ educational privacy, the Family Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, was enacted in 1974 and has not been amended since 2001, according to the website of attorney Bradley Shear, who specializes in social media privacy litigation. Though the legislation has been effective, some critics say the federal government is not doing enough to amend laws for the digital age.

Some problems with the federal legislation include its failure to account for third-party access to student information through social media sites like Facebook or Google Plus, which can lead to both privacy violations and the use of private data for financial gain, according to Shear’s website.

A survey conducted by the Pew

Research Center in July concluded that “Most Americans … believed that existing laws were inadequate to protect their privacy online, and a clear majority reported making great efforts to mask their identities online,” according to the Times articles.

“I think that in the increasingly digital world that we live in — where we are communicating online in a lot of scenarios — privacy is always a concern and that is a sentiment that is shared with a lot of students,” said Todd Harris ’14.5, Undergraduate Council of Students president.

The same legislation passed in the Rhode Island House of Representatives last year but never went to the Senate floor, Kennedy said. This year, Kennedy said he was assured by Ruggerio that the bill would be brought to the Senate floor with enough support to pass.