Thursday, September 18, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 70

since 1891

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Law professors debate campaign finance reform Professor Janus Forum lecture raises questions about corruption, influence of money on politics

By ALIZA REISNER STAFF WRITER

DAVID BRAUN / HERALD

Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Harvard, argues for broadening public involvement in the financing of political campaigns.

Super PACs, access to government officials and donation caps emerged as critical points of discussion at a Janus Forum debate on campaign finance Wednesday evening.

The event featured Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Harvard, and Eugene Volokh, professor of law at the University of California at Los Angeles and author of the blog “The Volokh Conspiracy.”

Lessig opened the conversation by questioning “what corruption means in deciding the scope of campaign finance

reform.” He differentiated between the type of corruption that misshapes the public’s view and the kind that “distorts the political process.”

“I think the Supreme Court was right in Citizens United v. (Federal Election Commission) to say it is not the concern of the government to worry about how someone’s speech affects the public. …

Inequality or distortion of speech is not corruption,” Lessig said.

The problem, therefore, is the amount of time members of Congress and other elected officials spend — between 30 to 70 percent of their tenure — speaking to a small number of fundraisers and focusing on reelection rather than attending to day-to-day business, he said. Government officials’ dependency on relevant funders, who constitute only 0.05 percent of the U.S. population, is » See JANUS, page 2

UCS fills positions through internal elections First-year students win six of eight open council leadership positions at Wednesday’s meeting

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students filled eight leadership positions, including two positions on the executive board, during internal elections at its first general body meeting of the semester Wednesday night.

Andrea Wistuba-Behrens ’16 was re-elected UCS secretary, a role on the executive board that entails keeping records of UCS general body meetings. In her candidacy speech, she said she would continue to prioritize her » See UCS, page 3

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Maahika Srinivasan ’15, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, welcomes new members to the council’s first general body meeting of the semester and briefs them on internal elections procedures.

emeritus Davids ’49 dies Former faculty member leaves vast legacy of mentorship in clinical psychology

By SABRINA IMBLER FEATURES EDITOR

Anthony Davids ’49, professor emeritus of psychology, died Tuesday morning, according to an email sent out to the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences listserv by department chair William Heindel.

Davids first came to Brown as an undergraduate in the fall of 1946, according to a biographical note written

by Adjunct Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Brian Hayden and included in Heindel’s email.

Davids arrived in Providence right after serving in World War II as an ensign flying a Corsair fighter bomber.

Davids completed his degree in psychology in just three years under the tutelage of Carl Pfaffmann, Ogden Lindsley and Walter Hunter, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, Hayden wrote. Davids went on to attend graduate school at Harvard, where he worked at the institution’s Psychological Clinic until Harold Schlosberg, chairman of what was then the Department of Psychology at Brown, offered him a job.

Davids taught at Brown for only nine » See DAVIDS, page 2

Heroin, opioid overdoses rise in R.I. as state works to combat crisis medicine and epidemiology, who has been working with the state to address the drug crisis.

Michael Fine, director of the Department of Health, has “created this series for practitioners and the community-atlarge,” said Green, who is helping Fine on the addiction seminar series. Fine “wanted to address addiction as a public health issue through greater medical attention,” Green said.

Following a surge of deaths early this year, Rhode Island has taken a number of measures to confront the statewide medical crisis. In February, the Department of Health made an effort to increase the availability of Naloxone, an antidote delivered to counteract the effects of opioid in the event of a potentially fatal overdose. The state also now requires all police officials to carry Naloxone.

By EBEN BLAKE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Rhode Island Department of Health unveiled new numbers earlier this month on the rise of heroin and opioid overdoses in the state during the first session of a six-part seminar on addiction and recovery. As of Sept. 2, there have been 142 fatal overdoses reported this year in the state, the majority of which have come from opiate variants, according to the Department of Health.

Deaths in Rhode Island due to drug overdose have doubled since 2009, partially due to users who transitioned from prescription pill abuse to cheaper, more accessible drugs, such as heroin, said Traci Green, professor of emergency

inside

METRO

There have been 1,047 people in Rhode Island saved this year with Naloxone and an additional 250 lives saved in the emergency room without the drug’s use, according to statistics released by the Department of Health. But drug overdoses are still the leading cause of adult injury-related death in Rhode Island, far more than accidental driving fatalities.

In May, the State Senate passed three bills that aim to stem the increase of overdoses, including one requiring health insurers to cover medications designed to treat addiction. Around the same time, the Department of Health initiated a new partnership with the Bridgemark Addiction Recovery Services of Warwick to provide immediate treatment for residents battling addiction, the Providence Journal reported.

“The key is to have overdose kits and training available to users,” Green said.

“We hope to be as efficient as we can in distributing supplies to people at risk.”

Metro

About 15.6 percent of Rhode Islanders use non-medical pain relievers, compared to 9 percent nationally.

The state is ranked first in New England in non-medical pain relief drug users.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 has worked to stop the drug crisis in the state. He began the Department of Health’s first seminar by promising to coordinate with the other five New England governors to come up with possible solutions, the Providence Journal reported.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the use of illicit drugs, according to the latest data,” Green said. “The trend of prescription pills such as oxycodone has been replaced by heroin and cocaine.”

Over the past year, there were two batches of heroin tainted with illicitly made fentanyl circulating in Rhode Island, which has accounted for a large number of recent overdoses, Green said.

“It’s not a matter of if, it’s when …

Commentary

Under pressure, R.I. Board of Education launches initiative to address testing questions

Next R.I. governor likely to be either woman or racial minority for first time in state history

Kenyon GS: America’s favorite pastime does not captivate today’s youth

Feldman ’15: The mishandling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case is intolerable

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weather

After doubling of drug-related deaths statewide since 2009, policymakers seek to widen access to treatment

for the next outbreak of a bad batch,” she said. “And it’s our responsibility to make sure people are prepared with the necessary training to save these lives.”

While Rhode Island has made significant inroads in reducing the number of fatal overdoses using Naloxone, the state is still struggling to prevent drug use and addiction.

Heroin and opioid usage is equally distributed by age and geography, countering what was assumed to be a primarily a problem among urban youth, according to the new data from the Department of Health.

“We’re hoping to come up with better ways to address this issue through looking at the statistics,” said Green.

“Hospitals and medical practitioners now have to report overdoses within 48 hours so we can get more information.”

When asked about possible solutions to confronting the state’s drug problems, » See OVERDOSES, page 2 t o d ay

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2 university news » DAVIDS, from page 1 years before he became a full professor of psychology, teaching staples of the department such as Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology and Childhood Psychopathology, Hayden wrote. He taught at Brown for a total of 33 years.

Not only a prolific researcher and writer — with books, textbooks and over 100 published articles to his name — Davids also inspired future psychologists in the classroom with his “ready laugh, rigorous work ethic and contagious humor,” Hayden wrote. Agustus White, Davids’ first honors student, would become a professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard and serve on Brown’s Corporation as both a trustee and a fellow, Hayden wrote.

“While he had no children of his own, he was the paternalist force behind innumerable students who became in their own way his children for a change,” Hayden wrote.

After retiring in the late 1980s, Davids developed one of the first internship programs at the American Psychological Assocation, focusing in child psychology. The internship is recognized today as one of the nation’s finest for clinical psychology, Hayden wrote.

A service will be held either Thursday or Friday, according to Heindel.

» OVERDOSES, from page 1 Green offered two plans that she said are currently in works.

The first option would be expanding the ‘Good Samaritan’ Law, which allows drug users to call for emergency help in the event of an overdose with legal protection, Green said. The law will expire in 2015 and currently excludes felons and parolees from the immunity protections, she added.

A second measure would be increasing training for people to deliver Naloxone and extending prevention programs to get more individuals addicted to drugs into treatment. “Users should have full, easy access to Naloxone and other countermeasures to save lives,” Green said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Most sophomore seminars see low enrollment Smaller class sizes for seminars created by strategic plan foster better discussions, some instructors say

By MICHAELA BRAWN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As shopping period draws to a close, enrollment in some of the seven sophomore seminars being offered this semester remains low, with only two out of the seven seminars filling all 20 of their seats.

Thirteen sophomore seminars are being taught in the 2014-2015 academic year as part of the updated Diversity Perspectives in Liberal Learning course designation, The Herald previously reported.

Though there may be less interest in the seminars than was originally expected, several professors said the smaller enrollment has had a positive impact on the courses.

While his course RELS0200A: “Christianity and Economic Equality” allowed up to 20 students to register, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Andre Willis said he believes seminars should be between eight and 14 students to provide a setting where

» JANUS, from page 1 extremely problematic, he said.

As a solution, Lessig proposed implementing rules that do not stop individuals from exercising their rights to free speech by donating to political campaigns or influencing public opinion.

He said he favors instituting a system in which government officials spend less time raising funds and draw from a wider range of Americans.

One model of implementing this type of arrangement is creating a voucher system in which all Americans mail a sum of money to the U.S. Treasury and then receive a voucher that they can give to any candidate, Lessig said. Under such a system, the candidate would promise to accept only vouchers and contributions under $100, so that each candidate

students “have more access to one another and to the professor.” Five students are currently registered, which Willis said he feels is “right in the zone anticipated.”

Willis said he was eager to teach a sophomore seminar because “sophomore year is a crucial watershed moment between having to choose a concentration and still feeling new to college.” He said his course is going “exceedingly well” and that he would “definitely teach another in the future.”

Onesimo Almeida, professor of Portuguese and Brazilian studies, who is teaching POBS0915: “On Cultural and Personal Identity,” said he prefers seminars to have between 12 and 14 students.

Almeida formerly taught a similar seminar for juniors and seniors that sophomores often tried to get into.

When sophomore seminars were created as part of President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, he decided to “redesign the course at a sophomore level,” he said.

There are currently seven students enrolled in Almeida’s seminar, according to Banner.

“It is good to be able to discuss issues in small intimate settings,” Almeida said, noting that “freshman seminars have been successful and should be replicated because sophomores don’t have many opportunities to be in small seminars, and this gives them that possibility.”

Students expressed similar sentiments about the benefits of small class sizes in sophomore seminars.

Spencer Roth-Rose ’17, who is enrolled in the course POLS0920A: “Bleeding Heart Libertarianism,” said he is grateful to be in a seminar that is “very small by most class standards available to sophomores.”

“Political science especially is one of those subjects where there is a ton of back and forth,” Roth-Rose said, adding that “In such an intimate setting, we can really get to the heart of the merits and flaws of libertarianism. … Seminars also just force you to close your laptop and listen, and that in and of itself is something that doesn’t happen enough in college

anymore.”

Brock Lownes ’17, who is also taking Bleeding Heart Libertarianism, said he is enjoying the experience.

“You are really able to engage in the material deeper than one would in a lecture,” he said, adding that “We really delve deep into conversations about our readings.”

Though Oakley Friedberg ’17 was originally registered for ENGN0130: “The Engineer’s Burden: Why Changing the World is Difficult,” he chose not to take the course because 50 students were shopping it and were promised overrides. Despite the 20-student cap, 35 students are currently enrolled in the course, according to Banner.

“I felt like this was out of touch with the philosophy behind having small seminars in the first place,” Friedberg said. “The class’s failings were clear when the TA was trying to facilitate a discussion, as if to a small intimate group, which was seriously flawed in that it was impossible to thoroughly debate or talk through an argument” with such a large number of students, he said.

would get a sufficient amount of money from a large number of Americans, he added.

Volokh, a consistent critic of campaign finance reform, argued in response that “restricting the spending of money on the exercise of a right is a burden on the exercise of the right.” He equated the access given to campaign fundraisers and contributors with that gained by celebrities, newspapers or interest groups. Though the danger of corruption due to certain proportions of access is pressing, it is not pressing enough to justify reducing people’s ability to speak, he added.

Volokh said he views campaign finance through the lens of the “free press” clause in the Bill of Rights, arguing that Americans and news outlets alike spend money all the time on spreading their

ideas, slanting stories and editorializing.

The same standard should be applied to campaign financers spending money to support a certain candidate and his or her ideology, he said.

The legitimacy of super PACs marked a topic of contention between the two speakers. Lessig argued that super PACs, which were not directly created by the Supreme Court, increase the system’s corruption because they have the ability to influence government officials, not just public opinion. “Congress can limit contributions to independent PACs, even if they cannot and should not limit expenditures of the PACs,” he said.

Conversely, Volokh argued that individuals can, and often must, pool money and resources in order to have a more effective voice — often in the form of a super PAC.

In the question-and-answer session that followed, undergraduates raised questions about the problems that arise when corporations or wealthy individuals are able to advance their interests to the public and squash weaker voices.

Lessig addressed this concern in his presentation, arguing, “I see it more like the freedom that the Nazis have to march in Skokie — we despise what they’re doing, but a robust system of free speech require that they are able to do it.”

Zach Ingber ’15, a Herald opinions columnist, said he was concerned that the “voucher system would put political power in the hands of people who don’t have an interest in politics.”

Lessig said in response that it would be necessary to monitor the voucher system to prevent a phenomenon of “voucher buying.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

State to hold hearings on whether to delay exam graduation requirement NECAP exam draws criticism from some who question standardized tests’ influence in R.I. school districts

By ZACH FREDERICKS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education voted Sept. 8 to hold public hearings on Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist’s recommendation to delay the implementation of the New England Common Assessment Program high school graduation requirement from 2017 to 2020. Gist’s recommendation — made in late August — came after an outcry from some parents, teachers, legislators and students who called the standardized exam a misguided way to judge whether high school students are ready to graduate.

In 2008, the Rhode Island Board of

» UCS, from page 1 platform from last year of improving the connection between the executive board, the whole council and the student body.

For the other executive board appointment, former UCS Treasurer Alana Bhatla ’16 was elected UCS media director. Bhatla said she would pursue a specific agenda, starting with “a massive clean-up of our online presence,” including an active UCS Twitter account. She added that she hopes to create posters advertising UCS general body meetings and show them to student groups who deal with issues relevant to the meetings’ discussion topics.

Minoshka Narayan ’18 won the position of UCS appointments chair, in which she will select representatives to serve on several University committees. UCS Vice President Sazzy Gourley ’16, who was UCS appointments chair as a first-year, described the role as an influential post that requires a great deal of planning. “Organization is really important because you have to set up the whole schedule for these committees — the interviews,

Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education — renamed the state’s Board of Education this year — approved making the NECAP exam a requirement for graduation from state high schools by 2012, but the implementation process has been delayed repeatedly in the face of backlash from opponents. In response to Gist’s recommendation, the General Assembly will decide whether or not to delay the testing for three more years.

Currently, there are no scheduled dates for the public hearings that will help determine whether or not the legislature approves Gist’s recommendation.

There will be at least three hearings, said Elliot Krieger, public information officer at the Rhode Island Department

of Education.

In the interim, Gist launched a new initiative called The Assessment Project earlier this month to address statewide questions about the standardized testing process.

The Assessment Project “will bring together focus groups of students, parents and educators to determine how we can improve our systems of assessment so as to meet the needs of students,” Gist wrote in a public statement last week, adding that the initiative will “provide us with specific information that supports improved teaching and learning.”

The year-long review will have a comprehensive approach with dialogue between involved stakeholders, geared toward making standardized testing more efficient, Gist wrote in the statement.

State legislators have also raised

the applications,” Gourley said.

Narayan characterized herself as “hyper-organized,” citing her credentials as a student government coordinator at her high school in Mumbai, India.

Kevin Garcia ’18 was voted UCS Corporation liason, which involves faciliating interaction between the council and the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body.

“Even though we only have access to the Corporation three times, we have a much bigger commitment to that,” he said.

As UCS alumni relations liaison, Helen Ding ’18 will seek to interact with alums and coordinate fundraising. “It would be really interesting to … get alumni who have been successful in their occupations to come and talk to students who are interested in pursuing similar careers,” she said.

UCS-UFB Liason Faith Moses ’18, who will coordinate the council’s efforts with those of the Undergraduate Finance Board, said she believes “preparation” and “decisiveness” are two key qualities that student group leaders should possess when requesting funds from UFB. “If people aren’t

prepared, they might not get that funding,” she said.

Aryan Chhabria ’18 was chosen as parliamentarian pro-tempore. When familiarizing himself with the council’s procedures and code of operations, Chhabria said he would seek to make the UCS constitution “understandable,” adding, “Even though it seems daunting … all of those [documents] can be simplified, and it’s not something to be afraid of.”

In the last internal election of the night, Brandon Le ’18 was selected as webmaster of the UCS site. “I hold a job at the IT service center, so I do have a lot of experience with … whatever issues that visitors of our website might have,” Le said.

UCS President Maahika Srinivasan ’15 emphasized the influential role held by general body members, including new members. The council “brings a lot of people from very different corners of this university into this space so that we can have a conversation about Brown,” she said. “You can very much bring your own ideas, your own projects, your own thoughts and we’ll help you develop them into something that can create change.”

concerns about the potential financial cost for school districts incurred by each assessment.

But the state is not adding assessments, only continuing to explore different testing versions, including the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exam, Krieger said.

“None of us wants to test students too much,” Gist and Katherine Sipala, president of the Rhode Island School Superintendents’ Association, wrote in a joint statement to school superintendents. “We want all educators in Rhode Island to look at how we use assessments in order to see what we can do better — and to put the best ideas into action.”

Parents are worried not only about the anxiety their children might endure from overtesting, but also about the

perceived likelihood that students are losing important instruction time that is replaced by testing, said Kenneth Wong, professor of education.

Wong attributed parents’ qualms to their inability to distinguish between different kinds of testing, such as formative and evaluative assessments.

Formative assessments are “a way for the teachers to get the information they need so they can do their job more effectively,” he said.

In contrast, evaluative assessments like the NECAP are meant to measure students’ learning according to established standards.

Formative assessments are also meant to help teachers gain a better understanding of their students’ skill levels as they transition between grade levels, Wong said, adding that this approach is in line with the Common Core goals.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

CAREER SCRAMBLE

PHOTOS BY ASHLEY SO / HERALD

Students chat with employers in a tent set up on the Main Green for a career fair Wednesday hosted by the CareerLAB. Fifty-two companies had booths in the tent, with another 33 presenting their offerings to students in Sayles Hall.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

m a n y b e a r s a n d t w o - d ay fa i r s

menu SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Made-to-Order Quesadillas BLUE ROOM Mediterranean Pocket ANDREWS COMMONS Made-to-Order Baked Pasta

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Hot Baked Ham on a Bulkie Roll, Toasted Ravioli with Italian Salsa, Pasta Bean Bake

Chicken Helene, Pot Roast Jardiniere, Mediterranean Orzo, Mediterranean Eggplant Saute

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Grilled Rotisserie Chicken, Vegan Chili

Pot Roast Jardiniere, Orange Chipotle Glazed Tofu, Mashed Red Potatoes

sudoku

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

Two career fairs hosted by the CareerLAB attracted students from all class years this week. Tuesday’s fair placed a special emphasis on tech employers, while Wednesday’s fair, above, had a wider range of fields.

comics Comic Sans | Neille-Ann Tan ’18 RELEASE DATE– Thursday, September 18, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Scavenging seabird 4 “You gotta be kidding me!”

9 “Cast Away” star 14 With 12-Down, Rodin sculpture 15 “__ the big deal?”

16 Bustling 17 Sound that may be averted by holding one’s breath 18 “Take your time” 20 Machu Picchu dweller 22 Mashed taro, mostly 23 Promising words 24 1993 film loosely based on the Jamaican bobsled team 27 Cry 28 Graphic beginning?

29 Sass 32 Watch carefully 34 Equipped 36 __ wave 37 Beginning auspiciously ... like 18-, 24-, 46and 55-Across?

40 Works on, as homework 41 Vocalist Vannelli 42 Heavy reading?

43 Ukr., once 44 Disney World visitor’s airport, on bag tags 45 Bluish hue 46 NCAA regional semifinals, familiarly 51 Acadia National Park locale 53 Word with game or room 54 Like lingerie models 55 Green-skinned movie villain 58 __City: computer game 59 Bull on a glue container 60 Beaufort __ 61 World Cup cheer 62 Anoint 63 Celebrated 2014 sports retiree 64 Site site

DOWN 1 Moral code 2 Safari sight 3 Colorful candy since 1847 4 Grass bristle 5 Throw together 6 Georgia’s __Bibb County 7 Enjoyed some home cooking 8 Codebreaker’s org.

9 Tried one’s hand 10 Provides inside information for, say 11 2014 Russell Crowe title role 12 See 14-Across 13 Foxy 19 “You don’t have to” 21 They may be red 25 More than modify 26 Dome-shaped abode 29 “Love Actually” co-star 30 Memo words 31 Chinchillas, at times

32 “American __”: Neil Gaiman novel 33 Sci-fi staples 34 Like acrobats 35 “__ appétit!”

36 Weasel kin 38 “It’s a deal!”

39 Charon’s river 44 Title holders 45 Group with a common bond 46 “Oliver Twist” bad guy

47 Double 48 Grabbed a stool next to 49 Banishment 50 Queens athlete, for short 51 Flour producer 52 Peak 55 Site site 56 Paper with NYSE news 57 Part of HRH

Mind Grapes | Willa Tracy ’17

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

calendar

09/18/14

TODAY

By Julian Lim ©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

09/18/14

TOMORROW

4 P.M. BUCC MEETING

5 P.M. IS OPERA DEAD?

The Brown University Community Council will have a meeting in Faunce to discuss issues of importance to campus, with all Brown community members welcome.

Kasper Multipurpose Room

The future of opera and the arts in general will be discussed by a panel of experts including Stuart Holt, director of education and outreach for the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Salomon 001

5 P.M. TURKEY AT THE TIPPING POINT

5:30 P.M. MY TWO ITALIES

Jenny White, social anthropologist and professor at Boston University, will discuss the evolution of Turkey’s national identity over the last 20 years and the challenges it has faced.

Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum

Joseph A. Luzzi, professor at Bard College, will be presenting his new memoir that examines his family’s story in the context of the history and culture of Italy.

Brown Bookstore

5:30 P.M. EXPLORING EQUATORIAL GUINEA

8 P.M. INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCING

Machado House hosts an exploration of the history, culture and music of the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, Equatorial Guinea, and a sampling of its cuisine.

Machado House

Instruction in various dances from across the globe will be provided to the public. Attendees are advised to wear comfortable shoes to the dance floor.

Alumnae Hall Auditorium

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

EDITORIAL

ISIS requires a real coalition Over the weekend, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria executed a third westerner, British aid worker David Haines. The United States, the United Kingdom and our allies around the world are increasingly inclined to escalate action in the conflict. While the civil war is certainly, to a degree, a global concern, ISIS presents a substantial direct and long-term threat to nations in the region. We urge Middle Eastern and North African nations, particularly the Sunni-majority states of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to contribute resources and combat troops to the effort.

On Aug. 8, President Obama became the fourth consecutive U.S. president to order airstrikes in Iraq. He has since ordered over 160. Since the beginning of the bombardment, many American politicians and military officers — including Gen. Ray Odierno as recently as Wednesday — have argued that this war cannot be won from the skies or with 1,600 military advisers. They have pointed out that ISIS is not like al-Qaeda but more strongly resembles a conventional land army of 30,000 to 50,000 incredibly well-funded soldiers looking to conquer and hold cities. The question the world then faces is who will supply the forces to combat this force on the ground in conjunction with U.S. air power.

We applaud Obama’s restraint in escalating American involvement in the region. The president ordered airstrikes as a humanitarian necessity after much hesitation and concern that the United States might be seen as a Shiite airforce. While Iraq has since established a new government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the United States should not let itself be forced into further action because the Iraqi army and regional Sunni powers are reluctant to act.

There are undoubtedly further humanitarian reasons for dedicating American forces to this fight, but as U.S. intelligence has found no immediate threat to the homeland, this is also an opportunity to consider the long-term consequences of our intervention in a religious war. On Fox News Sunday, Gen. Michael Hayden said, “This is three to five years even if we are successful.” Given the timeline being discussed, the sensitivity of a religious civil war and the United States’ previous involvement in Iraq, the United States should continue to push for a broad coalition with ground forces provided by regional powers.

This country is constantly torn between calls for intervention and inaction because of our military superiority and criticism for overstepping. On Tuesday, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before Congress that if the coalition failed he might recommend American ground forces in Iraq. But we should still give the coalition a chance to succeed.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, led by Alexander Kaplan ’15 and James Rattner ’15. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Rhody Fresh letter is misinformed To the Editor: In response to Spencer Caplan’s ’15 letter to the editor in Tuesday’s Herald (“Brown should bring back Rhody Fresh,” Sept. 16): Brown still does buy all its milk from the Rhody Fresh program. Unfortunately, the program ran out of its specially marked packaging for the half-pint containers sold at some Brown eateries. So, unbeknownst to most members of our student body, they have still been drinking Rhody Fresh milk. Dining Services is currently in the process of posting notices to this effect that will

be up until Rhody Fresh is able to return to using its specially marked containers. The program as a whole has been widely popular. Brown is proud to be able to serve Rhody Fresh milk to all its students, and plans on continuing to do so for the foreseeable future.

Walker Mills ’15 Chairman Undergraduate Council of Students Campus Life Committee The author is a Herald opinions columnist.

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

“You are really able to engage in the material deeper than one would in a lecture.”

— Brock Lownes ’17

See seminars on page 2.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Baseball striking out: the demise of America’s pastime IAN KENYON opinions columnist

I have never played a game of baseball in my life. Not pee-wee, not Little League, not even an impromptu inning during recess. I was the boy who flatout protested a game of catch with his father — something akin to the guilt inspiring Kevin Costner’s introspective journey in “Field of Dreams.” The only difference is that I never found a calling to come around to the game — or to construct a baseball diamond in my backyard. I have, however, resided in baseball’s hometown of Cooperstown, New York, for the last decade, and having formerly worked at the hallowed National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, borne witness to the transitional nature of the game’s heart and soul.

Some of you undoubtedly have completed the pilgrimage to my hometown. Cooperstown’s lack of adjacency to any major thoroughfare and limited seasonal offerings preclude a regular flow of travelers from nonchalantly stopping in the village. To come to Cooperstown, visitors must dedicate their will and their day. With just 2,200 annual residents, it is no challenge to measure the volume of tourists that flock to Cooperstown’s streets as the temporary population regularly swells and shifts by the thousands from week to week.

Working within the “belly of the beast” — the Hall of Fame — I met thousands of individuals over the course of eight

years with the organization. Baseball fans paying homage to a cornerstone of their childhood — or adulthood — from all corners of the country and beyond, with spouses, children, grandchildren and friends in tow, all found themselves within my workplace.

My first days with baseball were marked by bygone times: a soaring economy, Bush 43 delivering the perfect first pitches and a younger fan base. Times changed, however. As is widely agreed upon by locals, the high-water mark for the Hall of Fame was the summer 2007 induction featuring the Baltimore Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. and the San Diego Padres’ Tony Gwynn.

Like the economic trends of latter ’07, the trends in tribute gradually faltered. I use no specific set of metrics to present my case, other than the contact I had with arriving fans from year to year. The all-too-regular observations of watching grandparents relish with delight the Hall’s majesty as their grandchildren tweeted on from behind — or worse yet, sealed out the world with a pair of earbuds — began to speak volumes on the aging soul of baseball fandom. While attendance numbers indicated shifts in the pilgrimage to “Baseball’s Mecca,” the more apparent shift was in attitude — partic-

ularly along generational lines.

Baseball’s loyal fans grew dramatically older after 2007. Compared to other athletic franchises, baseball appeared antiquated and slow. In the Cooperstown region, many of my peers, and perhaps yours, too, advanced through their secondary education playing soc-

cer or, in the larger districts, football.

When I attended Spring Hill College in southern Alabama, it was no surprise that I witnessed how football had eclipsed all other athletics. America’s pastime was indeed becoming a different concept: a past time. How could baseball position itself in an increasing-

ly youthful and expedited world? How could baseball, with rules and regulations that seemingly prevent a speedy game, appeal to America’s youth who protest an irregular Facebook outage?

How many innings? Infield warm-ups?

In fact, I never made it to a ninth inning of a game, and I was only watching from my backyard, which abuts Doubleday Field.

My colleagues and I would jest that older baseball fans became young again when they walked through the doors of the Hall of Fame. They did. But the same did not necessarily apply to their children. With my own accumulation of age, wisdom and experience, I could see in my latter years that a disconnect was forming in baseball. America’s youth had new athletic allegiances in mind. The regular flow of NFL attire through the front doors of baseball’s home suggested this altering of allegiances — and seemed gauche, moreover. Kids were increasSOYOON KIM ingly disassociated from the realities of the grandeur and history surrounding where they stood. In the Hall’s 75 years of existence, the number of accomplished athletes, political figures and noteworthy individuals who have walked the rooms and grounds is staggering. President Obama visited the Hall just this summer in a photo op to

push New York tourism. Those that can take note of this, however, are increasingly dwindling in numbers.

For a sport that loves to reminisce, baseball reminisces perhaps too much, and glorifies an era in America when the socioeconomic makeup of our society was dramatically different. Who better than America’s youth to serve as a litmus test of this suggestion? MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is not exactly the pulse of America’s youth, after all.

Baseball is aging, as are all concepts in our changing world. While my testimony to a change in America’s pastime is but a mere observation from baseball’s cradle, what happens on baseball’s most sacred ground foreshadows what is to come for the sport — and that’s okay. While Costner may have needed to play catch with his father in “Field of Dreams,” I do not have to do the same.

Many of us do not. The debate remains over the pulse of baseball: whether it is slowing, or even there at all. Baseball still has a solid fan base, but it is seemingly drawn along generational lines.

As this year’s World Cup drew more domestic viewers than ever before, and as our national makeup continuously shifts, America’s pastime will find new contenders in the coming decades.

In Cooperstown, the winds of change are picking up: change for MLB, fans and the heartbeat of my hometown.

Ian Kenyon GS is a Cooperstown native, now studying public affairs with the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions.

A Ray of mismanagement ANDREW FELDMAN opinions columnist

Almost seven months ago, police arrested former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for domestic violence. Now, new information is still being released about the details of the case. At this point, video evidence has shown everyone what occurred. Footage depicts Janay Palmer, Rice’s fiancee at the time, confronting him in an elevator and Rice responding by knocking her unconscious.

Domestic violence should be awful enough by itself, but the NFL somehow managed to find a way to make the situation even worse. TMZ released a video, first on Feb. 19, showing Rice drag his unconscious fiancee out of an elevator, and then released a second video on Sept. 8 actually showing the events in the elevator. The second video shows a professional athlete, whose job involves training his body to withstand and deliver physical punishment, using that training to punch his fiancee. Rice strikes with such speed and force that it’s difficult to see his arm move even when watching in slow motion.

Normally, if one were to think of a trial lasting seven months, it would be due to a prolonged court trial, not just the decision to suspend an employee. But through incompetence, ignorance or corrupt intent, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the rest of the league’s office turned the focus of the incident from the brutality of domestic violence to their incapability of dealing with player activities. This makes the Rice situation even more appalling.

Much of the mishandling of the situation directly results from Goodell’s denial of seeing the footage of the incident inside the elevator, even

though reports have surfaced stating that the police had sent the footage to both the NFL and Rice’s lawyer. Goodell also claims that what Rice told him occurred in the elevator was ambiguous, even though Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome said Rice told the truth.

It is extremely unlikely that the league had no idea about what took place in that elevator. Footage has been available to the public for months that showed Rice drag his unconscious fiancee from the elevator and leave her passed out on the floor. Even if that were all the information available, it would have been enough to say that something violent happened in that elevator. But the

Eventually, enough public backlash caused Goodell to admit his mistake in a letter sent around the league. To prevent such an insufficient future punishment for domestic violence, the policy for first-time offenders was changed to a six-game suspension. But after the public saw the second video, and the Ravens terminated Rice’s contract, Goodell then handed out an indefinite suspension for the exact same offense. Never mind the fact that Rice was already unemployed and no team was about to offer him a new contract. Not only is his indecisiveness detrimental to the league, but it also sets a horrendous precedent of instituting double jeopardy.

Domestic violence should be awful enough by itself, but the NFL somehow managed to find a way to make the situation even worse.

NFL must have known more than that. This is the same league that works with the FBI to monitor everything its players do from before they are even drafted. It’s a safe bet to expect that if footage exists of a crime any NFL player committed, the NFL has access to it.

Originally, Goodell suspended Rice for only two games, justifying the relatively minor punishment by stating that Rice had no past history of domestic violence. But in the first video, after Rice hauls Palmer out of the elevator, he just stands around until a security guard walks up.

If this was actually the first time any sort of domestic violence occurred, Rice should have been panicking or calling for an ambulance — an injury like that could have caused serious trauma, and one would expect a fiancee to show adequate concern.

Rice should have originally been given an indefinite suspension. He needs the time away from football to focus on rehabilitation. Any sort of finite suspension functions the same as getting a speeding ticket — after one pays the fine and gets back in the car, it’s easy to forget about being punished and do it again. Also, an indefinite suspension requires applying for reinstatement, so the commissioner would be able to ensure the player were sincerely rehabilitated.

While Rice should have been given an indefinite suspension months ago, giving him one now after he was already sentenced is an abuse of power. Instead of issuing and sticking to a single strong statement, Goodell threatens every other NFL player with the risk of being tried twice in future proceedings. His questionable expansion of power also allows some fans to sympathize

with Rice’s supposed plight and forget the fact that he is not the victim — Palmer is.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar organization whose commissioner has earned $74 million over the last two years. With all the revenue and influence the NFL possesses, it requires a strong commissioner who can hold the league to the highest moral standards. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, just navigated his league through a tumultuous time of racism by successfully removing the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling. NFL fans both need and deserve a commissioner who can properly handle a league that is so impressionable on their children.

As Goodell wrote in a letter to Rice explaining the punishment, “The league is an entity that depends on integrity and in the confidence of the public, and we simply cannot tolerate conduct that endangers others or reflects negatively on our game. This is particularly true with respect to domestic violence and other forms of violence against women.”

Goodell contradicts his own statement.

Through this scandal, Goodell has displayed questionable integrity, which has elevated the public’s distrust of the NFL. It would seem that

by Goodell’s own admission, the league can no longer tolerate him as commissioner. Rice committed the crime, but Goodell’s ineffective handling of the situation belittled the magnitude of domestic violence, and he enabled it to continue.

A two-game suspension doesn’t seem sufficient for either party.

Andrew Feldman ’15 regrets that this case was decided by Roger Goodell rather than an actual judge and can be reached at andrew_feldman@brown.edu with suggestions on how the NFL can better manage its players.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD Next gov. likely to crack glass ceiling

Elections Roundup

BY MARIYA BASHKATOVA, METRO EDITOR

Candidates Gina Raimondo, Allan Fung garner national support in trailblazing election

Republican Party challenge to Healey candidacy struck down The Rhode Island Board of Elections struck down an official petition by the R.I. Republican Party yesterday, which challenged the gubernatorial candidacy of Robert Healey who is running as a Moderate Party candidate, the Providence Journal reported.

Healey, founder and former leader of Rhode Island’s Cool Moose Party, replaced James Spooner as the Moderate Party’s choice Sept.

11 after Spooner dropped out of the race for medical reasons.

The Board of Elections voted against the GOP’s arguments, one of which claimed Healey was ineligible because he was not affiliated with the Moderate Party, “upon information and belief,” prior to Sept. 11.

Healey has run three times each for governor and lieutenant governor, but lost all six elections. In his last race for lieutenant governor in 2010, he garnered 39 percent of the vote, and received 10 percent of the vote when he ran for governor in 1994. A central tenant of his platform was abolishing the office of the lieutenant governor, which has no specified official duties in Rhode Island aside from assuming the governor’s responsibilities if he or she is unable to perform them.

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

For the first time in state history, the next governor of Rhode Island will most likely not be a white man. With Gina Raimondo as the Democratic candidate and Allan Fung as the Republican candidate, the winner of November’s gubernatorial race almost certainly will be either the state’s first female or its first Asian-American governor. Robert Healey, a white man and founder of the R.I. Cool Moose Party, declared his intent to run for governor as a Moderate Party candidate last week, but he lags behind the major party candidates at this stage in the race.

This increased diversity in state leadership comes from the ground up, said Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science and public policy.

Though Rhode Island politics have traditionally been a boys’ club, seeing women and minorities holding elected offices in the General Assembly and at the city level has changed voter perception, she said.

Nicole Kayner, spokeswoman for the Raimondo campaign, said the state has typically had a “know-a-guy” political culture. Rhode Island is the only New England state that has never had a female governor or U. S. senator, she added.

Raimondo, who is running on the tagline “If you want something done, ask a busy woman,” seems to be embracing her position outside the boys’ club thus far.

But while women’s groups, such as Emily’s List, have been very supportive of Raimondo, the national level of the Democratic Party may not want to shine a spotlight on her, given her divisive pension reform, Schiller said. The party may shy away from taking a stance on statewide pension reform in order to keep the peace with labor unions, she added.

But Kayner said the Raimondo

metro

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Allan Fung, the Republican candidate for governor, will be the first AsianAmerican governor of Rhode Island if elected in November. campaign has not had any trouble getting support from the national levels of the Democratic Party, adding that Rhode Island has not “elected a Democratic governor in over 20 years. So there’s definitely some enthusiasm at the national and local levels.”

“I think it shows that she can get big things done,” Kayner said of Raimondo’s pension reform.

Though Raimondo’s pension reform has proven contentious among union supporters, Fung’s right-to-work platform, which plays off the national movement for regulation of union activities in the workplace, is also perceived as anti-union.

For his part, Fung is not planning to integrate his ethnicity into his campaign, said Robert Coupe, spokesman for the Fung campaign. Fung is “running to represent every Rhode Islander.”

The support of the National Education Association’s Rhode Island chapter is still up for grabs given that its primary endorsement went to former candidate Clay Pell, who lost to Raimondo in the Democratic primary.

Though the extent to which the

national level of the Democratic Party will support Raimondo is unclear, MacKay speculated that Fung would get some monetary support from the Republican Governors’ Association in order to be competitive with Raimondo’s champion campaigning. Raimondo spent over $5 million before the primaries.

Coupe said that the national Republican Party identified Fung as “one of the young and up-and-coming elected officials,” and that he was appointed to a panel that serves as an outreach program for Asian-Americans.

The Democratic Party has received increasing levels of support from AsianAmericans since 2000, according to the New York Times.

Though Fung may need the Republican Party’s money, he doesn’t need its label, Schiller said, adding that the national Republican Party isn’t very popular in Rhode Island.

But “Mayor Fung is extremely popular in Rhode Island” as a personality, Coupe said. “Fung is running on his record” as mayor of Cranston, he said, not on the party’s reputation.

COURTESY OF THE RAIMONDO CAMPAIGN

If she wins Rhode Island’s gubernatorial election, General Treasurer Gina Raimondo will be the first woman to hold the office and the state’s first Democratic governor in over 20 years.

Fung campaign poll shows Fung and Raimondo tied Allan Fung, the Republican mayor of Cranston, and Democrat Gina Raimondo, the state’s general treasurer, are neck-and-neck in the race for governor, with 42 percent of the votes each in an internal poll of 500 Rhode Island voters conducted by the Fung campaign, the Providence Journal reported. Sixteen percent of voters remain undecided, according to the poll.

The poll results also suggest that Fung and Raimondo both have high levels of name recognition, but that Fung has a higher likability rating than Raimondo. While 64 percent of voters have a “favorable opinion” of Fung, 54 percent have a “favorable opinion” of Raimondo, the Journal reported.

Cianci will not collect Providence pension Providence mayoral candidate Buddy Cianci, who is running as an Independent, said he will not accept the city pension he earned in his two previous terms as mayor of Providence, WPRI reported.

Now 72 years old, Cianci is eligible to draw from a $209,000 pension he accumulated during his 22 years of city employment, the Providence Journal reported. Cianci said he thought the other mayoral candidates — Democrat Jorge Elorza, a former Housing Court Judge, and Republican Daniel Harrop ’76 MD’79 — should also reject collecting pensions if they are elected mayor.