THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 30
since 1891
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014
U.’s next decade surveyed in State of Brown Paxson to prioritize faculty recruitment and postdoctoral programs but not online technology
for Brown.” The Corporation laid out a capital campaign to finance these initiatives, which will be “very expensive — in the billons of dollars,” she said. “I’m excited about the potential to go out and pull the resources that we need to do great things.” “It’s been a difficult year,” Paxson said, citing the controversy over both the Corporation’s decision against coal divestment and the canceled lecture by former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “In other ways too, I’ve really loved this year,” she added. “It’s given me an opportunity to talk to students in a way that I never have before.” After giving her introduction, Paxson opened up the conversation for a question-and-answer session in which students could pose questions directly to Paxson and other administrators, including Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services and acting dean of the College. Alvina Pillai ’14 asked if there was a form that let students evaluate the performance of deans and support staff. Such a form exists for staff members at Health Services, Klawunn said. “I’d be happy to think about” creating a similar form applicable to staff members in offices such as Psychological Services, Paxson said. Shefali Luthra ’14, former Herald editor-in-chief and president, asked Paxson to identify her “top finance priority” in the capital campaign and how she would advertise it “to alums who would be giving donations.” Paxson replied the capital campaign is still in its
By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
President Christina Paxson spoke about an upcoming capital campaign, her longterm University goals as well as a wide range of other issues during the State of Brown address Wednesday. About 150 students and faculty members attended the forum in Salomon Center, which was hosted by the Undergraduate Council of Students. Paxson opened the talk by emphasizing her desire for dialogue. “I’m not going to give a speech,” she said, adding that though the lecture’s official title was the “State of Brown (address),” she thought of it as the “State of Brown conversation.” As the strategic plan unfolds over the next decade, “I would like to see a significant and sustained increase in Brown’s stature as a leading university known for innovative research and education,” Paxson said. She added she envisions the University “making very large investments in people” over the next 10 years in the form of effective faculty recruitment, a focus on financial aid and growth of a “diverse” postdoctoral program. Experimenting with online technology, such as Massive Open Online Courses, will not be a big priority for the University over this period, Paxson said. “It just doesn’t make sense
“quiet phase or nucleus phase” and “we don’t know how big this campaign is.” “I think probably half of the campaign will be investments in people,” she said, including financial aid expansion, fellowship support for graduate students and endowed professorships. “The other half would be for programmatic needs, and then campus needs and facilities needs to support everything else we want to do,” she added. Another issue brought up was the Corporation’s decision not to divest the University’s endowment from coal and fossil fuel companies. “Given the enormous role of the coal industry and its causing climate change, how do you think that our investments should reflect the goals that are listed in the strategic plan?” asked Tammy Jiang ’16, a member of Brown Divest Coal. “The endowment is not meant to be used to express social or political views, to make statements or political gestures,” Paxson said in response. “Even though our investments in coal right now are miniscule,” putting restrictions on the endowment “limits our ability to access really good fund managers,” she said. “Do you support student representatives on the Corporation?” asked Maggie Tennis ’14, a Herald opinions editor. “There are students who are on search committees on a routine basis,” but adding student representatives to the Corporation would create issues of confidentiality and place pressure on the selected students, Paxson said, adding that young alumni trustee positions were recently added to the Corporation.
LILY CRUZ / HERALD
The number of students visiting Psychological Services peaks during exam periods. Students are currently offered seven free visits per year.
Students seek additional Psych Services support
Long waits for appointments and limited number of free visits elicit student complaints By KERRI COLFER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The number of students who visit Psychological Services tends to increase during midterms and rise until finals, said Sherri Nelson, director of Psychological Services, adding that the percentage of students who visit has remained “surprisingly consistent, between 16 and 17 percent over the past several years.”
As more students frequent the office during midterms season, Psychological Services is currently facing criticism over the number of free visits allotted each student as well as wait times for appointments, she said. Some students have expressed concern that the number of free visits, which increased from five to seven in 2010, is not enough, Nelson said. After a student has used up the free visits or would like to seek long-term therapy from an outside provider, Psychological Services recommends students call certain therapists who operate a short distance from the campus, Nelson said. » See PSYCH, page 4
Teach-in explores roots of Lecture Board reveals spring speakers Ukrainian political upheaval Panel of Laverne Cox, R.J. the event took place in the Watson Institute for International Studies. Ukraine has experienced a series of popular protests and violence initiated by popular opposition to then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s November decision to pull out of a trade agreement with the European Union. The conflict has since evolved into a crisis of power resulting in Yanukovych’s removal from office and reported accounts of violence and human rights violations against protestors. Anna Lysyanskaya, professor of computer science and a Ukrainian citizen, began the teach-in by presenting a historical timeline of events contributing to the crisis — starting with Ukraine’s independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 up to the occupation of Crimea, a predominantly Russian-speaking region of Ukraine, by soldiers wearing unmarked uniforms this past weekend. » See UKRAINE, page 3
By ALON GALOR METRO STAFF WRITER
inside
“For the students from Brown who are in this room, this is the most serious international crisis that you will experience in your lifetime,” said Robert Legvold, professor emeritus of political science at Columbia. “More than Tahir, more than Tunisia, more than Syria, more than the risk of Iran with nuclear weapons.” In Wednesday night’s teach-in “Making Sense of Events in Ukraine,” faculty members and Eastern Europe experts discussed the roots of the crisis, the relevant political, social and economic interests of Russia, Ukraine and the West as well as the political history of Ukraine’s Crimea region. Co-sponsored by the Janus Forum,
Mitte and Aasif Mandvi to address diversity, stereotypes in media By MAXINE JOSELOW UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Brown Lecture Board’s spring lineup will include a panel featuring Laverne Cox from “Orange is the New Black,” R.J. Mitte from “Breaking Bad” and Aasif Mandvi from “The Daily Show,” in addition to a separate lecture by Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chairman of Twitter, said Kaivan Shroff ’15, Lecture Board president, in an exclusive interview with The Herald. The panel featuring Cox, Mitte and Mandvi will focus on stereotypes and diversity in television. It will take place on March 16, Shroff said. “We felt it was a good opportunity for people on some of the most popular shows on television right now to discuss reshaping stereotypes,” he added. COURTESY OF JOHN MEDINA VIA GLAAD FLICKR All three actors “offer a diverse set Actress and producer Laverne Cox will speak about her experiences being » See LECTURE, page 2 a transgender woman on television at the March 16 panel.
Metro
Commentary
Senator Claiborne Pell lecture explores how arts can improve Providence community life
Ken Block, Republican gubernatorial candidate, announces economic plan
Hillestad ’15: America’s two-party political system fails to represent the views of many
Powers ’15: Without action, uninformed calls for social justice fall flat
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Joukowsky Forum overflows as students, faculty discuss developments in Crimea
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