Friday, September 22, 2017

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 71

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Judge rules Title IX only R.I. school facilities fail state evaluation State’s first independent Priorities broken down by deficiency protects U. members commission predicts A total of over two billion dollars is needed to

Case against U., deans dismissed following closure of U. investigation into 2014 sexual assault

By RHAIME KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A lawsuit against the University filed by a non-Brown student who was allegedly sexually assaulted by three Brown football players was dismissed by a federal judge Sept. 6, who ruled that third party students are not protected

by Title IX at a school they are unaffiliated with.

In November 2016, Doe sued the University, former Senior Associate Dean of Student Life Jonah Allen Ward and Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, associate dean and director of student conduct and vice president of campus life and student services, for mishandling her case “pursuant to Title IX and Rhode Island state law,” according to the complaint. Doe said the University did not give her a prompt investigation in accordance with Title IX, which requires federally-funded universities to address gender discrimination.

But Title IX laws “were not meant

to address all instances of sexual assault occurring in the college environment,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. McConnell ruled that Title IX only protects against genderbased discrimination of students who have been admitted to the offending school.

Two Rhode Island lawyers said the district court’s ruling sets a local precedent for how courts should interpret universities’ responsibilities under Title IX. “Brown’s acts or failures could not have prevented (Doe) from getting an education at Providence College,” McConnell wrote. Doe withdrew from Providence College because she was “in fear for her safety and well-being on campus and in the general Providence area” since the Brown students and their friends were “not prohibited from being near her,” according to the complaint.

Jane Doe was a freshman at Providence College when she was allegedly raped by three Brown football players, also freshman at the time, in a University dormitory on Nov. 21, 2013.

Two of the alleged students exchanged texts with each other at 6:14 » See TITLE IX, page 2

$627.6 million cost for construction, repairs

By BELLA ROBERTS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Every school facility in Rhode Island received a failing grade in the state’s first independent evaluation of school buildings, according to the Rhode Island Department of Education’s 2017 State of Rhode Island Schoolhouses report.

The year-long assessment commissioned by the School Building Authority and completed by Jacobs Engineering, a technical contracting firm, predicts it will take $627.6 million in construction and repairs to make the school meet current safety standards. It will take about $2.2 billion to bring schools across the state to ideal operational conditions.

Since January 2016, 306 school campuses were assessed by architects, engineers and specialists for this evaluation. Five levels of priority costs are identified in the report: the first two are facility deficiencies with potential for building code violations, and the following three levels are more aesthetic changes.

restore optimal functionality in Rhode Island schools. Deficiencies range from critical repairs to aesthetic upgrades. The total facilities cost is $2.2 billion. $221.9 M

Most urgent

$54.5 M Priority 1 Priority 2

$572.9 M Priority 3

$572.3 M

Priority 4

$800.8 M Priority 5 Least urgent

Source: Rhode Island LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

“Most of our classrooms and school buildings haven’t been improved in 25 years,” Governor Raimondo said in a press release. “We must make a once-in-a-generation investment in our school buildings to address immediate health and safety needs in every district and to give our children the 21st century classrooms they need

to compete in the world today.”

The quality of a school’s design and the amount of funding the state provides for it reflects “the priority we place on quality learning environments,” said Hanna Gallo, education committee chairwoman for the R.I. Senate and the senate’s appointee to » See SCHOOLS, page 3

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Duncan ’21 leads football to victory in home opener Saturday Quarterback details extraordinary 50-yard touchdown, explains what drew him to football

guys making plays. Anyone could’ve scored those three touchdowns. We were just put in a good position by the coaches and the players.

Was the 50-yard touchdown the result of a great play call or more of you thinking on your feet?

It was a draw play, and we just got lucky that it was a great play call. They brought on a lot of blitz with man coverage behind, and I was just able to split the backers and score on that play. Once I missed the linebacker, and it was all green, I thought I could make it.

By TESS DEMEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Nicholas Duncan ’21 made the most of his first collegiate start, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for a third to secure the victory over Bryant in the football team’s season opener last Saturday. The dual-threat quarterback completed 14 of 27 passes and carried the ball 10 times. Duncan lead Brown (1-0) in passing and rushing with 152 and 73 yards, respectively.

For his performance in the season opener, Duncan has been named The Herald’s athlete of the week.

Herald: How did you get into football?

Duncan: I started playing in first grade. My dad played in college, so he introduced me to the game, and I’ve been playing ever since.

Why did you choose Brown?

It was my first offer. It was either

INSIDE

Are you making any changes to your game for Harvard?

Our game plan changes every week.

I’ve got to complete a little more passes this week, be more accurate and stay calm and collected in the pocket.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Nicholas Duncan ’21 dodges Bryant University defenders as he keeps the ball for one of his ten carries. After first home victory against Bryant University, Bruno looks to continue the streak against Harvard Saturday. commit here or just be a regular student somewhere else.

What’s it like to be the starting

QB? I enjoy being part of the team and enjoy playing, so I can’t complain at all.

How did it feel to score three touchdowns in your first collegiate start?

It’s a team effort. It’s a bunch of the

What’s on your pregame playlist?

Whatever they play in the locker room. Usually there’s a few guys who have the playlist, so whatever they like.

Have you ever wanted to play another position besides quarterback?

Not really. I love the position. I » See DUNCAN, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

UNIVERSITY NEWS Position on ACCRIP opens for undergraduates interested in advising on U. investing practices

METRO Crime logs show three bicycles, Jabberwock cash, memorabilia reported stolen in September

COMMENTARY Colby ’20: Eliminating loans is laudable, but income inequality still entrenched on campus

SPORTS COMMENTARY Klein ’20: NFL ratings drop as hurricanes postpone games, quality of play declines

PAGE 3

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PAGE 7

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TODAY

TOMORROW

63 / 60

79 / 61

NEWS

PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

» TITLE IX, from page 1 a.m. the next day, which read, “YO LIKE CLASSIC (Student Name) THO … NO INVITE JUST WALKS IN AND STARTS RAPING HER,” according to court documents. Providence Police also obtained sexually explicit photos of Doe from one of the student’s phones.

In February 2014, the University was made aware of the rape allegations after Doe filed a complaint with the Providence Police. More than four months later, as Doe’s criminal case against two of the Brown students was proceeding, the University notified her that she could file a complaint under the Code of Student Conduct.

In April 2014, the University asked two of the accused students to leave Brown “apparently in light of the pending sexual assault investigation,” wrote John Grasso, a Providence attorney who represented an accused student.

Grasso said Brown allowed his client to finish his work from home, according to the Providence Journal. Of the three involved Brown students, one left the University while two remained

as students, The Herald previously reported.

In August 2014, a grand jury decided in Rhode Island criminal court that there was no probable cause for the alleged rapes. After this decision was made, Doe filed a complaint with the University in September 2014.

The University attempted to collect evidence for her case, but only received limited evidence from the criminal investigation, the lawsuit claims. In September 2014, Castille told Doe that the University would conduct an inquiry under the Code of Student Conduct and requested she give the University a statement. Doe provided documents from the investigation by Providence Police and cellphone communications.

On Oct. 26, 2014, Doe further informed the University that her hair samples had tested positive for two over-the-counter drugs commonly used to induce incapacitation and memory loss. The next day, CastilloAppollonio told Doe that the University planned on issuing “charge letters soon” regarding the allegations.

When a University-hired lawyer, James O’Neil, reached out to Doe for

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD an interview, Doe’s lawyer declined, as they had already provided information to Brown and because O’Neil was “not trained in Title IX.” In proceeding with its investigation, the University said the Brown Police Department obtained “limited reports by the Providence Police Department, but that the City of Providence … declined to release” the investigatory file according to court documents. In addition, O’Neil was only able to obtain limited reports from the grand jury due to secrecy rules, according to court documents.

Although the University did receive evidence directly from Doe, it said that its inability to obtain sufficient evidence from the police investigation and criminal case “and Ms. Doe’s refusal to cooperate with Brown University’s investigator” rendered the University “unable to move forward with the investigation.” They closed the case.

In her lawsuit against the University, Doe claims that the Code of Student Conduct the University conducted their inquiry under failed to comply with Title IX standards. In his dismissal of her lawsuit, McConnell also wrote

that the University code was “not under Title IX standards.”

In an email to The Herald, Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark wrote that the University conducted Doe’s inquiry “prior to the implementation of the University’s unified policy on sexual violence and harassment, which happened in 2015 following the creation of the Title IX office.”

Doe did not receive updates about the inquiry until 2016, after she requested an update on April 20 of that year. Three months later, the University said “it never completed any investigation, and that it had abandoned all disciplinary action against the three Brown University football players accused of sexually assaulting Ms. Doe,” according to court documents.

After the ruling, the University’s Title IX policy has not changed and anyone — regardless of whether they are a Brown student or employee — can still file a Title IX complaint following this ruling, wrote Clark in an email to The Herald.

This matches the current standard at peer institutions such as Harvard,

Stanford University and Wellesley University, where third parties can file Title IX complaints against their own students or employees.

At Harvard between 2014 and 2016, five complainants were not enrolled students, staff or faculty members, according to Harvard’s 2015-16 Title IX Office Annual Report.

Representatives from Stanford and Wellesley confirmed that their schools take third party complaints, such as the widely publicized Brock Turner case at Stanford.

“We will be appealing the ruling on the federal issues in federal court, and filing the remaining state claims in state court,” said Doe’s lawyer Wendy Murphy.

Separately, Doe filed a complaint against the University in October 2014 with the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, alleging that Brown “had unlawfully refused to redress her complaint under Title IX,” according to court documents.

This complaint “is still pending and, depending on the results, Brown could face penalties,” McConnell wrote in his dismissal.

» DUNCAN, from page 1

capability and are great in the pocket too. Those are players who I like to watch.

love having the ball in my hand, so it fits well.

Is there another player you try to model your game or playing style after?

There’s a lot of good athletes right now like (Oklahoma’s) Baker Mayfield and (Trace) McSorely at Penn State. They both have the dual-threat

If you could play any other sport, what would it be and why?

I played tennis in high school, so I’m big into tennis. I love it. I love the game.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» SCHOOLS, from page 1 the School Building Task Force. “Children can’t reach their potential in cold classrooms or under leaky roofs.”

In conjunction with the report, Raimondo signed an executive order Sept. 15 creating a new commission, the Rhode Island Schools Task Force, which will develop action steps based on the report and public input. The task force is comprised of legislators, community advocates and school professionals and is co-chaired by RIDE Commissioner Ken Wagner and State Treasurer Seth Magaziner. The task force plans to turn the action steps to the governor in December.

“RIDE will continue to support districts in their efforts to modernize and improve school infrastructure, with a renewed emphasis on projects that have emerged as most urgently needed for the safety, well-being and success of our students,” Wagner said in a press release.

“We know where the report stands,” said Catherine Rolfe, deputy press secretary for the governor. “It’s clear we need a once in a lifetime investment, but we need to figure out where we can find the money.”

The next step for the state is public engagement, said Meg Geoghegan, communications officer for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In technical briefings, RIDE will consult with

Providence schools with the greatest need The high schools below represent 22.2 percent of the combined five-year need in Providence.

Hope High School/360 High School

$45,602,633 Mount Pleasant High School/Evolutions High School

$45,602,633 Classical High School

$28,656,144 Source: Providence LEA Summary LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

experts about the details of the report.

Raimondo will hold a series of community forums in October to solicit feedback from communities across Rhode Island. This, in conjunction with RIDE’s technical briefings, will help Raimondo define investment priorities in school facilities renovation, before proposing her budget for 2019.

Raimondo will also embark on a walking tour where she plans to talks to educators, parents and students

about school facilities. On Wednesday, Raimondo visited East Providence High School, an example of a school whose facilities have potential but lack sufficient funding, Rolfe said, citing a large swimming pool at the school that has remained empty for six years.

In some towns, implementation of Raimondo’s plan will be primarily state-led, but, in Providence, implementation will look different. The Providence Public Schools system owns their own buildings, therefore

any renovations to Providence schools will have to be a collaborative solution between the state and the district, said Laura Hart, director of communication for Providence Public Schools.

“Prior to the report coming out this was already a priority for the city of Providence, and they were looking for solutions,” Hart said.

At last April’s All In Summit, a city event hosted by Mayor Jorge Elorza that focused on bettering Providence schools, school infrastructure

improvements were identified as one of the highest priorities.

“The majority of Providence Public School buildings require significant attention and investment to meet the educational needs of our students,” wrote Christopher Maher, superintendent of Providence Public Schools, in an email to The Herald. According to the state’s report, the schools most in need in Providence are Hope High School, Mount Pleasant High School and Classical High School; the bulk of money for improvements needed throughout Providence will go toward priority two and three renovations.

Elorza announced in August that the city plans to dedicate at least $400 million toward repairs for Providence schools, the Providence Journal reported.

“The Mayor is committed to addressing this issue at the city level and took a step in addressing this issue by looking at options for the city and launching a community centered planning process for these investments that will rely on input from educators, students and parents,” wrote Victor Morente, press secretary for Elorza, in an email to The Herald.

The city is eligible to borrow $400 million over the next decade for school improvements, Morente wrote. “The mayor also committed to exploring and leveraging public and private partnerships to maximize every dollar invested in schools,” Morente wrote.

Investment advising committee seeks new undergraduate member ACCRIP advises U. on ethical investing, played role in last year’s divestment talks

By STEPHANIE REYES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students announced an open position for the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies in an email to undergraduate students Sept. 12. The vacant position is for undergraduates, but the committee as a whole comprises faculty, staff, graduates, undergraduates and alums, said UCS President Chelse-Amoy Steele ’18.

The committee is searching for “someone who is interested in

contributing to the Brown community.

They don’t need to have any specific technical knowledge of investing or of any specific social issue, but it helps if they’re a person who feels passionate about social good,” said Katie Silberman, interim chair of the committee.

Furthermore, Silberman emphasized the time commitment for the vacant position in the committee, and said that attendance, voting and participation in discussion are required.

ACCRIP “is a place where any member of the community can come and bring suggestions for how the

University can best align its values with its investing,” Silberman said.

She added that the committee values members who are willing to speak up when they feel the University’s investment choices are causing social harm.

“I’ve served on many committees before, and this one has a little bit more of a global influence on Brown,” said Chi-Ming Hai, professor of medical science. He joined ACCRIP this year and is one of three professors currently sitting on the committee. Hai said he valued the broad impacts that the committee’s decisions could make. ACCRIP advises on corporate responsibility topics such as what the University’s financial stake should be in industries such

as fossil fuels and coal. It also engaged in a two year dialogue with Students for Justice in Palestine about the University’s investments in Israeli companies.

ACCRIP has also played a role in the divestment debate on campus.

The committee has recognized that the University’s financial stake in fossil fuels has a potential for “grave social harm,” and recommended the University establish a Climate Investment Task Force to look into the University’s options “for bringing Brown’s investments in line with its intellectual and social commitment to environmental sustainability.”

The committee also recommended that the University increase the

visibility of the Brown University Sustainable Investment Fund, which focuses on sustainable investing that aligns with environmental, social and regulatory standards in order to garner more donations. The BUSIF offers donors the option to have donations invested in companies that “meet high standards of environmental, social and governance practices,” according to a January 2016 University press release.

The University has not divested from all environmentally damaging companies as of now, but discussion around divestment has ramped up this year with President Christina Paxson’s P’19 establishment of a climate change task force, Silberman said.

NEWS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

September crime log details string of larceny on campus Multiple bikes, various Jabberwock possessions stolen since beginning of semester

By GWEN EVERETT METRO EDITOR

Jabberwocks target of larceny in Wayland House North On Sept. 9 around 6:15 p.m., two Jabberwocks reported their cashbox — which contained $350, a Jabberwocks banner and miscellany — had been taken. Most of the items were later found, but the Jabberwocks banner, which is worth approximately $50, is still missing.

Bike larceny outside Champlin Hall On Sept. 11, a student reported her teal blue 21-speed Hybrid Mountain Bike, which is worth approximately $400, missing from the bicycle rack where she

had left it. She reported the bike missing around 11 a.m.

Champlin Hall

Another bike larceny outside Life Science Building Also on Sept. 11, another student contacted the Department of Public Safety around 3 p.m. when she returned to the bicycle rack outside the Life Science Building to find that her black Felt Road Bike, which had red highlights and “FELT” spelled out in white lettering, was gone. Her bike was worth approximately $500.

Yet another bike larceny outside Champlin Hall Just before 6 p.m. on Sept. 11, a bike thief struck outside Champlin Hall. This time, a blue and gray Trek Hybrid Bike had been stolen from its position at the bike rack outside the dorm. This bike was worth approximately $500.

Life Sciences Building

Wayland Hall GWEN EVERETT / HERALD

MEAL PLAN

changes

STEP ONE:

Choose a Meal Plan.

REMINDER:

T DAY THE LASEA L PLAN

TO MAKE M EDNESDAY, CHANGES IS W

SEPT. 27!

VIEW OPTIONS AT BROWN.EDU/FOOD

• You can ADD a new Meal Plan at any time during the year • You can make one CHANGE per semester. Fall deadline is 9/27 • Meal Plan CANCELLATIONS for the whole year are due by 9/27

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• Changes can only be made in person weekdays from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Brown Dining office located at 144 Thayer Street (Sharpe Refectory).

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TODAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

fa l l i n t o a u t u m n

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Harvest, Bacon Alfredo and Buffalo Chicken Steam Bun Tacos JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Chicken Wing Bar, Quesadilla Station

Sushi Night

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Pork Vindaloo, Meatless Meatball Subs, Gardner’s Pie, Magic Bars

Italian Chicken Parmesan, Mac and Cheese, Chocolate Frosted Donuts

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Spicy Dhal, Rice Pilaf, Chocolate Frosted Eclairs

Nacho Bar, Cavatelli Primavera, Pound Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

sudoku

GUS REED / HERALD

Heavy winds and misty weather have blown through Providence in the last few days as fall descends upon the city. These birds are getting an early start flying South, reminding us that fall is finally coming.

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

crossword

“Every generation of Rhode Islanders has worked hard and made sacrifices so the next generation has more

”

opportunity than the one before.

— Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo

See schools on page I. CORRECTION Correction: A previous article quoted Dean of Admission Logan Powell saying the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a no-loans policy. In fact, MIT does not have a no-loans policy. The Herald regrets the error.

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Fall Gallery Lottery 12:00 P.M. List Art Building, 2nd Floor

Qi Xin 2:00 P.M. Lubrano Conference Room

SATURDAY Shabbat Service 10:30 A.M. Brown/RISD Hillel

Baha’i Club Meeting 7:30 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 411

SUNDAY Catholic Mass 10:30 A.M. Manning Chapel

Starting a Thesis 7:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, Room 203

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

BROWN BITES

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Brown Bites: Sept. 18-22

Response to ‘Brown

No undergrad loans with ‘Brown Promise’ President Christina Paxson P’19 announced this week that the University is launching a $120 million campaign to eliminate loans from all undergraduate financial aid packages. As long as $30 million of the campaign is raised by this December, grants will replace the loans in the aid packages of incoming and current students for the 2018-19 academic year. “The Brown Promise: The Future of Financial Aid at Brown” initiative will apply to both domestic and international students.

Strut like you mean it Several Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students modeled the designs of 13 RISD class of 2017 graduates on the runways of New York Fashion Week last weekend. These designs had been presented as the graduates’ culminating thesis projects in May. A panel of department members and guest critics like Kate Wallace, a design director at Club Monaco, picked the 13 graduates from a pool of senior apparel majors. One of the graduates’ collections was inspired by the journey of the designer’s mother from communist China, while another was “a celebration and introspection of feminine dress.”

Promise’ initiative To the Editor: I am writing to comment on Wednesday’s article on the “Brown Promise” initiative. I’d like to applaud the initiative and recognize that eliminating loans from financial aid packages makes admissions more inclusive and diverse.

Although this promise is contingent on raising $30 million

by December, I strongly believe that our generous and supportive community will see the value — and necessity — of this initiative. I am particularly pleased that this change “will apply to both domestic and international students.”

The administration rightly recognizes the importance of applying financial aid policies to all students in order to make good on our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Yet there is one glaring inconsistency in the application

of this principle: Almost 15 years after its introduction, need-blind financial aid is still not available to international students. It is inconceivable that our community can truly “represent a full range of experiences, perspectives and ideas” — to quote President Christina Paxson P’19 — without making international admissions needblind. Our failure to honor our pledge means that we lag behind our peers — Amherst, Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Yale are need-blind and need-based for all applicants, including international students. If we truly believe in a diverse, inclusive community, we must commit to extending need-blind admissions to international students as soon as possible.

Aliosha Bielenberg ’20

RISD Museum gets a makeover The fifth floor of the RISD Museum has been renovated. Bringing new life and organization to the floor’s many galleries and allowing for a more immersive experience, the reworking was prompted by the new fire safety codes put in place after the 2003 Station nightclub fire. The museum has taken this as an opportunity to not just meet the codes but to revive its floors. Maureen O’Brien, curator of painting and sculpture at the museum, said that a backstory now accompanies each piece on the fifth floor, and that, with fewer paintings on display, viewers can better engage with each work.

Brown hops on the wrong bandwagon Joining institutions like Yale, Columbia and Northwestern University, Brown faces a lawsuit for improperly managing employees’ retirement plans.

Represented by the Law Offices of Sonja L. Deyoe, Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky Wotkyns LLP and Berger & Montague P.C., four former and current University employees have filed a class action complaint on behalf of the over 12,000 University employees under the Deferred Vesting Retirement Plan or the Legacy Retirement Plan. The complaint claims that the University has violated its fiduciary responsibilities to its employees under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act by choosing plans that call for excessively high administrative fees and an unreasonable array of fund options that are not guaranteed to ensure high performance.

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

No-loans doesn’t go far enough OWEN COLBY staff columnist

President Christina Paxson P ’19 announced Wednesday that the University will launch a $120 million campaign to remove all loans from financial aid packages for all undergraduates and replace them with grants.

This effort displays an important commitment to improving socioeconomic diversity on campus. But while the move is laudable and will help many students, it does little to address the major drivers of entrenched socioeconomic inequality on campus.

Cost is a major determinant of educational access, but the regressive policies within the admissions office perpetuate inequality, dictating who is admitted to the University in the first place.

It is no secret that Brown’s student population severely overrepresents the richest Americans. Over 19 percent of Brown students come from the top 1 percent of the income scale, while 18.2 percent come from the bottom 60 percent of the income scale. Moreover, 70 percent of all Brown students come from families in the top 20 percent median family income bracket. This inequality is deeply ingrained in Brown as an institution, and while the University’s new financial aid initiative attempts to alleviate the problem, it doesn’t get at the root cause.

In 2003, the University unveiled its need-blind admissions policy, promising to make a Brown education more accessible to students from all income backgrounds. Eliminating all loans in undergraduate financial

aid packages awarded by the University is the next major step in fulfilling this promise. Quite frankly, however, this initiative will do little to alter the skewed economic makeup of the Brown student body. Peer institutions that have implemented similar loanfree financial aid programs continue to struggle with economic diversity on their campuses. Yale, Penn and Princeton all have loan-free aid programs, but the number of students from the top 1 percent still outnumber those from the entire bottom 60 percent. Financial aid programs sim-

to prevent.

Brown’s reliance upon and use of standardized tests like the SAT and ACT disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Students from the highest income bracket generally outperform the poorest by 400 points on the SAT. This achievement gap is created by a confluence of factors, the largest being test preparation tutoring. Families dole out thousands of dollars to test prep companies in the hopes of improving their children’s standardized test scores, but these materials remain out of reach for most low-income ap-

tests, requiring students to take extra “SAT Subject Tests” imposes even more burdensome costs .

The most explicitly regressive policy that promotes inequality and the admission of the wealthiest is legacy admission. As Herald columnist Lena Renshaw ’20 recently wrote, “The University cannot meaningfully offer more opportunities to underrepresented students so long as it clings to legacy admissions, one of the prime engines of inequality.” If Brown wanted to rethink its admissions policy — which effectively reserves between 10

Cost is a major determinant of educational access, but the regressive policies within the admissions office perpetuate inequality, dictating who is allowed to attend the University in the first place.

ply do not affect the student body as much as the admissions protocols that decide who is receives an acceptance letter.

If the University is serious about improving socioeconomic diversity on campus, it must also reform the admissions processes that determine the composition of the student body.

The admission office maintains antiquated policies that benefit the rich.

Standardized testing, legacy admission and preferences for costly extracurriculars all preserve the very inequality the administration is trying

plicants. Similarly, these standardized tests cost significant amounts of money to take and re-take, and subsidies for such costs are limited in quantity.

Many have also argued that the language used on these tests benefits students from families who are wealthy and speak English as a native language. In 2003, controversy erupted when an SAT question centered on the word “regatta” — a series of boat or yacht races — which many protested was a word only privileged, coastal Americans would know. Despite all this, Brown relies heavily on these

and 12 percent of each year’s seats for the children of alums — it could very easily expand the proportion of lowincome students on campus.

And ending legacy admissions doesn’t have to come at the expense of the University’s finances. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has proven the positive impacts of ending legacy admissions; MIT performs far better than all Ivy League schools in terms of socioeconomic diversity, with 23.4 percents of students coming from the bottom 60 percent of the income scale and only 5.7 percent

coming from the top 1 percent — all while maintaining a substantial endowment.

What is perhaps the largest driver of socioeconomic inequality at Brown is the skewed way in which the University treats the qualifications of students from higher income brackets.

By focusing on students from elite feeder private schools like Brearley and Trinity schools in New York, which both send over 40 percent of their graduates to the Ivy Leagues — a phenomenon I’ve written about before — the University’s admissions officers undermine their own ability to build socioeconomically diverse classes. Further, overvaluing expensive and exclusive extracurriculars — sports like horseback riding and ice hockey, as well as academic competitions like travel debate — stacks the cards against students from families and school districts that lack vast resources.

The end result of these subtle practices in college admissions — the continued use of standardizing testing, preferences for legacy applicants and preferences for certain extracurriculars — is subconscious discrimination against low-income students.

Ultimately, it is fantastic that the University’s administration realizes that socioeconomic inequality on campus is a problem worth tackling, and the elimination of all loans in undergraduate financial aid awards is truly admirable. But they must also address the University’s socioeconomic diversity in realms other than financial aid to truly have an impact.

Owen Colby ’20 can be reached at owen_colby@brown.edu.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017

Is the NFL in trouble?

GEORGE KLEIN sports columnist The NFL is back, and that is cause for celebration among sports fans. Yet something was not quite right in the opening games of the season. TV ratings dropped, for one thing. According to CNN, over the first two weeks, Monday Night Football was down 5 percent and Sunday afternoon games on Fox and CBS dropped 11 percent and 19 percent, respectively. The quality of play and the recent hurricanes have been cited as reasons for the ratings dip, but the drop has carried over from last year.

On the whole, last year’s NFL regular season ratings were down 9 percent and playoff ratings 6 percent. The election cycle and the continuing “cord-cutting” phenomenon were blamed. But at what point is it time to dig deeper instead of passing off lowered viewership as a temporary trend?

Quality of play is a valid reason,

as anyone who watched last Thursday’s 13-9 snooze between the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals knows well. The issue was a hot topic last year also, but the problem appears to have worsened. After two weeks, it has become apparent that there are just five to seven teams with a legitimate shot to take home the title.

Even worse is the fact that almost half of the league is simply horrendous. Any person who takes a peek at the NFL standings can find two bad teams in almost every division.

A glance at the AFC, for example, reveals the Bills, Jets, Browns, Bengals, Texans, Colts and Chargers. Yikes!

Who wants to watch any game between two of those teams, except for their very dedicated fan bases?

And the problem could be here to stay for years to come, just like a more sinister issue: concussions.

While concussions have been highlighted in the news for years, the actual level of play has not been affected. Still, early retirement has become more prominent. Offensive lineman John Urschel left the NFL this year,

linebacker A.J. Tarpley last year and talented linebacker Chris Borland the year before that.

The harsher effects, however, will be felt as the next generation of players rises through the ranks. More and more parents are refusing to let their children play football, as cases of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, CTE for short, pervade retired NFL athletes — and even some college and high school football players. CTE, commonly called “punchdrunk” syndrome among the boxing community, is caused by repeated blows to the head, as happens over and over in football.

The talent pool has not been hurt so far, but what about a couple of decades from now? It certainly will not help the quality of play issue. A smaller collection of talent makes it easier for a handful of players to dominate.

Parity could be completely wrecked ­— not to mention the actual gameplay. Will the NFL be as popular with more Josh McCowns and other New York Jets-level players? The most talented athletes would gravitate more toward safer sports such as basket-

ball or soccer.

Of course, the NFL may not be worrying about the game’s future since the league office keeps bungling the present. Commissioner Roger Goodell continues to mess up every key decision, all while being paid ridiculous sums of money.

Deflategate, obviously, made national headlines, but the subject has been talked about ad nauseam, so let’s move on. Far more troubling is the NFL’s uneven pattern of punishment. Compare Ray Rice’s infamous 2014 two-game suspension after assaulting his wife on video with Darren Waller’s 2017 one-year suspension for smoking marijuana. It is not a pretty picture. The NFL, after facing the public’s criticism for its incredibly weak stance towards Rice, has cracked down on everything else.

Waller is not alone. He was the fourth player within a year to be suspended for that long due to a weedrelated violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. With all the powerful painkillers that have been plunged into players’ bodies before games, leading many on the path to

addiction, weed should be low on the list of NFL drug-related concerns.

The NFL is still America’s top sport. But problem after problem keeps popping up and, eventually, a breaking point will come. When that happens is anyone’s guess, though with the NBA gaining in popularity, the NFL could face some real competition for its gold medal position in 20 years or so. The MLB has an inability to connect to younger audiences, but the league has been around since 1903 and will not be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

But what fate lies in store for football? Boxing, another brutal, headtrauma inducing affair, was perhaps America’s most popular sport in the early 20th century. But now it lies on the fringes, far away from any sort of competition with the “Big 4.” If history is any indication, I do not feel so sure about what the NFL’s place in the sports world will be in 2117.

George Klein ’20 can be reached at george_klein@brown.edu.