Tuesday, April 22, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 55

since 1891

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

BuDS policy week calls attention to eatery theft

UFB grants higher rate

Meal plan pricing does not incorporate theft fee, despite popular student perception

BCA, CCB continue to lead student groups with largest budget allocations for major events

of group funding

By CAMILLA BRANDFIELD-HARVEY AND STEVEN MICHAEL

At some point in their undergraduate careers, Brown students may have snacked on an oatmeal-raisin cookie while waiting in line for their salad at Jo’s. Or maybe they’ve grabbed a few granola bars on their way out of the Blue Room. Or a banana or two as they leave breakfast at the Ratty.

But according to signs that appeared in campus dining halls earlier this month, “Take out is in boxes. Not backpacks.” And despite popular opinion, these habits constitute stealing in the eyes of Brown Dining Services.

inside

Meal plan misconceptions Students interviewed for this story said they were aware of widespread theft at campus eateries. Among the reasons given for this consistent pilferage were convenience, steep expenses and poor food quality.

Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services, said it is impossible to know exactly how many items are stolen or the monetary loss incurred. “We serve about 8,000 meals a day, so it’s very busy.”

Workers at Brown eateries frequently observe students stealing food, but there is little Dining Services can do to prevent theft, Willis said.

“I feel bad hating on the food quality at Brown, because the people who prepare it are so nice, but in general the food is so bad,” said Emma, a sophomore whose name has been changed to preserve anonymity. “I’m paying all this money for it, so I might as well steal it.”

Though many students believe the meal plan prices incorporate a fee to compensate for stolen food and property from campus eateries, a “stealing fee” does not actually exist.

But Billy Sanchez ’16 cited the fee as the direct reason students steal food and dishware from dining halls. He said the meal plans contain a “stolen food fee” of approximately $300. “People think if you’re going to charge a fee, then you might as well steal,” he added.

Though Willis, who had never heard of the alleged fee, said she does not understand how the rumor originated, she realizes Dining Services has provided insufficient information to » See THEFT, page 2

Adam Michnik said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration poses a threat to emerging Ukrainian democracy, but successful dialogue could ease tensions between the countries involved.

From protest to podium: Adam Michnik Polish writer and activist discusses threats to democracy in Ukraine, Putin’s role in conflict

By EMILY WOOLDRIDGE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

With his blunt rhetoric, spirited hand gestures and puffs off an electronic cigarette, Adam Michnik gave over 50 people a taste of his rebellious nature at a lecture Monday in the Joukowsky Forum at the Watson Institute for International Studies.

At the talk, entitled “The Traps of Democracy after Communism,” Michnik discussed the connections between Ukrainian and Polish politics vis-a-vis Russia, emphasizing the threat he said Russian President Vladimir Putin poses to democracy.

“I’m from a generation that lived through a miracle,” Michnik said.

Michnik conducted the lecture in Polish. His jokes triggered two rounds of laughter — one as Polish speakers heard the lines, and a second as student translators rendered them accessible to non-Polish speakers.

Michnik was a central figure in

Poland’s struggle against communist rule, said Michael Kennedy, professor of sociology and international studies, who introduced the lecture. While spending six years in prison for rebelling against the Polish communist regime, Michnik “became a prolific writer,” engaging with comrades and jailers, Kennedy said.

In 1989, Michnik participated in the Polish Round Table Talks, which contributed to Poland’s nonviolent transition to democracy. He later served for two years as a deputy in Poland’s first noncommunist parliament and founded the Gazeta Wyborcza, a daily newspaper of which Michnik is currently editor-inchief. He has written many books, essays and analyses that have been translated and received many honors, including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and the Order of the White Eagle, the highest distinction attainable in Poland.

But in his lecture, Michnik did not dwell on his past. His words fixated on recent events and threats, drawing historical correlations.

“What happened in Ukraine has been a huge surprise for the world,” Michnik said, adding that Russia is the biggest threat to Ukraine’s democratic transition.

Putin will certainly attempt to put

a stop to the Ukrainian presidential election, he said, asking the room, “How long are we going to give in to Putin, whose appetite is comparable to a shark’s?”

“It’s extremely important that the international community finds a way to stop Putin,” Michnik said, adding that it is risky to communicate with a man “who after shaking hands (with), you have to count your fingers.”

Michnik stressed Ukraine’s state of unrest, adding that infiltration of the Ukrainian police and military structures by the Russian secret service police has contributed to the problem.

Both Russia and Ukraine carry historical baggage, Michnik said. “For Russia, this baggage is the burden of imperial history. For Ukraine, … it is the burden of the interwar and postwar period,” when independence movements came to fruition. While speaking about Ukraine, Michnik acknowledged there also exists a “bloody past” between Poland and Ukraine.

Michnik also sounded a warning about Russia’s encroachments in neighboring countries. “Putin’s action on the Ukrainian peninsula … is reminiscent of Hitler’s invasion of Yugoslavia,” Michnik » See MICHNIK, page 3

UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

The Undergraduate Finance Board has met 82 percent of student groups’ funding requests for the upcoming academic year, marking an increase from 70 percent this year.

UFB leadership provided The Herald with the numbers, which have not yet been publicly released.

The board allocated $1.15 million out of the $1.35 million that 149 groups collectively requested, said UFB Vice Chair and Chair-elect Alex Sherry ’15. Last year, the board doled out a more modest $1 million out of the $1.4 million total request, he said.

“It was our goal to at least fund to 80 percent, so we’re happy that we were able to reach that goal,” said UFB Chair Leila Veerasamy ’15.

UFB leaders were better able to meet student groups’ needs this year because they factored large, annual events into spring budgeting instead of supplemental budgeting, Sherry said. For example, UFB considered the costs of Brown International Organization’s World Cultural Dinner and the Students of Caribbean Ancestry’s Ebony Soiree in spring budgeting. As a result, these groups did not have to demand supplemental funds, he said.

The board also abandoned its practice of giving out loans for the first time this year, Sherry said. In » See UFB, page 2

Providence schools to undergo renovations

City Council proposes repairs, routine maintenance for schools to promote better learning environments

By EMILY DOGLIO STAFF WRITER

The City Council pledged last week to develop a plan to repair Providence school buildings “to provide students with educational facilities that are warm, safe, dry and conducive to learning,” according to a resolution sponsored by City Council President and mayoral candidate Michael Solomon.

The council proposes “immediate, short-term investment” in building

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repairs and technology upgrades, as well as a “long-term, multi-phased capital improvement initiative” for public schools, according to the resolution. Schools must propose these repairs before July 1.

“This plan will create first-rate learning environments for students and teachers. And this plan will create 2,000 jobs for people in the community,” Solomon wrote in his “Rebuilding Providence” plan, which he launched last week as part of his mayoral campaign platform.

Many Providence school buildings

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lack routine maintenance, which “doesn’t create an atmosphere for kids that shows that we value them,” said Councilman Samuel Zurier.

Solomon’s plan for a $250 million investment is just a start, Zurier said, adding that the repairs and improvements currently needed would realistically cost about $700 million to $800 million.

The problems with school buildings in the city include peeling paint, leaky roofs, worn stair treads, poor ventilation, mold issues, bowed floors and broken glass, said Maribeth Calabro, president of the Providence Teachers Union. Many facilities also lack Wi-Fi access due to structural problems, which leads to inequity

Commentary

New state database aims to streamline health care by analyzing claims data

R.I. General Assembly hears testimony on proposed marijuana legalization bills

Asher ’15: Real-world standards apply to online comments

Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17: Brown should support the Everytown for Gun Safety campaign

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SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

By MAXINE JOSELOW ASHWINI NATARAJAN / HERALD

due to technology resources, Calabro added.

There are many buildings with outdated facilities, Zurier said, adding that some school labs are not compatible with required state science programs.

“Kids are going into ‘sick buildings,’ where the air quality is not what it should be,” Calabro said. This can lead to respiratory illnesses, aggravated allergies and absenteeism for both teachers and students, she added.

Inadequate school buildings are also linked to a lack of achievement, Calabro said. With run-down schools, “how can (students) have hope that things will be better for them?”

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2 university news »THEFT, from page 1 students.

“We probably do a less than excellent job explaining (pricing) to students, but at some point it becomes white noise,” Willis said, adding that she hopes to improve communication so students have a better idea of how prices are constructed and where their money goes.

Willis explained that the University Resources Committee determines the cost of meal plans based on three components: the cost of food, the cost of labor and the cost of overheads, which include rent and utilities. She added that many students may not realize their meal plan fees support Dining Services workers and facilities.

She said students may also be unaware that the University’s standard meal plan costs less than those of Brown’s peer institutions.

“I definitely understand that students perceive that the meal plan is extremely expensive,” Willis said. “I worry about that, because when you compare our meal plans to our peers’, our plans are much less expensive.”

For this academic year, Yale charged $6,070 for its “full meal plan,” which is mandatory for first-years, Dartmouth charged $5,394 for its “SmartChoice20” plan, and Cornell charged $5,516 for its “Bear Traditional” plan, according to the universities’ respective dining websites. Penn is the only peer university with prices similar to Brown’s — the “Balanced Eating Naturally” plan costs $4,776 per year, according to the school’s dining website.

Other students steal regardless of

the meal plan cost. Some said they sometimes forget their card or do not feel like waiting in longer lines. They also said it is effortless to steal from eateries like Andrews Commons and Josiah’s. As for dining halls, students said it is a matter of access and ease.

“I think that there’s a tendency to exploit the system,” Jonah Newman ’16 said. “If you have an all-you-can-eat dining hall, you have access to food and all of these cups and forks. People are going to try to take advantage of it.”

Most students interviewed do not think taking extra food from dining halls constitutes stealing, a nebulous line of reasoning that Brown University Dining Services, the student component of Dining Services, has tried to resolve.

Blurred lines Though Dining Services cannot prevent theft, student employees and managers developed a Policy Awareness Week earlier this month to inform students about what constitutes stealing. Kevin Hutchins ’14, student unit manager for the Sharpe Refectory and Verney-Woooley, said BuDS designed the week to eliminate any “gray area” students may perceive.

“Policy Awareness Week reinforces the authority of the student worker when it comes to stealing,” Hutchins said. It can be difficult for student workers to confront peers who remove food from a dining hall or ask for a take-out box after eating in, he added.

The week featured colorful signs and table slips in an effort to draw a clearer line between taking out and stealing. According to Dining Services policy, taking food out of dining halls

when not getting takeout is considered theft. While taking one banana is acceptable, grabbing multiple bananas is not, Hutchins said. “Taking fruit out of the Ratty is taking it away from students who can enjoy it,” Hutchins said.

“Any reasonable person would know that taking eight bananas is not okay,” Willis said. “It’s not all you can take, it’s all you can eat.”

“If you have an all-you-can-eat dining hall, … people are going to try to take advantage of it.”

Jonah Newman ’16 Multiple students disagreed with this policy, especially in dining halls with all-you-can-eat service. “I take multiple pieces of fruit for the day” from dining halls, Emma said. “I don’t really think that’s stealing. Just because I’m not eating that piece of fruit at the given time, I have still swiped in.”

Meanwhile, Hutchins said he believes convenience is the primary impetus behind the pilferage. “I don’t think it’s about people being hungry, because they have three meal credits per day,” he said. “I don’t think it’s spite or malice that motivates it.”

Willis said she is less concerned about where students eat their meals, as long as they consume them efficiently. She said many foods have a limited shelf life, and most of the items students remove from dining

» UFB, from page 1 past years, loan money that student groups didn’t end up using languished irretrievably. “Instead of tying up those cash reserves, we were able to use those for groups,” he said.

Last semester, the Undergraduate Council of Students voted to raise the student activities fee from $250 to $262. UFB relies on the fee to fund its budget.

Of the 149 groups vying for funding this year, Brown Concert Agency led the pack, receiving approximately $303,000 — a roughly $100,000 yearto-year increase — followed by Class Coordinating Board with around $106,000 and Brown Lecture Board with about $102,000.

“There aren’t a lot of fluctuations in the top 30 groups — they stay mostly the same,” Veerasamy said.

“The top five are usually groups that are known to throw huge events,” she added, citing BCA’s Spring Weekend and Class Coordinating Board’s Gala as examples.

“We were expecting to go down a bit, but they gave us a huge amount of money,” said Will Peterson ’14, BCA publicity chair.

The gap in funding between BCA and other groups is smaller than it appears, Sherry said. BCA uses revenue from ticket sales to cover the cost of holding the concerts and then returns any leftover revenue to UFB, he said, adding that BCA is set to give back around $100,000 this year.

As the 11th-highest-funded group, Production Workshop saw a jump in funds from $11,400 this year to approximately $15,700 for next year.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

halls — unless eaten that day — will likely go to waste.

Student vigilance For student workers, theft poses a similar lack of clarity. Cashiers at Andrews, the Blue Room and Jo’s have all observed students stealing but use discretion when approaching or reprimanding them.

As a cashier at the Blue Room, Cecilia Garza ’17 frequently catches students attempting to steal. “I’ve had people who make a huge effort to steal a bag of chips. I know, and I can see them,” she said. “They will go back and forth and wait until I’m not looking.

One girl went so far as to go back and forth three times.”

But Garza said she typically refrains from approaching students who steal.

“I always just assume they have some sort of reason, so I let it go. Had she said she didn’t have points, I would have bought it for her.”

Adriana Vargas-Smith ’16, a former BuDS worker, said it can be difficult to rightfully accuse students of stealing.

“It’s hard to call somebody out,” she said. “I think you stole that, but I can’t be 100 percent sure. … The person says, ‘No, I paid on the other side.’”

According to student workers, certain eateries suffer more from stealing than others do. “When I’ve noticed (theft), it’s been obvious,” said Caroline Fenn ’14, a cashier at the Blue Room, Jo’s and the Friedman Cafe in the Sciences Library. She said she has seen more theft at Jo’s than at the Blue Room, and none at Friedman.

At Jo’s, “usually they’re drunk, and they act like they weren’t doing it on purpose,” Fenn said. She said students

frequently smuggle items like mozzarella sticks in a cup or beneath other food. But when confronted, the students often pay for their meal, she said.

Enforcing policies Student workers admitted to reporting theft unevenly and enforcing the rules arbitrarily.

The Department of Public Safety “very rarely” responds to incidents of food stolen from campus eateries, as the matter is handled by Dining Services, said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of DPS. Dining Services “takes the first step for intervention” and determines whether to contact DPS, he said.

DPS becomes involved in more serious cases of theft, such as laptops, cash registers or non-food items stolen from campus eateries and markets, Shanley said. For example, DPS responded to the theft of 10 wiffle ball bats from Little Jo’s on April 8. Shanley said the details of the incident are still under investigation.

A DPS officer is usually stationed at Jo’s on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, when the eatery experiences a high level of student traffic, Shanley said. The officer is situated at Jo’s in case “anyone needs assistance for anything and to act as a deterrent for anything,” he added.

Willis added that most students seem horrified, embarrassed and apologetic when caught, though some become defensive and entitled.

She added that most times she approaches students only to discourage theft. “I’m not interested in confrontation,” she said. “I’m interested in people making good decisions about what they really need.”

$300,000

Recent UFB funding patterns for top 10 student groups in 2014

250,000

1. Brown Concert Agency* 2. Class Coordinating Board 3. Lecture Board 4. Special Events Committee 5. Mock Trial 6. The College Hill Independent 7. Brown Band 8. Taekwondo 9. Ivy Film Festival 10. Brown Outing Club

200,000

150,000

100,000

* = More than $100,000 is returned each year from ticket sales Source: Undergraduate Finance Board

50,000

0 '07-'08

'13-'14 JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

“We’re super satisfied with how UFB allocated funding for us,” said Jenny Gorelick ’14, PW treasurer. “We got everything that we asked for.”

PW has requested a greater budget each year due to the rising costs of show rights and the need to replace deteriorating equipment, Gorelick said, noting that rights for popular shows such as last year’s “Company” can cost up to $700. Next year’s increased budget will go toward adding guard rails to the audience platform and replacing pipe connectors in the theatrical lighting grid, she added.

Several publications made it into the top 30 highest-funded groups, including the College Hill Independent with approximately $25,000 and VISIONS with roughly $13,000.

The Asian American Student Association vaulted into the top 30 highest-funded groups for the first time, almost doubling its funding

from approximately $5,500 to around $10,000 due to the costs of hosting a large conference featuring international speakers, Sherry said.

Groups that were not included in the top 30 operate on smaller budgets but still had their needs met, Veerasamy said. “Just because groups aren’t in the top 30 doesn’t mean they’re not receiving a lot.”

Looking ahead, Sherry said he looks forward to serving as UFB chair during a year when many groups will be holding events and lectures to commemorate Brown’s 250th anniversary.

In his upcoming role, Sherry said he would work to keep delivering funding decisions to student group leaders in person and devoting significant efforts to supplemental budgeting. “There was a lot that was set in motion this year that we will continue to work on next year,” he said.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

IN CONVERSATION

Adjunct lecturer of public policy talks General Treasurer race Almonte aims to improve state labor market, increase opportunities for new grads

By WHITING TENNIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ernest Almonte, adjunct lecturer of public policy, former Auditor General for the State of Rhode Island and former chairman of the U.S. Department of Defense Audit Committee, is currently running for the office of Rhode Island General Treasurer. He sat down with The Herald to discuss his campaign, the challenges facing Rhode Island and his position at Brown.

The Herald: You grew up in Johnston, R.I., working on a farm, in a grocery store and for the fire department.

Where did your professional career as an accountant come from?

Almonte: My father sat me down when I was a sophomore in high school and said, “There’s a lot of doctors, lawyers and other professions in my family. Why don’t you consider being an accountant?” That’s really how it started. So I sat down with the guidance counselor, he explained to me what the accounting profession was, and I thought, I’m willing to try that. So I went to Bryant University and absolutely loved it. If you tell me to spend extra hours doing finance work, that’s like play for me because I really enjoy it, so I don’t feel like it’s work. And I hope everyone gets that opportunity in their life because you can become very successful when you love what you’re doing.

When did you decide to run for trea-

surer and what led you to the decision?

In the spring of 2013, and there were two main reasons why I decided to run.

The first one was I looked at our state and said there’s really no plan, there’s no vision for our state. By almost every national metric we’re near the bottom or in last place. The second reason is I have five sons. And my youngest one’s a senior at (the) University of Rhode Island. Of the five sons, three of them have undergraduate degrees and some of them undergraduate and masters degrees. And three of them spent five or six months and could not get a job in the state. So they went to other states and got multiple job offers in one week.

Our state has become very good at exporting, but we’re exporting the next generation and that’s just not right.

What are the biggest challenges facing Rhode Island, and what is on the top of your list of things to accomplish?

We have the highest unemployment in the country. Some months we’re the highest, some months we’re tied for the highest, but we essentially have the highest unemployment rate in the country. It’s very hard to do business in the state of Rhode Island. And we have this overwhelming pension problem. I see the greatest deficit of all as leadership deficit, and that’s where I feel I could fill that void.

What are your thoughts on the job of your potential predecessor, Gina Raimondo, who is now running for governor of Rhode Island?

She had the courage to tackle the pension problem, which her predecessor and others ignored. We can all agree or disagree on what the solution was, but it took a lot of courage to do what

she did to tackle the problem.

I’m the only candidate that’s running that has both national and international credentials. If you look at my four-point plan, I explain to people that my whole career I’ve been put in situations with the most complex problems, complex financial problems, and that’s what I really love. Through the treasurer’s office, we will improve returns, reduce expenses, diversify the investments and make the plan sustainable. And when you do that, you’ll create a culture of business growth and job creation.

I’m a CPA — Certified Public Accountant. I’ve been in that field for over 30 years. And so what we’re going to do in the treasurer’s office, I’m going to have a team — a financial expert resource team — to go out and help all the cities and towns with their finances.

You have served both as Auditor General and as the Chairman of the U.S. Department of Defense Audit Committee. How would these experiences influence your work as R.I. general treasurer?

The first and most important is I was cleared by the White House twice. I had high security clearance to go in and out of the Pentagon. I’m asking the citizens of the state of Rhode Island to trust me with the keys to the treasurer’s office.

The Department of Defense, directed by Congress, was told to put together an audit committee to get them audit-ready. In the history of the United States, this is the first time they ever had an audit committee. (The DOD) asked me to serve on that committee and then within a short time asked me to be the chairman of it. Over the next five years, the impact on that would be a $3 trillion

R.I. introduces health care claims database R.I. encourages health insurers to submit electronically stored claims for analysis

By ASHWINI NATARAJAN STAFF WRITER

The Rhode Island All-Payer Claims Database will require all private and public health insurers and administrators in the state to submit eligibility and medical and pharmacy claims data beginning next month. By analyzing this data for patterns and statistical significance, the program seeks to cut health costs and improve the quality of health care within the state.

Twelve other states have already implemented APCD programs.

The General Assembly passed legislation approving the APCD in 2008, but the law did not provide funding for the Rhode Island Department of Health to advance the project at the time. Funds from federal grants have been used to implement initial phases, and partnering agencies — Medicaid, the Health Insurance Exchange, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner and RIDOH — will contribute sources of funding for future operations, according to the APCD Council’s website.

Jennifer Wood ’81, chief of staff for Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts ’78, said the cost of the database stems more

from security and accuracy maintenance than from the data collection process.

Health insurers electronically store the claims data, which they then submit to the database. But insurers will remove any personally identifiable information, such as names and addresses, to ensure anonymity among data sets. Rhode Islanders will also have the option to opt out of participating in the database. These measures were implemented in order to increase public confidence in the confidentiality and security of the system, Wood said.

“There are some people who are simply not comfortable having their claims data go anywhere outside their insurance company no matter how many layers of protection there are,” she added.

“I don’t think there are any good reasons” to opt out of the database, said Ira Wilson, professor and chair of the Department of Health Services, Policy and Practice. “The only reason would be … you don’t trust the state to be able to protect your confidentiality.”

No more than 1 to 2 percent of potential participants in national APCD programs request to opt out because of the privacy assured with the anonymous data, Wood said.

APCD implementation in Rhode Island arose from a lack of data about physician care, outpatient treatment and malpractice, said Denise Love, executive director at the National

Association of Health Data Organizations and co-chair of the APCD Council.

“The state started realizing we don’t have a clue what’s happening in the outpatient arena outside of Medicaid,” she added.

The APCD will give Rhode Island a source of data to manage its health care decisions, as well as provide context for cost comparison at the individual level, Love said. “When you don’t have the larger database, you don’t know the scope of everything.”

Wood said the APCD will begin to generate its first aggregate reports by next fall or early winter, adding that the reports will include information such as the overall costs of health care within the state, comparative costs of different categories of medical and disease treatments and unexpected costs that need to be addressed.

The APCD Council has met with researchers at the School of Public Health to discuss how the database can be most useful for academic researchers and government policymakers, Wood said.

“This isn’t simply a government database used to help us develop policies for health insurance regulation and Medicaid and so forth,” she said. “The aggregated reports will be available to the public, and most particularly, to academic researchers who want to use this powerful tool to understand the issues around the cause of certain kinds of medical treatment.”

budget over five years. So my job as the chairman along with the committee was to provide advice on how to be prepared to have financial statement audits for the Department of Defense.

And coming here, the treasurer’s office is $8 billion. I have the education, the experience to handle that.

How have your experiences been as a Brown adjunct lecturer for the Taubman Center? Do you enjoy teaching at Brown?

I have to tell you, that’s one of the highlights of my life, every year. I tell my wife, I come out of that class with the biggest smile on my face. I love helping your generation.

» MICHNIK, from page 1 said. “By no means do I want to say that Hitler and Putin are the same people, but the mechanisms employed by Putin are very similar to Hitler’s.”

If Ukraine survives the conflict, Michnik said, the nation can learn from Poland’s successful democratic transformation. Along the way to democratization, Ukraine will face parallel challenges, including “managing economic transformation and corruption,” he added.

In a question-and-answer session after the lecture, attendees asked Michnik for his perspective on the Polish government, Hungarian politics and U.S. foreign policy. He offered detailed responses sprinkled with humor.

When asked what he would say if he were given the chance to chat with President Obama, Michnik said, “If I were a student taking an exam with you, I would say, ‘Could I have a different set of questions please?’”

Michnik was “very happy” when Obama was elected “because it changed the face of the United States internationally,” he said. But Michnik believes Obama needs “to find a new language,” because compromise won’t work with Putin, he added.

When I was the chairman of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), I gave a speech in Pennsylvania to the NABA — the National Association of Black Accountants. Their motto is “lift as you climb.”

I always said, we all need to do that.

Just keep in mind that as we’re going through our career, as we rise up the ladder, reach down and grab people and pull them up with you. And if we do that, imagine how much better our organization will be, our community will be, our family will be, our country will be.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

“I would say to him, ‘Mr. President, you are dealing with a gangster, and you can’t go (into) the ring with him with one of your hands tied back. You need to have both fists,” Michnik said.

To conclude the lecture, Michnik emphasized that a language that is “anti-Putin but not anti-Russian” will be needed to ease international tension and find a solution in Ukraine. “Russians learn daily from television that Americans want to harm and hurt Russia,” he said. “The natural weapon of discourse is the lie. … We need to find a solution, a way to respond to this propaganda.”

Michnik said he is optimistic about the future. He envisions Ukraine moving “towards the direction of Europe,” while “dragging” Russia along the way, he said.

Jana Fox ’16, an Ireland native who attended the lecture, said she found Michnik’s hopeful perspective to be refreshing, especially in contrast to “the doomsday view” of the Ukrainian crisis in western media.

Poland’s democratic transition gives Michnik hope for Ukraine, but he acknowledged the chaotic reality of the world.

“Nobody is able to predict what is going to happen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he said.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

Judiciary Committee examines marijuana legalization

Undergraduates were asked the following question on a Herald spring poll: Do you agree or disagree that Rhode Island should legalize the recreational use of marijuana?

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Medical marijuana Marijuana was decriminalized in Rhode Island and approved for medicinal use through the 2006 passage of the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act, which made permanent the program in 2007.

But there are several complications with current medical marijuana policy.

Testimony on a bill to revise medical marijuana policies in the state, supported

by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and other public safety officers in Rhode Island, was heard before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, the Providence Journal reported.

The use of medical marijuana is “not about getting high,” said JoAnne Leppanen, executive director of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit organization coordinating patients, providers and caregivers in the medical marijuana community to promote safe access to care. “Most patients have no interest whatsoever in getting high. Most patients are just looking for relief.”

There is some degree of stigma associated with joining the medical marijuana program, Leppanen said. Many people are hesitant to ask their doctors about signing up or do not want to park outside designated compassion centers for fear that their cars will be recognized. Others resort to illegal self-medication rather than join the program, she added.

There are currently three compassion centers, located in Providence and Portsmouth, serving as dispensaries for medical marijuana in the state. The dispensaries are currently limited to 99 plants each, which Leppanen said is not enough to sustain the volume of patients in need.

“Definitely we can use some changes in the law,” Leppanen said. Today, more is known about the positive effects of medical marijuana than when the law was drafted, she added. “I think we would

Student opinion on marijuana legalization

m

Legal limits?

The potential legalization of marijuana is predicted to generate between $21 million and $82 million in tax revenue for Rhode Island, according to a policy report from Open Doors, a nonprofit organization advocating on behalf of the formerly incarcerated. The legalization bill would allocate 40 percent of this revenue to alcohol and drug abuse prevention.

There is some debate about how legalization would affect access and consumption.

“There is no question that whenever you increase access to something, you increase use,” said Frances Mantak, director of health education at Brown. Increased use creates public health concerns, Mantak said. “We don’t want to add more impaired drivers on our roads when we don’t have very strong enforcement and very strong laws.”

Others argue that access to the drug would remain unchanged after legalization.

Colorado and Washington passed

ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD

While about 48 percent of Rhode Island voters approve of legalizing marijuana, some worry about increased drug abuse.

ag re e

Legalizing marijuana The first bill — introduced Feb. 13

by Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence — would legalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for personal use for adults over 21 years old, a policy supported by 47.6 percent of respondents in an April 10 poll from the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The committee heard testimony on the bill Wednesday.

Though laws prohibiting the sale and use of marijuana were passed to prevent drug abuse, rates of abuse in Rhode Island remain unchanged, said Robert Capecchi, deputy director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, a national nonprofit advocating for the end of marijuana prohibition. And the state could better control who buys marijuana and where it is sold if the drug became legalized for personal use, he added.

The legislation would take “marijuana from criminal actors and (put) it behind the counter,” he said. Retailers have the incentive to check IDs and refuse to sell to minors, Capecchi added. “Drug dealers don’t have that incentive.”

“Prohibition has failed utterly to achieve its goals,” said Rebecca McGoldrick, executive director of Protect Families First, an organization that addresses the effects of drug policy on Rhode Island

So

The House Judiciary Committee last week heard testimony on several bills proposing to legalize marijuana in Rhode Island and to improve current regulations on the sale and distribution of medical marijuana.

While marijuana legalization has gained momentum in the state recently, there remain concerns for some about regulation and legalization’s effects.

ly

STAFF WRITER

laws that legalized the sale and cultivation of marijuana for adults 21 and over in 2012. Licensed marijuana retail stores in Colorado officially opened this January and have generated nearly $6 million in tax revenue.

“The sky hasn’t fallen in Colorado,” Capecchi said. “It looks like — and this is not definitive by any stretch of the imagination — marijuana use is down.”

Decreased crime rates in Denver and increased tax revenue are early indications of the possible positive effects of legalization, he said.

“Marijuana is plenty accessible as is” in Rhode Island, Capecchi said. “All this change in policy will regulate is (who) is selling to whom.”

Though outgoing Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 has expressed his support for legalization, the gubernatorial candidates have remained largely neutral on the issue.

“A lot of people want to see what will happen in Colorado and Washington,” said Jared Moffat ’13, a former Herald opinions columnist and director of Regulate Rhode Island, a group that works to abolish marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island.

McGoldrick said she hopes the gubernatorial candidates will address this issue, which greatly affects community safety and health. “I really hope that one of them would step up and take a sensible approach to this issue,” she said.

“I would say there’s a decent chance of it going through,” Moffat said of the legislation.

ng

By LINDSAY GANTZ

families and youth.

Unregulated use of marijuana has exposed young people to incarceration, violence and other harmful circumstances, McGoldrick said. She added that legalizing marijuana and regulating it using tools such as price controls, safety warnings and advertising restrictions would improve public health and promote social justice.

“We need to stop sending people to prison for recreational use of marijuana,” said House Majority Whip Rep. John Edwards, D-Portsmouth and Tiverton.

Though some have claimed that marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to the use of more dangerous and addictive substances, McGoldrick said this idea is a “logical fallacy.”

“What could be said is that where people buy marijuana is where other drugs are sold,” McGoldrick said, adding that regulating its sale and consumption would increase public safety.

St ro

Legalization bill would allocate millions in tax revenue to narcotic abuse prevention

JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

have drafted it much differently.”

The recently proposed bill would eliminate the plant limit in these compassion centers, but it would also decrease the number of plants caregivers can grow in the home from 12 to three, which Leppanen said she believes is too few.

Smoking marijuana is not the most effective way to absorb the medicine for some, Leppanen said, adding that some patients require more plant leaves for their therapy if they are applying the plant’s oils, rather than smoking it.

“It is the equivalent of taking medicine away from sick people,” she said.

“Plant numbers can be very misleading.

If anything, we should be looking for an increase; we certainly need an increase in dry, usable cannabis.”

As a result of the plant limit, compassion centers rely upon caregivers to provide the sufficient number of plants according to patient need, said Rep. Scott Slater, D-Providence, deputy majority leader and sponsor of the legalization bill. Slater’s father, former Rep. Thomas Slater, was one of the General Assembly’s biggest proponents of legalized medical marijuana, authored the Medical Marijuana Act and is the namesake for one of the state’s compassion centers.

“The reason for the compassion centers was to allow patients to get safe and affordable access to the medicine. There are complaints that the compassion centers are too expensive,” Scott Slater said.

‘No business moving forward’ But some in the state do not support the current legislation or changing

the prohibitions on cannabis use in the state. The government has “no idea where marijuana is being grown in the state of Rhode Island,” said Rep. Lisa Tomasso, D-Coventry and West Greenwich, adding that marijuana abuse is “a problem that is pervasive throughout our entire state.”

“I think we have been very successful in implementing a program that is providing a necessary service for people in Rhode Island,” Tomasso said. But allowing individuals to cultivate marijuana in their homes negatively interferes with the quality of life of their neighbors, she added.

There have been several public safety concerns resulting from a lack of regulation. Several fires occurred due to the overloading of utilities for plant cultivation, and one explosion stemmed from unsafe growing practices, Tomasso said.

“We have been unable to regulate and provide safety in our community for a medical marijuana program. If we can’t do that, we have no business moving forward with another unregulated system,” she said. “If we are allowing anybody to grow marijuana for their own recreational purpose, there is no way to regulate it.”

It is not entirely clear what the comprehensive implications of the proposed policy changes would be. More research needs to be done to better understand the effects of marijuana, Mantak said.

Many effects of cannabis on young people remain unstudied as a result of government restrictions, Tomasso said.

“We are unable to do the proper research on it.”

today 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

green screen VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Lemony Orzo Salad, Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy, Sauteed Spinach with Garlic, Hummus Bar

Broccoli Quiche, Potato Skins Bar, Chinese Chicken Wings, Potato Vegetable Chowder

DINNER Artichoke Pasta Medley, Caprese Salad, Sugar Snap Peas, Braised Fennel, Sliced Turkey and Roast Beef

Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Steak Fries, Tortellini Italiano, Oreo Cheesecake

JOSIAH’S

THREE BURNERS

QUESADILLA OR GRILLED CHEESE

Crepes

Made-to-Order Quesadilla

BLUE ROOM

SOUPS

DINNER ENTREES

Spinach and Feta, Sausage and Lentil, Three Bean Chilli

Chicken Saag, Vegetable Mango Curry

sudoku

SYDNEY MONDRY / HERALD

For Fashion at Brown’s Fashion Week, students set up a photo booth on the Main Green and handed out free cosmetic samples Monday.

comics Cat Ears | Najatee’ McNeil ’17

crossword

Bacterial Culture | Dana Schwartz ’15

calendar TODAY

APRIL 22

4 P.M. LOCAL FOOD NIGHT AT THE RATTY

Brown’s Sustainable Food Initiative, Dining Services and emPOWER have teamed up to provide sustainable food dishes and desserts in celebration of Earth Day. Sharpe Refectory 5:30 P.M. LIVING IN IT: OPRAH WINFREY, GOLDMAN SACHS AND THE CONTEMPORARY STUDY OF RELIGION

Kathryn Lofton, a Yale professor, will discuss her research focused on the relationship between religion, public affects, intimate desires and corporate entities. Wilson 302

TOMORROW

APRIL 23

4 P.M. EARTH WEEK YOGA ON THE GREEN

emPOWER Brown and YAM are cosponsoring outdoor yoga classes. Blend in with Mother Nature by boasting your best tree pose outside. Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle 5:30 P.M. “RENOVATING THE BRAIN,” A TALK BY JON MUKAND, M.D.

The author of “The Man with the Bionic Brain and Other Victories over Paralysis” will read a chapter from his book about an Iraq War veteran with a brain injury. Pembroke Hall 305

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

EDITORIAL

Happy birthday, LGBTQ Center Recently, the University’s LGBTQ Center celebrated its 10th birthday.

The center is honoring its achievements and the challenges it has overcome with a month-long celebration. As The Herald reported Monday (“LGBTQ Center celebrates 10th birthday with cake, reflection,” April 21), the anniversary celebration will include “a keynote speech by the writer and performer Scott Turner Schofield, film screenings, discussions, a dance and an exhibit displaying the history of LGBTQ life at Brown.” In light of this celebration, we would like to commemorate the huge strides that the LGBTQ Center has made for human rights both at Brown and in Rhode Island at large.

In recent years, Brown has been a trailblazer in offering LGBTQ students an open and tolerant community. The University made national news last year when it approved a transgender-specific health care plan. The University’s progressive stance mirrored a larger statewide and nationwide trend toward increasing gay rights. In fact, Rhode Island was the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage last year before the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act last summer. Brown’s LGBTQ Center certainly has much to celebrate, including its own unique and trailblazing role in the fight for LGBTQ equality and opportunity.

The LGBTQ Center has proved a tremendous resource to the entire Brown community. Not only have its support services allowed hundreds of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer to feel safe, comfortable and happy at Brown, but the organization has also provided education and outreach services to the entire student body.

The center has played a huge role in increasing tolerance and understanding on campus, and it also serves as a resource for straight students who may seek to be allies through, for example, supporting friends who come out of the closet.

While we celebrate the progress the LGBTQ Center has made and the struggles the center has overcome in its 10 years on campus, this 10-year anniversary also delineates more progress to come. Less than 30 years ago, a gay student was pressured by his resident advisers to move out of his room when a roommate’s parents were uncomfortable with their son having a gay roommate. Another spoke out on Commencement day in 1992 about what it was like to be different, to be gay, even at a socially liberal institution like Brown, only to be received by classmates standing and shouting against his words.

Indeed, Brown has come a long way, and we fully support the LGBTQ Center in its efforts to make Brown an even more inclusive and welcoming community, particularly for transgender students. For example, as The Herald reported, “the center will continue advocating for more University policies inclusive of transgender students, such as designating bathrooms as gender-neutral.” More generally, members of the organization feel that there is still work to be done to address LGBTQ issues on campus.

The LGBTQ Center has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception, expanding its physical presence, outreach capacities and student membership on campus. We are heartened to celebrate that the LGBTQ Center has been thriving on campus for a decade. We believe that celebrating this anniversary pays homage to the progressive and tolerant environment that the University should continue to strive to produce.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

C L A R I F I C AT I O N An article in Thursday’s Herald (“Busy schedules, boring lectures drive students to skip classes,” April 17) failed to provide context for Saudi Garcia’s ’14 comments on skipping class. Though she said it can be acceptable under certain circumstances, she also emphasized the importance of attending class most of the time.

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

“It’s not all you can take, it’s all you can eat.”

— Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services

See theft on page 1.

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.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

Anonymous comments are not free speech ADAM ASHER opinions columnist

Generally, writing these columns for The Herald is a good gig. I get to write about what I want to write about, I see my face grainily plastered on papers across campus, and it’s a good conversation starter — what’s not to like?

The commenters. Oh, the commenters. The few, the proud, the anonymous. Some are totally anonymous guest accounts created solely for the purpose of commenting on a specific piece. Then there are those with handles whom you can watch pop up on articles and columns across the site like vicious little whack-a-moles, spewing whatever they feel like spewing on a particular day about a particular topic.

My skin used to be much thinner when it came to nasty comments. A particularly bad one would bother me for days. I took it personally and, for a little while, it made me afraid to write about what I truly care about — when someone resorts to ad hominem attacks about topics you’re not as passionate about, they’re more easily dismissible. It hurts less.

And I’m not ashamed to admit I felt hurt — I’m human. And that’s kind of the thing, isn’t it? At the

end of the day, there is a real Adam Asher walking around campus, interacting with people and hoping no one noticed him tripping up the stairs to the Blue Room. The things I write are attached to that name, that person, and I have to live with what I say.

The appeal of anonymous commenting is none of that has to be the case. Even better, an anonymous

for this purpose. You’re a layer removed, and it’s easy to leave a comment behind and not have to think about it ever again.

I’m going to come right out and say anonymous commenting is not fair. I did not sign up to be a punching bag for virtual degenerates, and I and my fellow columnists should not have to be. For that matter, no writer should have to deal with

in the game. You need to have an unchanging name, and it should be yours. Last week, Maggie Tennis ’14 and Cara Newlon ’14 wrote a joint column entitled “Don’t read the comments” (April 17), in which they addressed the epidemic of subtle and not-so-subtle sexism in The Herald’s comments sections. I have to imagine that if there were real names and real people attached

I did not sign up to be a punching bag for virtual degenerates, and I and my fellow columnists should not have to.

identity allows for a whole new you, which may account for why anonymous nasty comments are such a scourge — the commenter cannot be hit back nearly as hard as a real person. If the writer takes the bait and engages you in ad hominem attacks, there’s no “hominem,” so to speak. You can always feel safe in the knowledge that whatever entity they’re attacking isn’t really you, but some alternate identity you created

anonymous criticism delivered with the venom we see online daily. I am fully in support of discourse about the topics of which I write. I am even okay with having comments at the bottom of articles, even though it sometimes feels a bit like someone scribbling whatever they happen to think of on your newspaper.

But to have that right to engage in a conversation, you have to have the minimum amount of skin

to comments, people would have much more shame in posting condescending, sexist comments.

Moreover, below that particular column, there were — thankfully — a number of supportive comments.

These were, for the most part, not anonymous. There were names, class years, even pictures. There were, in short, people. Real people.

I don’t think this is a coincidence.

People want positive, good contri-

butions attached to their name. Vice versa, having one’s name attached to a comment might nudge it toward positivity. At the very least, it might encourage a more constructive kind of criticism.

I’m not hoping to eliminate negative comments altogether. If people want to be hateful, I’ll grudgingly concede they have the right to be hateful. I’m all for free speech — I simply think it’s a right belonging to real human beings. According to my interpretation, anonymous online entities are not protected under the First Amendment. According to the Supreme Court, though, corporations are, so maybe I’m just behind on the times.

All I ask is that the same standards of decency to which we hold ourselves in real life apply online.

This isn’t so far-fetched — the lines between “Internet culture” and “real culture” are blurring more and more every day, and our discourse should follow suit. Say what you will about us columnists and our ideas, but we’re putting ourselves — our real selves — out there on a regular basis. To all you commenters out there who up to this point haven’t had the guts to do the same, here’s your chance. Tell me why I’m an idiot — just leave a proper sign-off.

Adam Asher ’15 is a classics concentrator IRL.

Students for sense and safety MEGAN GRAPENGETERRUDNICK opinions columnist

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, at least 62 schools have experienced shootings on their campuses. I bet no students at any of these victimized schools ever thought it would occur on their campus, a sentiment that is naturally shared. We, as students, suffer from the common It-Will-Never-Happen-To-Me Syndrome. The problem is: What if it actually does happen to you?

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed a compromise to this problem concerning gun “sense” that should be of particular interest to those looking to maximize their safety on, say, a college campus, as it stresses common sense. Common sense here means reaching an equilibrium concerning gun control by maximizing the safety of American citizens while not completely appeasing either side of the argument.

This equilibrium is what students should be endeavoring to achieve at the moment.

Bloomberg’s campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety, intends to put measures into play that don’t completely restrict usage of guns, but place a commonsensical cap on it. This effort is the first in history to be supported by such a plethora of citizens — teachers, gun owners, mayors, survivors, moms, government officials and plain responsible individuals — indicating its universality.

Everytown strives to rid background checks of all loopholes by vanquishing private gun sales and accurately updating the background

check system. The results of such a change would include an amelioration of domestic violence, given that 38 percent fewer women are fatally shot by partners in states that require more thorough background checks.

Other objectives of Everytown include educating parents on the issue — in hopes that they will be compelled to safely lock up and hide their weapons from their children — and granting law enforcement officials the abilities they need to prosecute illegal gun trafficking.

One of Bloomberg’s main pitches about the

Action for Gun Sense in America.” Originating as a budding Facebook group seeking followers, this band of mothers has quickly grown and evolved to become a full-blown organization that has opted for an attainable means of promoting common sense and general safety through its own campaigns.

The Moms Demand Action organization has already successfully accomplished a campaign toward promoting gun sense. As a first palpable step in creating a safer environment for younger generations, Moms Demand Ac-

Students need to advocate safety and gun sense in order to protect their own campuses.

campaign is particularly commendable: Everytown is meant to be a step toward safety that still abides by the Second Amendmentprotected right to keep and bear arms, thereby making it easy to be widely supported. It does not strictly require people to take a resolute position; rather, it asks them to be more conscious about safety and be cognizant of the bleak fact that gun violence can occur anywhere. It is imperative that we preemptively maximize safety on our campuses.

Mothers nationwide are also showing their support and concern for their children’s safety through a campaign dubbed “Moms Demand

tion persuaded Facebook to make various reforms, such as censoring postings concerning illegal gun sales.

Additionally and most notably, Moms Demand Action has joined with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to become a partner in the Everytown campaign, where it will no doubt achieve some form of influence.

The significance of their success to students? It is entirely within our reach to improve safety on our own campuses through movements like this. Shouldn’t students be mobilizing to put an emphasis on our safety?

I am not asking each individual to take a

steadfast position on the issue of gun sense. It is not necessary to be explicitly pro- or antigun in order to be concerned about personal and campus-wide safety.

Students need to advocate safety and gun sense in order to protect their own campuses. The most effective way of going about this would be supporting the Everytown for Gun Safety campaign — individually or in a collective movement — as it is the most feasible solution.

Easy access to networking makes it possible for modern students to make a movement on their own for the benefit of their safety.

Moms Demand Action successfully did this through Facebook. Other organizations such as “Texas Gun Sense” have used Facebook as a channel to create groups for advertising their cause.

Peaceful protests occur nationwide, such as the Empty Holster Protest, where students go to class with empty holsters, distribute pamphlets and hold public debates or speeches.

This engages their community to raise awareness and effect change.

Students can participate in similar movements by integrating Everytown’s compromise solutions. We should be spreading the word through such actions — on Facebook or via peaceful demonstrations — as it is in our direct interest to keep our campuses safe. You don’t need to take a side on this issue to support Everytown for Gun Safety, nor do you need to have a selected stance in order to strive for maximum safety on your campus.

Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick ’17 can be reached at gunsense@safer.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD arts & culture

Fashion Week showcases student accomplishments Fashion at Brown seeks to make community aware of clothing choices, offer outlet for creativity

By SOPHIE YAN STAFF WRITER

“I don’t think people think ‘fashion’ when they think of Brown,” said Sofia Kadieva ’16, one of the designers taking part in Fashion at Brown’s fourth annual Fashion Week. The series kicked off with a giveaway and celebration on the Main Green Monday afternoon and comprises a variety of fashionrelated events throughout the week, including a lecture, exclusive sales and a fashion show.

After Monday’s kickoff, there will be a fashion industry panel Wednesday, the main fashion show event Thursday evening, an exclusive sale at Madewell at Providence Place Mall Friday — along with an after-party that night — and an urban vintage bazaar on Waterman Street Saturday.

“The urban vintage bazaar is like a giant flea market,” said Madeline Ritaccio ’14, director of Fashion at Brown. “I always find something that I worship and buy and wear every day afterwards.”

“I found a ball gown for $5 there last year,” Kadieva said.

Aileen Frotten ’16, Fashion at Brown marketing coordinator, said she was most excited for the Monday kickoff event. “My team and I worked really hard to find the local businesses that ended up sponsoring us,” she said, adding that she also looks forward to the fashion show at the end of the week because the marketing team is collaborating with five local sponsors to provide accessories for the show.

“Everybody dresses themselves in a certain way that reflects who they are,” said Misbah Noorani ’17, a member of the hair and makeup team. “Fashion at Brown makes people on campus more cognizant that it’s a choice that you can make every day when you’re getting dressed in the morning.”

Ritaccio said her goal is for Fashion Week to “give a voice and an outlet to the creative side of a lot of Brown students who might not necessarily have this outlet in their everyday lives.”

“As a rule, we don’t really turn

ALAN SHAN / HERALD

Following Monday’s celebration on the Main Green, Fashion Week will include a panel discussion Wednesday, a fashion show Thursday, a sale at Providence Place Mall Friday and an open-air market Saturday. anyone down,” she said. “We welcome anyone who wants to participate.”

Kadieva designed for the final fashion show last year and has past experience with fashion design. She described her collection this year as “seven dresses ­— ball gowns — in silken textures, in bright intense jewel tones.”

“It’s all about being gorgeous and fierce at the same time,” Kadieva said.

Marcy Huang ’16, another designer, said she loves feminine shapes, but that she also likes to add “a bit of an edge” to her designs.

“A lot of (my collection) is kind of flowy, but with a rustiness to it,” Huang said.

Ritaccio has been involved with Fashion Week for three years now, she said, adding that she first joined the event as a staff member on the hair and makeup team.

Ritaccio works with a team of 38 coordinators and staff members, all of whom are assigned different areas of expertise, from photography to finance to social media, she said. The designers that will be showcasing their work in this week’s fashion show come from a variety of backgrounds — Fashion at Brown sends out calls for designers in Morning Mail, assists new designers getting in touch with fabric stores and even helps them learn how to sew, she added.

Frotten is in charge of reaching out to the Providence community, finding sponsors for the events and acting as liaison between the coordinating team and these local businesses.

“While I’m interested in fashion, I’m also very interested in the business aspect of it,” she said. “As Brown students, we can sometimes get stuck in our Brown bubble and lose sight of

all this art that’s going on around us in the community.”

Ritaccio also emphasized the group’s collaborators, including Bib and Tuck, New Harvest Coffee Roasters and Spirits and Flatbread Company. “I think we have a lot of recognition now, both on and off of campus,” she said.

Organization efforts for Fashion Week began last summer, Ritaccio said. But in the weeks leading up to the show, designers have worked to finalize their designs and to fit their models.

“Last year, I ended up having to make 900 paper roses,” Kadieva said, adding that on the day of the show, she had to use staples to hold together one of her designs at the last minute.

Before the show, designers also have to conduct fittings with their models.

“Most designers get their friends to model,” Kadieva said.

Huang uses her best friends, saying, “It’s easier with people I know who will be really comfortable around me.”

But instead, Kadieva said she “was looking for someone who could have an expressive face.”

“I think I have a diverse collection of girls for this year,” Kadieva said. “The clothes I make are for all women of all types, ethnicities, races and body types who can be confident or who can wear (my designs) and feel confident, majestic and gorgeous — because they are,” she added.

“I am half-Chinese myself, and I think that diversity isn’t something that happens too much in the fashion industry,” Huang said.

“We want Fashion at Brown to showcase and celebrate Brown students,” Ritaccio said. “And we try to make sure we’re doing that to the maximum extent.”

Alumni artwork digs past surfaces in ‘Excavation’ exhibit Dialogue between diverse artistic styles exposes uncertainties about memory, modernity

By EMMAJEAN HOLLEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Beyond the two-by-fours of a derelict construction site, a cityscape looms stoically in the distance. Obscured geometric patterns evoke the protective stance of a mother crouching over a cradle.

A rough, asphalt-like exterior is chiseled away to expose a smooth, blue underbelly.

Such images of instability and anxiety haunt the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts in “Excavation,” an exhibit that includes work

REVIEW

by Lauren Gidwitz ’06, Laini Nemett ’06 and Ellen Schneiderman ’05. The three alums paint in a studio space of their own design in Long Island City.

And while the artists work in a variety of styles and media, they are engaged in a shared conversation about the intersection of memory, history and the physical spaces they occupy.

Schneiderman’s works explore a kind of “subverted archaeological process where she both creates the dig site and engages with the digging,” according to her artist’s statement. She built her “Mound” series through layers of homemade paper pulp, stripping pieces off to reveal underlying colors and patterns.

This paradox of creation and destruction is also at play in Nemett’s work.

“Africa, Delaware and Roosevelt Island” depicts an incomplete renovation project within a dilapidated building.

Schneiderman’s work does not advance a coherent theme on its own.

Perhaps this ambiguity is an extension of her process, which implicates the viewer in uncovering and conceptualizing a buried history. But because of Schneiderman’s rather nebulous aesthetic approach, the final products are not as compelling as the process itself.

Gidwitz’s work, mostly non-representational oil paintings, expresses “separate and simultaneous experiences, intertwining memory of physical and psychological spaces,” according to her artist statement. Overlapping patterns, textures and shapes create an abstract

hodge-podge in “Stones Bones and Hiding Bergs,” smattered in short, pale brushstrokes and flanked on one side by thick taupe stripes. Though the relationships between the various elements appear haphazard, the somewhat muted, earthy color scheme establishes a calm sensibility.

Nemett’s work’s juxtaposition with Schneiderman’s archaeological perspective invites a dialogue about the frailty and impermanence of physical structures.

Nemett’s representations of urban spaces are easier to digest than Schneiderman’s works, and the familiarity of construction sites and city skylines give the viewer something to latch onto. But the subtle manipulations of perspective and line destabilize the scenery.

“Covered,” one of Nemett’s works,

depicts the surface of a raised platform, its emptiness made eerie by its detachment from a specific time or place.

The smudged tile walls in the background are reminiscent of a subway platform or public restroom, but the vibrant, baroque floor design erodes this modern framework. The pillars, outlined in strips of blue artist’s tape, at first seem to unify these disparate elements. But there is a distinct lack of reinforcement where the tape frays off before it reaches the floor. It seems more firmly attached to the ceiling, which is painted the wrinkled texture of a paper bag and inclines at an impossible angle.

The longer the viewer looks at the architecture, the more apparent its fragility and impending collapse become.

“Excavation” will be on display in the Cohen Gallery until April 29.