Thursday, November 5, 2015

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 100

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U. female professors earn less Rock to gain grad student study space than male counterparts Project funded by Historical hiring practices, gender disparity in STEM departments may contribute to salary gap

By ELANA JAFFE STAFF WRITER

Male professors at Brown were paid on average $14,841 more than their female counterparts in the 2013-2014 academic year, according to aggregated data recently released by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

It is “not incorrect to say that there is a gender gap,” said Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12. The data reflects a higher number of male professors who are in high-paying fields such as the physical sciences and economics or who have remained in their positions for many years, he said.

“It’s not that women are underpaid; it’s that they aren’t in the fields that are higher paid,” McLaughlin said. In science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, women are still considered an underrepresented group, he said.

But female full professors in the humanities and the social sciences make less than their male counterparts, said Joel Revill, associate dean of the faculty.

Among Ivy League institutions, the average faculty salary gender gap is $16,335, according to the Chronicle data. Dartmouth has the highest discrepancy, while Cornell boasts the lowest. Other schools do not have this gap — at Bryn Mawr College, a women’s college, female professors on average make more than their male counterparts.

Unequal representation Women make up 33 percent of the Brown faculty, and the largest gender disparity is in full professors — 286 men and 94 women held that rank in the 2014-15 academic year, according to the Office of Institutional Research.

Some divisions are closer to gender parity than others. In 2014-2015, the humanities division was split 53 percent male and 47 percent female, and the average professor salary was $152,000. In the physical sciences, the faculty was 85 percent male and 15 » See SALARY, page 3

donation from Sorensen family, expected to be completed by fall 2016

By ANICA GREEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Next spring, the Rockefeller Library will undergo a renovation to add a graduate student study center, said University Librarian Harriette Hemmasi. The addition marks a change from the past 10 years, during which the libraries have undergone nearly a dozen renovations focused exclusively on undergraduate education, Hemmasi said.

The center will be located on the second floor of the Rock where the computer cluster is currently situated.

While the project is still in its planning phase, graduate students should expect to find a “comfortable and functional space” with a lounge area, individual work stations, a small seminar room with audio and video equipment, small rooms to meet with undergraduates and a kitchen, Hemmasi said.

The renovation comes in response to graduate students’ lack of a dedicated space on campus to meet and work,

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

A new study center in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library will provide graduate students with a communal space to meet and work. said Joel Simundich GS, president of the Graduate Student Council. Among peer institutions, only Dartmouth does not have a dedicated center for graduate students, he said.

Currently, the only communal space for graduate students is a lounge in Graduate Center, which functions as a “catch-all” space that is badly overstretched, Simundich said. “There’s a lot of silo-ing in departments,” he said, referring to the fact that many graduate

students do not get to know their peers in other departments.

Both Simundich and Hemmasi said graduate students are an integral part of the teaching experience at Brown, acting as teaching assistants in nearly every department, and that they need their own space. “The University is trying to think about how to be more inclusive toward the graduate student population, which has always been a big part of the » See ROCK, page 4

BIBS embarks on search for new director New director to take helm of interdisciplinary institute after Donoghue’s 15-year tenure

By HARRY AUGUST STAFF WRITER

ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD

As part of the “Great Brown Nonfiction Writer’s Lecture Series,” Rachel Aviv ‘04 spoke at Brown/RISD Hillel Wednesday evening. Aviv has had her work featured in “The Best American Science Writing 2012.”

New Yorker writer shares industry insights Rachel Aviv ’04 speaks on craft of writing, highlighting elements found in enticing stories

By REBECCA ELLIS STAFF WRITER

Marginalized people such as the homeless, child evangelists and sex offenders have interesting stories to tell, said New Yorker writer Rachel Aviv ’04 at a lecture Wednesday evening. Her talk, which was part of the “Great Brown

INSIDE

Nonfiction Writer’s Lecture Series,” surveyed her experiences as a writer as well as the topics she focuses on at the New Yorker.

Aviv opened the lecture with a discussion of the two elements she feels every story must have — what she called the “two strands that intersect.” The first strand includes writing on relevant issues, not trivial matters, she said, stressing the importance of penning stories that resonate with audiences. The second strand involves picking a “character that can act as the through line — someone that gets

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

WEATHER

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

METRO Outbreaks of violence at several Providence clubs lead officials to question Board of Licenses PAGE 6

people to care,” she said. Picking this character is the “difference between writing a story that someone will read and writing a story that they won’t,” she said.

To exemplify this point, Aviv read an excerpt from her New Yorker piece “Netherland,” which focuses on Samantha, a young homeless lesbian woman in New York. By giving the reader an empathetic subject to focus on, Aviv was able to call attention to the larger issue of the city’s policy on homeless youth, she said. » See NEW YORKER, page 3

The Brown Institute for Brain Science is searching for a new director after Professor of Neuroscience John Donoghue, founder and former director of BIBS, stepped down in January. Donoghue is taking a sabbatical year to found and direct the Wyss Center, a neuroengineering research institute in Geneva, Switzerland, and he will remain on leave from Brown for at least two more years, he said.

Donoghue led the institute since its creation in 1999. Under his oversight, BIBS became internationally recognized in brain research. Over the same period, University neuroscience offerings expanded from a single course to an expansive neuroscience curriculum across many departments. Eighty-seven members of the class of 2015 concentrated in neuroscience, marking a significant increase from recent years, according to Focal Point.

POST- MAGAZINE

“It is good for a program to have a new director with fresh ideas,” Donoghue said, While not its own academic department, BIBS “advances multidisciplinary research, technology development and training in the brain sciences,” uniting over 120 faculty members across University departments, according to the institute’s website.

Brown was one of the first schools to develop a neuroscience curriculum, Donoghue said. As director of the Brain Science Program — BIBS’ predecessor — he coordinated offerings across various departments into a neuroscience curriculum, including classes from the biology, cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, engineering and mathematics departments.

The institute is an “unusual environment in that people work together across disciplines,” Donoghue said, adding that this approach is required for “tackling a problem as complicated as the brain.”

Professor of Neuroscience Diane Lipscombe, who currently leads the institute as interim director, will hold the position until the search committee, chaired by Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Steven Rasmussen, decides on a permanent director. The committee is reviewing both » See BIBS, page 2

COMMENTARY Jackson ’16: Freedom of speech does not excuse ignoring realities of marginalized students

COMMENTARY Kenyon GS: GOP candidates split between outsiders and politicians, party lacks leadership

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

UCS surveys work on campus life, curricular improvements Council also appoints eight students, one alternate to newly created Financial Aid Advisory Board

By MATTHEW JARRELL STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students reviewed its progress on the campus life and curricular improvements portion of its strategic plan at its general body meeting Wednesday.

The discussion served as the first of three opportunities for UCS general body members to provide feedback on the council’s work this semester. The UCS Executive Board plans on compiling

input from the three sessions in a Fall Semester UCS Accountability Report, which is scheduled to be released at the end of the semester, said UCS President Sazzy Gourley ’16.

Over the remainder of the semester, the council will analyze two other areas of its strategic plan: diversity and accountability. The review of diversity inclusion will encompass faculty diversity in relation to the Diversity Action Plan, support for LGBTQ students, socioeconomic barriers to success, financial aid

and international student life, Gourley told The Herald. The conversation on accountability will cover Corporation governance, administrative transparency and holding the University responsible for implementing recommendations suggested in reports from the Sexual Assault Task Force and the Mental Health Community Council, he said.

The UCS Academic and Administrative Affairs committee also introduced new initiatives in the realm of campus life at Wednesday’s meeting. Members of the AAA committee met with Dean of the College Maud Mandel to discuss improvements to the Innovate Winter Break project, raising the possiblity of organizing tracks for certain concentrations that include a fieldwork component, said committee member Roro Oshobe ’19.

The AAA committee is also engaged in the process of reforming the Critical Review, a student-run website that offers evaluations of University courses

and professors, said committee member Ebube Chuba ’19. Changing the administration of surveys from hard copy forms to electronic ones will remain a priority for the committee, Chuba said. The idea of the Critical Review being conducted entirely with pen and paper “sounds ridiculous in this century,” he said.

The council also took time to review its internal structure. UCS general body members filled out an evaluation survey last week, which revealed a consensus that they had contributed to an “actionoriented council focused on tangible outcomes and serious campus issues,” according to a presentation compiled

by Gourley. Survey respondents also cited the ability to engage in open dialogue with campus administrators as a strength.

Structural action items going forward included continuing to vary the locations and content of UCS general body meetings, according to the presentation.

The council also approved a resolution appointing candidates to nine University committees. Appointments Chair Molly Naylor-Komyatte ’19 and UCS Chief of Staff Elena Saltzman ’16 oversaw the process of interviewing and vetting candidates.

Eight students and one alternate were appointed to the newly created Financial Aid Advisory Board, which will seek to address all matters related to financial aid and provide steps to improve the financial aid process, according to the UCS website. By helping to create this committee, UCS is “continuing our efforts to support low-income and first-generation students,” Gourley said.

The UCS Student Activities committee oversaw the categorization of 30 student groups. Of these groups, three were applying for Category S recognition, 13 were applying for Category 1, 13 groups were applying for Category 2 and one group was applying for Category 3.

» BIBS, from page 1

added. The institute bankrolls these projects through philanthropic gifts, University funds, National Institutes of Health grants and partnerships with foundations, such as the ALS Foundation.

With the recently launched $3 billion BrownTogether comprehensive campaign, it is an exciting time for BIBS, Lipscombe said. “I do expect benefitting from the capital campaign in a very important way, especially in recruiting and maintaining the best scientists in the country,” she said.

This increased funding will allow the institute to increase exposure, add more laboratory space and involve more undergraduates in the research, Donoghue said.

The new director of BIBS will be tasked with leading both the fundraising and management aspects of the institute as well as overseeing scientific research — two tasks Lipscombe said require relatively equal time and attention. Lipscombe declined to comment regarding her interest in the permanent directorship position.

internal and external candidates to find an “exceptional scientist” and “visionary,” Rasmussen said, adding that he hopes this process will be complete by July 2016.

The incoming director’s primary responsibility will be finding ways to enhance the research environment, Lipscombe said. BIBS provides seed funding for innovative and collaborative projects, kickstarting many research endeavors with grants of about $50,000, Lipscombe

UNIVERSITY NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» SALARY, from page 1 percent female, and the average professor was paid $185,000.

When a discrepancy persists among men and women who have held similar positions for a comparable number of years, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty investigates these cases on an individual basis and then takes the appropriate corrective measures, Revill said.

The lack of women in certain departments is a separate issue, said Thomas Roberts, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee. “We need to improve representation on our faculty of women,” he said.

“The turnover of academic positions is extremely slow compared to any other industry,” Revill said. While it would be “great” if the faculty had equal gender representation, the University is not currently trying to “fix” the unequal representation except for hiring both male and female faculty at an equal rate, he said. At Brown, men typically stay in associate professorships for fewer years than women and are more quickly promoted to full professors, he added.

Women may stay as associate professors longer due to familial commitments, said Karen Newman, professor of comparitive literature and English.

“Women do … extend their time to have children,” she said.

The fact that women spend on average more years as associate professors is a “big problem,” said Professor Emerita of Biology Anne Fausto-Sterling, noting that it means working longer or

» NEW YORKER, from page 1 This piece represented what Aviv said she loves about nonfiction: “to get people to identify and relate with people that would otherwise seem too foreign or dangerous.”

She went on to discuss another group often kept at a distance from society: sex offenders. After reading Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” Aviv found herself feeling compassion for the character Humbert and wondering why society rarely discussed his dilemma in which he “wanted what he could never have.”

After engaging in these musings on Humbert, Aviv ultimately found a protagonist in real life, a sex offender named John, who could “articulate states of mind that otherwise might not get translated into words.” From John’s narrative, Aviv fashioned “The Science of Sex Abuse,” which sheds light on the issue of whether to imprison alleged sex offenders for crimes they have not yet committed.

Aviv said finding the kind of characters who can carry a story is not a scientific process and encouraged writers to “forfeit the ideal of writing (about the) most representative subject” in order to produce a compelling piece.

The “Great Brown Nonfiction Writer’s Lecture Series” was organized

by Elizabeth Taylor, co-director of the nonfiction writing program. The series seeks to highlight the various types of writing within the program by bringing writers from all the fields readers would encounter in an average issue of the New Yorker — journalism, lyric essays, science writing, historical narratives, memoirs and cultural critiques, Taylor said.

“We try to find writers from

retiring in a lower income bracket for some women. “It may be another 30 years of life living at a financial disadvantage compared to male colleagues,” she added.

“It’s always better if you can point to other options as leverage for negotiating,” McLaughlin said.

Leveling the playing field Some institutions of higher

education have implemented trainings for hiring committees, including methods such as Implicit Association Tests that allow members of these committees to discover biases they may hold.

The University does not have mandatory Implicit Association Tests, but “it is a best practice that we encourage in our faculty search guide,” Liza Cariaga-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, wrote in an email to The Herald.

Small environmental changes such as joint evaluation can help create equal opportunity for men and women applying for academic positions, according to research done by Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School Iris Bohnet.

But hiring practices are also influenced by candidates’ behavior. Women negotiate less when they are offered jobs, and when they do assertively advocate for themselves, they are viewed as pushy, according to several studies, including a 2013 study conducted by researchers from the University of California at San Diego and the University of Wisconsin.

Competing job offers enter into the equation of determining salary as well.

Men may be more likely than women to apply for jobs in an attempt to receive a retention offer in the form of a higher salary or added benefits, McLaughlin said. A Hewlett Packard internal report found that women tend to apply for a job when they meet 100 percent of the qualifications, while men tend to do so when they meet 60 percent of the qualifications.

‘Getting better’ Over the last three years, 43 percent of new starting faculty members were women, Revill wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. But of the 26 new starting faculty members in the physical sciences, only 8 were women, he wrote, adding that this number must be judged in relation to the candidate pool.

“I see no evidence that Brown isn’t treating fairly every faculty member regardless of their gender in terms of pay,” Newman said.

“I think things are getting better,” McLaughlin said.

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM across the country, including in rapidly emerging fields such as nanotechnology and synthetic biotechnology. “Women are underrepresented; even though these are new fields and there hasn’t been time to leave them out, they haven’t been included as they are growing,” said Sangeeta Bhatia ’90, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at a panel on campus last spring sponsored by the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women entitled “Tenure, She Wrote: Women in the Academy.”

“If you really wanted to change things, you need more girls going into the STEM disciplines,” Newman said, adding that this would give universities more “PhDs to choose from to populate

these fields that have been dominated by men in the past.”

The University implemented an Affirmative Action Monitoring Committee in the 1970s that existed until 1992. It was instituted as a result of the Lamphere v. Brown class action lawsuit filed against the University in 1975 after Louise Lamphere, the only female professor in the anthropology department, was denied tenure.

Today, a University Advisory Council on Diversity conducts reviews of data on the hires of women and minority faculty members, Cariaga-Lo wrote.

“The University is supposed to make an extra effort to make sure women and minority groups have access to these positions by short listing and interviews,” McLaughlin said.

In addition, the University’s Target of Opportunity program bypasses traditional searches and allows departments to hire individuals who would “add extraordinary value to the University,” according to the University’s website. Within STEM fields, the program is “primarily intended for recruitment of underrepresented minority faculty and women,” Revill wrote. There are currently 25 positions, each with a five to six year duration, and they rotate around different departments, Revill said, adding that the University hopes to expand the Target of Opportunity pool under the operational plan.

The Title IX Office, which was established to uphold federal law against gender discrimination in institutions receiving federal funding, declined to comment for this story.

different kinds of backgrounds, as we’re always concerned about trying to get a diverse group of speakers,” Taylor said. The series, which has been offered every other year since 2005, has hosted speakers varying “from nationally known people like Alan Lightman to Brown alums like Susan Cheever ’65 and David Rhode ’90,” she said.

Taylor said she has known Aviv

since she was a student in Taylor’s creative nonfiction class, ENGL 1180J: “Tales of the Real World.” “I still remember how extraordinary she was — one of the (students) you recognize immediately is supposed to be a writer,” Taylor said, adding that while she pointed Aviv in the right direction, “you just recognize they just need the space to practice.”

In the 10 years since she walked

through the Van Wickle Gates for the final time, Aviv has flourished in her career, becoming a staff writer for the New Yorker and having her writing featured in “The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010” as well as “The Best American Science Writing 2012.”

Aviv’s appearance was a hit with students. Yamini Mandava ’18 said she enjoyed hearing about Aviv’s “idea of committing yourself to the story more

than the writing.”

The talk marked “an exciting sign of maturation” for the nonfiction program, as Aviv was one of the first to write a thesis for the program a decade ago, at a time when the honors program was just coming into creation, Taylor said, adding, “She’s gone on to do everything she’s destined to and we’re so glad she’s able to come back and share her journey.”

Sexism and salaries “There is still sexism out there,” Roberts said.

“It is something we have to be aware of and careful to monitor whether we have a gender bias in how salaries are set,” Roberts said, adding that efforts should be made to determine whether the salary discrepancy by gender is a “specific bias” or due to other factors.

Reflecting on her own experience, Fausto-Sterling said while she would “march into the dean’s office and say, ‘What the hell, rattle the cages’” before getting a raise, asking for one took “emotional energy.” She added that having regular departmental reviews might be a solution to explore.

Gender bias may also influence a myriad of factors that affect hiring decisions, tenure review and promotion processes. A candidate’s research productivity is one aspect of evaluation, and success is often measured in how many times a scholar’s work is cited.

But studies have shown that both men and women cite women’s research less.

Other evaluation materials such as letters of recommendation may also contain gender bias. “We also have to be careful when we get letters from outside the University,” McLaughlin said.

METRO

PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

Spotlight on the Statehouse

BY ALEXANDER BLUM, METRO EDITOR

Murals celebrate color, cleanliness On Kinsley Street in Providence, students of the MET — a network of six small public high schools in Providence and Newport — are painting storm drains to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the Woonasquatucket River into which the drains empty, ABC News reported Tuesday.

“If you dump stuff, oil, litter or leaves into the storm drains, it ends up right in the river … so we are trying to call attention to that,” said Brent Bachelder, an art teacher whose students are helping to paint the drain murals, ABC News reported.

The hand-painted designs feature animals such as toads that live near and in the river, with the physical drain serving as the amphibian’s mouth.

Similar efforts to help the environment while beautifying the city and raising awareness are underway in other municipalities, such as Baltimore, Maryland, according to Blue Water Baltimore’s website.

Memories of cold inspire winter preparation Students who were on campus last semester — or who are residents of southern New England — probably remember the snowy weather and freezing temperatures of January and February. For many residents of the Ocean State, similar memories are inspiring them to prepare for the upcoming winter, WPRI reported Wednesday.

“They’re coming in because of last year’s bad experience,” George Tamer, president and CEO of Center Ace Hardware in Barrington, told WPRI. Supplies characteristic of winter such as shovels, snow blowers and salt bags, are selling even though the weather has been unseasonably warm this fall, he added.

“You never know what Mother Nature’s going to deliver, but I feel very good that we are far better prepared than we were last year,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said in September, WBUR reported.

Last winter’s storms proved especially challenging for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which has added nearly 50 new pieces of equipment to help handle snowfall, Boston.com reported Wednesday.

Elorza unveils local food grant program Mayor Jorge Elorza announced Wednesday the launch of a Healthy Food Access Grant program to provide funding for ideas aimed at improving access to healthy local foods, according to a press release from the Mayor’s Office. ““Providence is poised to take advantage of the changing way we eat, buy and distribute food in the region and beyond,” Elorza said in the press release, adding that people and businesses with ideas to help improve the production and consumption of local foods should apply to the program for funding.

A proposal must request at least $25,000 in funding, and a total of $125,000 is available, according to the press release. Project applications are due Nov. 30.

The “Food on the Move” mobile produce market program is in the process of expanding the number of markets, The Herald previously reported. A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant is allowing Rhode Islanders participating in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to have their food stamps matched one-for-one at the mobile markets.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Cameras effectively curb illegal trash dumping Motion-activated voice announcing feature key to success of cameras installed this fall

By GWEN EVERETT STAFF WRITER

In an effort to curb illegal trash dumping — a crime that costs the city around $300,000 a year — Providence installed eight security cameras throughout the city this fall. “Almost as soon as they went up,” the cameras were “remarkably effective in preventing the dumping,” said Evan England, spokesperson for Mayor Jorge Elorza.

Russell Knight, director of Providence’s Department of Public Works, said most of the cameras’ success can be attributed to their motionactivated voice announcing system, which alerts people that they are being filmed. He said the cameras have only caught one person actually dumping trash because the voice messages deter most people.

» ROCK, from page 1 Brown community,” Simundich said.

Before the funds became available, Hemmasi wrote a proposal for this project in response to her perceived need for such a space on campus. Once a donation was made, the project began to take shape, she said. An architect has been hired, and three graduate students have been appointed to a committee to offer their input on how the space should

But England said this is “not to say that they aren’t simply dumping elsewhere,” adding that keeping camera positions secret and periodically re-locating cameras would broaden the scope of their effectiveness.

Knight said occasionally moving the cameras will help keep illegal trash dumpers “on their toes.”

The city would not disclose the specific locations of each camera, but England said the cameras have been strategically placed in locations most susceptible to illegal dumping. These include side streets, areas along highways and locations with low visibility and little traffic, such as underpasses and dead-end roads.

People usually dump trash illegally when throwing it out by legal means would be expensive or timeconsuming, England said. Commonly dumped items are usually of an industrial nature and typically include paint, mattresses, construction materials and furniture, he said, adding that one extreme case involved a 25-foot boat.

Providence chose to install the cameras after other counties and municipalities found them to be effective in helping to address illegal trash dumping, England said. A county in Tennessee and a township in Pennsylvania saw success using similar measures, the Providence Journal reported last month.

The cameras are also are part of a greater city-wide effort to reduce Providence’s environmental impact, improve cleanliness and heighten the city’s aesthetic appeal, England said.

A city council ordinance increasing fines and penalties against dumpers is also now in effect, and Elorza’s administration is pushing to rehabilitate abandoned homes and lots that are prime targets for illegal dumping, he said.

The degree to which illegal trash dumping affects College Hill may be minimal. Donna Personeus, executive director of the Thayer Street District Management Authority, said she has not experienced issues with illegal trash dumping on Thayer Street.

look, she added.

The renovation is made possible by a direct gift from the Sorensen family in honor of Joan Wernig Sorensen’s ’72 P’06 P’06 father, Vincent Wernig P’71 P’72 P’79 P’82 GP’06 GP’06, who previously served as assistant to the chairman emeritus and executive officer emeritus in the Department of Chemistry.

Joan Sorensen and her husband Paul Sorensen P’06 P’06 have already given a donation to modernize the central

reading room on the first floor of the Rock, which was named the Sorensen Family Reading Room in their honor.

Wernig worked extensively with graduate students during his time at Brown, so he was “delighted” to learn of the gift made on his behalf, Hemmasi said.

The project is expected to begin after Commencement this spring and be completed around the middle of the fall 2016 semester, she added.

TODAY

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

nighttime stroll

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizzas: Honey Boo Boo, BBQ Bam Bam, Spicy Five Cheese and Garlic JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Made-to-Order Quesadillas

Soups: Turkey Chili, Chicken Artichoke Florentine, Vegetable

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Wisconsin Ziti, Sugar Cookies

Fresh Vegetable Melange, Cacciatore Pasta, Pesto Tortellini Salad, Chocolate Cream Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Saturday Night Jumbalaya, Vegetable Strudel, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Rise Krispie Treats

Roast Turkey, Shells with Broccoli, Butternut Apple Bake, Cake with Chocolate Frosting

sudoku

ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD

Students pass under Faunce Arch on their way to evening activities such as meetings, rehearsals and study sessions, while a Department of Public Safety officer stands by on patrol.

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Ethical Inquiry Lunch: Bodily Autonomy 1:00 P.M. Salomon 003

Health Careers Advising Bonanza 1:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson 313

Peer-to-Peer Summer Opportunities Fair 5:30 P.M. Faunce, Kasper Multipurpose Room

Drumming Away Stress: Music Therapy Workshop 4:00 P.M. Alumnae Hall, Crystal Room

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Jewishly Inspired Meditation 12:00 P.M. Brown/RISD Hillel

Kaffeestunde (German Coffee Hour) 3:00 P.M. 190 Hope Street

The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry 8:00 P.M. Ashamu Dance Studio

Class Board Presents Senior Prom 10:00 P.M. Sayles Hall

METRO

PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

As local bars face gun violence, officials question ethics of Board of Licenses Several outbreaks of violence at clubs in the past month intensify scrutiny of board’s penalties, dealings

By AGNES CHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Providence Board of Licenses met Monday to discuss the fate of El Tiburon, a sports bar that closed after an Oct. 17 shooting there injured three people.

At the meeting, officials looked at crime scene photos of the incident.

The suspect, Michael Stokes, is still at large. The board did not make a final decision, and the hearing will continue Thursday, Turn to 10 reported.

The El Tiburon incident came after Van Gogh Lounge, a Harris Avenue nightclub, was temporarily shut down due to an Oct. 11 double shooting that injured two men. The board ruled Oct. 21 that the club would remain closed for 50 days. Before reopening, the club owners are also required to pay a $2,500 fine, produce a security plan and hire police, WPRI reported.

The city has seen several outbreaks of violence at clubs in the past month.

At 3 a.m. on Saturday, a man brandished an unlicensed gun outside the Atwells Avenue nightclub Vault Lounge. Police later found a loaded pistol in the car of one of the men involved in the altercation, the Providence Journal reported.

These incidents call into question the efficacy of the Board of Licenses, said Arthur Salisbury, president of the Jewelry District Association, who

has been attending board meetings for 10 years. The board was placed in the hands of Sen. Juan Pichardo, D-Providence, in August.

In March, Johanna Harris, who had acted as chair of the board for about a year, stepped down amidst an ethics investigation regarding her acceptance of a no-bid contract while serving on the board. Peter Petrarca, lawyer for the $3 Bar, put forth the complaint after Harris revoked the bar’s liquor license last year along with the licenses of many of Petrarca’s other establishments, GoLocalProv reported.

While Harris faced criticism from bar and restaurant owners for her decisions to revoke and not grant licenses, some showed strong support for her harsh approach.

“She was the best chairperson we have ever had on that board in 12 years,” Salisbury said. “By taking her out, they destroyed the board.”

Though no longer chairwoman, Harris still sits on the board.

The violence the board saw before Harris’ leadership is “now coming back and the new board is not doing much about it,” Salisbury said.

The Board of Licenses has been “too lenient” and “not consistent,” and its failure to give the proper penalties has led to more violence in the city, he said.

“The only one voting against the

things that should be voted against is Johanna Harris,” he added. “She is the only one who is voting in the right direction.”

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré said there has been no increase in shootings at clubs in the city in the past year.

The Providence Board of Licenses has long faced public scrutiny, especially in March when Gordon Fox, former Speaker of the House for the General Assembly, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes when he was vicechair of the board.

The bribes from Thayer Street’s Shark Bar and Grille in exchange for his vote in favor of a liquor license totaled $52,500, The Herald previously reported. Fox is now in federal prison.

But a recent allegation suggests Fox is not the only member of the board who has accepted money for licenses. Acelia Terrero, owner of the bakery and nightclub Ada’s Creations, stated at a Sept. 3 meeting that she has been paying the Board of Licenses $29,000 in bribes over the past few years, The Herald previously reported.

Due to several incidents of violence, Ada’s Creations required the presence of a police officer every night it was open. Unable to pay the monthly $5,000 cost, Terrero owed the city $56,000 by September. A meeting was held with board members to discuss the suspension of Ada’s Creations’ food and liquor licenses, but Terrero alleged that she was bribing a member of the board and threatened

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to reveal the board’s under-the-table deals. Terrero did not specify which member of the board she paid, Turn to 10 reported.

With Pichardo serving as chairman of the board, some raise concerns about the ethics of dual office holding.

Pichardo should not be allowed to serve on the board, let alone as chairman, Salisbury said.

During the meeting at which Tererro spoke up about bribing the board of licenses, Tererro challenged Pichardo and said he would never get elected again, Salisbury said. Once businesses threaten to hurt senators’ election success, the senators make the wrong decisions for the board, he said.

John Marion, executive director of Common Cause — an organization that promotes a fair, accountable and democratic government that serves the public interest — shares the same sentiments as Salisbury. “As an organization, we have long opposed dual office holding because of the conflicts it can create,” he said, citing Tererro’s threat to Pichardo as evidence of these conflicts.

In the past, problems have arisen when businesses that have come before the licensing board have tried to affect board rulings by financially supporting legislators who sat on the board, Marion said. “Essentially, legislators were using their services on the board to leverage donations to their campaign,” he said. “That was a big, big problem.”

Power politics is another issue that

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dual office holding can cause, Marion said. When a member of the board is in charge of the state budget and has as much power as the Speaker of the House, “it can be very intimidating to a municipal official whose board’s existence depends on that same budget,” he said. “A lot of it is about money, but a lot of it is also about power.”

But Pichardo said his role as a state senator gives him a “tremendous perspective” on how to manage the interests of people and businesses.

The objectives of a state senator and the chair of the Board of Licenses are aligned, Pichardo said. Both want to make sure that “people are safe but also successful — in business or in their personal lives,” he said.

Prior to joining the board, Pichardo “sat down with many people” to make sure that “there was no conflict of interest” and that he could truly be objective when making decisions on the board, he said.

As to whether his leadership differs from that of Harris, Pichardo said all chairs of the board — including him and Harris — have “the same mission” to ensure that Providence is a safe place.

Paré said he thinks Pichardo’s dual office holding causes no problems. As for reducing violence in Providence clubs, Paré said the Department of Public Safety and the Board of Licenses will continue to hold discussions with clubs so that they can be part of the effort to reduce outbreaks of violence.

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COMMENTARY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Free speech isn’t without consequence SARAH JACKSON op-ed contributor

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen campus debate unfurl over whether a couple of recent Herald op-eds are a matter of freedom of speech. This discussion, stemming from The Herald’s offending many students of color by publishing two controversial op-eds in early October, pits a slippery-slope argument in favor of free speech against protecting readers from emotional harm that can result when language belittles aspects of their identities.

Free speech is a tricky issue because there is a fine line between promoting First Amendment rights and being blatantly offensive. While all students can practice their right to free speech, they should also practice common sense.

Freedom of speech does not guarantee a platform for every view, nor does it protect those views or the speaker from criticism.

We as a campus should attempt to define what exactly freedom of speech entails, the extent to which this constitutional provision applies to a private

publication and the limits of this right.

On our campus, we tout open intellectual discourse and academic freedom.

These are wonderful ideals and certainly ones that foster growth. We, as a student body, however, should require that the ideas represented in this exchange are responsibly chosen.

There is a difference between using

elect to present all sides of an argument and provide a platform for all voices on campus. At the same time, a college paper must consider the reality that some of its readers experience marginalization because of their racial or gender identity every day.

Seeing articles that make these individuals feel further isolated and then

tions sent a letter to The Herald in response to the two initial op-eds. This letter, which is echoed by most student groups of color that sent simultaneous letters, expresses a sense of isolation many students of color feel from the major newspaper on this campus.

In the letter, students put it simply: “As the oldest and most prominent

Free speech is a tricky issue because there is a fine line between promoting First Amendment rights and being blatantly offensive. While all students can practice their right to free speech, they should also practice common sense. scientific evidence to make an argument and using pseudoscience to mask what are inherently political claims.

Defending the latter on a free speech basis detracts from the racist, sexist and classist sentiments these arguments convey. We should not ignore or deny the fact that these comments are harmful to the mental health of the marginalized people whom they offend.

The purpose of a college newspaper differs from that of a mainstream publication. A good college newspaper will

seeing them defended on the basis of free speech can be extremely detrimental. When we as a campus could be having valuable discussions about race, we are instead reverting to what are essentially “colorblind” arguments around free speech. For many minority students, this is incredibly frustrating, especially because the ability to advocate free speech is not independent of privilege.

In early October, a collection of black students and student organiza-

publication on this campus, we hold the BDH accountable as an organization for their practices and how they approach controversial issues. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, whether or not students disagree; however, as an organization with privilege, power and a platform, the BDH is, and will be, held to a higher standard than any one individual.”

Ignoring the realities marginalized students face in favor of a free speech argument isn’t hard to do, but it isn’t

without emotional consequence. Initial feelings of hurt for many minority students after the publication of the two op-eds have been compounded by the framing of the fallout as an issue of free speech.

Many minority students have chosen to disengage from the paper entirely. While I personally advocate discussion over silence, the choice of these students to separate themselves from the paper should make those who advocate complete freedom of speech pause. I believe most students of color are all for free speech, but freedom of speech does not give one a pass to infringe upon the well-being and dignity of other individuals. Hopefully those who want to argue for complete freedom of speech around issues of race will really consider the opinions and day-to-day experiences of the students their arguments will impact most, and hopefully students of color who feel isolated from the freedom of speech discussion will participate in the debate and allow their voices to be heard.

Feel free to reach out to Sarah Jackson ’16 at sarah_jackson@brown.edu.

The new GOP: the group of problems IAN KENYON opinions columnist

Last Wednesday, I sat in my hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio with great anticipation to watch the third Republican Party debate. To my dismay, the debate hosted by CNBC in Boulder, Colorado, signified the larger problems surfacing within the party, as candidates stumbled over one another to deliver substantive answers, moderators fostered a highly partisan dialogue and the aftermath of the debate resulted in a great schism between the Republican Party and the media.

I came to the conclusion that, let’s face it, the Republican Party is a rudderless boat with too many chief officers and no captain. As the boat circles and the officers argue, not one appears ready (to this voter) to take control.

Why do I frequently write about the Republican Party? As a Republican, I am fascinated (albeit unnerved) by the uncharted waters the party has entered over the last few years. After 2008, the party featured no true successor to inherit its mantle. Indeed, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney rose to become the party nominees in 2008 and 2012, respectively, but neither individual captivated the hearts and minds of Republicans to ensure a role in steering the party forward (or winning a presidential contest, for that matter).

Read what you may into the suggestions that Romney could return as the “dark horse” savior candidate in 2016, but I guarantee you that will not happen — why do you think newly minted Speaker of the House Paul Ryan finally took the job? (He knew his heart could never truly be in the role…)

In addition to the administration of President George W. Bush not producing a rightful heir to the party mantle, the party is now under heavy influence from “outsider” candidates, or

candidates who have never held prior political office. When combined — between businessman Donald Trump, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina — these candidates account for more than 50 percent of prospective voter preferences.

Simply put, over half of prospective Republican voters favor a non-politician nominee. The dominating narrative of “establishment versus outsider” has quickly filled the party discourse as a result.

This leads to perhaps one of the greatest surprises of the 2016 Republican Party primary cycle to date: the baffling campaign perfor-

tional Review and Telemundo — a move lauded by all the major candidates.

Swept up in the momentum of perhaps this first strong-armed move from the RNC in a while, veteran Republican Party attorney Ben Ginsburg drafted a letter received by each campaign — more or less a list of demands from the party to ensure more control in the debate formatting process. The letter did include a number of valid concerns, including candidate-to-candidate questioning, lightning rounds, the quality and quantity of moderators, room temperature and ticket allocation to ensure audience composition is fair and balanced.

My greatest fear is that the 2016 nominee will leave the party in the same place as the last two nominees: without an heir to the Republican mantle. mance of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. A post-debate “reboot” continues to highlight the anemic status of Bush’s campaign, as the former governor recently reduced staffing and budget and witnessed the departure of his COO Christine Ciccone.

As Bush has attempted to rebrand his leadership as that of doing and not debating (enter the #JebCanFixIt hashtag) and struggled to frame his campaign as the adult in the room, voter reception remains lackluster. New York Times Columnist David Brooks even went so far as to strangely suggest that Bush offer himself as the safe and “boring” alternative.

Really?

Meanwhile, the candidates’ joint dissatisfaction with the Oct. 28 CNBC-hosted debate has erupted into a full-out war between the Republican National Committee, campaigns and the media. The first casualty occurred with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus announcing that the party will not participate in the Feb. 26 debate hosted by NBC News in partnership with Na-

In true fashion of the current state of the Republican Party, the draft letter has already resulted in a kerfuffle. As of press time, the Trump, Fiorina, Kasich and Christie campaigns had all publicly declined to sign on to the letter. Trump even went so far as to say he would negotiate personally with the television networks to determine debate format and conditions. While the CNBC debate seemingly unified the candidates through dissatisfaction, personal preference has once again trounced any centralization of authority with the RNC. As the Iowa caucuses are now less than 90 days out, this Republican honestly cannot predict what is going to happen next. As the CNBC debate did elevate the candidacy of Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, it remains to be seen whether either candidate can chip away at the behemoth that is the bloc of voters aligned with Trump, Carson and Fiorina — for the transition here is largely principled between aligning with an “establishment” candidate or an “outsider.”

Even if either senator gains traction in the polls, however, are we not just looking at another chief officer on a captainless ship? My greatest fear is that the 2016 nominee will leave the party in the same place as the last two nominees: without an heir to the Republican mantle.

As a Republican, this is an extremely frustrating quandary. Who would be the best leader? A pure outsider carries the risk of approaching government functions with a jaded view (politics is an art form of its own).

Career politicians offer the opposite approach in that government is the best venue to address a litany of issues, and disruptive behavior is unacceptable or too alien for preference. A candidate who rides the revolving door between the public and private sectors too often is drawn to the siren’s call of lobbying and develops sticky allegiances in the process.

The Republican Party needs a charismatic and wonky yet practical leader — a leader who refrains from being dazzled by all the junkets accompanying the national spotlight, not limited to the classic book tour, media appearances, the play of (too much) golf and the use of the office to establish a celebrity status.

At present, the candidates divide the party, and only a true diplomat at this point can sew the pieces together. Only with an individual who understands the merits of government, admires the efficiency of the private sector and delivers a degree of trust, vision and compassion can the Republican Party come together. While the party continues to look back to Ronald Reagan, we will never be able to look forward to our next leader. Without a captain, the Republicans will continue to sail without direction or confidence.

Who wants to bet Hillary Clinton is smiling somewhere right now?

Ian Kenyon GS is a public affairs candidate with the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. He is also a leaderless conservative and can be reached at ian_kenyon@brown.edu.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015

Study uses small payments to incentivize undergrads to exercise Participants earned up to $5 a week for exercise, motivation dwindled as study progressed

By HATTIE XU STAFF WRITER

A group of researchers in the School of Public Health conducted a pilot study that examined whether small payments motivate undergraduates to exercise. An article detailing their findings was published in the November issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.

Twenty-two undergraduates participated in the study, with the subjects separated into two groups: a control group that did not receive monetary incentives and an experimental group that did, according to the article. Participants in the experimental group could earn one cent for every four calories burned through exercise, up to a maximum of five dollars per week, according to the article.

When the researchers looked at past studies that used incentives to change behavior, they “saw there were major gaps in the literature, which was that there was not a lot of research on (incentives and motivation), and

variables were really different from study to study,” said Kelley Strohacker, assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and lead author of the study. The research was conducted while Strohacker was a postdoctoral researcher at the University between fall 2011 and fall 2013.

After Strohacker and her coauthors read multiple articles about studies that were conducted using large cash payments or giftcards, they aimed to test the effectiveness of small payments, Strohacker said.

Large cash payments demand a bigger budget for the study and may not be feasible to continue in the longterm, said Omar Galárraga, assistant professor of health services, policy and practice and a coauthor of the article.

Jennifer Tidey, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior, who was not involved in study, has used monetary incentives in her own research to help people quit smoking.

“The challenge in these studies

is how to sustain them,” Tidey said.

“We can’t keep giving people lots of money forever. The incentive needs to be large enough to be effective, but it may take a while for the habit to kick in.”

The idea of rewarding desirable behaviors has often been used in treatments for drug abuse, said Jessica Emerson GS, a coauthor of the article. Previous studies suggested that incentives also worked in motivating subjects to exercise, Emerson added.

The researchers decided to focus on undergraduates because small monetary incentives are likely to be more appealing to a population that is not yet working and because it is a convenient sample, Galárraga said.

Payment was determined by an objective measure — caloric expenditure — rather than user-reported data, such as the number of steps taken in a day, Strohacker said.

“That was one of the novel pieces of our study,” Strohacker said. “We wanted a clear picture of what they were actually doing.”

Though the study found that the experimental group expended more calories compared to the control

group, more research is needed in order to come to a stronger and more definitive conclusion due to the small sample size used in the study, Strohacker said.

But a trend does exist in which external incentives tend to have a greater effect on people who are doing quantity-based tasks, such as burning a certain number of calories, opposed to quality-based tasks, said Michael Ford, associate professor of psychology at the University of Albany, who was not involved in the study.

Despite the initial high levels of exercise at the beginning of the study — especially in the experimental group — both groups exhibited a decline in activity as the study progressed and after the study concluded, according to the article. Researchers are not yet certain how to address this slow decline in exercise and maintain motivation to exercise, Strohacker said.

Increased exercise is a desired health outcome because a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a number of health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, Galárraga said.

“Cardiovascular disease is the

number one cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed world,” Galárraga said. “It is a public health issue, not just an individual issue because it is a cost to society when somebody develops cardiovascular disease or diabetes.”

The researchers remain interested in the idea of external incentives as a way to change a broad spectrum of behaviors.

“The incentives can be used to motivate behavior initially, and eventually the behaviors can become habitual,” Ford said. “It becomes more enjoyable over time, leads to a sense of competence or becomes a social activity that helps one develop relationships.”

A new study led by Galárraga and David Williams, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior and behavioral and social sciences and a coauthor of the article, that will examine the impact of small monetary incentives on exercise using a larger and more varied sample size is in the planning stage, Galárraga said. The group of researchers is collaborating with the YMCA of Greater Providence to see if results are consistent with what was found in the study.