Wednesday, March 12, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 34

since 1891

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

Fighting grade inflation: Spring Weekend to feature Lauryn Hill, Diplo lineup also a cause without a rebel Weekend includes Chance the Administrators, faculty members say inflation harms Brown but hesitate to institutionalize changes

By JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“The fraction of the As is getting pretty high — too high for comfort,” said President Christina Paxson, adding, “It’s clear that there has been grade inflation” at Brown and its peer institutions.

Across the Ivy League, university administrators are grappling with skyrocketing grades.

Harvard faculty members expressed concern when they were informed at a December meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that the median grade in undergraduate courses was an A- and the most frequently awarded grade an A, the Harvard Crimson reported at the time.

Yale, too, has confronted grade inflation in recent months, and an ad hoc committee on grading began hosting forums to solicit student opinion last month, the Yale Daily News reported.

Yet as Brown’s peers take a closer look at grade inflation, Paxson said she does not have any immediate plans to examine the University’s own grading policies. Though grade inflation is problematic, any efforts to temper it will go through existing structures, like individual departments, Paxson said.

But she said she would consider tackling grade inflation at a University-wide level if the trend does not slow over the next few years.

“If we can’t break this trend through mechanisms that are already available to us, then we would have to think about something else,” Paxson said.

Explaining inflation Data provided by the Office of » See INFLATION, page 4

Current grade distribution at Brown A

B

C NC

S

53%

22

4 3

18

Source: Office of Institutional Research

Rapper, Andrew Bird, Dan Deacon

By KATHERINE CUSUMANO ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Running the gamut of genres, ranging from mass appeal to up-and-comers, the Brown Concert Agency released a st acke d Spr ing Weekend lineup at midnight, headlined by R&B legend Lauryn Hill and electronic producer and DJ Diplo.

BCA revealed the artist names for next month’s concert — scheduled for April 11-12 — to an eager audience at its speakeasy and release party, held at the Whiskey Republic Tuesday night.

Annual opening night staple What Cheer? Brigade will make an appearance for the third consecutive year, followed by Chance the Rapper and Diplo Friday night. Saturday’s lineup features Cloud Nothings, Dan Deacon, Andrew Bird and Lauryn Hill.

After canceling the annual Fall Concert and armed with a $300,000 budget from the Undergraduate Finance Board — nearly twice last year’s

ARTS & CULTURE

COURTESY OF PAUL BERNHARDT / LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Lauryn Hill will perform on Saturday of Spring Weekend. In 1999, Hill won five Grammy Awards for her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” funding — BCA was able to bring artists from four different genres with name recognition among a variety of students, said Cameron Johnson ’14, BCA administrative chair.

“We have been getting a ton of student opinion … that there was not enough female representation,” Will Peterson ’14, BCA publicity chair, told The Herald. BCA had received

feedback that, aside from female members of bands such as Dirty Projectors in years past, recent lineups had been too male-dominated, he said.

The last female Spring Weekend headliner was M.I.A. in 2008.

But Hill is the “superstar” of the lineup this year, headlining Saturday’s » See SW, page 2

Harkness, a history: Wriston’s varied past New computer model could Social Dorm, fraternity help stem HIV spread among Harkness House’s previous inhabitants since 1950s completion of quad

Model simulates New York City population to determine effective intervention combinations

By CORINNE SEJOURNE STAFF WRITER

The first in an occasional series of stories spotlighting the architectural and social history of spaces at Brown.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

FEATURE

inside

American policymakers have a potent new tool to combat the spread of HIV. It’s not a vaccine or a miracle cure, but instead a newfound way to implement the strategies already known to work.

A team of epidemiologists, including University researchers, published a paper this month in the journal Health Affairs, which outlined a statistical model designed to determine the optimal way to curb the spread of HIV from needle-sharing. The results from this model indicate that combining a particular set of pre-existing interventions could produce a 62 percent reduction in the number of druginjecting New York City residents who test positive for HIV by 2040.

The computer program was specifically designed to model HIV transmission behavior of adult residents of NYC, said Brandon Marshall, assistant professor of epidemiology and

CORRINE SZCZESNY / HERALD

Harkness House has housed a number of fraternities and student groups throughout the years, including Social Dorm and Technology House.

Perry, Shaw and Hepburn, which also helped John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 1897 restore Colonial Williamsburg, Emlen said. He added that Wriston was “keen” on maintaining Brown’s strength as a prestigious institution with a rich colonial past. At that time called “New Quad,” Wriston Quad was essentially designed in imitation of Colonial Williamsburg, Emlen said. On many levels, the design encouraged an integrated community with the dorms built close together, he added.

Wriston, a “firm believer in the fraternity system,” proposed in 1943 that students abandon their

off-campus houses for on-campus living, room maintenance and dining services, according to the Encyclopedia Brunonia. The proposal was initially met with some “opposition,” but students ultimately accepted and moved into the new dormitories when the quad was finished several years later.

Wriston used the quad, which was later named after him, as “a tool of social engineering,” creating an environment where students from different groups and backgrounds could live and eat together, according to Raymond Rhinehart’s ’62 “Brown » See HARKNESS, page 2

Science & Research

Commentary Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17: Individuals can learn from U.S. actions in Ukraine

Upadhyay ’15: Students should recognize Paxson’s and the Corporation’s successes

Panel discusses challenges for women in STEM fields and the importance of passion

Paper suggests methods of improving health care for current and former inmates

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weather

Ever since then-President Henry Wriston expanded on-campus residential facilities to increase the University’s prestige more than 60 years ago, the quirky Harkness House and the surrounding dormitories have been home and hub to student life.

Up until about 1950, students — particularly those in fraternities — lived off campus, said Robert Emlen, senior lecturer of American studies.

Administrators were concerned about both young people living on their own and the subsequent lack of a distinct campus community, he said. In the 1920s, the University slowly began buying out the buildings, homes and businesses that existed on the blocks now known as Wriston Quadrangle, and by the 1950s, students started moving into the new complex.

The quad was designed entirely by the architectural company

By CONNOR MCGUIGAN

the study’s lead author.

The model is made up of 150,000 “agents” — or simulated individuals — that are assigned behaviors that determine their risk of contracting and transmitting HIV. Agents can be male or female, gay or heterosexual, non-drug users, non-injecting drug users or injecting drug users. The makeup of the agent population at the simulation’s initial stage mirrors NYC’s actual demographics with respect to these categories. For instance, the model features far more female non-drug users than female injecting drug users to reflect the city’s population statistics.

The simulation, which is run on a supercomputer at the University’s Center for Computation and Visualization, begins in the year 1992 and ends in the year 2040. As time progresses, agents interact with one another and form connections. Agents sometimes perform disease-transmitting behaviors — such as needle-sharing and unprotected sex — together.

To faithfully model how HIV is actually transmitted, the frequency of these behaviors is different for each type of agent and is based on actual data and precise algorithms. For instance, in the virtual reality, two nondrug users will never share needles. » See HIV, page 3 t o d ay

tomorrow

52 / 27

24 / 13

2 university news » HARKNESS, from page 1 University: The Campus Guide.” The nine dormitories and Sharpe Refectory are all arranged across “two closed greens” — Patriots and Hughes Courts.

Harkness House on Patriots Court has experienced significant turnover through the years. Initially home to a fraternity, Harkness later housed a “social dorm” when new program housing options emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said Thomas Forsberg, associate director of residential life. Technology House moved in as a program group in the late 1990s, he added. Though Tech House has remained, the other half of Harkness has cycled through a variety of program housing, Forsberg said.

Alex Cevallos ’14, Tech House president, had much to share about the house’s history. Before Harkness became Tech House’s headquarters, Kappa Delta Upsilon, also known as Delta Upsilon during some years of its existence, was the fraternity that occupied Harkness, Cevallos said.

The other half of the house is now home to the sorority Kappa Delta and previously was occupied by the former program Art House as well as students unaffiliated with program housing, he said.

Though Social Dorm, which was based in Harkness until the late

1990s, spent relatively brief time in the space, the program’s members enjoyed hosting big events on Wriston, Cervallos said, adding that there is an old note on the Tech House computers: “Do not co-host events with social dorm.”

Harkness’ transition from fraternity home to program house may have come with a sinister underside.

“The reason there isn’t a frat here anymore is because there was a mysterious fire in the basement,” Cevallos said. He described the “cave,” a mysterious room in the Harkness basement with strange paintings on its walls that is now permanently locked.

The pieces to the infamous Sciences Library Tetris prank are also stored there, he said.

Another locked door in the basement closes off an underground tunnel, said Audrey Lew ’14, a Tech House member. She added that the entrance was temporarily opened during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 due to flooding. Primarily a maintenance tunnel, it is filled with pipes and covered in graffiti.

Another tunnel connecting Chapin House to the Ratty is permanently sealed, Cevallos said.

Living in Harkness has been “great for sophomore life,” said Jonah Cader ’16, adding that he appreciated Harkness’ unique features and relationship with the Wriston community.

Thanks for reading!

» SW, from page 1 concert, said Micah Greenberg ’14, BCA booking chair, calling her a “literal legend.”

“In my mind, she’s like the soul of hip-hop and just this supercharged rock goddess,” she said.

Hill’s live performance “commands the audience,” Peterson said, adding that her shows incorporate a full rock band, an influence that is less dominant on her records.

BCA has received positive feedback from students regarding electronic acts for Friday night in years past, Johnson said, making Diplo a logical choice for Friday night’s headliner.

Though many DJs have strong recordings, they do not necessarily translate to the live experience. But Diplo combines name recognition with an incredible stage presence, Peterson said.

The artist behind Diplo — Thomas Wesley Pentz — is also responsible for electronic group Major Lazer, formerly a project alongside fellow DJ Switch. Major Lazer performed at Spring Weekend in 2010. Diplo has also collaborated with Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Frank Ocean.

Up-and-coming Chicago-based artist Chance the Rapper will kick off the main concert after What Cheer?

Brigade performs Friday. His music employs a variety of styles, from soul and gospel to hip-hop, and he comes fresh off a collaboration with electronic heavy-hitter Skrillex, which was made available for streaming on iTunes Monday, Pitchfork reported.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

“We see him becoming more mainstream as days go by,” Johnson said. “His social media presence is amazing.”

Chance the Rapper represents a lesser-known facet of the Chicago rap scene, Greenberg said.

But for the past few years, Peterson said, BCA has been able to effectively foresee and book rappers on the ascent before they hit the mainstream.

Saturday’s concert will open with grunge rockers Cloud Nothings. The group’s members “make music with the thrash mentality of Cap’n Jazz and the pop sensibility of 2000’s Fueled

by Ramen,” BCA said in a statement.

Dan Deacon will pick up where Cloud Nothings leave off. Peterson noted positive feedback from students about the quality of his “immersive” live show and his ability to absorb live audiences in his music. The composer is known for his interactive performances and “cacophonous” sound, according to the BCA statement.

“He’s kind of a psychedelic rock god,” Greenberg said.

Talented multi-instrumentalist folker Andrew Bird will play “a really chill typical Saturday environment,” Johnson said. “He is definitely a show-stopper.”

A virtuoso violinist, Bird was classically trained in the Suzuki method since he was four. He layers folk, classical music, vocals, guitar and a multitude of other instruments into a distinctive sound that has carried him through an expansive, decadeslong career, both as a solo artist and as part of the now-defunct Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire.

BCA chose to release the lineup at its annual speakeasy this year in order to drum up excitement about both events, Peterson said. In past years, the speakeasy has not received the attention it deserves due to both lack of publicity and lack of interest among students, he added.

But to draw a larger crowd and increase the “hype” around the lineup’s announcement, BCA chose to combine the two events.

The group begins its process of crafting a lineup in the summer and fall, Peterson said. BCA members crowdsource possible headliners through an annual student poll, examine lineups for other festivals and research potential acts on music blogs.

But often the most popular artists in polling are far beyond the reach of the BCA budget, he said. “Once something is on the radio, the price goes up in a way that you just cannot imagine.”

The most common criticism BCA confronts is that students are unfamiliar with the artists slated to appear, Peterson said.

This year, “we were able to secure (the artists) for an amount of money that is not really representative of how popular they are,” Johnson said.

“Every year we have the pressure to bring people that people will recognize,” she said. “This year was especially important because we were asking for more money expressly for that purpose.” Andrew Bird, Lauryn Hill, Chance the Rapper and Diplo “each … hit a huge portion of the student body in some way,” she added.

university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

» STEM, from page 8 settling on a final decision.

Despite differing educational and career paths, all panelists agreed that tight communities were crucial to their success as women in STEM fields.

As the first black woman with tenure at UMass and the only tenured black female in the history of the 45-year-old school, King said a support system has always been vital.

When she could not find a support network in graduate school, a former professor suggested she start her own.

King developed one that endures at the school today, she said.

highlights the benefits of increased female participation in scientific fields, to promote it, King said. “We have to support the movement with knowledge and scientific data, not just our passion for it,” she said, touting the advantage of assembling a team that brings diverse viewpoints.

Though women in a field where they feel underrepresented may find it difficult to speak out about reforms they would like to see, “it is incumbent upon us all to speak up and at least open discussion,” said Janet Blume, associate professor of engineering and director of undergraduate programs in the School of Engineering.

‘It has to be a movement’ Concerns over the number of women in STEM jobs featured as a prominent point in the discussion — Cariaga-Lo asked panelists to reflect on how institutions and industries can create environments that encourage greater female participation and cultures in which women flourish.

King admitted that the task is not and won’t be easy.

“It has to be a movement,” she said. “It’s not going to happen with a particular event or program. They make incremental change.”

Women and men must know the benefits of diversity in science and use hard evidence, such as research that

Overcoming bias Panelists also addressed the differences between male and female candidates for the same position, a topic introduced by audience member Terrie Fox Wetle, dean of the School of Public Health, during the questionand-answer session.

When interviewing candidates, Wetle notices that men often seem to exude more confidence in their abilities, she said. But “the women who come in, who have stronger (resumes), will almost be apologetic in the interview,” she said. Women frequently describe their accomplishments as team efforts and are hesitant to use the “I-word,” she added.

Interviewers can sometimes have a bias toward overly self-promotional candidates, DeLaMonte said. When assessing female candidates, interviewers should “look at their achievements instead of timidity,” she added.

Though women can sometimes come across as timid in an interview, they should try to present themselves in the best light rather than merely emulating men, King said.

Addressing an alternative issue, one female graduate student in the audience expressed concern that some women may attain a STEM job solely on account of their gender.

“You shouldn’t be thinking, ‘I’m a woman,’” DeLaMonte said. “Your job is to do the best that you can to fill the objective of the position.”

A balancing act Another audience member asked about how to balance her career ambitions with starting a family.

There is no clear-cut answer for when to have children, King said. Unlike anything else for scientists, “this one is not an experiment,” she said.

“I had kids as a post-doc. … It’s never the easy thing to do.”

“You can’t really know until you’re there,” King said of balancing a career with starting a family. What’s most important, she reiterated, is to have a support system in place for when the time comes.

www.browndailyherald.com

» HIV, from page 1 The virtual reality also incorporates historical HIV treatment programs, different stages of the virus and other real-world nuances that affect how the disease spreads through a population, Marshall said. “As interventions changed in the real world, we effectively turn them on in the model.”

The researchers also have the ability to “turn on” novel treatment combinations. Marshall and his colleagues took four HIV prevention strategies — increasing HIV testing, improving substance abuse treatment, bolstering needle exchange programs and increasing medical treatment — and tested different combinations of them.

According to results of different simulations, the most effective intervention strategy is to pour more resources into each of the four interventions simultaneously. The model predicts this “high-impact” intervention would cause the 62 percent decrease in HIV incidence.

Each of the combination strategies cut HIV incidence to some degree by 2040. Though the “high-impact” strategy was shown to be the best way to curb HIV, three out of the four next most effective intervention programs included a bolstered needle exchange program.

Marshall noted that, though it’s clearly the most effective, the “highimpact” strategy may be the least feasible of the seven due to its high cost. He said he plans to work with an economist to compare the costeffectiveness of different interventions.

Associate Professor of Public

Health and Associate Dean of Master’s Education Don Operario, who works in HIV prevention but was not involved in creating the model, said he believes the evidence is good news regardless of whether or not the “high-impact strategy” would be costeffective. Operario, who described himself as an “idealist” on this subject, said the success of the intervention in the model provides evidence that the United States needs to “coordinate and harmonize (its) services better.”

Marshall has worked to perfect the computer program since 2011, according to a 2012 University press release. Marshall said a belief that virtual models are vital to the future of disease prevention inspires his research.

In the past, controlled trials testing the efficacy of individual disease intervention strategies have been the gold standard of epidemiology. But these controlled experiments fall short when researchers aim to look at more than one intervention at a time, Marshall said.

A virtual model such as this one is a beneficial tool because it is capable of examining “the effect of multiple interventions acting in concert,” he added. “They provide a way to integrate all our existing data and look at how interventions affect each other.”

Marshall said he hopes politicians will take note of the model’s capabilities and the study’s findings.

“Policymakers have to choose between a whole menu of partially effective interventions. (The model) is a nice way to provide them with information on where resources could be directed.”

4 university news » INFLATION, from page 1 Institutional Research show that 53.4 percent of grades given at the University during the 2012-2013 academic year were As, a 36 percent increase from the 1992-1993 school year, in which As composed 39.1 percent of all grades.

This percentage would be even higher if the data did not include courses taken on a Satisfactory/No Credit scale.

The proportions of Bs and Cs have decreased over the last 20 years, falling from 29.1 percent to 21.6 percent and from 7.5 percent to 4.0 percent, respectively. Grades of no credit dropped from 3.8 percent of total grades to 2.7 percent over the same time period.

Life sciences have seen the steepest climb in top marks, as As have proliferated from 33.4 to 58.2 percent of grades in the past 20 years. In the social and physical sciences, As rose by 10 percentage points over the last two decades. The humanities have seen the most gradual rise in As, which made up 42 percent of grades in the field 21 years ago and accounted for 51.5 percent last year.

Grade inflation is a “part of a change in culture on the high end of the academy that goes along with students being more and more credentialed,” said Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, adding that students have come to see any grade below an A as unacceptable.

Students have developed a “sense of entitlement,” said Karen Newman, professor of comparative literature and chair of the department. “They all expect that they will continue to achieve at the high level at which they were achieving in secondary school.”

But Schlissel said an increasingly talented and prepared student body does not necessarily justify a commensurate rise in As. Several faculty members suggested establishing higher expectations for students.

“Everyone’s coming in within six inches of the ceiling instead of four feet under. Well, let’s raise the ceiling,” said Stephen Nelson, higher education expert and senior scholar in the Leadership Alliance at Brown.

Though Brown students may be more talented than the average student, “it is still possible to distinguish between performance levels at Brown, and that is what we should be doing to give accurate feedback,” said Luther Spoehr, senior lecturer in education.

Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 said student course evaluations, which play a large role in evaluating faculty members’ teaching, exacerbate the frequency with which As are handed out.

“If you’re a junior faculty member or looking for a promotion, you don’t want to have your course evaluations look bad,” Nelson said.

Several faculty members, as well as Schlissel, cited students’ permission to drop courses until the final exam period as a factor that drives up the percentage of As. Another explanation for the lack of Cs and comparatively high number of As is the erasure of failures from a student’s transcript, said David Lindstrom, professor of sociology and chair of the department, calling this policy “almost academic fraud.”

Lindstrom said students have asked him to fail them rather than give them Cs.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

The past decade’s changes in grade distribution The distribution of grades at Brown has changed over the past 10 years, but different disciplines have seen varying degrees of change.

Humanities

Life Sciences

60 % of grades

Physical Sciences

Social Sciences

A: 58 A: 52

50

Overall A: 56

A: 53

A: 50

40 S: 31

30

B: 26

B: 25

B: 24

B: 22 S: 18

20 B: 14 S: 10 NC: 2 C: 1 ’03-’04

’12-’13

S: 14

S: 13

10

’03-’04

C: 5 NC: 2 ’12-’13

’03-’04

C: 7 NC: 5 ’12-’13

C: 4 NC: 2

’03-’04

’12-’13

’03-’04

C: 4 NC: 3 ’12-’13

Source: Office of Institutional Research JACQUELINE FEILER AND GREG JORDAN-DETAMORE / HERALD

Pluses and minuses Some say the lack of pluses and minuses in the University’s grading system augments the number of As students receive.

Nelson described his frustration in assigning final grades to students who would fall in the B+ range at most institutions.

“When you have a student who is a really strong B+ and a student who’s a really weak B- it’s much easier to give that B+ student an A than it is to leave that student with the student who got the B-,” Newman said.

Spoehr echoed Nelson’s sentiment, saying he finds it “laughable — in-

“Everyone’s coming in within six inches of the ceiling instead of four feet under. Well, let’s raise the ceiling.”

Stephen Nelson

HIGHER EDUCATION EXPERT AND SENIOR SCHOLAR AT THE LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE sulting — to be told I am (capable) of making only three distinctions about student performances.”

Schlissel said Nelson’s assumption that As at Brown are often in the B+ range is “very reasonable” but difficult to verify.

He added that he thinks instating pluses and minuses would better “assess nuances in students’ ability.”

“I always taught where pluses and minuses were available, and I like that,” Paxson said, but she added that “this is a decision for the Brown faculty and the Brown community at large.”

Yet even among those who support pluses and minuses, some question whether the move would curb grade inflation — including Paxson, who cited grade inflation at institutions with a traditional grading scheme.

The lack of pluses and minuses also cannot explain the increase in top marks at the University over time, since grading policy has remained constant.

The University has seen this argument hashed out in the past. In the spring of 2006, the College Curriculum Council rejected a proposal to add

pluses and minuses by a vote of seven to six. All four students on the council voted against the proposal, which, if passed, would have gone before the faculty for a vote.

A 2003 poll conducted by the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning found that 82 percent of faculty members supported the addition of pluses and minuses, The Herald previously reported. Conversely, only 24.6 percent of students supported the proposal in a 2006 Herald poll.

Emeritus Professor of Biology Jonathan Waage wrote in an email to The Herald that the better question is whether grades are a good measure of students’ abilities at all and if the University should emphasize them.

“If our current system forces the outside world to look for other things than grades and GPAs to evaluate our students, that is a good thing,” he wrote.

Spoehr said some opponents of the policy change have argued pluses and minuses violate the spirit of the open curriculum. But “any student that thinks grades with letters and pluses and minuses are contrary to the open curriculum is still free to take every course S/NC,” he said.

Inflation’s impact “Not being more rigorous in grading doesn’t allow room for the truly and unusually gifted student(s) to distinguish themselves,” Schlissel said.

Grades have “lost meaning, and that’s a detriment to our students,” he added, noting that “it’s an illusion that grades help you when everybody gets high grades.”

Grade inflation underprepares students for the harsher evaluation they will encounter in the world beyond Brown, Schlissel said.

High grades may mislead students into pursuing fields for which they are not well-suited, Nelson added.

Several people also expressed worry that grade inflation reduces student work ethic.

“The reward of a high grade” should motivate students to work hard, stimulating learning, “which in the end is what really matters,” wrote Roberto Serrano, professor of economics and chair of the department, in an email to The Herald. “We should all be worried about (grade inflation) and ready to fight against it.”

Last year, the Department of

Economics recommended that As be awarded to no more than 30 percent of students in ECON 0110: “Principles of Economics” in an effort to curb grade inflation, The Herald previously reported. Many professors in the department elected to follow a similar distribution in other economics classes, though there was no official departmental recommendation for other courses.

The University should also consider the reputational threat grade inflation poses, Nelson said, adding that a fear of declining prestige has driven other universities to address the issue.

As a member of an admission committee for graduate programs at the University of California at Berkeley, Schlissel said, he and his colleagues knew which universities gave out As liberally and ignored those students’ grades.

“The value of a Brown degree might be worth more” if people beyond College Hill thought the University was more rigorous, Lindstrom said.

Surveys of incoming students indicate that they perceive Brown as an easy Ivy League school, Schlissel said, which he called “unfair.”

But both Paxson and Schlissel attributed this perception more to Brown’s lack of core requirements than to grade inflation.

“I would like to dispel the notion that Brown doesn’t have grades and Brown has no requirements at all,” Paxson said, noting that the quality of Brown courses is as high as at peer institutions.

The road ahead Paxson, Schlissel and McLaughlin all said they would not directly tackle grade inflation in the near future.

For the administration to lead the charge against grade inflation would be too “contentious” a strategy, Schlissel said.

A few faculty members would have to raise the issue for it to gain traction on an interdepartmental level, McLaughlin said, but if “Paxson thinks it’s important, it will stay on the agenda.”

Paxson said she has no plans to act on the issue soon, but noted that the next dean of the College would “be a natural leader for facilitating this kind of discussion.”

McLaughlin said he “could not imagine” the search committee for the dean of the College is not asking candidates about grading policy.

But Todd Harris ’14.5, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, wrote in an email to The Herald that any alteration to grading should be driven by students, not administrators or the faculty.

While some hope official measures — like the addition of pluses and minuses or grade deflation — will be considered to stem the tide, others tout the efficacy of communication and vigilant departmental leadership.

“My hope is we can break this trend without having to move to the formal grading policy that Princeton had, which, though effective, did some damage,” Paxson said.

Paxson said she has “mixed feelings” about Princeton’s grade deflation policy implemented nearly a decade ago. Though it succeeded in reducing the number of As at the university, it also increased competitiveness and grade awareness among current and prospective students.

“Students were less likely to take a course where they thought the grading policy might be more strictly enforced,” she said. “This is not the kind of atmosphere I want to cultivate at Brown.”

Several faculty members and administrators interviewed suggested that spreading awareness about the standards expected of faculty members would reel in those giving out too many As. As dean of biological sciences at Berkeley, Schlissel made all the faculty members for whom he was responsible aware of the percentage of As given out by their colleagues, which made some outliers take a tougher approach, he said.

Some department chairs at Brown are already making use of a similar tactic.

Lindstrom said he “looks for outliers,” particularly faculty members who give out high numbers of As in lecture courses in which grades should vary more evenly.

“We get printouts of what the grades are in all of our faculty’s classes, and we can therefore compare and see what the percentages are,” Newman said, adding that she speaks to colleagues who are “way out of line with what our norm is.”

today 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

p l ay e d i n p l a i d VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Sundried Tomato Calzone, Pesto Seafood Pasta, Braised Red Cabbage, Tortellini Italiano with Sausage

Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwich, Mediterranean Eggplant Saute, Vegetarian Chili and Cheese Soup

DINNER Apricot Tofu with Sesame Noodles, Sweet Ginger Pork Stir-Fry, Marsala Sweet Potato Saute, Bok Choy

Cachupa, Mango Chicken with Mango Salsa, Pastel of Tuna Fish, Vegetarian Jagacida, Raspberry Mousse Tart

JOSIAH’S

THREE BURNERS

QUESADILLA OR GRILLED CHEESE

Banh Mi

Grilled Cheese

BLUE ROOM

SOUPS

DINNER ENTREES

Chicken and Wild Rice, Butternut Squash and Apple, Baked Potato Soup

Naked Burritos

sudoku

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Deer guy 5 Dian Fossey subjects 9 Walking tall 14 Snoop (around) 15 Son of Leah and Jacob 16 One unlikely to bring home the bacon?

17 Work on galleys 18 Works by Raphael and Michelangelo, e.g.

20 Signed agreement mailed by someone in prison?

22 “... kissed thee __ killed thee”: Othello 23 NYC-based insurance co.

24 Backs a fashion venture?

31 Eyelid inflammations 32 Dogwood, e.g.

33 Sock part 34 Pottery oven 35 Drag through the mud 37 Gardener’s bagful 38 Rescuer of Odysseus 39 Irene of “Fame” 40 Gainesville is about halfway between it and Jacksonville 41 Authorize two bros’ gettogether?

45 “Double Fantasy” artist 46 Measurement named for a body part 47 Songwriter’s dream?

54 Rites of passage 55 Heathrow postings: Abbr.

56 Point a finger at 57 Dark purple 58 Charlie Brown cry 59 Title role for Michael or Jude 60 New newts 61 “Off with you!”

DOWN 1 Job detail 2 Commotion

3 Analogous 31 Two percent 44 Scary Wild West 4 Avenges a wrong alternative circles?

5 Runway shapes 35 Skipped 47 Meet, as needs 6 Bob __, first NBA 36 C-ration 48 Norwegian player to be successor saint named MVP 37 Throws here and 49 “Won’t do it” (1956) there 50 Plenty, in slang 7 FEMA 39 Fails to 51 Bonneville Salt recommendation, understand Flats site maybe 40 Funk 52 Peacekeeping 8 Storage structure 42 Musical scale acronym 9 Like some press sequence 53 Name on a conference 43 Produce a Canadian pump answers change in 54 Mgmt. degree 10 Go back (on) 11 “A Summer ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: Place” co-star Richard 12 Dessert conveyance 13 “Rizzoli & Isles” airer 19 More ridiculous 21 Spanish 101 word 24 1986 rock autobiography 25 Windbreaker fabric 26 Cook, as dumplings 27 One may be rolled over 28 Weasel kin 29 Patterned fabric 30 Ward of “CSI: 03/12/14 NY” xwordeditor@aol.com

SAM KASE / HERALD

The student band Animal Esquire plays at Brown Concert Agency’s speakeasy and Spring Weekend lineup release party at the Whiskey Republic Tuesday night.

comic Against the Fence | Lauren Stone ‘17

calendar TODAY

MARCH 12

5 P.M. THE DISNEY VAULT: UNPACKING SOCIAL IDENTITIES IN DISNEY MEDIA

Keeney Quadrangle’s Residential Peer Leaders will lead a workshop on the portrayal of race, gender, class and sexuality in Disney movies. The discussion will focus on the relationship between social issues and Disney media. Petteruti Lounge 7:30 P.M. ADVANCED SCREENING OF “ENEMY”

The Ivy Film Festival will host an advanced screening of “Enemy,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The film delves into doubling as one man’s life becomes entangled with that of his doppelganger. MacMillan 117

TOMORROW

MARCH 13

5 P.M. INSPIRING WOMEN IN STEM: A PANEL DISCUSSION

Five women working in math-related fields will discuss their paths to success, including building confidence, developing healthful habits and balancing work with growing a family. Foxboro Auditorium, Kassar House

By Pam Amick Klawitter (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

8 P.M. THE INTERNATIONAL SPECTACULAR 03/12/14

SPEC’s first event of the semester will feature foods from around the world, including dishes from Kabob and Curry, Shanghai and Tina’s Caribbean Restaurant. Crystal Room, Alumnae Hall

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

EDITORIAL

Reexamining NAFTA Immigration reform needs to happen; that much is clear. However, the debate between Republicans and Democrats has not only stalled, but also been primarily driven by ideology and party identification rather than empirical evidence. A much more effective and rational solution would be to seriously look at what forces are driving undocumented immigrants into the United States — and the North American Free Trade Agreement is certainly one of those forces.

After the removal of tariffs in Mexico, American agribusiness flooded the domestic market with far cheaper products, forcing Mexican farmers and local companies out of business; it is estimated that at least 1.5 million Mexican workers were forced out of jobs in the agricultural industry alone.

This trend is not limited to farmers and laborers, as tens of thousands of Mexican businesses have gone belly-up since the passage of NAFTA. These disenfranchised Mexican workers had few options in their own country, except for the exploitative maquiladora system: factories run by foreign companies and operating under very minimal regulation. Workers are exposed to dangerous conditions and chemicals, work excessively long hours and are paid criminally low wages. Many of these Mexican laborers thus naturally sought a better life in the United States.

Those who managed to retain farmland were not much better off, and continue to struggle to compete against the large internationals that now have far less regulation. Indeed, farmers in Mexico are estimated to be making up to 70 percent less profit than they were before the imposition of NAFTA. Today, it is estimated that a farm laborer earns one-third of what he did before NAFTA. We support the repeal of NAFTA. It is hypocritical of the United States to enact a trade agreement that forces millions of Mexicans out of a job or into poorer conditions, and then complain when there is an increased inflow of undocumented immigrants. And indeed, that influx has grown substantially, from 4 million at the time of NAFTA’s passage to 12 million today. If we’re serious about real immigration reform, there is a simpler solution than resorting to the typical dichotomous Republican-Democrat debate. We need to seriously reexamine NAFTA and strongly consider its repeal, and take a critical look at our foreign policies that have dramatic impacts on immigrant flows.

I VA N A L C A N TA R A

CORRECTION An article in Monday’s Herald (“R.I. middle school students get a taste of Brown,” March 10) misspelled the name of the University’s vice president for public affairs and University relations. It is Marisa Quinn, not Marissa. The article also misspelled the name of an undergraduate representative on the 250th Steering Committee. It is Jennifer Tsai ’14, not Jennfier Tsai ’14. The Herald regrets the errors.

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

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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.

See grade inflation on page 1.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

Giving credit where credit is due JAY UPADHYAY opinions columnist Not a week goes by when I don’t read or hear a criticism of the Corporation, President Christina Paxson or her administration. Studentrun publications are often filled with commentary about our leaders’ purported detachment from undergraduate needs, exorbitant spending and general lack of direction in guiding Brown toward what we believe is best for the University.

Inarguably, students are Brown’s main stakeholders: The University provides us with an education, skills and an enriching undergraduate experience in exchange for the tuition and fees we pay. It’s necessarily wrong, then, for students to apply a close lens to the policies and actions of those in power. Nevertheless, we belittle the good Paxson and the Corporation have done and are dangerously close to ignoring it altogether.

Having transferred from Northwestern University as a sophomore, I have been fortunate enough to witness many of these aforementioned improvements to Brown. The housing lottery is a clear example of this.

Irrespective of the tradition it bears,

the process was grossly inefficient and chaotic. Students waited with uncertainty about where they would live until minutes before their lottery numbers were called, wasting hours while the number-calling trudged along. Some were thrown into the infamous summer assignment process if they couldn’t physically attend. This process was an underutilization of the technological resources available to students.

The University’s shift to an online

Campus Safety Task Force Interim Report reveals an increasing use of safe travel resources provided by the University, an expansion of security staff posted across campus and plans to address other concerns like lighting and a mobile security system in the future. Over the past three years, the number of on-campus burglaries steadily declined. While there is work to be done, the University’s proactive policymaking to improve safety at Brown is worthy of praise

ing a route so aligned with Brown’s commitment to intellectual inquiry. If students at Northwestern had shouted down a guest speaker, I can’t imagine open discussion and reflective reports — punitive action seems much more probable.

Additionally, after I mentioned the benefits of seminars across class levels in a previous column (“Upadhyay ’15: An academic approach to free speech,” Nov. 18), Brown announced plans to add 15 sophomore

Brown students belittle the good Paxson and the Corporation have done and are dangerously close to ignoring it altogether.

process is a definite demonstration of its willingness to deviate from the status quo for our betterment. Yet many seem to take this for granted, as if overhauling housing assignment for thousands of students is an easy task.

Improvements in campus safety further exhibit Paxson’s efforts. During my first semester at Brown, it was all too common to read an email about an unsolved theft or assault on campus. As such, it’s encouraging to see Brown take steps to protect its students. Last December’s

and should give us confidence in student security.

Brown has also made appreciable educational advances in just the past year. After last semester’s Ray Kelly incident, Paxson arranged for a discussion forum to mitigate the rift of emotions among students and faculty members. She also appointed a faculty-student committee to prepare a report on those events and recently disseminated it across the student body.

Though this is speculative, I can’t imagine many other institutions tak-

seminars next year, which had previously been outlined in Paxson’s strategic plan. Academic freedom and acceptance of a diverse range of opinions in an environment of inquisition and debate are the heart of the open curriculum, and, despite actions from its students, Brown has done a magnificent job of preserving this message.

In actuality, much of what the Corporation is criticized for is illconceived. Penn will increase tuition nearly 4 percent next year, with a total cost above Brown’s. Har-

vard plans a 3.5 percent hike in fees.

High tuition costs are not a problem unique to Brown — they are a nationwide issue acknowledged by President Obama. Treating them as uniquely ours masks the great deal of good our leaders have done.

Moreover, the criticisms I hear about Brown’s spending are nonsensical. Students benefit from capital expenditures on buildings and facilities. Higher professor salaries allow us to retain and employ some of the best in the field. Upgrading and investing in our infrastructure and drivers of education don’t preclude helping the vulnerable — these actions increase the general welfare of the student body in ways not easily visible.

I don’t unwaveringly support everything Brown does. I’d like the University to be stricter on hazing and vandalism of campus property. I think the strategic plan is excessively vague and needs concrete directives.

But I’ve grown to appreciate many of the great things the Corporation and our leaders have done, especially coming from a school where those in power communicated and interacted very little with their students. I hope many at Brown will come to do the same.

Jay Upadhyay ’15 is an economics concentrator.

Takeaways from Ukraine for the individual MEGAN GRAPENGETERRUDNICK opinions columnist Several things logically and immediately come to mind as key themes stemming from the conflict in Ukraine. Some of the obvious ones: Don’t mess with Russia, the Cold War is about to reblossom and I’m seeing a little Berlin reenactment here.

Though these are all quite pivotal for the international sphere, what are the takeaways for the average individual watching from his or her television at home? The possible surrendering of Crimea to Russia really has no direct effect on the standard American citizen. While the most dramatic and significant regime change since the Cold War occurs, the typical American will go about his or her normal life utterly unfazed.

However, U.S. interactions with Russia and Ukraine related to the conflict in Crimea offer a number of life lessons that may be useful for you, the ordinary citizen, when facing a crisis. I have come up with a number of guidelines to advise the individual through a conflict of any size.

These items are derived from the United States’ incorrect and unsuccessful actions leading up to and throughout the crisis as well as the manner in which the United States has conducted itself in other international predicaments.

Take your position. In a conflict, you must choose your stance first — wishy-washy behavior is useless and can be detrimental when your opposition sees that you are unclear on your stance. The United States was in this position with regard to nuclear proliferation in Iran. Our government and the Israeli government failed

to convey their requests clearly, which made cooperation unappealing to Iran. This ultimately opened the door for Vladimir Putin to take advantage of our weak attitude, as Russia’s solidarity with Iran combined with our past indecision to give Putin the upper hand.

In stating your position, be sure that your arguments are concise, fully developed and not hollow. The ability to back yourself up is crucial to others’ compliance to your demands. When the United States showed failure to back up our threats to Syria — by not cracking down on the use of chemical weapons, as we had promised — we set ourselves up to be taken lightly in the fu-

clarity when deciding and drawing its line.

Follow through. Your reputation depends on it. This has been a critical factor in the United States’ involvement in the Ukraine crisis, as past actions have affected our current ability to be taken seriously. Once you make a threat — such as politically and economically isolating Russia if it implemented troops in Crimea, as the United States threatened earlier in the crisis — you must act on it. The American government has failed to do so on multiple occasions. Syria and Iran both come to mind as contributing factors to the growing sentiment that the United States makes threats it doesn’t have the confidence to

U.S. interactions with Russia and Ukraine related to the conflict in Crimea offer a number of life lessons that may be useful for you, the ordinary citizen, when facing a crisis. ture. Currently, threats by the United States hold little weight and everyone knows it, especially Putin.

Draw your red line. You need to decide how much you are willing to concede before you put your foot down. Speak up, since you must make your boundaries absolutely clear — Putin does not respect the red line that the United States has drawn. Why? The United States has a history of being ambiguous in terms of its red lines, with Iran’s nuclear proliferation crisis a significant example. No one was quite sure where the American and Israeli limits actually were, curbing their credibility. In this situation, Putin is aware that the Americans lack clarity and credence — thus he doesn’t feel compelled to take them seriously.

This is merely a result of the United States’ poor

act upon.

On these occasions, America has imposed a red line but has failed to follow through on penalizing the opposition. By following this model, you will only build yourself a reputation of being unreliable, feeble, insecure and unassertive, and this will continue to plague you in all future transactions. In Ukraine, Putin is well aware of and even capitalizing on these negative qualities by disregarding the United States’ threats and mandates completely. The American government’s threats of sanctions and withdrawal from important meetings in Russia do “not exactly seem to strike terror into the Russian president’s heart,” as the Economist put it earlier this month.

That is, our country’s supposedly big and powerful voice has evolved to mean absolutely nothing.

Engage your opposition. Isolation is not the answer. The United States has imposed sanctions that “could include freezing assets or preventing Americans from doing business with certain individuals,” the New York Times reported last week. Who is this helping? How could this possibly be beneficial? By isolating Russia, we simply cut business for ourselves by disrupting trade and positive transactions between the countries.

Is impeding our own country’s commerce really worth it, considering the impending relationship barrier and economic loss? Instead, by holding more discussions to consider every facet of the problem — hearing people’s interests that haven’t previously been evaluated — it is possible for you to solve your conflict through engaging the opposition, rather than isolating it.

While engaging your opposition, take care to be civilized. Cordiality really does serve more of a purpose than people realize — in fact, it’s quite vital. No one will feel inclined to do business with an impolite, pompous adversary. This is something the United States should take to heart. According to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, “the threats and ultimatums made it difficult to reach ‘honest arrangements’ that would help stabilize the situation in Ukraine,” the Times reported. Attitude may determine the outcome and fluidity of your interactions, so at least pretend to be nice.

The next time you take on an imperialistic giant — or even just your mother — take this into consideration. Do the opposite of what the United States is doing in Ukraine now. It’s in everyone’s best interest.

Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17 can be reached at lifelessonswithmegan@ukraine.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD science & research Focus on health may reduce reincarceration Paper urges increased focus on ‘root causes’ of incarceration, like mental illness and substance use

By ANDREW JONES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Incarceration is a vicious cycle analogous to a fly getting stuck to flypaper, said Josiah Rich, professor of medicine and epidemiology and lead author of a recent paper on prisoner health. One brush with prison, and it becomes hard to get unstuck, he said, noting the high rate of repeat incarceration in the United States.

Inadequate health care services for prisoners and ex-prisoners play a significant role in this sticky cycle, he added.

In a new paper in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs, Rich and his co-authors proposed a series of recommendations aimed at tackling some of these problems associated with the implementation of health care in the correctional system. Prisoner health should not be viewed as separate from other public health issues, the researchers argued.

“Correctional health care is unlikely to improve unless the barriers that currently separate correctional and community providers are reduced,” Rich and his co-authors wrote.

The team of researchers and doctors divided its suggestions into two facets of health care for prisoners and ex-prisoners: the flawed policies and procedures within the correctional system and the inadequate care and follow-up for prisoners after their release.

Prison-based health care should have greater oversight through integrating accountable care organizations into care delivery, mandated accreditation of prison health care services and facilities and increased use of the risk-needsresponsivity model, according to the

paper. This model posits that a patient’s past is an indicator of potential future criminal behavior and can be used to provide specific and effective medical care to prisoners, the authors wrote.

Outside of prisons, a number of changes must be made to community health in order to break prisoners’ cycle of recidivism, the authors wrote in the paper. The Affordable Care Act can greatly increase this vulnerable population’s access to medical care through the expansion of Medicaid, they wrote.

Providers must also be sensitive to the specific needs and issues associated with a history of incarceration.

These recommendations partially aim to address the “root causes” of mass incarceration, which are mental illness and substance abuse, Rich said. More than half of all prisoners suffer from addiction, mental illness or both, according to the paper.

“You’re in this regimented system, and then you walk out this door and everything comes at you from every direction all at once,” he said.

It is necessary to study the health of this population because if it is ignored, “we will never have the opportunity to address health disparities, and we will miss critical opportunities to make a difference in the care of underserved populations with chronic disease … and infectious disease,” wrote Brie Williams, associate professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco and a co-author of the paper, in an email to The Herald.

A focus on improved health care in the community is especially important to begin fixing the problems associated with prisoner health, said Brad Brockmann, executive director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, who was not involved with the paper.

When prisoners are released, they must confront a host of issues, such as finding food and housing and dealing with their

families, so health care may land lower on their list of priorities, he added.

“Getting individuals care in the community and keeping them there … has a significant likelihood of breaking the cycle of recidivism,” he said.

Ninety-five percent of the prison population is released and reenters the community, and 80 percent of those released lack health insurance, the authors wrote in the paper. The expansion of Medicaid in some states will help greatly to reduce the number of uninsured, said Brockmann, who co-authored a separate paper on Medicaid’s effects on formerly incarcerated individuals.

“Each year, over 12 million Americans who work, live and breathe in our communities spend some time incarcerated and then return to the community within a few months of their incarceration,” Williams wrote.

In Rhode Island, discharge planners and counselors are working with inmates to assist them with Medicaid enrollment upon release, wrote Elizabeth Earls, assistant director of rehabilitative services for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, in an email to The Herald.

Access to health insurance has “huge implications for ex-offenders being able to continue (and) maintain needed medical treatment in the community,” she added.

There are currently no “major changes” she would make to the Department of Corrections’ health care delivery system, she wrote, noting that it offers a “comprehensive array of services.”

These issues surrounding prisoner health are tied to a larger problem of mass incarceration, Rich said. Drug laws are excessively harsh, and many more people are being imprisoned than need to be, he added.

“Somehow the rest of the world is able to function as a civil society” without incarcerating nearly as many people as the United States, he said.

Panel discusses bias in STEM fields Five female presenters explain reasons for and difficulties in pursing work in STEM fields

BY SARAH PERELMAN, SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

Professor honored for research on biology of autism

Eric Morrow, assistant professor of biology, psychiatry and human behavior, has received the Society of Biological Psychiatry’s A.E. Bennett Research Award for his work on the biological processes behind autism, according to a University press release.

Morrow’s work examines the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying autism. By elucidating these mechanisms, he aims to lay the groundwork for more accurate genetic diagnostic tools and treatments, according to his biography on the Directory of Research and Researchers at Brown website.

“I believe this is the first time that the award was given to someone who works on developmental disorders. This should bring further attention to this area, which is underrepresented,” Morrow said in the release.

The award honors young investigators in the field of biological psychiatry and comes with a $2,000 prize, according to the Society of Biological Psychiatry’s website. Morrow will travel to New York in May to formally accept the award at the society’s annual meeting.

“The award, which was unexpected, puts me in the company of previous winners: senior colleagues whom I admire for their accomplishments in this challenging field,” Morrow said in the release.

New stickers may reduce energy use in labs

Traffic light colors now serve a new purpose — conserving energy in University research laboratories. The student group Brown is Green is collaborating with biomedical research laboratories to place stickers on machines that should be turned off to save electricity, according to a University press release.

The system employs the typical stoplight color code. Green indicates machines that researchers should “go” ahead and turn off to save power while yellow indicates that they should find a lab manager before shutting the machine down. Red stickers denote machines that should not be turned off.

The system addresses a common problem in labs: Students and new researchers often don’t know which machines need to run continuously and which should be turned off to conserve energy, said Meggie Patton, energy and environmental programs outreach coordinator, in the release.

Some professors have observed that the initiative seems to have a positive impact. Alexander Jaworski, assistant professor of neuroscience, said in the release that he placed the green sticker on a microscope in his lab that students frequently forget to power off.

“It’s not like it’s going to cost me thousands of dollars in replacing bulbs, but turning it off is an energy saver and it does increase the lifetime of the bulb,” he said in the release. “I put the sticker on and it hasn’t been left on since then.”

The sticker system will continue to be tested in selected University laboratories and may be implemented across campus if the tests yield positive results.

Prof. wins grant to study adolescent drug

By CAMILLA BRANDFIELD-HARVEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Breaking down the barriers that women face in science, technology, engineering and math fields “has to be a movement,” said Jean King, professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, as part of a panel on women in STEM fields Tuesday evening.

The panel discussion, entitled “Inspiring Women in STEM,” was held in Salomon 101 and hosted by the Brown chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. The discussion featured five female scientists from Brown, UMass Medical School, St. John’s University and the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.

“Not all of us in the audience are women, thank goodness,” said Liza Cariaga-Lo, associate provost for academic development and diversity, as she surveyed the crowd.

She acknowledged that this month is Women’s History Month and added

Science & Research Roundup

BRITTANY COMUNALE / HERALD

From left, Jean King, Robin Wellington, Nicole Renaud, Lorna Gibson and Suzanne DeLaMonte discuss their work in STEM fields. that both sexes must participate in conversations about the importance of diversifying fields like STEM. Pursuing STEM and community Passion and community emerged as themes of the evening as panelists described their motivations for pursuing STEM careers as well as what has sustained them in their field.

For King, there was never a question of whether she would study the sciences or the humanities, but only one of “what kind of science” to pursue, she said.

Later in college, the novelty of certain research invigorated her. “I could actually discover something that wasn’t discovered before,” King said. “I thought, a cell that talks? I’m in. I knew my passion when I saw it.”

But other panelists said their paths to STEM careers were not as straight at King’s.

“The honest truth is that it’s almost random,” said Suzanne DeLaMonte, professor of neurosurgery at the Alpert Medical School. She said she switched majors several times before » See STEM, page 3

Marina Tolou-Shams, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior, received a $3.4 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine risk behaviors of adolescents who have been convicted in family court, according to a Lifespan press release. Tolou-Shams seeks to determine the roots of these risky behaviors.

“Our findings will have the potential to shape the way we work with court-involved youth, in not just the public health field, but also in the psychology and psychiatry fields,” Tolou-Shams said in the release. “There may be better ways to help this population avoid developing risk-behaviors or breaking the law again.”

Her work will track 400 adolescents and examine their development of drug behaviors, HIV/STD risk behaviors or psychiatric problems in the time shortly after arrest. She will study adolescents who have been convicted by the Rhode Island family court within the last two years but are not currently behind bars.

Despite a recent national trend toward treatment, rather than punishment, for youths with behavioral or psychiatric defects, “only a handful of studies have examined these behaviors among non-detained juvenile offenders,” Tolou-Shams said in the release, adding that these youths account for 80 percent of all adolescents entangled with the law.

Her study aims to find a correlation between these adolescents’ behaviors and home or other risk factors that contribute to their development in the two years following conviction.