THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 35
since 1891
THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
U. draws Students divided on financial aid priorities inspiration Disciplinary action Results reveal majority of Not familiar enough to student body disapprove answer: 2% from peers for Ray Kelly of use of legacy status in admissions Strongly protesters for 250th agree:
Brown’s engagement with R.I. and international community makes for distinctive celebration By BRITTANY NIEVES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Brown difference From fireworks displays to giant cakes, the 250th anniversary steering committee considered many components of previous anniversary celebrations. During the planning stages, committee members visited several peer universities, including Yale, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College and others, to see how they had approached their celebrations, Quinn said. The committee was particularly inspired by Yale’s 300th anniversary celebration in 2001, which was open to members of the New Haven community, » See 250TH, page 6
Strongly disagree: 30%
UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Somewhat agree: 25%
% :8 on ini op No
Though Brown celebrated its 250th anniversary last weekend, the University is a baby compared to some of its peer institutions. Princeton commemorated its 250th in 1996, while Harvard kicked off its 375th anniversary festivities in 2011. The University studied and learned from its peers’ past birthday bashes, said Marisa Quinn, vice president for public affairs and University relations. Despite looking to other schools, the University maintained the “Brown difference” with its own distinctive components, said Eve Ornstedt, executive director of the Office of the 250th Anniversary.
Question: Do you agree or disagree that the students who participated in causing the Ray Kelly lecture to be shut down via protests inside the auditorium should be subject to disciplinary action?”
By KIKI BARNES AND MICHAEL DUBIN
11%
Somewhat disagree: 24%
JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD
A Herald poll of undergraduates conducted March 3-4 found both approval and disapproval of President Christina Paxson’s job performance have each declined since November. A plurality of undergraduates endorsed providing financial aid for middle-income students currently ineligible to receive it as the University’s top aid priority. An overwhelming majority reported being glad they ended up at Brown, and half the student body disagrees with the consideration of legacy status in undergraduate admission as it is currently used by the University, according to the poll. » See POLL, page 4
UCS discusses Psych Services improvements Council members say office should diversify staff, make students feel more comfortable By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Undergraduate Council of Students members raised issues regarding Psychological Services’ commitment to student confidentiality, the hiring of minority staff members and student outreach at the UCS general body meeting Wednesday featuring Sherri Nelson, director of Psychological Services, Maria Suarez, associate dean and director of Student Support Services, and Carol Cohen, associate
dean of the college for health and personal issues. One issue that emerged was balancing patients’ confidentiality with the need to keep keeping those close to them informed of their well-being. Maahika Srinivasan ’15, chair of the UCS Academic and Administrative Affairs committee, asked how those near a student, such as roommates, Meiklejohn Peer Advisors, Residential Peer Leaders, and Women and Minority Peer Counselors, are informed of mental health incidents to “coordinate with all of the different support systems that we have.” When informing students’ acquaintances, Psychological Services specialists “have conversations with the student to say what
are you comfortable with” and “try to establish as much of a safety net underneath the student as possible,” Suarez said. Meiklejohns participated in a mental health crisis workshop for the first time this year, so they are “very ready with all the resources that a Meik could get in touch with,” said Zach Hammer ’16, a Meiklejohn leader. He asked the speakers what Meiklejohns should do if advisees approach them with mental health issues, especially when confidentiality is at stake. “It can be done in an appropriate way,” Cohen said in response, describing how Psychological Services specialists sometimes meet with students and tell them their
acquaintances are concerned about their safety and well-being. “I never like the situation of being caught in a confidence,” she said, adding that excluding professional help can “be harmful for both sides in getting the student support.” One UCS general body member said she is concerned that minority students, specifically women of color, do not have adequate representation on the Psychological Services staff. She asked the speakers if they had plans to address this issue. “We’re always looking to increase the diversity of our staff and are very aware of that issue,” Suarez said. “When we hire new therapists, it’s a priority for us … we do the best that » See UCS, page 2
Temporary installations explore Providence’s creative side By MARINA RENTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PopUp Providence, a tactical urbanism program that introduces inexpensive and temporary installations designed to engage its residents and invigorate the area is now accepting proposals from the community. The program is a partnership between the Providence Redevelopment Agency and the Providence Department of Planning and Development. “By making a small investment
inside
METRO
you can make an impact in the public realm,” said Bonnie Nickerson, director of long-range planning for the Department of Planning and Development, adding that the installations will make the area more interesting and lively, as well as engage “residents around their neighborhoods and around different areas of the city.” Tactical urbanism is employed “in advance of large investments in the city,” said Emily Kish, principal planner with the Department of Planning and Development. “Citizens and the government can work together to provide smaller … activation installations
University News
throughout the city.” Inspiration for PopUp Providence came from the Department of Planning and Development’s work with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, Kish said. The two departments collaborated on the development of the R-Line, a “Rapid Bus Route” launching in May 2014, according to RIPTA’s website. As part of the “Art in Transit” program, the Department of Planning and Development has teamed up with artists to install art in new bus shelters along the line, Kish said. The department thought it was a “great initiative to try to expand in different ways,” Kish added. PopUp Providence, a threeyear program, is funded by the
Redevelopment Agency and is coming to the conclusion of its “demonstration” year, Kish said. The Redevelopment Agency has allocated $150,000 for the program and $50,000 annually, she added. Demonstration projects included two “Before I Die” walls, chalkboard walls set up in Burnside Park and Grant’s Block. The walls invite pedestrians to write down their hopes for the future, according to the Department of Planning and Development’s website. The walls represent part of a larger “Before I Die” project started by artist Candy Chang, according to the department’s website. They have been temporarily removed. At Olneyville Square last fall, a
Metro
The White House has increased its efforts to expand FAFSA access
India sees 70 percent increase in students taking the Graduate Record Examination
Prof. receives grant to examine trajectories of formerly incarcerated R.I. juveniles
New bill would require proof of identity to redeem food stamp benefits at retailers
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PopUp Providence works with local artists to revitalize community landscapes across city
branding campaign known as Square One led to the creation of banners used to cover construction zones. The banners “show the community: here’s our identity,” Kish said. “We’re working to build this community. … We’re investing in this area.” The banners are reusable and cover different construction sites when the need arises. A third demonstration project, Community MusicWorks, will launch March 14. The studio provides music instruction to Providence youth, and it will hold a concert in a vacant storefront on Carpenter Street, she said. “They wanted to activate the vacancy to provide sort of a concert learning center,” Kish said, adding » See POPUP, page 3 t o d ay
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2 university news
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
This Week in Higher Ed BY MICHAEL DUBIN, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
White House seeks to boost federal aid applications The White House will redouble its efforts to ensure more students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, President Obama announced March 7. The new initiative expands a Department of Education pilot program launched in 2010 with 100 participating school districts, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. The announcement is part of Obama’s larger push to make college more accessible and follows the release of his 2015 budget proposal. The budget blueprint included raising the maximum Pell Grant by $100 and making billions of dollars available to states that preserve current funding levels for higher education, the Chronicle reported.
Costs, financial aid rise as factors in students’ enrollment decisions The record highest number of students chose to attend a higher education institution that was not their first choice in 2013, with many opting to enroll at a more affordable alternative, according to data from an annual survey released Thursday. The Freshman Survey, conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that a quarter of students who were admitted to their first-choice school chose not to attend. Just over 75 percent of first-years who entered four-year universities last fall were admitted to their first-choice college, but only 57 percent enrolled there. Slightly more than 60 percent of first-years who chose not to accept admission offers from their first-choice universities cited the cost of their first choice as a very important factor in their decision. About 60 percent said their current school’s financial aid offer was a very important consideration in their school selection. The figures reflect the growing importance of cost and financial aid in students’ college decisions. A decade ago, 69 percent of freshmen enrolled at their first-choice college, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
GRE sees rise in Indian test-takers The number of students in India taking the Graduate Record Examinations — the standardized test required for admission to a majority of U.S. graduate schools — rose 70 percent from 2012 to 2013, the New York Times reported Sunday. Indian students took more than 90,000 — or about 12 percent — of the total 731,000 GRE tests administered by the Educational Testing Service last year, according to numbers from ETS. ETS visited more colleges and hosted more student fairs in India over the last year in an effort to boost its presence in the country, Christine Betaneli, a GRE spokeswoman for the company, told the Times. The numbers are indicative of a trend in India of students enrolling in U.S. graduate schools, which saw a 40 percent jump in new matriculations by Indian students from 2012 to last year, the Times reported.
» UCS, from page 1 we can do,” she said, adding that staff members undergo internal training on diversity. The office struggles in “attracting strong candidates of every kind,” Cohen said, noting that with the need for competitive salaries, hiring diverse staff members “is a resource issue” and deserves the attention of those higher up in the administration. Psychological Services should open its doors to students during “weekend hours and late night hours,”
in addition to offering its 24-hour emergency on-call service, said UCS general body member Sam Rubinstein ’17. Noah Fields ’17, another UCS general body member, asked the speakers their “specific tactics for … making every student feel like they can come to Psych Services and receive compassionate care in a way that they feel like they will be supported.” Suarez said students lack awareness of available resources, adding that staff members “spend a lot of » See UCS, page 3
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
» POPUP, from page 1 that the department hopes to hold more concerts with Community MusicWorks in the coming months. A public art installation made in collaboration with AS220 Youth will be inaugurated in Trinity Square this spring, Kish said. The application deadline for Year Two projects is March 28, and any member of the public, provided they are 18 years or older, can submit a proposal, Kish said. The projects must correspond to one of five categories: PopUp Playspace, PopUp Parklet, PopUp Art, PopUp Shop or PopUp Amenity. Approved proposals will be put into action beginning this summer, Nickerson said. Kish said she hopes to see community groups, nonprofits or individuals collaborate with private businesses on their projects. The collaboration could financially support individuals or groups and offer services to sustain and promote projects, she said. “We’re really interested in art that is locally produced,” Nickerson said. “If it has particular meaning in the location where it’s proposed that would be something the selection committee would be interested in.” The Providence Redevelopment Agency will require applicants to contribute at least 20 percent of the total project cost, “so as to create an investment on their part in their particular application,” said Donald Gralnek, executive director of the Redevelopment Agency. He added that the agency will contribute a maximum of $8,000 to
a single project, and if an individual project is less costly, more projects could be funded. Projects are more likely to be approved if they have the support of the community, Gralnek said. Applications are reviewed by a steering committee composed of “folks active in the community,” Gralnek said, adding that the committee will advise the agency board on which projects seem most suited to PopUp Providence. Gralnek said the Redevelopment Agency sees the creation “of commercial interaction opportunities” as one of PopUp Providence’s major goals. He recognizes that the “conditions that are conducive to the interchange and the delivery of commerce can take many forms,” he added. Nickerson said the whole city should be able to participate in PopUp Providence. “We want to invest money in improving the public realm of our cities … by highlighting the talent that we have in Providence,” she added. Kish said it is important that a PopUp project “directly represent that immediate area in which it is located,” adding that,“We want it to really engage people. We want people to have fun with it. We want to be surprised and encouraged by it.” The Department of Planning and Development also plans to initiate several smaller projects, such as “Walk Providence,” which will offer residents an opportunity to design signs encouraging people to walk to different locations throughout the city. Kish said “there have been a few
hang-ups” with regard to obtaining the necessary permits and approvals needed to go ahead with some of the projects. But she said she is “confident that we can get all the approvals and permits that we need to make it work.” Gralnek described the public response to PopUp Providence as positive overall, noting the popularity of the “Before I Die” walls. “It’s a great opportunity to enliven our city,” Nickerson said. “We’re really excited to see the creative ideas that come in.” Kish said she saw the program as benefiting not only Providence residents but also helping the artists involved in the art’s creation publicize their name and promote their work.
» UCS, from page 2 time … educating them about our services, telling them about our services.” Nelson said the office is looking to make students feel more welcome and “compassionately cared for.” UCS also continued the process of categorizing student groups. Three service groups — Best Buddies at Brown, Project Sunshine at Brown and She’s the First — earned Category S status . Eight groups, including Providence Democratic Socialists, TEDxBrownU and Students for Organ
Donation Awareness, were designated Category I, meaning they will have access to University space and advertising through Morning Mail. Six groups, including Cornerstone Magazine, $ocial Classmates and the Alexander Hamilton Society, moved up from Category I to Category II, earning $200 of additional funding. The Latin American Student Organization was the only group to gain Category III status, a distinction that offers the same provisions as Category II but with the opportunity to apply for even more funding.
www.browndailyherald.com
4 university news » POLL, from page 1 University governance More students approved of Paxson’s handling of her job as president than disapproved — 42 percent to 25 percent — but both approval and disapproval fell since November’s Herald poll, which measured student opinion amid a polarized campus atmosphere following the Corporation’s decision not to divest from large U.S. coal companies and the cancellation of a scheduled lecture by former New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. In comparison to the Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Herald poll, which was taken at a more comparable time, students’ disapproval of Paxson has increased significantly, jumping from 9 to 25 percent. After declining dramatically to 24 percent in the November poll, the share of the student body expressing no opinion about Paxson’s performance rose to 33 percent. Undergraduate opinion was split on the proposal in Paxson’s strategic plan to increase the total student and faculty population by roughly 1 percent per year over the next decade. About a third of students each supported, opposed and expressed no opinion on the proposed expansion. Undergraduates are nearly evenly divided on whether the University’s top financial aid priority should be providing aid for currently ineligible middle-income students or extending need-blind admission to international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education applicants. Nearly 37 percent of students indicated providing financial aid for middle-income students currently ineligible for such assistance should be the University’s top financial aid priority, with about 32 percent endorsing the University concentrating on extending needblind admission to international,
transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education applicants and just over 19 percent stating the University should focus on increasing financial aid for students currently receiving it. The poll revealed a correlation between the type of financial aid, if any, that students receive and what aspect of financial aid they think the University should prioritize. About 46 percent of students receiving grants covering all costs preferred expanding the practice of need-blind admission. A plurality of those receiving no financial aid assistance — around 39 percent — favored making aid available to students currently ineligible for it. Increasing financial aid for current recipients was the most popular option among those who use both grants and loans to finance their educations. Almost 60 percent of undergraduates expressed support for the creation of Andrews Commons, with 27 percent strongly approving and 32 percent somewhat approving. Nearly 9 percent of students strongly disapproved, while about 19 percent somewhat disapproved and 13 percent reported having no opinion. Nearly three times as many respondents strongly disagreed as strongly agreed that the students who participated in the Kelly lecture protests inside the auditorium should be subject to disciplinary action — about 30 percent to 11 percent. Roughly 25 percent somewhat agreed with disciplinary action for the protestors and 24 percent somewhat disagreed. Just under 10 percent said they either had no opinion or were not familiar enough to answer. About half the student body either strongly or somewhat disagreed with the consideration of legacy status in undergraduate admission, compared to about 31 percent who strongly or
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
somewhat agreed and around 19 percent reporting no opinion. Students with legacy status, who made up 16 percent of all poll respondents, were more likely to support the use of legacy in admission than those without legacy status, but even among legacy students, those in favor of the practice — 47 percent — did not constitute a majority. Just 28 percent of non-legacy students backed the use of legacy status in admission decisions.
Paxson approval over time
Substances Over two-thirds of the student body — roughly 69 percent — agreed with proposed legislation that Rhode Island should legalize the recreational use of marijuana, while 14 percent disagreed with the proposed legislation. Seventeen percent of respondents recorded no opinion. Poll results found 11 percent of the student body uses false identification to purchase alcohol on a regular basis, and roughly 18 percent usually obtain alcohol from an individual with false identification. Twenty-nine percent of students acquire alcohol from people who can legally purchase it. Of those respondents — about 85 percent were under the age of 21 — about one third also obtained alcohol from individuals with false identification. About 35 percent of respondents indicated they usually obtain alcohol at social gatherings where it is provided. Almost three-quarters of those respondents were under the age of 21. About 15 percent reported they do not drink alcohol. Roughly 4 percent of students indicated they have decided not to get medical help for themselves in the past because they were under the influence of alcohol and feared disciplinary consequences. Twice as many students indicated they have decided
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Question: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christina Paxson is handling her job as president of the University? 48% Sept.-Oct. 2013 Nov. 2013 Mar. 2014 40 percent 32%
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35% 35%
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13% 8%
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1% Strongly approve
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Strongly disapprove JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD
not to seek medical attention for a friend who was under the influence of alcohol because one or both of them feared disciplinary consequences. College choices A vast majority of undergraduates — just over 89 percent — reported they were glad to have ended up attending Brown, though not all indicated that the University was their first-choice college. About 26 percent of students stated that though Brown was not their first-choice college, they are happy to be currently attending. About 4 percent of respondents reported Brown was their first choice, but they now wish they had chosen a different institution. 2 percent of respondents indicated they both wish they had chosen a different college and Brown was both not their first choice. Half of the student body was not concerned that their choice of concentration will hinder their ability to find a job upon graduation. Of those who expressed no concern, about 36 percent concentrate in the physical sciences, 28 percent in the social sciences, 27 percent in the life sciences and 22 percent in the humanities and
arts. Nine percent of students are very concerned about finding a job after graduating, 20 percent are somewhat concerned and 19 percent are slightly concerned. Two percent of students do not plan to seek employment after graduation. About a quarter of students skip class at least once a week, with 14 percent skipping class once a week, 11 percent more than once a week and just over 1 percent skipping class every day, poll results found. Roughly 15 percent of respondents reported they have never skipped a class. About 34 percent reported they skip class less than once a month, and 26 percent do so once or twice a month. Underclassmen were more likely to have never skipped a class than upperclassmen, with about 21 percent of first-years and 19 percent of sophomores choosing that option, as opposed to 8 and 10 percent of juniors and seniors, respectively. Sophomores and juniors were the most likely to skip class once a week or more. About 29 percent of sophomores and 28 percent of juniors do so chose those options, compared to 23 percent of first-years and 21 percent of seniors.
RESULTS AND ME THODOLOGY 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christina Paxson is handling her job as president of the University? (Circle one.) 7.2% Strongly approve 34.7% Somewhat approve 33.1% No opinion 20.6% Somewhat disapprove 4.4% Strongly disapprove 2. Do you agree or disagree that the students who participated in causing the Ray Kelly lecture to be shut down via protests inside the auditorium should be subject to disciplinary action? (Circle one.) 11.0% Strongly agree 25.4% Somewhat agree 7.9% No opinionw 23.8% Somewhat disagree 29.9% Strongly disagree 1.9% Not familiar enough to answer 3. Do you agree or disagree with President Christina Paxson’s proposal to increase the total student and faculty population by roughly 1 percent per year for the next decade? (Circle one.) 6.5% Strongly agree 27.4% Somewhat agree 33.6% No opinion 24.0% Somewhat disagree 8.5% Strongly disagree
4. Do you agree or disagree that Rhode Island should legalize the recreational use of marijuana? (Circle one.) 37.7% Strongly agree 31.2% Somewhat agree 17.0% No opinion 7.8% Somewhat disagree 6.3% Strongly disagree 5. What should be the University’s top financial aid priority? (Circle one.) 32.1% Extending need-blind admission policies to include international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students 19.2% Increasing financial aid for students currently receiving it 36.6% Providing financial aid for middle-income students currently ineligible for it 1.2% Other 1.6% I do not think the University should expand financial aid 2.0% No opinion 7.3% Not familiar enough to answer 6. Do you agree or disagree with the consideration of legacy status (having a parent, grandparent or sibling who graduated from or attends Brown) in undergraduate admission? (Circle one.) 6.0% Strongly agree 24.5% Somewhat agree 19.3% No opinion 32.5% Somewhat disagree 17.6% Strongly disagree
7. Was Brown your first-choice college for first-year or transfer admission? (Circle one.) 62.9% Yes, and I am glad I ended up here 4.4% Yes, but I wish I had gone somewhere else 26.2% No, but I am glad I ended up here 1.9% No, and I wish I had gone somewhere else 4.6% I did not have a first-choice college 8. How concerned are you that your choice of concentration will hinder your ability to find a job upon graduation? (Circle one.) 9.0% Very concerned 20.4% Somewhat concerned 18.4% Slightly concerned 50.3% Not concerned 1.9% I do not intend to seek employment upon graduation 9. From what sources do you usually obtain alcoholic drinks at Brown? (Circle all that apply.) 32.1% I legally purchase my own alcohol 11.2% I use false identification to purchase my own alcohol 28.9% I get alcohol from an individual who can legally purchase it 18.4% I get alcohol from an individual with false identification 35.1% I drink alcohol at social gatherings where it is provided 5.1% I get alcohol from other sources 14.8% I do not drink alcohol
10. Have you ever decided not to get medical help for yourself while under the influence of alcohol because you feared disciplinary consequences? (Circle one.) 3.6% Yes 96.4% No 11. Have you ever decided not to get medical help for a friend under the influence of alcohol because one or both of you feared disciplinary consequences? (Circle one.) 8.0% Yes 92.0% No 12. How often do you skip class? (Circle one.) 1.1% Every day 10.8% More than once a week 13.5% Once a week 26.2% Once or twice a month 33.9% Less than once a month 14.5% I have never skipped a class 13. Do you approve or disapprove of the creation of Andrews Commons? (Circle one.) 27.0% Strongly approve 32.1% Somewhat approve 13.4% No opinion 18.6% Somewhat disapprove 8.9% Strongly disapprove
Methodology Written questionnaires were administered to 1,033 undergraduates March 3-4 in the lobby of J. Walter Wilson, the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center and the Sciences Library. The poll has a 2.8 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence. The margin of error is 4.2 percent for the subset of males, 3.8 percent for females, 5.7 percent for first-years, 5.2 percent for sophomores, 5.6 percent for juniors, 6.0 percent for seniors, 3.9 percent for students receiving financial aid and 4.0 percent for students not receiving financial aid. The sample polled was demographically similar to the Brown undergraduate population as a whole. The sample was 45 percent male and 55 percent female. First-years made up 24 percent of the sample, 29 percent were sophomores, 25 percent were juniors and 23 percent were seniors. Varsity athletes made up 11 percent of the sample. Of those polled, 50 percent currently receive financial aid from Brown. Students reported all races
with which they identify, with 60 percent saying white, 24 percent Asian, 12 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black, 1.6 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.8 percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3 percent other. Statistical significance was established at the 0.05 level. All reported cross-tabulations are statistically significant. University News Editors Michael Dubin ’16 and Kiki Barnes ’16, Graphics Editor Greg Jordan-Detamore ’14, Graphics Editor Andersen Chen ’14, Head Graphics Editor and Senior Staff Writer Jillian Lanney ’16, Metro Editor Kate Kiernan ’16, Senior Staff Writers Molly Schulson ’16 and Emily Wooldridge ’17 and Staff Writer Sarah Sachs ’16 coordinated the poll. Herald section editors, senior staff writers and other staff members conducted the poll. Over the next several weeks, The Herald will publish a series of articles about individual poll questions. Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.
today 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
COOKIES FOR A CAUSE
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Feta and Tomato Quiche, Falafel, Sauteed Basmati Rice Pilaf, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Grilled Santa Fe Chicken, Vegan Dal Cali
DINNER Cajun Baked Fish, Baked Polenta, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Herbed Turnips, Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce, Caribbean Chicken with Mint Stir Fry, Zucchini with Corn, Oatmeal Bread
JOSIAH’S
THREE BURNERS
QUESADILLA OR GRILLED CHEESE
Banh Mi
Make-Your-Own Quesadilla
BLUE ROOM
SOUPS
DINNER ENTREES
Corn Chowder, Hearty Country Vegetable and Turkey Chili
Tomato Chicken with Vegetables, Potatoes, Peas and Zucchini Masala
sudoku
ASHLEY SO / HERALD
Brown-RISD Hillel celebrates Purim with a bake sale at the Blue Room. All proceeds go to the American Jewish World Service Sudan Relief Fund and Rhode Island’s Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
comics Class Notes | Phillip Trammell
RELEASE DATE– Thursday, March 13, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Move suddenly 5 Art style emphasizing gritty reality 11 Cut, as a branch 14 Maker of BESTA storage products 15 G8 member country 16 “__ Got No Strings”: Pinocchio 17 Cookies named for their flavor 19 Chemin de __ 20 First name in American poetry 21 Carrier with a hub in Oslo 22 Physics unit 23 Toed the line 25 Modesto-to-San Jose dir. 26 __ speak 27 Agree, in a way 28 Flu sufferer’s complaint 31 Trig ratios 33 “It’s a Wonderful Life” director 34 Fib 38 Some stereos 39 Stage device 40 Washington county or its seat 43 Spooner, for one: Abbr. 46 “Perhaps” 47 Have the flu 48 Plant with edible seeds 51 On behalf of 52 Initials on old globes 53 Stingy one 54 Yank 55 Ones often in custody ... and what 17-, 28-, 34- and 40Across are? 59 Computer addon? 60 Brought down 61 Really important 62 Blushing 63 Desert shimmer 64 Shot
DOWN 1 Eat at the main meal 2 Like Superman’s arms, often 3 Leaned (on) 4 Running amount 5 Group for ex-GIs 6 Stat that’s better if it’s lower 7 Luftwaffe foe: Abbr. 8 Actually existing: Lat. 9 Poor penmanship 10 Fool (with) 11 2012 film for which Ang Lee won Best Director 12 Operatic opening 13 Vine-covered walkway 18 Assent to a captain 24 Actress Merrill 25 Formal group assent 26 Soggy lowland 29 Handful 30 Completed with one stroke 31 In a foxy way
32 “As Time Goes By” requester 34 Burns’ “tim’rous beastie” ode 35 Blew up 36 Catalina, for one: Abbr. 37 Familia members 38 More rapid 41 Horseradish relative 42 Elevated conflict
43 Gather, as fallen leaves 44 Come out 45 Skilled 49 Pollution-fighting org. 50 Followers of Guru Nanak 52 Bang on the way out 56 Merit badge gp. 57 Short rule? 58 Stamp ending
Bacterial Culture | Dana Schwartz
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
calendar TODAY
MARCH 13
12 P.M. HISTORY LECTURE SERIES: ROBIN FLEMING, BOSTON COLLEGE xwordeditor@aol.com
03/13/14
The History Lecture Series has invited Robin Fleming, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow, to discuss scholarship complicating traditional divisions between critical theory, social engagement and other issues. Stephen Robert ‘62 Campus Center 5 P.M. INSPIRING WOMEN IN STEM: A PANEL DISCUSSION
Women in Science and Engineering is holding a panel discussion with five speakers, all of whom have pursued mathematicsrelated fields. The discussion will focus on the details of their work life and the paths that led them to their professions. Kassar House, Foxboro Auditorium
TOMORROW
MARCH 14
8 P.M. SASA 2014 CULTURAL SHOW
The South Asian Students Association will hold a cultural exhibition of South-Asian themed performances, including student dances, skits, fashion shows and more. Salomon Center, Room 101 8 P.M. LOVING DAY CELEBRATION AND PARTY
Brown’s Organization for Multiracial and Biracial Students will be holding a celebration and after party to commemorate “Loving Day,” when interracial marriage was legalized in the United States. The event will include dance and acapella By Jeffrey Wechsler (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/13/14
performances. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center
6 university news » 250TH, from page 1
AU G M E N T I N G A I D Financial aid priorities Question: “What should be the University’s top financial aid priority?” 37%
35 percent 30
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Extending need-blind admission policies to include international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students Increasing financial aid for students currently receiving it Providing financial aid for middle-income students currently ineligible for it Other I do not think the University should expand financial aid No opinion Not familiar enough to answer AVERY CRITS-CHRISTOPH / HERALD
The Herald poll indicates a nearly even split on financial aid priorities, with 37 percent favoring expanded aid for middle-income students.
Lecturer discusses political psychology of Indian partition Ashis Nandy explains underlying guilt in oral histories of partition participants By ALEKSANDRA LIFSHITS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“It is not easy to kill without repercussions,” said Ashis Nandy, an Indian political psychologist, while speaking about the 1947-48 partition of India to a crowded room in Pembroke Hall. “Even though the participants of the partition say they do not feel guilty about their action, their bodies and shaking voices tell another story.” Approximately 50 people gathered Wednesday to hear Nandy — who was listed by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the world’s “top 100 public intellectuals” in 2008 — give the fourth OP Jindal Distinguished Lecture entitled “Forgetting the Unforgettable: Memories of Killing.” His lecture focused on microaspects of the partition, emphasizing interviews and oral histories of those who participated in the violence. The generation that witnessed the violence will be gone in the next 10 to 15 years, so it is important to get their stories now, Nandy said. Nandy has conducted 1,500 interviews over the last 10 years with both perpetrators and victims of the violence. “In our study, roughly 40 percent of respondents said that they were directly helped by somebody of the opposition or knew of someone being helped by the opposition,” Nandy said. “This was a different kind of mass violence. No other genocide was the same.” Nandy focused on the “softer parts of the violence,” such as the remorse participants experienced, said Vazira Zamindar, associate professor of history and commentator of the lecture. Nandy traced the history of the partition through the story of two different individuals to illustrate two dimensions
of the violence. The first story was of a sick farmer who told Nandy: “Since they attacked us, we had to attack them.” The man showed no sense of loss and “talked almost like a retired soldier that has given good fight against the opposition,” Nandy said. The second story portrayed the opposite reaction to the partition through the eyes of another Hindu farmer. As violence broke out in the mid-1940s, the farmer’s village protected the Muslims in their community. But this protective atmosphere did not last, and gunshots were fired when a train of corpses arrived from Pakistan, Nandy said. This farmer, unlike the first, was still haunted by the memories of those he had killed. “Partition is not an event that took place in the past. It is not something that has happened and is over,” Zamindar said. Though the partition bears significance for contemporary Indian society, it was followed by a profound silence, Nandy said, adding that many participants are hesitant to reveal their stories to their children and grandchildren as well as scholars because it remains a sensitive topic. Nandy broke the silence by probing the history of partition violence in his research. “I was nine when partition violence began and when I studied partition violence I was 60 or so,” he said. “But when I started, there were one or two people who had studied this before me.” Himani Sood ’15 said she understood the silence surrounding the partition as part of Indian culture, which adheres to the mantra “we should look to future and not the past, since the past is bleak.” Sood added she was intrigued by Nandy because of his alternative theories and focus on narratives of violence. This marked the first of two lectures on the partition sponsored by the Brown-India Initiative. The second will take place Friday in the Joukowsky Forum at the Watson Institute for International Studies.
said Russell Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy. “We were oriented in that direction, since we’re commemorating the charter and the founding, which are very much community events,” Carey said. “But certainly, some of their experiences and the positive reaction they got helped inspire some of the planning.” Symposia and lectures are common elements of many anniversary celebrations, Ornstedt said. “Everybody had a cake,” she added. To make the University’s celebrations distinctive, the steering committee made a point to showcase students and engage as much of the community as possible, Quinn said. The committee integrated students, faculty members, staff members and community organizations in Providence and Rhode Island into the planning process, she added. “It seems every institution also determined a way to make them distinctively their own,” Ornstedt said. “Everyone invited the community, in some way or another, but Brown is basically inviting the state of Rhode Island to campus.” The University also invited public middle school students from across the state to take part in the festivities, Quinn said. Five to 10 middle school students from each of the state’s more than 300 public schools converged on campus for the celebration this weekend. A commemorative text often accompanies universities’ birthday fetes. “Everybody had a book of some kind produced,” Ornstedt said. Unlike peer institutions’ anniversary books, Brown’s celebratory reader will be a compilation of works by 50 Brown alum writers, including Marilynne Robinson, Lois Lowry and Jeffrey Eugenides, Ornstedt said. The book will be released March 17, she added. Similar to Princeton and MIT, the University also integrated social media into its anniversary by launching a unique website and webcasting major events, Ornstedt said. “We have the benefit of technology that wasn’t around in 1996 when Princeton was celebrating or even in 2001 when Yale was,” Ornstedt said. Through the webcasts and websites, “the global community can make comments and be a part of (the celebration), front and center.”
» YOUTH, from page 8 Tolou-Shams said, adding that “the biggest way we will be able to inform any level of future policy change will be around showing the court” this relationship. With its potential to inform the courts’ day-to-day processes, “this is not the kind of work you can do without the integration and support of all the court staff,” Tolou-Shams said. “Often youth who commit crimes do it because they are acting out in response to trauma,” said Toby Ayers, executive director of Rhode Island for Community and Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting bigotry, biases and racism through policy and youth programming. Supportive services are a preferable option because they give young people a better chance at building a successful life, she added. Young minorities, most often males, are highly overrepresented in the incarcerated population, Ayers said. Though there are opportunities for community-based diversion, these
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
The University’s objective, like those of other institutions, is to honor its history while also focusing on its present and future, Quinn said. The anniversary is “a great opportunity to engage the campus, the broader community, locally and globally, and talk about things that are happening now,” Quinn said. “We have President Paxson, we have a new strategic plan that’s very ambitious and exciting, and as we engage the past, we hope that people will learn more about what’s happening now as well.” A Crimson celebration At Harvard’s 375th anniversary, spectactors flocked to Yo-Yo Ma’s performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as well as a parade featuring floats created by the undergraduate houses and graduate schools, said Jackie O’Neill, university marshal at Harvard. The yearlong “family birthday party” also included a host of other performers, presenters and speakers, she said. “There was rain like I’d never seen, but it turned out to be a fun event nonetheless,” O’Neill recalled. “It was like Woodstock in the Yard.” Harvard’s celebratory cake, capable of feeding 4,000 people, was made by Harvard alum Joanne Chang. After graduating with degrees in applied mathematics and economics, Chang pursued baking and currently owns two restaurants in the Boston area and four “Flour Bakery” shops, O’Neill said. The birthday cake was created in the shape of an H and was red velvet in honor of the school color. A special commencement ceremony marked the end of the celebration, O’Neill said. The commencement included anniversary-specific elements, including the presence of all living Harvard presidents and a series of performances, she said. O’Neill, who visited Brown’s campus before Harvard’s anniversary celebration, was inspired by Campus Dance during Commencement. Harvard held its own version of the dance for its 375th ceremony, including music from outside band groups. “It wasn’t exactly the same, but the idea was, like at your campus, to be all-inclusive and have something that everyone could attend,” O’Neill said. The motto Princeton changed its unofficial
are limited in urban areas, she said, adding that many minority juveniles cannot access the services they need. RICJ also focuses on where and how children are arrested, Ayers said, citing the increase in arrests that usually follows the stationing of police officers in schools for protective purposes. “It’s like a pipeline,” she said. The use of arrests to punish juveniles for minor offenses is a significant problem, said Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Rhode Island, adding that arrests made in the school setting are most often for “disorderly conduct.” “People fail to recognize the potentially devastating consequences that arresting a young person can have on them,” he said, adding that the school-to-prison pipeline is a reality with huge ramifications. “We have this incarceration, imprisonment, punishment mentality,” said Josiah Rich, a professor of medicine and epidemiology, as well as the cofounder and director of the Center
motto on the day its 250th anniversary kicked off in 1996, said Robert Durkee, vice president and secretary of Princeton. Like Brown, Princeton developed a steering committee to oversee planning for the celebration. The committee included faculty members, senior administrators, alum leaders and members of the board of trustees, Durkee said. The planning process took almost four years, and the celebration lasted 18 months. The main event was a talk by author Toni Morrison, who taught at Princeton at the time. A “birthday party” celebration was then held on campus, in which students, faculty members, alums and community members were welcome to attend, Durkee said. During the 18-month celebration, Princeton also hosted a lecture series on Princeton’s history, sent a 250th anniversary calendar to the Princeton community and commissioned a movie, a history book and an illustrated coffee table book, Durkee said. Like Brown, Princeton capped its anniversary’s launch with a fireworks display, he said. The display was broadcast across the country to alum groups in 20 cities. In its planning process, Princeton looked at what its peer institutions had done, though there were only three older universities at the time, Durkee said. The university also examined its 150th and 200th anniversary celebrations to see if any previous ideas should be replicated, he added. Steering committee members were particularly inspired by Princeton’s 150th anniversary, when future President Woodrow Wilson, who was a faculty member at the time, created Princeton’s previous unofficial motto, “Princeton, in the nation’s service.” To commemorate Princeton’s development since the 150th anniversary into an international university, committee members decided to expand the motto to “Princeton, in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.” “For me, it’s a nice anecdote that says we did look back at our history and we decided to build on that history,” Durkee said. “We are a university with a distinguished history, as is Brown, and it was nice for people to think about the origins of the university, how much it had changed over 250 years and what may be coming next.”
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Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Marina TolouShams for Prisoner Health and Human rights at the Miriam Hospital. “The population that gets incarcerated has a high burden of disease,” Rich said. Rhode Island should consider the underlying causes of intervention and consequences of incarceration, he said. “I think we need to reconsider what we’re doing here,” he added.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014
Human rights for all?
EDITORIAL
Narrowing the gap Last week, the College Board announced changes to the structure of the SAT designed to narrow America’s education gap by addressing ways that wealthier students manipulate the standardized test. An email sent out to members of the College Board stated that the organization will begin “[redesigning] the SAT® so that it better meets the needs of students, schools and colleges at all levels.” We are heartened that the College Board is shedding light on the biases that assist high-income students. That is why the proposed Khan Academy courses hold great promise in partially democratizing standardized test prep. It appears impractical to completely eliminate the SAT, but we urge admissions departments to weigh standardized test scores in the context of students’ socioeconomic status. The College Board explained some of the changes it will implement on the SAT by 2016: the new test will empashize vocabulary needed for college-level critical analysis over obscure words, offer students the option of completing the formerly-mandatory essay section and remove the penalty for guessing wrong rather than leaving the answer blank. Essentially, the changes are designed to prioritize logic and are “intended to make SAT scores more accurately mirror the grades a student gets in school.” By making these changes the College Board is recognizing that income rather than academic ability is driving SAT test scores. “The culture and practice of costly test preparation that has arisen around admissions exams drives the perception of inequality and injustice in our country,” said David Coleman, president of the College Board. “It may not be our fault, but it is our problem,” he added. Still, there is only so much that the College Board can do to change the current system. While the SAT revisions attempt to remove many of the tricks that dominate the current test, loopholes will always exist. Students from wealthy families will continue to have a leg up due to their access to expensive tutors who know the tricks of the test. Further, for some, preparation for standardized exams is much more than a 10-week prep course: wealthier students are more likely to have had access to a variety of resources and enrichment since birth. Khan Academy may not be able to compensate for all these advantages. We recognize that standardized tests serve an important function in the admissions process at institutions of higher education. Public and private high schools around the country teach vastly different curricula and use a variety of grading curves. There is merit in having a test like the SAT, where “everyone who takes it is being measured against the same yardstick.” It enables a student in Kansas to be considered alongside a student from a well-known New England prep school. Further, selective universities can identify high-performing kids from under-represented areas where they may not have strong presences. The SAT (or ACT) is not without merit, since we need some way to sift through our diverse, national cohort of students. Rather than advocate for the elimination of the SAT, a suggestion that is both impractical and unwanted, the University should consider standardized test scores within the context of an applicant’s background. Admissions officers should, of course, also pay attention to teacher recommendations, creative essays and extracurricular activities on students’ applications. Further, we could do more to reward students who held jobs or took care of family members while in high school, rather than those who participated in time-intensive and often expensive extracurricular activities. Brown is an environment in which “smarts” are not enough — it takes a self-motivated, creative, curious and open-minded student to take advantage of Brown’s open curriculum and unique atmosphere. These are all important characteristics for admissions officers to consider, and they have little bearing on SAT scores.
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.
ZACH INGBER opinions columnist
Human rights, in the legal framework established by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are absolute and inviolable. The Declaration considers it essential that “human rights should be protected by the rule of law.” In this spirit, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was created to hold countries accountable for their domestic human rights records. But after years of politicization and corruption, as evidenced by Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi chairing the Commission in 2003, the United Nations created a new body, the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. But after nearly eight years of activity — or in reality, inactivity — the new council is no less politicized or ineffectual than its predecessor. As students, we frequently take the word of the U.N. as sacrosanct. We consistently hear reports from the various U.N. councils and international agencies and simply assume they are correct. But when we think about human rights and the world’s most abusive regimes, perhaps we should consider the structural problems in the human rights apparatus. Only when we fix the Human Rights Council will we find legitimate ways to use the U.N. to truly promote human rights in an non-politicized and universal manner. Imagine the teacher selects the class bully to lead a group on tolerance and acceptance. Alternatively, envision a situation in which the South African Apartheid regime headed an international commission on racial equality. In fact, the U.N. recently elected China, Cuba, Russia and Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council. By selecting some of the world’s worst human rights abusers to join the group charged with holding the world’s nations accountable, the international community should have no doubt as to the illegitimacy of the Council’s resolutions. The human rights abuses perpetrated by these four countries are so obvious that it seems unnecessary to reiterate them. However, placing these nations’
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This is a disservice to all those living in fear of abuse — a disservice to the Sudanese, the Chechens, the Kurds and the Tibetans. While the Israeli government is surely hassled by the Human Rights Council’s resolutions, those who live under the untargeted governments suffer the most. The U.N. has instituted the Universal Periodic Review, which periodically reviews the domestic human rights records of its member states. While a step in the right direction, this review is bureaucratic and overly complicated, lacking teeth and coercive power. A poor score on the review does nothing to a country’s status at the U.N. nor does it truly degrade its international reputation. Human rights reviews must be conducted impartially and equitably. At the very least, there should be a way to ensure that those sitting on the Council do not violate the same principles they are charged with upholding. Brown students, who are admirably committed to global justice in human rights, need to call attention not only to severe human rights situations but also to the structural obstacles preventing the U.N. from addressing human rights. We have an obligation to those suffering to call attention to the broken apparatus that is supposed to mobilize the international community for help. We have groups that seek to address some of these concerns — the Brown Human Rights Report and Amnesty International both do good work. But we cannot be afraid to speak up for human rights out of fear of imposing Western values or demonstrating cultural insensitivity. While we undoubtedly need to be cognizant of the differences in world cultures, we cannot allow diversity to camouflage true injustice. Brown students have the intelligence and awareness to recognize that true human rights promotion begins with the cration of an international system led by nations truly dedicated to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
If the Human Rights Council is made up of the very countries perpetrating the worst human rights abuses, it will never succeed in prosecuting violations of international law.
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Managing Editors Mathias Heller Sona Mkrttchian Adam Toobin
actions in the context of their service on the Human Rights Council is essential to highlight the irony. Chinese subjects enjoy virtually no civil liberties, going without the right to speak freely or express political disagreement with the regime. Journalists are regularly jailed and political opponents routinely tortured or executed. Women are oppressed, and the One-Child Policy strips women and families of reproductive rights. The Chinese have consistently employed brute force against Tibet. The political repression in Cuba is similarly troublesome, as the country does not allow for a free press or a space for political opposition. Human Rights Watch has cited the regime in Cuba repeatedly for arbitrary arrests, executions and disappearances. Russian human rights abuses are also particularly relevant given the re-
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cent Olympic Games in Sochi. In addition to political assassinations, as in the case of journalist Anna Politkovskaya and intelligence operative Alexander Litvinenko, the Putin government has initiated a crusade against the LGBTQ community, passing legislation that virtually criminalizes homosexuality. Finally, Saudi Arabia is the most enigmatic of the bunch. Women cannot drive in Saudi Arabia, nor can they leave the house without a male escort. Male paramedics sometimes don’t rescue Saudi women suffering from heart attacks due to modesty concerns. Last month a female student died in Saudi Arabia after emergency personnel refused to enter her all-female college campus to transport her to the hospital. Why does this matter? If the Human Rights Council is made up of the very countries perpetrating the worst human rights abuses, it will never succeed in prosecuting violations of international law. The tangible results of this structural problem are quite relevant. Israel receives a disproportionate amount of attention from the Council — in the first year of the Council’s existence, 11 resolutions directly condemned Israel while no other countries were specifically targeted. While Israel should undoubtedly receive scrutiny for its actions, there is no reason the Council should only issue resolutions against one country.
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Zach Ingber ’15 usually writes about campus issues but couldn’t help himself this time. He can be reached at Zachary_ingber@brown.edu.
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THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD metro thursday Prof. examines behaviors, outcomes for detained youth Given high rate of reincarceration for juveniles, study hopes to identify risk factors By EMILY DOGLIO STAFF WRITER
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 the prevalence of risk behaviors and certain other outcomes in formerly incarcerated Rhode Island juveniles now reentering the community. Tolou-Shams’s study of juveniles in the justice system is the first of its kind to examine the threat caused by STDs, particularly HIV, in addition to risks posed by alcohol and drug
abuse, she said. “We know that adults that are incarcerated have four times the rates of HIV,” but studies have not documented younger people well enough yet. The number of incarcerated youths in the state has decreased in the last few years, Tolou-Shams said, adding that “80 percent of youth are diverted from incarceration.” In this new wave of juvenile justice, the emphasis is placed on rehabilitation, she said. Lower-risk kids are not sent to juvenile detention centers such as the Rhode Island Training School and the Youth Development Center at the rates that they once were, Tolou-Shams said. There is a causal relationship between initial offense and reentry into the justice system for juveniles, » See YOUTH, page 6
Spotlight on the Statehouse BY KATE KIERNAN, METRO EDITOR In proposed resolutions and legislation this week, the General Assembly targeted childhood education, renewable energy and health care delivery.
Kindergarten program The Senate Education Committee considered a joint resolution Wednesday to study the feasibility of creating full-day kindergarten programs in all Rhode Island school districts, according a General Assembly press release. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Hanna Gallo, D-Cranston and West Warwick, chair of the committee, would establish a 12-member commission comprising senators, representatives, members of statewide education and teaching organizations and the director of the Rhode Island Schools Superintendents Association. The bill calls for the commission to examine the need for full-day programs, as well as their costs, merits and potential curricula.
Expanded power generation grid Sen. Susan Sosnowski, D-New Shoreham and South Kingston, introduced a bill to gradually expand a pilot power generation program from producing 40 megawatts of energy over four years to 160 megawatts over five years, according to a General Assembly press release. The current program — introduced in 2011 and set to expire this year — provides small-scale energy producers the opportunity to sell their energy to the National Grid, thereby generating power for areas outside the state’s small number of large power plants. The program is designed to encourage more renewable and clean energy projects, create jobs and incentivize lower energy prices in the state. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House, sponsored by Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, D-Jamestown and Middletown, according to the press release.
Insurance exchanges Legislation to strengthen Rhode Island health care by promoting the state’s health exchange market was introduced in the Senate and House by Sen. Gayle Goldin, D-Providence, and Rep. Frank Ferri, D-Warwick, according to a General Assembly news release. The bill would help the state compete for the 2017 State Innovation Waiver, a federal program that includes a grant, by making the new health insurance exchange — HealthSourceRI — “the sole hub for securing insurance or health services coverage.” The waiver’s financial component would go toward making the state’s health system more affordable and efficient, according to the press release. The bills call for the creation of a state health care authority, the introduction of more options for employer private insurance plans, the establishment of new minimum standards for beneficiaries and the formation of a planning council to develop a five-year plan for improving statewide health.
Affordable Housing Rep. Joseph Shekarchi, D-Warwick, introduced legislation to reform the current zoning requirements for affordable housing, according to a General Assembly press release. The bill stipulates that towns and cities must offer incentives to developers who apply for zoning ordinances to build affordable housing units.
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If passed, legislation would require the 179,127 people currently receiving food stamps in Rhode Island to show photo identification to use their benefits at state retailers.
SNAP bill aims to reduce welfare fraud
Though Rhode Island’s food stamp fraud rate below national average, Republicans seek change By YVETTE RODRIGUEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rep. Patricia Morgan, R-Coventry, West Warwick, Warwick, introduced a bill that would require people using electronic benefit transfer cards to show proof of identity to redeem food stamp benefits. The bill aims to reduce fraud in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and was introduced to the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare March 5, according to a General Assembly press release. The current fraud rate for Rhode Island’s food stamp program is 0.5-1 percent, while the national average is 1-3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website. Critics of the bill are concerned with its impact on low-income individuals who lack photo identification or need someone else to purchase their groceries for them, such as elderly people, said Kathleen Gorman, director of the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America and professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Individuals and families become eligible to receive SNAP benefits if their income is less than 130 percent of the federal poverty level, which is approximately $2,552 per month for a family of four. Applicants can qualify to receive benefits if they are unemployed, employed, receiving a pension or homeless as long as they fall below the income threshold, according to the USDA’s website.
Applicants to the program must show proof of identity — such as a birth certificate, resident alien card or a photo identification — according to the SNAP application. The bill would negatively impact some people receiving food stamps who do not possess photo identification, Gorman said. Currently 179,127 people participate in SNAP in Rhode Island, according to a USDA report. SNAP benefits grew 0.1 percent from December 2012 to December 2013, according to the report. Currently 17 percent of Rhode Island’s population relies on food stamps, said Jeffrey Robert, policy analyst for the House Minority Office. About one in five people in the U.S eligible for SNAP are not enrolled, which leaves out many potential beneficiaries, according to Food Research and Action Center, an organization working to address hunger in the U.S. SNAP benefits can help local economies, as each dollar in federally funded SNAP benefits generates $1.79 in economic activity, according to FRAC’s website. Gorman said she fears this bill could hurt low-income individuals who could be SNAP beneficiaries. Robert said Morgan’s bill is not intended to constrain SNAP but rather to decrease the amount of fraud in the system. Ken Block, Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate, wrote he supports the bill, in an email to The Herald. “I’m very aware of the problem of EBT fraud through my software business, and I am supportive of efforts to address this issue including House Bill 731,” he wrote. Bills similar to Morgan’s have been
previously introduced in Rhode Island, as well as in other states. Some argue this legislation is not a solution to fraud, because the bill is neither consumer nor business-friendly, Gorman said. These bills arose from “an environment of wanting to be tough on fraud, even though it really doesn’t exist,” Gorman said. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the legislation’s effects, there could be administrative complications. Since one EBT card can currently be shared among a household receiving SNAP benefits, the photo identification requirement would restrain families’ abilities to continue sharing their card, Gorman said. The bill would affect even those not on food stamps, because federal law states retailers cannot discriminate against SNAP recipients, Gorman said. If the bill passes, retailers would have to check identification for all debit and credit card transactions since they would be required to do so for SNAP beneficiaries. Federal law also requires states to recognize food stamp cards from other states, and SNAP recipients from outside the state would not have to show a photo identification when shopping in Rhode Island . While fraud within SNAP does occur it has been on a decline nationally. The trafficking rate, which tracks how frequently SNAP benefits are exchanged for cash, has fallen over the last two decades from about 4 cents on the dollar in 1993 to about 1 cent in 2008, according to the USDA’s website. The legislation does not address fraud committed by retailers. Approximately 99 percent of those currently receiving SNAP benefits are eligible, according to the USDA’s website.