Thursday, November 13, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 109

since 1891

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Many Assembly leaders to retain positions DPS reports drop in violent crime, spike in bike thefts

ALEXIA DELHOUME / HERALD

Though Democrats lost six seats Nov. 4 in the R.I. House of Representatives, they still hold a strong majority in both chambers of the General Assembly.

Paiva Weed in line for reelection as R.I. Senate president, Mattiello likely to stay House speaker

D-North Providence, was reelected Senate Majority Leader and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, DNewport, was unanimously endorsed as the Democratic nominee for reelection to her position.

Though Paiva Weed won’t be officially elected until Jan. 6, the first day of the new legislative session, the Democratic supermajority in the state Senate remains, with 32 Democrats, five Republicans and one Independent. This partisan configuration means Paiva Weed will enter her

METRO

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While statewide elections Nov. 4 yielded new leaders in multiple top offices, party leadership seems to remain stagnant in the General Assembly.

At a Democratic caucus held Friday in the Senate Lounge at the State House, Sen. Dominick Ruggerio,

fourth legislative session as president of the Senate. She is the first woman to hold the job and was the first female Senate majority leader.

The upcoming session will be Ruggiero’s third as majority leader.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston, also called a Democratic caucus at the Cranston Country Club for House Democrats Nov. 6, during which he and fellow party leaders — House Majority Leader John DeSimone, D-Providence, House Majority Whip John Edwards, D-Tiverton, and Deputy House Majority Whip Joseph Almeida, D-Providence — were unanimously endorsed for reelection to their posts.

Mattiello, who previously served as House majority leader, was elected House speaker in March after former Speaker Gordon Fox resigned from the legislature as a result of a federal investigation. Like Paiva Weed, Mattiello also won’t be officially elected until the first day of the legislative session. But despite the two-fold increase in the number of Republican seats after the election Nov. 4 — from six seats to 11 in the 75-member chamber — Democrats in the House hold a large enough majority to elect a leader without Republican support.

The entire leadership team appointed by Mattiello was reelected, with the exception of Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lisa Tomasso, DCoventry, who was not present at the caucus because she lost in the general election to Republican challenger » See LEGISLATURE, page 3

UCS members discuss new DPS initiatives aimed at increasing safety, including a video series

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Bicycle thefts on or near campus have quadrupled this semester, said Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police for the Department of Public Safety, at the Undergraduate Council of Students general body meeting Wednesday.

Shanley and Michelle Nuey, manager of community relations and outreach for DPS, addressed the council about DPS’ efforts to reach the student body through informational initiatives.

“We’re really not sure who’s doing it,” Shanley said of the bike thefts, though he added that DPS had apprehended a suspect.

While bike thefts specifically have seen a recent spike, violent crime has decreased significantly, he said, which he attributed to the yellow-jacketed guards strategically assigned to spots throughout campus. “They are an additional set of people we set out to be eyes and ears, and who you can talk to if you have a problem,” he said.

Laptop thefts have also seen a recent drop, Nuey said, adding that she thinks “the decrease in laptop theft can be attributed to our staff being active in encouraging students to register their property.”

Many Brown community members do not fully understand how DPS goes about its duties, Shanley said. “I call it a Disney operation — people see all that and they don’t understand what it takes to arrive at that.”

DPS has a solid relationship with the Providence Police Department, he said, adding that the two agencies collaborate and exchange information and crime trends. “Providence has ultimate jurisdiction in the city,” he said. “Anything major, any felony, they’ll come in and take over the investigation. For misdemeanors and other matters, we’ll handle it,” he said, adding that DPS “probably takes care of 90 percent of the police work here.”

Shanley stressed DPS’ emphasis on student outreach as a means of increasing safety on campus. “We want to make you aware of who we are and what we have to offer before something happens,” he said.

But he noted that students still need to be proactive about their own safety.

“We really preach prevention,” he said, citing the importance of remaining vigilant while walking around campus.

“We consider ourselves a very customer service-oriented department, and you are our customers.”

Nuey said that partnerships between DPS and student groups are key to making safety services accessible. “I’m looking to engage all the time with staff and students and look for new ways of … educating the community on crime prevention,” she said. She cited safety initiatives such as the SafeWalk program, the » See UCS, page 2

U. health insurance costs rise, Students help assess needs of state’s homeless in line with most recent years Volunteers count Nov. 7.

Health insurance costs increased an average of 3.1 percent from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2014 and salary compensation increased an average of 3.8 percent, according to data provided by the Office for Finance and Administration.

Employees “have to contribute to their health plan a certain amount, then the University pays the difference,” said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration. On average, the University pays for about 80 percent of all employee health care costs, she said.

Huidekoper said the issue of health insurance costs “really factors into the overall financing of the University,” because if incremental costs are increasingly significantly, “we have less ability to do other things.”

The Deficit Reduction Working Group will look at all of the benefits the University currently provides to determine if they make sense, Huidekoper said. President Christina Paxson charged the group with recommending » See INSURANCE, page 2

By LINDSAY GANTZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

University costs for faculty and staff health insurance will increase by 2.5 percent in 2015, staying consistent with trends from the past five years. Deductible and co-pay rates have remained unchanged since 2005, said Drew Murphy, director of benefits. Health care costs are a substantial portion of the University’s operating budget.

The total cost of employee benefits for the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2015 is about $94 million, and health insurance benefits accounted for about $31 million of total benefit expenses, according to data provided by the Office for Finance and Administration.

Total compensation, including all benefit and salary expenses, accounts for about $400 million of the $900 million operating budget, The Herald reported

homeless population, connect people with support resources

By CARI BONILLA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Just an hour before heading out to survey people on the streets, Keenan Line ’18 received unsettling precautions: be careful with personal items, be ready to call 911 in case of an emergency and do not interact with hostile people.

Though she realized that these were merely precautionary measures, Line admitted she felt “unnecessarily nervous,” and was worried about how strangers would treat college students who wore North Face jackets and had beds to sleep in every night.

Survey in hand, Line and her outreach team began their tedious investigations down Mathewson Street as part of the kickoff to the Zero: 2016 Campaign, an initiative launched by Community Solutions, a national non-profit organization committed

The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, a public advocacy organization working to end homelessness in the state, is coordinating the state efforts for the national campaign. During the three nights of Registry Week, over 450 volunteers walked the streets of cities across the state, connecting homeless people to » See HOMELESS, page 4

METRO

Metro

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

About 200 Brown students participated in a campaign to survey local homeless individuals to help connect them with housing opportunities.

Commentary

Increased competition from casinos in Massachusetts could decrease R.I. gaming revenue

Students and professors discuss phenomenon of mass incarceration in America

Ingber ’15: U. should create advisory office for students in administrative processes

Kenyon GS: Southern GOP will make itself heard after recent election victories

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To keep health care costs stable without raising copays, U. has self-insured, promoted wellness

to fostering resilience and value for vulnerable residents.

On Monday, Rhode Island took its first step toward an ambitious goal to eradicate chronic and veteran homelessness by launching “Registry Week.” The state is one of five so far — along with Connecticut, New Mexico, Utah and West Virginia — to participate in the campaign.

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2 university news » UCS, from page 1 walking service on campus, and Operation Identification, which helps students register their property with DPS. “There is a lot going on across the country in regards to police brutality, and concern across the board in incidents that have occurred,” Nuey said.

“We try to be proactive as an agency … about issues that affect the Brown community,” she said, citing DPS’ discussions with the NAACP chapter at Brown, the Brotherhood, a student group aiming to provide a safe space for black men, and the LGBTQ Center. “We have been fortunate to have dialogue with these groups, and we haven’t had any significant grievances from these groups,” she said. “We try to keep these communication lines open — we’re not afraid to talk about these issues.”

DPS unveiled several new safety initiatives this year, Nuey said, citing four safety videos that it posted on its website featuring Brown student actors, with four more videos to come in 2015.

“We wanted to make it fun — we didn’t want to bog students down with the scary crime issues,” Nuey said. “We wanted to put these issues in front of students in a fun and realistic way.”

The recently created Bear Tips program lets students who demonstrate safe behavior earn Bear Tips Points that can be exchanged for safety-related merchandise at the Brown Bookstore, Nuey said.

When interacting with students, DPS officers can also distribute Bear Tips coins to those who display safe behavior.

» INSURANCE, from page 1 organizational changes to find $7 million in cost savings, The Herald reported Oct. 16.

“We’ve done really well in containing the growth of the cost of our health benefits, particularly relative to other employers,” Huidekoper said.

“If benefits were growing a lot it would be harder to give increased salaries,” Huidekoper said.

Harvard announced in September that due to rising health care insurance

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

This Week in Higher Ed

BY MICHAEL DUBIN, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Princeton violated Title IX, federal government finds RHEA STARK / HERALD

Paul Shanley, deputy chief of police for the Department of Public Safety, addresses the Undergraduate Council of Students at its meeting.

The council also passed a resolution in support of increasing the student activities fee paid by each undergraduate from $250 to $271. Many council members supported the increase due to the current student activities budget deficit of approximately $162,000.

Student groups’ funding needs would be better served by raising the student activities fee than by demanding more funds from the University, said UCS President Maahika Srinivasan ’15.

“Brown is running a huge deficit … so we don’t feel right asking for that kind of money, and we probably wouldn’t get that kind of money,” she said, adding that “when we ask for more money, we’re not asking them to increase tuition, we’re asking for a slightly larger piece of the pie” that is the overall University budget.

The council concluded its meeting by categorizing several student groups.

Project LETS, a student intervention team and nonprofit organization that raises awareness for mental illness and suicide prevention, was categorized as a

Category S group. Students for Samaritans, a student group dealing with mental health and suicide prevention, was approved to move up from Category 2 to Category 3 after group members told the council they need more funding for events such as panels of speakers. The Intercollegiate Finance Journal was also approved as a Category 3 group after some of its members requested additional funds for printing more issues and bringing in speakers.

The Brown RISD Coffee Society, a group that would host weekly meetings to discuss the history and production of coffee and hold monthly coffee tastings, was approved as a Category 1 group. The Haitian Student Association, which aims to educate the community about Haitian culture and history and to lead social and cultural initiatives in Haiti, was approved as a Category 1 group.

The Undergraduate Latino Outreach and Advocacy Group was approved to be reconstituted under the new name La Alianza Latina.

costs, those insured by the institution will now pay a $250 deductible, the Harvard Crimson reported. Murphy said the University currently does require those insured to pay a deductible, and co-pay costs have not increased since 2005. “We’re hoping that we can continue to keep these down.”

In 2015, the co-pay for generic prescriptions will decrease and the co-pay for branded prescriptions will increase, Murphy added. Because generic brands are “much less expensive,” Murphy said he hopes the change will increase the

generic fill rate and decrease health insurance costs.

“One of our uncertainties right now is the Affordable Care Act,” Huidekoper said. “We have to provide some additional benefits that we didn’t before.”

The ACA requires that all dependent children under age 26 be insured, Murphy said, adding that previously, the University only insured faculty members’ dependent children who were students under age 25.

Murphy also said the ACA will affect cost increases adding taxes, fees and required benefits. “The Transitional Reinsurance fee will cost Brown approximately $500,000 in 2015.”

When the University became selfinsured in 2008 — meaning that it now pays for all insurance claims instead of paying a premium to health insurers — there were associated cost cuts because carriers charge a fee to account for the risk they are taking on, Murphy said.

The University has kept increases down by introducing wellness programs and encouraging employees to make informed decisions about health care, he said, adding that if people stay healthy and don’t have unnecessary tests done, “they have less claims.”

“I think Brown has a very good benefit package with one exception,” said Professor of Biology Ken Miller ’70 P’02, citing a need for improvements to the Tuition Aid Program — an initiative that provides children of faculty members with a $10,000 annual scholarship.

When Miller’s daughter graduated from Brown in 2002, the scholarship was $10,000 per year, Miller said. In 2002, this covered about 38 percent of tuition costs, but today, it would cover about 22 percent of the University’s tuition, he said.

Open enrollment for University health, dental and flexible spending benefits for 2015 opened Nov. 10 and is active through Dec. 1.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights found that Princeton violated the Title IX federal statute in its handling of sexual misconduct cases, multiple news outlets reported Nov. 5.

OCR’s decision, which concludes its investigation of Title IX complaints filed against Princeton in 2010 and 2011, stated that the school did not respond swiftly and fairly to sexual misconduct allegations.

In accordance with the terms of its resolution agreement with OCR, Princeton will need to reexamine all sexual misconduct cases heard by its Faculty-Student Committee on Discipline during the last three years, the Daily Princetonian reported. At least 11 cases will be reexamined, including seven in which the defendant was determined to have committed sexual assault.

Princeton aims to finish reexamining the cases by February, the Daily Princetonian reported.

The school enacted changes to its policies governing sexual assault allegations in September, lowering the standard of proof needed to find a student responsible for sexual misconduct to “a preponderance of evidence,” a metric that the rest of the Ivy League uses, the New York Times reported.

U. of Florida political science department nixes online degree proposal The University of Florida’s political science department rejected a proposal to offer an online bachelor of arts degree in political science through the school’s online education division, known as UF Online, Inside Higher Ed reported Monday. About two-thirds of the department’s faculty members voted against the proposal.

Though the department already offers a number of courses through the online platform, faculty members expressed hesitation about the quality of a major completed entirely online, Inside Higher Ed reported.

“We felt that there were so many things (students) weren’t going to be exposed to,” Kenneth Wald, a professor of political science, told Inside Higher Ed. “It was going to be effectively a second-class degree.”

Policy uncertainty at both the university and state level also influenced the result, as faculty members worried that possible leadership changes at the university and in Florida could shift priorities, Inside Higher Ed reported.

The vote marks a setback for UF Online, which had expected an online political science program to launch during the 2017-18 academic year, Inside Higher Ed reported.

Harvard admits taking photos of classes without consent Harvard used hidden cameras to photograph students and faculty members in 10 classes last spring for a study on attendance, the Harvard Crimson reported Nov. 5.

The university did not inform the subjects that they were being photographed out of concern that doing so might distort research results, the New York Times reported.

The secret photography came to light at a Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences meeting Tuesday when Professor of Computer Science Harry Lewis asked about the study, which was confirmed by Peter Bol, the school’s vice provost for advances in learning, the Crimson reported.

Administrators promised to notify students in surveilled classes that their photographs were taken, the Times reported.

For many, the photographs add to privacy concerns at Harvard after controversy erupted last year when it emerged that the school searched through some junior faculty members’ email accounts.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Casinos in neighboring Mass. could hurt state revenue Gaming revenue estimated to fall 30 to 38 percent, exacerbated by Nov. 4 vote on Newport table games

By SARAH NOVICOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Gaming revenues for casinos in the state will drop between 30 and 38 percent in the next five years, mostly due to increased competition from Massachusetts, according to a new study published Nov. 5 by the Rhode Island Department of Revenue. The study found that this decrease will significantly hurt the state budget and affect the local economy.

In the next five years, at least three casinos and a slots parlor will open in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission divided the state into three regions and plans to issue a license in each for new gambling facilities. Two of the three available licenses have already been awarded to Wynn MA, LLC in Region A — which covers eastern Massachusetts — and MGM Springfield in Region B, which is western Massachusetts.

The license for Region C, covering southeastern Massachusetts — the region with the most potential impact on Rhode Island gaming — will be awarded in August 2015, according to the website of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Three locations in Region C — Taunton, New Bedford and Fall River

— are competing for that license. New Bedford represents the best scenario in terms of Rhode Island’s revenues, said Paul Dion, chief of the Office of Revenue Analysis for Rhode Island.

But even in that situation, Rhode Island still stands to lose about 30 percent of its gaming revenue by the opening of the Region C casino in 2019.

“Keep in mind, when I say the best scenario, we’re still losing money,” Dion said.

Another factor hurting the industry’s profits came this election day, when voters in Newport rejected Question 1, a ballot measure that would have added table games to the Newport Grand casino. Though Newport Grand represents only approximately 10 percent of state revenues, with the Twin River Casino in Lincoln contributing most of the rest, Question 1 had the potential to increase both Newport Grand’s share and the total amount of state revenue.

Developers on the Newport Grand project had planned to invest $40 million into the casino, adding table games as well as converting the facility into an entertainment center, but have not yet decided how to proceed after their most recent defeat, said former Providence mayor and real estate

developer Joseph Paolino P’06 P’17. A partial investment in the casino will be discussed when development partners meet in the next month, he added.

A similar measure to Question 1 that aimed to add table games was also rejected in 2012 by Newport voters.

Opponents of Question 1 have cheered its defeat but are wary of thinking the matter closed. The developers “will always come back and try to find another way,” said Elizabeth Taver, campaign coordinator for Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling. “No does not mean no to them.”

Table games at Newport Grand would have “definitely improved the ability of Newport Grand in particular to compete” with out-of-state facilities, Dion said.

The study goes further, saying, “In the absence of table games and/or a considerable capital infusion, it seems likely that Newport Grand will not survive when a casino is eventually built in Region C of Massachusetts.”

Paolino said expanding Newport Grand would have brought 350 new jobs to the facility, as well as added 400 temporary construction jobs and retained the 187 employees already working at the facility.

“The revenue drop-off probably would have been less given the presence of games at the Newport entertainment center. It would’ve been less, but it wouldn’t have been eliminated

Scholars debate incarceration Causes, implications and role of race discussed in context of mass incarceration

By ELENA WEISSMANN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“What do we owe the offending class?” asked Glenn Loury, professor of economics, in a discussion-based talk on mass incarceration at the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions Wednesday afternoon.

Steven Teles, associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University, was originally the intended speaker for the talk, entitled “Why Conservatives Are Changing Their Tune on Mass Incarceration.” But Teles could not make it to College Hill due to a delayed flight. A small group of faculty members with experience related to incarceration led the discussion in his place.

Loury spoke about the different causes of mass incarceration and the ethics involved with the issue.

“We decide where to put public housing projects; we decide whether to create job-training programs or not,” he said.

We decide about a lot of things that are implicated in the social formations from which the thing that we fear comes.”

Loury served on a committee of the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit organization in Washington that serves to provide “independent, objective advice to the nation related to science and technology,” according to its website. The committee met for two years, looking at the causes and consequences of high incarceration rates in the United States. Committee members surveyed empirical information about the extent and nature of incarceration, the role of prosecutors and various political factors,

Loury said.

“We could rethink the scope and scale of the war on drugs. We could rethink the discretion of judges on sentencing. We could rethink ‘three strikes and you’re out,’” he said, noting possible solutions that the committee discussed.

The three-strikes sentencing rule Loury mentioned is a commonly used statute by state governments that imposes more severe sentences for people convicted of three serious criminal offenses.

The small audience, composed of faculty members, graduate students and upperclassmen, did not entirely agree with some of the panelists. Two students in particular, Cherise Morris ’16 and Jamie Marsicano ’15.5, who mentioned their involvement working with incarcerated people, voiced their thoughts during the discussion.

“People who work at the (Adult Correctional Institute), which is about 20 minutes away, get paid 13 cents an hour, and they produce products that are then used by people outside of the prison,” Morris said.

“I see that as empirical evidence of a long-standing trend that was started with chattel slavery, moved through Jim Crow-era America and is now involved in mass incarceration,” she added.

“You don’t even need empirical evidence,” Marsicano said. “It’s absolutely unquestionable that the upward trend in mass incarceration and the similar trend in inequality are related.”

Marsicano added that “prisons should be abolished completely,” at which point the students were cut off by Loury.

James Morone, director of the Taubman Center and professor of political science, urban studies and public policy, also addressed the various causes of mass incarceration.

In America, there is “mass inequality,” he said. “In the mid ’70s, we were about

10 percent behind the typical European nation in terms of equality … but now we’re closer to the least egalitarian nation on Earth. We’re in the same league with Brazil and Mexico.” Morone said he saw three trends: high rates of incarceration, widespread inequality in the country and a change in the racial demographics voting for different political parties.

“I wonder if it all is somehow related,” he added.

Bradley Brockmann ’76, executive director of Brown’s Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, cited extraordinary levels of mental illness and substance abuse — and a lack of care available — as causes of mass incarceration.

“We have a public health system that has historically not believed in providing health care for the poor and then also a criminal justice system that has criminalized mental illness and substance use addiction,” Brockmann said. “You have a perfect circle with two broken systems feeding one another.”

The professors further discussed whether mass incarceration was mainly a race issue.

“This is not Jim Crow. This is America, 21st century. Yes, we have presumed racism. We have real racism. But that’s not the only thing going on,” Loury said.

Just as the discussion began to heat up, with Loury and Morris debating back and forth about whether incarceration should be a function of government, time ran out for the talk, which ran from noon to 1 p.m.

Despite the disagreement within the group, Sam Kalirch GS said he thought the discussion went well.

“I thought Glenn was extremely helpful and insightful with his particular experience and background,” he said of Loury. “Perhaps some people spoke out in disagreement, but I thought it was good to get a little debate going.”

by any means,” Dion said.

Either way, the state needs to find new sources of revenue or cut spending or some combination of both in the next few years, Dion said. Gaming tax revenues, mainly from Twin River and Newport Grand, as well as lottery ticket sales, represent the

third-largest source of revenue for the state, behind personal income taxes and sales/use taxes. The state budget office has predicted a deficit of $172 million in fiscal year 2016, a number that Governor-elect Gina Raimondo is constitutionally required to balance by the spring.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Gaming tax revenues are the state’s third-largest source of revenue, but more casinos in Massachusetts are expected to decrease state revenue.

» LEGISLATURE, from page 1 Sherry Roberts by a slim 248 votes.

Because this position is among those appointed by the speaker of the House, Mattiello won’t need to decide who will replace her until Jan. 6, said Larry Berman, Mattiello’s communications director.

Reps. Peter Palumbo, D-Cranston, Scott Guthrie, D-Coventry, Tomasso, Larry Valencia, D-Richmond, and Linda Finn, D-Portsmouth, lost to their Republican challengers last week. Rep. Donna Walsh, D-Charlestown, also lost to Independent Blake Filippi.

“I think that we were extremely productive last session,” Tomasso said. She pointed to Mattiello and other party leaders as the reason for the session’s productivity, and added that she thinks this trend will continue in the upcoming session.

“My experience working with Nick Mattiello has been pretty good,” said Rep. Brian Newberry, R-North Smithfield, who was reelected to the position of House minority leader at the House Republican caucus Wednesday night. “I think he genuinely wants to work with us where we have common

ground.”

Mattiello and House Republicans “have a good relationship,” Berman said. Mattiello is “pretty moderate,” he said, adding that five of the six Republicans in the House during the last legislative session voted for him as speaker of the House.

Newberry said he thought the larger faction of Republican seats will aid bipartisanship in the House.

“The larger the block of the minority party is, the more leverage you have,” he said.

The current minority leadership in the House may be on the rocks: Rep. Patricia Morgan, R-West Warwick, told the Providence Journal, “Wouldn’t it be great … to have a female governor, a female Senate president and a female leader in the House?” Morgan said she hadn’t decided whether to challenge Newberry for House minority leader ­— a position he has held since 2001 — or Rep. Joseph Trillo, R-Warwick, for House deputy minority leader.

While no decisions about Republican leadership in the House have been made yet, the next caucus is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, the Providence Journal reported.

4 metro » HOMELESS, from page 1 rehabilitative and housing services.

They used the comprehensive survey Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization and Decision Assistance Tool, known as the VI-SPDAT, to count the number of homeless residents and gauge their vulnerability.

“There’s a certain attractiveness to our geographic size to be able to do something like this and have it be effective,” said Jim Ryczek, executive director of RICH, adding that the scale of the problem in Rhode Island is manageable “if we really put our time and effort into fixing the system.”

In previous years, RICH conducted head counts of the homeless population, but this year, the state is streamlining the process by universally adopting the VI-SPDAT surveys.

The survey respondents obtain a “Vulnerability Index Score” based on their housing situations. These scores are then compiled into a list, which RICH uses to match homeless individuals with appropriate federal, state and locally funded housing programs and rehabilitative services.

Though organizers seek to

eliminate homelessness, Ryczek said he recognizes that “there will certainly be people who will fall into homelessness,” even after the campaign’s efforts. As a result, the organization’s ultimate goal is to expedite the process of rehousing and rehabilitation, he added.

“Shelters were never intended to be places where people lived. They were intended to be very, very shortterm stabilizers,” Ryczek said. “We’re essentially getting our act together in approaching homelessness in Rhode Island, and if we do that, we can functionally end homelessness.”

Jana Foxe ’16, a coordinator for Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, a student-run advocacy organization dedicated to ending homelessness, works as one of RICH’s on-campus connectors to bolster this mission. For Registry Week alone, HOPE — with help from the Swearer Center — recruited and trained about 200 Brown students to conduct the surveys across the state.

“The homeless do face a lot of misunderstanding from the wider community,” Foxe said, adding that homeless people face “a great deal

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

of bigotry and hatred from people.”

“I believe in the right to housing and in ending homelessness as an important tool for societal progress in general,” Foxe said.

Members of HOPE actively tackle homelessness — what Foxe calls “a huge market failure, a huge welfare crisis and a huge humanitarian crisis” — by lobbying for pieces of legislation at the Rhode Island General Assembly. Recently, they advocated for the “Just Cause” bill, a tenants’ rights legislative measure passed in July that prevents the eviction of rent-paying tenants in foreclosed homes.

“We have enough people who believe in the dignity of the community and that no one should be without a place to call home,” Foxe said. “The only thing we need … is political will.”

Activists in the anti-homelessness campaign need Rhode Island’s elected officials to support a minimum wage hike, affordable housing assistance and “transparent banking laws” to help their mission, Foxe said.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., participated in Registry Week by conducting his own

VI-SPDAT survey while on a visit to the Westerly Area Rest Meals Inc. Center. Langevin, who has been vocal about affordable housing and homelessness issues, told The Herald he supports the Zero: 2016 Campaign “because it is one of the first attempts of its kind to try and understand the root causes of chronic homelessness.”

At a roundtable discussion held at the Harrington Hall shelter Oct. 15, in-house clients and Rhode Island residents who had faced homelessness voiced their opinions on possible methods for approaching chronic homelessness. Langevin recounted how a majority of the roundtable participants advocated for rehabilitative services for the homeless.

Many people with mental illnesses or drug or alcohol addictions end up homeless, Langevin said. Communities need “more of those background services to help serve people that are in those situations to get their lives back on track.”

Ryczek lauded the state’s congressional delegation as “one of the most supportive in the country.” Langevin and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., have pushed for legislation that “brings

back funds to Rhode Island” from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Langevin said. Last year, Langevin introduced the Veterans Homebuyer Accessibility Act, which would give veterans an $8,000 tax credit to either purchase a home or to make their current homes more accessible.

Both Ryczek and Langevin encouraged Rhode Island residents to educate themselves and to reach out to their representatives. If representatives “heard from 10, 20, 30, 40 constituents,” they would be more attentive to addressing homelessness, Ryczek said.

After two hours of conducting surveys, Line and her outreach group were able to contact 10 homeless residents, taking a preliminary step toward future housing and rehabilitation. She acknowledged that the work was out of her comfort zone and even “highlighted the divide between life in the Brown bubble and the lives of many poor people outside it.”

“At the same time, the experience humanized these people and made them seem less like strangers,” Line said. “In that way, I feel like it lessened the divide.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

c a n s , c u p c a k e s a n d c h o c o l at e

menu SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauces BLUE ROOM Mediterranean Pocket Soups: Chicken Artichoke Florentine, Fire Roasted Vegetable, Turkey Chili ANDREWS COMMONS Pizzas: Na’cho Pizza, Okie Dokie Artichokie, Pepperoni and Sausage

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Fire Braised Pork Shoulder Sandwich, Cheese Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce LUNCH

Pasta Bean Bake, Cavatini, Roast Beef Au Jus, Roasted Brussels Sprouts

VERNEY-WOOLLEY

BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Swiss Broccoli Pasta, Fresh Whole Green Beans, Potato Skins Bar

DINNER

Pot Roast Jardiniere, Roasted Red Potatoes with Herbs, Wax Beans

sudoku

SAM KASE / HERALD

Bruno greets a fan at “Cans 4 Cupcakes,” an event held on the Main Green that offered cupcakes and hot chocolate in exchange for canned food donations to help combat hunger.

comics Comic Sans | Neille-Ann Tan ’18

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, November 13, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Radical diet 5 Balkan native 9 Old West trail sight 14 Arabian prince 15 Court material, perhaps 16 Country-rock artist Steve 17 You may get one from a doctor 18 Exclude 19 Goody-goody 20 Place for a nagging passenger?

23 Small dose?

24 Doctor’s order 25 Peppy 26 Secret motives 29 Rouse 31 Trim (down) 32 Its maker traditionally buys the drinks 37 Pay back?

38 Prohibition against Confederate soldiers?

40 Bailed-out insurance co.

41 Aleve and Advil 43 Movie role played

by Skippy 44 Tide table term 45 Played on a green 47 Weary from overuse 49 Apparent 53 In the style of 54 Soup with a prayer?

58 Sal of “Rebel Without a Cause” 60 South American rodent 61 Scruff 62 Word from the Latin for “little grandfather” 63 Algerian port 64 Bad to the bone 65 Sneaks a look 66 Zebras that don’t fear Lions?

67 Shoot down

DOWN 1 __ shui 2 Eros counterpart 3 In __: as found 4 Shake 5 Rebukes 6 Funny Fudd 7 Worker’s reward 8 Units of memory 9 Let it all out, in a way 10 Rhine tributary 11 Tribute to a sourpuss?

12 More familiar, joke-wise 13 Poor 21 Dragonfly prey 22 On the briny 25 Moral lapse 26 Per person 27 Simba’s mate 28 Farmer’s harvest tradition?

30 English can 32 Kubrick’s computer 33 Olive often rescued 34 Dumbbell abbr.

35 Nick at __

36 Quaint expression of surprise 38 Student’s fig.

39 More apt to be picked 42 Word between some last names 43 Brought into harmony with, with “to” 45 Praline nuts 46 Low número

47 Traffic congestion 48 Dress with a flare 50 Mist 51 Comforting words 52 Joltless joe?

54 Takes off 55 Talk excitedly 56 __ doctor 57 Hard to hang on to 59 Bugling beast

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

calendar TODAY 12 P.M. SELLING YOUR SOUL: MAKING ETHICAL

The philosophy DUG will host a debate about the decision between pursuing a profitable career and a job that helps the greater good. Wilson 101 4 P.M. FROM PROVIDENCE TO TEHRAN: USING MUSIC

5 P.M. THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF NORTH AFRICA: STATE

AND PERFORMANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

OF THE FIELD IN 2014

This panel will discuss the role of music and performance in facilitating social movements across the world. Pembroke Hall 305

International scholars of archaeology will present fieldwork and research from across the countries of North Africa during this conference. Rhode Island Hall 108

11/13/14

7 P.M. THE CHALLENGE OF ARMED GROUPS

Andrea Dew will speak about her research regarding the intersection of international politics and illegal armed groups. Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum

By Jerome Gunderson (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

12:30 P.M. BACK TO IRAQ?

In response to the recent announcement of troops being sent back to Iraq, this symposium will feature discussions on the history of the United States’ involvement in the country. Salomon 001

CAREER CHOICES

xwordeditor@aol.com

TOMORROW

11/13/14

7:30 P.M. ROCK AT THE ROCK

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Rockefeller Library will feature live music and food. The band “Diamond Doves” will be playing. Rockefeller Library

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

EDITORIAL

A push for peer concentration advising Choice can be overwhelming. At Brown, with the New Curriculum, this issue is particularly evident. Recently, Dean of the College Maud Mandel stated at an Undergraduate Council of Students meeting, “Advising at Brown is like the Middle East peace for every American president,” because many deans promise to reform it “and then go limping out of office,” The Herald previously reported.

The notion of fixing advising highlights one of the great paradoxes at Brown: developing support in an educational system that was designed to be relatively independent. Designed in the 1960s, the New Curriculum sought, as its cofounders Ira Magaziner ’69 and Elliot Maxwell ’68 wrote in The Herald, to “place an enormous burden on (students), making them responsible for their own choices and allowing them to learn from their mistakes in a supportive environment.” From the official development of the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program in 1983 to the 2009 launch of the Matched Advising Program for Sophomores, many students at Brown have yet to be satisfied with advising. Rather than assert that “we need better advising,” we might ask Brown, “What is good advising?”

First-years are assigned a Meiklejohn peer adviser and a faculty or staff member who assist them in the process of selecting classes and transitioning to Brown.

When students declare a concentration, they are connected with an adviser within the chosen department. Each department’s advising structure differs. In neuroscience, one of the most popular concentrations, students are randomly assigned a faculty adviser. In smaller departments, like urban studies, students can often select from a group of faculty advisers based on shared interests. Students cultivate a relationship with faculty members prior to the declaration date, moving the process of declaring one’s concentration — writing the mandatory essays and mapping out one’s academic future — beyond a requirement and turning it into a meaningful and enriching step in our academic journeys.

There is a tremendous degree of variability across departments and concentrations. From interdisciplinary requirements to tracks within a concentration, developing one clear, institutionalized and effective advising program is a challenge the University has yet to overcome. Rather than resulting from rethinking the declaration process or training advisers in a certain manner, the solution might come in the form of a concentration-based peer advising program that extends from the declaration of one’s concentration through the end of junior year.

Peers are better equipped to grapple with the realities of balancing a wellrounded and fulfilling time at Brown. By connecting sophomores to juniors or seniors, we facilitate the process of passing on knowledge gained from navigating the same department. This would simultaneously broach the impediments that often divide upperclassmen and underclassmen. In some departments, particularly the sciences and languages, where courses tend to carry prerequisites, there is little interaction between underclassmen and older students.

Mechanisms and examples of attempts to bridge the divide already exist. The Meiklejohn program gives students a valuable overview of Brown’s academic range but cannot always connect first-years with students from the concentration they will ultimately choose. The Development Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group offers “coffee chats” between prospective concentrators and upperclassmen to discuss the ethos of the department and the pros and cons of the concentration.

MAPS, run by the Curricular Resource Center, follows this model, but it is not designed to serve the entire sophomore class and is largely unknown to students.

The University offers several advising programs that go a long way to support students from different angles. But the gap in focused peer support within concentrations misses an opportunity to give students valuable perspectives in choosing concentrations and mapping courses.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

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

“Keep in mind, when I say the best scenario, we’re still losing money.”

— Paul Dion, chief of the Office of Revenue Analysis for Rhode Island

See casinos on page 3.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Alexander Kaplan ’15 and James Rattner ’15, and its members, Natasha Bluth ’15, Manuel Contreras ’16, Baxter DiFabrizio ’15, Manuel Monti-Nussbaum ’15, Katherine Pollock ’16 and Himani Sood ’15. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

A call for independent student advocates ZACHARY INGBER opinions columnist

Brown’s resources are vast. From academic tutoring to centers for exploring ethnic and religious identity, students on campus have a multitude of doors to walk through for guidance.

As a Meiklejohn peer adviser, I have learned a great deal about where students should seek help.

But almost all of these resources are managed and funded by Brown itself and provide little help should a student be involved in a conflict with the University. Students face numerous challenges that a dean or University administrator cannot solve or provide advice about because they are in fact part of the body charged with handing down certain decisions or disciplinary actions.

What we need is a non-partisan public defender’s office to help students navigate claims or disciplinary procedures in which the University is a party. While in theory, a Chinese wall could exist between Brown’s disciplinary body and a separate administrator providing counsel, it is hard to argue that the interests of these two parties would not be aligned. The Student Code of Conduct is extremely complicated. The average Brown student without profound legal interests would have exceptional difficulty interpreting the twists and turns of the difficult lan-

guage and compliance measures with federal legislation. An office analogous to that of a public defender would be an invaluable resource to students who suddenly find themselves in some kind of dispute with the University — a similar office known as the “ASUC Student Advocates Office” already exists at the University of California at Berkeley.

Disciplinary hearings are incredibly bureaucratic. Ad-hoc committees and bodies spring up with little explanation to the student on the hot seat. While the Office of Student Life puts forth a bill of “Student Rights and Responsibilities,” would it not be invaluable to

Consider for a moment the widespread utility of such a resource. For standard disciplinary hearings regarding property theft or vandalism, it seems self-explanatory that students would benefit from an official advocate.

Appearing before a panel of administrators can be terrifying, and students could have an impulse to forfeit their story or rights in favor of expediency to end the ordeal. Similarly, the University’s drug and alcohol policy is murky and often selectively applied. Greek and program houses, as well as other student groups who hold registered social events, might receive charges and

But this resource would not only serve the accused or those seeking to file a claim against another student.

I envision this office, as inspired by Berkeley’s model, to assist and advise students when they petition the University itself, mainly for financial aid.

The financial aid process can be incredibly confusing for any student, especially for those who might have a sudden change in their financial situation partway through their college career. Imagine if there were a place to go where a group of students could guide you through this process, providing advice and explanations for each step

It just seems counterintuitive that if students seek to file a claim against the University or face disciplinary charges, their chief advocate — if they are given one at all — is from the same body that will soon decide the outcome of their case. have an advocate whose sole job is to help students assert those rights? For example, this statement protects students against providing self-incriminating information, but who is there to ensure this right? The University, who might have an interest — perhaps with good reason — to rule against this student? Outside the gates, this is the job of an attorney: to protect the procedural rights of a petitioner or respondent.

Every individual dealing with some sort of dispute with the school deserves an advocate. Who better to do so than a fellow peer who has amassed expertise in campus affairs?

attend hearings in which they could benefit from a student advocate who is able to clearly explain the existing rules and disciplinary procedure.

This resource could also serve students involved in a sexual assault complaint. In recent months, there has been a multiplication of discourse about the pervasive nature of sexual assault, the student code and, most complicatedly, Title IX. While this remains a fraught issue that involves multiple legal hurdles, a group of students who have amassed knowledge of University protocol and complex Title IX procedures could serve the student body well.

in filing a claim. The same goes for filing a claim against another student — such as in the case of sexual assault — or against a University official or professor, which would be nearly impossible to bring to one of that person’s colleagues.

It seems to fall under the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Council of Students to create such an office. UCS is charged with representing the student interest, something epitomized by its role in creating the Task Force on Sexual Assault and in advocating for student voices in university governance. I hope that University Hall would con-

sent to the creation of such an office while simultaneously maintaining its distance so that the body can retain its independence. Of course, more serious disciplinary matters often involve outside counsel, but many students cannot afford an independent lawyer, nor do they often think one is necessary for a university-based incident. I imagine that students who self-select to be part of this initiative could go through some formal training program, aided by lawyers and University officials, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Code of Student Conduct and various disciplinary procedures.

There are certainly issues that may arise from the creation of such a body, and in no way do I want to impede on the University’s ability to protect Brown students and the campus community as a whole. Privacy issues are certainly of paramount importance, but if a student consents to involving an outside advocate, then this should not be an issue. It just seems counterintuitive that if students seek to file a claim against the University or face disciplinary charges, their chief advocate — if they are given one at all — is from the same body that will soon decide the outcome of their case.

Zach Ingber ’15 would love for you to join his efforts in creating an office of student advocates. If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact him at zachary_ingber@brown.edu.

Election Day’s true winners IAN KENYON opinions columnist

While the Republican Party declared a blow-out victory on election night, a particular enclave within the party watched as its political allowance quickly accumulated: Southern Republicans. This election cycle stood as a win for the Republicans to hold the congressional megaphone once again, providing the party an opportunity to illustrate its contrast with the Democrats.

Starting in January, governors-, senators- and representatives-elect will all swear their oath and step into office. A new era of the “Solid South,” traditionally referring to early-20th century Southern political uniformity, will commence.

This era holds at stake not only the 114th Congress, but both the Democratic and Republican party platforms — as well as the 2016 presidential election, thereby setting the political tone for potentially the next eight years and beyond.

Governors’ mansions from Atlanta to Austin will become or remain home to Republicans. Incumbent Democratic senators such as North Carolina’s Kay Hagan — and surely enough Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu — will surrender their desks to make way for newly elected Republicans, thereby contributing to the shift in the Senate leadership in Washington. And states such as Arkansas will see congressional representation in the lower house exclusively through one looking glass: the Republican Party’s.

Back in Washington, Senate Majority Leader-in-waiting Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will preside over a new Congress, as well as a slew of new committee chair appointments — where the true bounty of Southern Republican sway and influence become clear. As Senate committee as-

signments emerge following the commencement of the new Congress, the Associated Press has quickly pointed out that Southern senators “figure prominently among would-be major committee chairmen” on committees such as Appropriations, Budget, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, among others.

With Congress entirely in Republicans’ hands, between McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, Republican lawmakers can begin to lay the framework for a Republican Party that will come to a referendum once again in 2016, as voters elect a new commander-in-chief, as well as having another chance to comment on Congress’

tives and others.

Will the political trifectas — one-party control of a state governorship and both houses of a legislature — within southern capitals quickly affect legislative activity on the national level? Will suffocating abortion regulation from Jackson, Mississippi, or stringent voter identification laws in Austin, Texas, permeate conversation in Washington?

The answer — disturbing for some — is maybe.

The Democratic Party’s greatest weapon in Washington at this moment is President Obama — and his pen. With 26 months left in the Obama presidency, the question for both sides of the aisle

This electoral outcome is interesting in that it places a party of pariahs in the political limelight, and the question that remains is simple: What will Republicans do — or not do? performance via ballot box.

This electoral outcome is interesting in that it places a party of pariahs in the political limelight, and the question that remains is simple: What will Republicans do — or not do? In the election fallout, media and political commentary have dubbed the 2014 midterm elections everything ranging from a “referendum on Obama” to simply a “triumph of the wrong,” as the New York Times’ Paul Krugman believes it to be.

Regardless of the headline de jour, the fact remains that the American people have placed immense congressional power in the hands of a group of politicians who largely represent regions of the country that stand in opposition to many popular causes, including the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, legalization of gay marriage, preservation of abortion rights, exploration of legalized marijuana, public green energy initia-

is simply, how much longer do we want to preclude progress?

This is the moment where Southern Republicans seize their spot in the limelight. Republicans can place their policies on the president’s desk, and clearly hold the de facto face of the Democratic Party accountable on every bill presented.

The Republican Party can illustrate a clear picture of which direction it envisions our country heading in, without the “grim reaper” mentality of current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who allowed House-led initiatives to fall dead on arrival in the Senate. Republicans may be right, or they may be wrong. Either way, they will be heard.

As the 2016 election cycle approaches, Republican Party power will revolve around the South, as this is from where power inside the Beltway will hail. Undoubtedly, the next Republican presidential nominee will have to garner a nod of ap-

proval from power brokers in the South. Hints of this prediction have begun to surface in the last several months, as the media frequently speculates over potential 2016 Republican contenders from the South. These include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ’91.5, and even former 2008 presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Meanwhile, the new Senate majority-in-waiting in Washington has recently prompted a topdown review within the Democratic Party to analyze potential shortcomings that may have caused last week’s losses. Already some have questioned whether all-but-assumed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will endure a smooth road to the White House. The Republican Party, likewise, must now wrestle with maintaining uniformity and appeal, as it enters the 2016 election season.

One wonders where Paul will fall in toeing the party’s line, as well.

While not entirely predictable, our political wallflowers — the Southern Republicans — have found their way onto the middle of the dance floor. Like it or not, everyone from Obama to both major political parties to Congress must now jive to their beat. For the president, this is a limbo to a legacy. For the Democratic and Republican parties, this is a dance of differentiation.

Congress merely dances to remain relevant.

The story of politics has always been about who owns the moment. Southern Republicans own this moment.

Ian Kenyon GS is an MPA candidate with the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and can be reached at ian_kenyon@brown.edu.