Tuesday, March 18, 2014

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THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 38

since 1891

TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2014

Philosopher explores different types of anger Drawing from Greek myth and political reform movements, Nussbaum reflects on justice By MARINA RENTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Exploring the traditional association of anger with revenge, Martha Nussbaum, University of Chicago Law School professor and former Brown professor, cited the “Transition” anger utilized by political reformers such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi as its more productive counterpart during a lecture Monday afternoon. Nussbaum’s lecture, entitled “Injustice and the Dubious Value of Anger,” was sponsored by the Program for Ethical Inquiry and is part of a weeklong series of lectures and workshops. “It’s really always a great treat to be back at Brown,” said Nussbaum, who taught philosophy, classics and comparative literature at the University from 1984 to 1995, to an enthusiastic audience in Salomon 001. Nussbaum, considered one of the country’s foremost philosophers,

currently holds appointments in the University of Chicago’s philosophy and political science departments, as well as at the law and divinity schools, said Bernard Reginster, professor and chair of Brown’s Department of Philosophy. Nussbaum began her lecture recounting a story from the Ancient Greek Oresteia about the introduction of a justice system. She described two transformations that take place. In the first transformation, the goddess Athena introduces a justice system to replace the “seemingly endless cycle of blood vengeance,” Nussbaum said. Athena takes power out of the hands of the vindictive Furies but subsequently offers them a place of honor in the city. In accepting the place of honor, the “repulsive and horrifying” Furies must undergo a transformation of their own to be part of a working legal system, Nussbaum said. “You could not put wild dogs in a cage and come out with justice.” The second transformation is “crucial to the success of the first one,” Nussbaum added. The transformation of the Furies introduced a key idea in Nussbaum’s » See NUSSBAUM, page 2

KATHLEEN SAMUELSON / HERALD

J. Timmons Roberts, professor of environmental studies and sociology, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the legislation he crafted with the help of Brown students and outside consultants getting passed.

Bill aims to curb R.I. carbon emissions Resilient Rhode Island Act would attempt to make state more energy-efficient and create jobs By ALEXANDER BLUM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Resilient Rhode Island Act of 2014 — developed by Brown students working with a faculty member and outside consultants — was introduced to the Rhode Island General Assembly by

METRO

Rep. Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, last week. The University provided funding to support the legislation, which outlines a strategy to lower Rhode Island’s carbon emissions and prepare the state’s infrastructure for impending climate change. “It really is a ground-up, original piece of legislation,” said J. Timmons Roberts, professor of environmental studies and sociology, who helped coordinate the efforts of the students and consultants working on the legislation’s development. A total of 15 students worked or will work on developing and promoting the bill, splitting the work

over winter break, this semester and the summer, he said. In addition to students, two outside consultants — Ken Payne, Rhode Island Food Policy Council chair and former policy analyst for the state Senate, and Meg Kerr, treasurer of the Rhode Island Blueways Alliance — have also helped write the bill. In order to draft a successful bill, it is important to have people like Payne, who are familiar with Rhode Island’s unique political climate and “really know how to write complex pieces of legislation,” Roberts said. » See RESILIENT, page 3

Housing lottery moves into second phase From PW to NBC: Walton

’01 stars in primetime sitcom

First-ever online housing lottery system has been tested to prevent site from crashing

Alum vaults onto national television stage after ‘roller coaster ride’ through early career

By BRITTANY NIEVES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

By DREW WILLIAMS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In the decisive moments of the pilot for NBC’s new comedy “About a Boy,” ir resp onsible 30-something Will stands offstage at a talent show, cringing while his new neighbor Marcus gets booed by unsupportive classmates. He sees no other option — Will slides onstage with a keyboard, rocking out to Marcus’ a cappella version of “What Makes You Beautiful” to salvage the 11 year-old’s reputation in front of his middle school peers. As the sitcom enters its fourth week, David Walton ’01 is enjoying his latest slide onto the mainstream television stage, playing the carefree protagonist who, despite his exterior narcissism, cultivates a budding friendship with his school-aged neighbor. “I like playing people that kind of show one thing to the world but underneath it all are actually quite

ARTS & CULTURE

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD FILE PHOTO

Students gather in Sayles Hall for the annual housing lottery, which will move online for the first time this year. senior associate dean of residential life and dining services. “It will work the same as the in-person format, but now we’re not forcing you out.” Students will be able to select rooms up until the lottery closes on that specific day. Office of Residential Life staff members will be “working on phone bank and live monitoring, so if anybody has

any problem at all, there will be plenty of staff to reach out to,” Bova said. There will also be designated areas where students can get support from Meiklejohn peer advisers and Residential Council members, he added. “We’re building lots of support around the student experience.” The online lottery system has » See LOTTERY, page 2

Metro

Commentary

A poll shows that voters have low confidence in state leadership going into an election year

R.I. Senate moves the decision of holding a constitutional convention to the House

Hillestad ’15: Grade inflation isn’t the problem with higher education

Powers ’15: We need to rethink “offensive” in the context of the Ray Kelly Spring Weekend tank

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This spring’s housing lottery — the first to take place on an online platform rather than in person in Sayles Hall — is currently progressing through the second of three phases. The new online structure has been split into three phases: After indicating interest in participating in the housing lottery, students are currently choosing the size of the group with which to enter, which can range from one to 10 students, said Richard Hilton, associate director of residential life. Finally, the housing lottery itself begins April 7 and lasts until April 10. With the online lottery process, students are given lottery numbers, as in the former lottery structure, and a coinciding time slot, Hilton said. The time slot designates when a student or group should log in to select rooms, with three minutes before the next student or group can enter the system. “If you’re still in the system after three minutes and the second group comes into the system, everything’s in play for them also,” said Richard Bova,

the opposite,” Walton said. “This is different than any other show I’ve been on. I think it has the broadest appeal, and people are really responding to it in a fun way.” NBC President Robert Greenblatt took notice of Walton after his last series “Bent,” which was “short-lived but critically acclaimed,” Walton said. Greenblatt subsequently offered Walton the role of Will without an audition. But “About a Boy,” unlike “Bent,” has balanced positive critical response with high ratings, averaging 8.35 million viewers for the second episode. This success comes almost 13 years after Walton, having just graduated with a degree in physiological psychology, thought, “Screw it” and moved to New York to pursue a career in acting, he said. Walton said Shakespeare launched his acting career — specifically, his role in “The Taming of the Shrew” in ninth grade while attending boarding school in New Hampshire. “I basically did every play I could in high school. I loved it from the first time I ever did it,” he said. A one-year stint on the crew team at Brown diverted Walton’s attention from acting for a brief time — just long enough to bring him running » See SITCOM, page 4 t o d ay

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