Wednesday, April 1, 2015

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SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 44

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Grad student dies after fall from SciLi 8.5 percent admit rate for

2019 class breaks U. record

After Hyoun Ju Sohn’s GS death, over 300 community members grieve at evening vigil

History, English enter top intended concentrations, joining STEM fields, social sciences

By EMMA HARRIS AND EMMA JERZYK UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND METRO EDITOR

Hyoun Ju Sohn GS died Tuesday after falling through a 12th floor window of the Sciences Library just before noon. Sohn was a first-year physics doctoral student from South Korea, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in a community-wide email Tuesday evening. Lindsay Lague, public information officer for the Providence Police Department, told The Herald Sohn’s death was a suicide. Paxson called it “an apparent suicide” in an earlier email to the community Tuesday afternoon. Sohn fell to the area between the library and the Center for Information Technology after breaking the window. “Some students and staff walked by the body” before police officers roped off the area with yellow caution tape, said Thomas Doeppner, associate professor of computer science and vice chair of the department, who was in his office in the CIT at the time of the incident. Sarah Perelman ’15, a former Herald

By ALEKSANDRA LIFSHITS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

Providence Police officers taped off the area between the Sciences Library and the Center for Information Technology after Hyoun Ju Sohn GS fell. science and research editor who was on the third floor when the student jumped, said police officers arrived at the scene within a minute and a half and covered his body. Jodie Gill, program director for the Science Center, who was also on the third floor, said Providence Police

officers were already at the library searching for a distressed student before the incident occurred. They told her they had been notified of a possible suicide attempt earlier in the day, she said. The Providence Police Department could » See SOHN, page 3

The University offered admission to just under 8.5 percent of applicants to the class of 2019, breaking last year’s recordlow acceptance rate of 8.6 percent, said Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73. Out of the 30,397 students who applied — the second largest pool in University history — 2,580 students were admitted. The 1,970 students accepted through the regular decision process will join over 600 students admitted in December. The percentage of first-generation college students admitted decreased from 18 percent last year to 13 percent this year, Miller said. Sixty-one percent of admits intend to apply for financial aid — slightly down from last year’s 67 percent, he said. Admitted students hail from all 50 states and 85 countries, according

to a University press release. Among domestic admits, the best-represented states are California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas. Among international admits, the top five countries represented are China, the United Kingdom, Canada, India and Korea. The diversity of the admitted class of 2019 is fairly consistent with that in the past few admission cycles, Miller said. Forty-five percent of admits selfidentify as African American, Latino, Native American or Asian American. Fifty-nine percent of admits attend public high schools, while 41 percent attend either private or parochial schools. Though the pool of accepted students is similar in many ways to the pools of previous years, this year saw a shift in intended concentrations. Though seven of the top nine intended concentrations — engineering, biology, computer science, biochemistry, international relations, economics and political science — were holdovers from last year, history and English also joined the list. Interest in concentrating in history increased by about 80 percent since last year, according to the press release. » See ADMISSION, page 3

U.’s female leadership a Three declare candidacy for UCS presidency symbolic win, but results hazy Sexual assault policy Administrators reflect on impact of gender on careers, recognize need for varied forms of diversity By SUSANNAH HOWE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

This series will explore the first 1,000 days of Christina Paxson’s presidency. This story, the second of three, will look at how the University’s female leadership team represents, motivates and responds to students.

1,000 DAYS: PAXSON’S PATH Brown is the only Ivy League school where both the president and the provost, the two highest-ranking administrators for academic operations, are women. In fact, almost three-quarters of senior administrators are women. Students and administrators appreciate female representation in university governance. But doubt lingers over whether President Christina Paxson’s P’19 administration will seize the opportunity to create more than a

INSIDE

symbolic victory on gender issues, as well as whether it is properly equipped to handle issues affecting women of color. ‘A place you fit’ “My children are actually spaced eight years apart, and I call that the tenure gap,” Paxson said. “I had the first one before I got tenure, and I thought, I am never, never going to become tenured if I have another child right now. So I waited until I was promoted to full professor to have my second child.” Provost Vicki Colvin said she waited until after getting tenure to start a family, having her children — who are now nine and 13 years old — relatively late in life. None of the administrators interviewed said their gender has held them back, but some said exceptionally accommodating colleagues and family members have played a large role in their successful careers. A Brown department chair supported Dean of the College Maud Mandel when she had her first child while working in a nontenure-track position without the benefit of formal parental leave policies, she said. Paxson said she has benefited from » See WOMEN, page 2

reform emerges as priority for all candidates for UCS leadership By NATALIE FONDRIEST SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Justice Gaines ’16, Sazzy Gourley ’16 and Zachary Nelkin ’17 will vie for the presidency of the Undergraduate Council of Students, while Alana Bhatla ’16 and Ryan Lessing ’17 will face off for the UCS vice presidency. Candidates submitted their official applications at a UCS Elections Board meeting Tuesday night. All UCS presidential and vice presidential candidates told The Herald that, if elected, they would prioritize sexual assault policy reform. Some candidates focused on the student movement Act4RJ’s demands, while others highlighted the Task Force on Sexual Assault’s scheduled release of official recommendations at the end of the semester. Gaines, a UCS general body member and member of the Task Force on Sexual Assault, stressed the importance of ensuring that the task force’s recommendations are implemented. Gaines’ platform centers on “oversight,

Justice Gaines ’16

Sazzy Gourley ’16

Zachary Nelkin ’17 COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATES

access and accountability.” As president, Gaines would hope to reevaluate financial aid based on student input and to standardize academic advising across all departments, in addition to pursuing sexual assault policy reform and additional mental health resources. To improve mental health resources on campus, Gaines pledged to increase access to Student and Employee Accessibility Services and develop more specific resources for students suffering from mental health concerns such as anxiety and eating disorders. “I’ve developed a lot of the work I’ve done outside of UCS, and I’ve developed a respect and trust, but also the ability to hold the administration accountable and be able to communicate with other students very openly,” Gaines said. Gourley, UCS vice president and

chair of the UCS Outreach and Advocacy Committee, said his platform focuses on student wellness, faculty diversity and transparent University governance. He also aims to advocate diversity support services and student representation at Corporation meetings. For campus life issues, he would prioritize pre-professional advising, performing arts space renovations and extended dining hours, he added. Gourley is the only UCS presidential candidate with UCS Executive Board experience, “which is critical in understanding the means to achieve institutional change,” he said, adding that developing working relationships with students and administrators in his current position would allow him to jump “headfirst into next year.” Nelkin, a former but not current » See UCS, page 3

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015

METRO Conference highlights problems with, possible solutions for mass incarceration in Rhode Island

ARTS & CULTURE The Jabberwocks explored their musical identity over two week Hong Kong a cappella festival

COMMENTARY Asker ’17: The moderate conception of safe spaces fosters intellectual growth on campus

COMMENTARY Secondo ’16: American cultural practices leave little time for restorative leisure activities

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Wednesday, April 1, 2015 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu