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70
Daily
By MaRk RayMond Senior Staff Writer
the Brown
Herald
Since 1891
The Brown Concert Agencys Fall Concert this Saturday will be an unprecedented event and not necessarily because of the dubstepping talents of Starkey or the psychedelic strumming of Real Estate. The real surprise for students this time around is the ticket price: gratis, frei, free.
High school students participating in Summer@Brown flirt with college life on the Main Green. The program is generating more revenue for the University.
For a backpack containing Grants Atlas of Anatomy, Junquieras Basic Histology and Bates Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking , Corey Spiros MD15 bag is remarkably light. Combined, the books weigh less than 1.33 pounds the e-books, that is. This year for the first time, Alpert Medical School required every incoming first-year to purchase an iPad 2. The Med School has revised its curriculum to further incorporate tablet technology. Administrators are encouraging first-years to use the iPads to read electronic versions of textbooks and take notes in class. Some faculty are also piloting iPad use in three second-year pathophysiology classes. First-years were required to buy iPad versions of several textbooks through Inkling, a California start-up. Combined, the cost for these e-books totalled $30 more than the cost of new print editions through Amazon $150 more than the cheapest used versions. Combined with the iPads continued on page 3
The Senate Corporations Committee approved Gov. Lincoln Chafees 75 P14 nominations to the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission at its hearing yesterday, greenlighting the roster for a vote by the full Senate Thursday. Colin Kane, principal of the development firm Peregrine Group LLC, will serve as chairman of
the commission. The committee approved six other commission members: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biotechnology Barrett Bready 99 MD03, Women and
firm Moses and Afonso Mark Ryan and CEO of a Rhode Island nonprofit Michael Van Leesten. State Sen. Bethany Moura, RCumberland and Lincoln, submitted the only nay vote of the afternoon against Hunger. Making sure talented people are working in collaboration is very important as we go forward, Chafee said at the hearing. All continued on page 4
As far as I know, its never been free, said Gillian Brassil 12, BCA booking chair, who referred to the Fall Concert as a baby Spring Weekend. The Undergraduate Finance Board usually provides funding for the cost of the talent, Brassil said, and production costs are paid for by revenues from ticket sales. This year was supposed to be no different, but over the summer, the game plan changed. BCA compiled a list of artists they were interested in bringing to campus and put the short list before the student body on BlogDailyHerald July 31, Brassil said. The results revealed Tune-Yards, continued on page 2
International students were responsible for a disproportionately high number of academic code violations brought before the Academic Code Committee last academic year, prompting the University to improve the support and information provided to international students this year. The committees report, released April 14, concluded that international students are disproportionately likely to appear before the committee and to be found to have violated the academic code. The report showed that while nonAmerican citizens make up less than 10 percent of the student body, they represent nearly 20 percent of the appearances before the committee
last year. Students in computer science courses account for the majority of academic code violations decided by the committee. The Department of Computer Science uses plagiarism detection software, which makes it easier for the department to identify instances of academic dishonesty. The two findings might be connected, said Kathleen McSharry, associate dean for writing and dean for issues of chemical dependency and a case administrator for the committee. I dont think theyre actually violating the code more, she said, but international students may be disproportionately represented in computer science courses. But with only 57 cases reviewed by the committee last year, McSharcontinued on page 3
C-SPAN pulled into campus Tuesday after visiting Hope High School. The network is on a tour to familiarize students and the public with its coverage.
weather
inside
What a Racket
Womens tennis prepares for Ivy League season
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2 Campus news
C ALeNDAR
TODAY 12 P.m. Fall Career Fair, Multiple Locations 6 P.m. Shanghai Cinema Behind the Scenes, Granoff Center SEPTEmbER 21 TOmORROW 7:30 P.m. Salvador Dalis Aliya: The Rebirth of Israel Opening Reception, Hillel 7:30 P.m. No, youre not crazy. It IS sexism, Salomon 202 SEPTEmbER 22
MeNU
SHARPE REFECTORY Polynesian Chicken Wings, Stir Fried Rice, Vegan Stir Fry Veggies with Tofu, Lemon Cookies DINNER Sustainable Baked and Breaded Pollock, Cheese Quesadillas with Sour Cream and Salsa Chopped Sirloin with Mushroom Sauce, Pastito, Squash Rolls, Macaroon Bars VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH Italian Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, Vegetable Strudel, Lemon Cookies
continues to grow
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SUDOKU
CR OSSWORD
Daily
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Herald
Matthew Burrows, Treasurer Isha Gulati, Secretary
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily. Copyright 2011 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
edItoRIAl
BuSIneSS
Office of Continuing Education, Ward said. The proportion of funds given to the University has not altered in recent years, Ward said. The steady increase in revenue allocated to the University simply reflects the growth of the programs. We certainly work on trying to increase our number of students, Ward said. We have been successful in growing the programs each summer. This past year, the University welcomed around 3,300 high school students for its Summer@ Brown program, which allows high school students to live on campus and take classes. The summer programs have been enormously successful and beneficial for the students and for the University, said Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration. Revenue has increased significantly over time. Despite concerns, the economic climate of the past few years has not diminished the growth of the Universitys summer offerings, Ward said. Given the economic circumstances, we werent sure if we would be able to sustain the level of enrollment, she said. But we have been exceeding our targets. Beyond its current summer programs, the Office of Continuing Education plans to continue expanding its offerings to serve different populations and open new revenue streams for the University, according to Ward. She cited educational opportunities for adults as a potential area for expansion. We always look at other revenue streams without wanting to interfere with anything already happening at the University, Ward said. The University has reported plans to launch professional masters degree programs, with instruction primarily taking place online, in 2012.
Campus news 3
Alpert Medical School first-years were each asked to purchase an iPad 2 instead of print-edition textbooks this year.
to throw them out of medical school, he said. After making the decision last spring to adopt iPads for the fall, administrators called on Rahul Banerjee 10 MD14 and Michael Kim 10 MD 14. Both had worked for the technology support help desk and were asked to aid with the transition and to act as liaisons between students and administrators. Banerjee and Kim tested apps and wrote support documentation this summer. The two offered workshops and held office hours during orientation and the first weeks of the year. The recently launched IT Fellows program will make sure iPad technologies at the Med School are up to date, Banerjee said. Though some students were initially reluctant to adopt the Apple product, they have by and large embraced it, Banerjee said. Having the community on the same technological platform streamlines tech support, he said. And since all the new classroom technology was chosen with the
iPad specifically in mind, it is not necessarily compatible with other devices, George said. Administrators are now gathering student feedback so the Med School can further integrate iPads into the curriculum, Gruppuso said. So far, feedback has been generally positive, George said, adding that administrators will continue to solicit input throughout the year. About a quarter of second-year students have adopted iPads as well, he added. Banerjee and Kim anticipate the Med School will soon put
pressure on its affiliated hospitals to adopt iPads as well. Many hospitals have already started the process iPads can be a great resource for doctors, Banerjee said. On the wards, you want to be able to look up information very quickly, whether its dosage of a drug or whether its possible side effects of medication or of a certain treatment regiment, he said. Georgetown University, Stanford University, the University of California and other major universities have also begun exploring iPad use in their medical schools.
4 Campus news
continued from page 1 these nominees share the common goal of bringing economic revitalization to the state of Rhode Island. Hunger, Kelly and Ryan were also on Providence Mayor Angel Taveras list of nominees. This is an extraordinary opportunity for our city, for our state, for our region, Taveras said at the hearing in support of Chafees plan for the commission. The idea of the commission and the way that its come together is something thats going to benefit us for months and years to come. I am an average, concerned citizen, said Hunger to the committee. What I am not is a city planner, a developer or a businesswoman. Many of the other nominees could lay claim to such titles. Kane will bring his experience in real estate development to the chairman position. Institutional capital that came here during the last cycle got smoked, he said. We need to convince these groups that we have a growing economy and a predictable approval pro-
Campus news 5
HIGHeR eD Ne WS R OUNDUP
6 Campus news
The womens team, looking to rebound from last season, will host the Brown Invitational this weekend.
W. TENNIS
After finishing fourth in the Ivy League last year, the womens tennis team is ready to redeem itself this season. The team will test its mettle at the Brown Invitational Sept. 2324, in its opening tournament of the fall campaign. Five of the top six players from last year have returned this season Julie Flanzer 12, Michalina Misia Krasowski 13, Casey
Herzberg 12, Jessica Harrow 14 and Elle Caldwell 14. Four firstyears are expected to contribute and compete for the sixth spot in singles play. Our returners have come back better than they left, and our freshmen are very strong, said Assistant Coach Cecily Dubusker. Krasowski echoed her coachs sentiment, citing an increase in the level of maturity that the returning players have in their attitude towards practice and competition.
We have great freshmen that will add a lot of depth to our lineup, she added. Dubusker acknowledged the tough competition the team will face this season. All teams we play are working extremely hard to separate from the pack, she said. We all are striving to win the Ivy League Championship and also get into the NCAA tournament, Harrow said. Every match counts, and there is not just one person who can win it for the team.
Campus news 7
ogy. Despite its challenges, Rand said the center has used Browns academic environment to its favor. Undergrads are happier here than in most other places, he said. One of the CCMBs goals is to recreate this enthusiasm at the graduate, postdoctoral and faculty research level. In November 2009, the University announced Rhode Islands only supercomputer. Rand said the CCMB currently has a computer cluster distinct from the Center for Computation and Visualizations supercomputer, but he hopes to share resources more in the future. Consolidation and efficiency are key priorities for Rand. He said the CCMB would like to reduce redundancies across courses. In addition to his leadership position at the CCMB, Rand will continue teaching undergraduates and is working to integrate computer science, ecology and evolutionary biology and genomics under an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship NSF grant.
In line with University goals, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology David Rand P12 says he will take an interdisciplinary approach to expanding research in his new role as director of the Center for Computational Molecular Biology. Rand, who replaced the centers former director, Professor of Computer Science Sorin Istrail, this August, intends to foster collaborative research projects across disciplines like applied math, computer science and biology. The CCMB was founded in 2003 to focus on computational approaches to molecular biology and evolutionary genetics enabled by advances in genomics. Rand said he hopes to eventually institute a postdoctoral fellow program at the center. The University has access to excellent human capital, he said. Availibility of tremendous amounts of public genomic data and data generated at Brown combined
with new approaches to data analysis will allow researchers to compete for more grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation in the future, he said. But putting the CCMB on the map has not always been easy, Rand said. Browns relatively small size meant the University could not allocate a competitive level of resources to the field. Increasing the centers visibility was one of Istrails main goals during his period as director of the CCMB. A big fan of Steve Jobs, Istrail summarized his iVision as engaging the world, one inspiring course, one innovative student, one influential research leader at a time. He said encouraging critical discourse was essential to his plan for the center. To further this end, the CCMB organized symposia that offered access to distinguished lecturers nonstop. Under Istrails leadership in 2009, the CCMB announced the availability of a doctoral program in computational molecular biol-
8 Campus news
continued from page 12 projects completed, Dietel said. Im very pleased with our progress. A few summer projects were put on hold due to budget constraints, Dietel said. Some of the crosswalks on Thayer Street were slated to be repainted in a simpler design, but based on the pricing, that project was put on hold while alternatives are considered, he said. Solar panels were supposed to have been installed on the roof of the GeoChem Building, but due to some structural issues, it did not make sense economically to move forward by the time the design on the project was finished, Dietel said. A plan to create new exit pathways on the east side of Caswell Hall was deferred until next summer. The University was busy at work off College Hill as well. The new Medical Education Building opened Aug. 15 to much fanfare. Renovations on 121 South Main St. for the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics were completed in July, and work continues on 198 Dyer St., the future home of the Office of Continuing Education. Were getting ready to start construction on the renovation of 315 Thayer St., which will house
The University installed additional lighting on the Main Green, particularly near Sayles and Wilson halls.
about 60 students when it opens next fall, Dietel said. And the renovation of Hunter Laboratory is currently in the design phase, with its comprehensive renovation planned to start in April
2012. The project will involve the construction of a new greenhouse on the roof and the removal of the existing Plant Environmental Center to create an extension of the Walk to Lincoln Field.
Campus news 9
COMICS
Cabernet Voltaire | Abe Pressman
Letters, please!
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10 editorial
eDITORIAL Teach for America, learn for America
A hallmark of Brown students is their proclivity to forge unique combinations of studies. Yet as those of us pursuing double concentrations, independent concentrations or independent studies know, our goals sometimes prove overly ambitious. With this in mind, we were initially skeptical of a new partnership between Teach for America and the Urban Education Policy program. Combining practical teaching experience with education policy studies makes sense. But we were concerned that the two extremely rigorous programs would not complement each other and would instead be competing stressors for participants trying to succeed in both. After further research, we are optimistic that the collaboration will indeed be a worthwhile addition to the Universitys degree offerings. Director of the Urban Education Policy Program Kenneth Wong, professor of education and chair of the department, said the programs structure was designed with the demands of TFA in mind. Participants will not begin their Urban Education Policy studies until their first year of TFA is complete, allowing TFA corps members to get through the strenuous first year of teaching before beginning graduate studies. Prospective students will apply in January but do not have to commit until the spring. Staggering the application process against the schoolyear calendar gives applicants valuable time on the job to help them evaluate whether to take on additional graduate studies. This non-traditional schedule should allow participants to better handle the demands of simultaneously teaching and getting a masters degree. Wong said the policy programs structure and culture give him confidence that students will not slip through the cracks and see their classroom performance struggle either as teachers or as students. With a low student-faculty ratio, the policy program keeps students and professors in close contact, increasing the likelihood that problems handling the dual program will be successfully resolved. Furthermore, Wong said the policy program features a strong administrative staff focused on assisting students with logistical issues. This point is particularly important a current TFA corps member told us that poor communication and coordination between TFA and graduate programs is a red flag for those considering degrees. Still, it is crucial that new University programs demonstrate they are achieving their aims, no matter how good they sound on paper. Wong said he is very mindful of the need to evaluate the program as it progresses. Among the criteria he cited, we were pleased to hear that he will pay attention to how involved participants are in extracurricular Urban Education Policy activities and how much they are collaborating with other students. Focusing on factors like these will help ensure that participants are fully involved in the Brown degree program and are not sacrificing their effort here for the demands of teaching. If successful, we believe this program could help make Rhode Island more attractive to prospective TFA corps members. It might even help retain a few well-qualified individuals in the state after they complete their studies. Brunonians frequently strive to combine theoretical and practical studies, and we look forward to tracking the progress of this new effort. editorials are written by The heralds editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
eDITORIAL COMIC
by sam rosenfeld
Philip Gruppuso, associate dean for medical education See textbookS on page 1.
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opinions 11
Hear him out
August. These requirements mean the American public will be denied a fully stocked buffet of GOP presidential primary candidates. While these numbers are definitely reasonable, it denies media attention to a more screwball candidate, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer. Roemers signature issue is his belief in strict campaign finance reform. His campaign nobly accepts only donations of emer said. And I talk about unfair trade These are my two issues. Nobody else talks about them. And thats the point. Nobody else in the primary talks about campaign finance. Even if Roemer has a miniscule chance of winning, injecting his ideas into the primary may help define the national discussion. Excluding fringe candidates is often done to allow other contenders more time can focus primarily on chiding the media for asking gotcha questions, then why cant we have Roemer dinging the media for not asking about campaign finance? Furthermore, making campaign finance reform a part of the national discussion is something that everyone can and should rally around. The point of the fringe candidate is to inject into the national conversation important issues that do not often get mentioned. The morality of knowing who is paying for what in politics should be an outright priority, especially for the upcoming 2012 election. With President Obama rumored to be raising $1 billion for his reelection campaign and a possible President Rick Perry who was labeled a crony capitalist by members of his own GOP establishment a discussion about money in politics needs to be broached. Roemer is the person to herald that discussion. Therefore, I hope Fox News allows Roemer on stage for its Sept. 22 debate. You may disagree with some of Roemers policies. I happen to disagree with nearly all of them. That fact still does not diminish what his candidacy can bring to the podium. Roemers poll numbers may be low, but let him debate. Campaign finance matters, and America deserves a look into who is funding the president it elects in 2012. Chip Lebovitz 14 would like to congratulate his parents on their 25th anniversary. He can be reached at charles_lebovitz@brown.edu.
BY CHIP LeBOVITz
opinions Columnist
Those of us who care little for the New England Patriots might have spent last Monday night watching a different sort of game CNNs Republican Presidential Primary Debate. Located in sunny Tampa Bay, Fla., the debate was what you would have expected: a dog pile on the Republican front-runner, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. For those of you who missed it, the debate went something like this: Wolf Blitzer: Gov. Perry, what do you think about anything? Perry: Realistically Wolf, I think we need to The rest of the field: I disagree with whatever Perry is saying right now. To be fair, Mitt Romney acquitted himself well, and other candidates made some articulate, well-thought-out points. Also, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, RMinn., said that Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, causes mental retardation but hey, no debate is perfect. In fact, this debate was especially imperfect because it denied America an opportunity to hear from some of the more interesting candidates. To qualify for last Mondays CNN/Tea Party Express Debate, a candidate had to average 2 percent of votes in three national polls occurring in the months of July or
$100 or less and no money from Political Action Committees. Roemers poll numbers often barely register. When his name is actually listed as a possible candidate in polls, he occasionally draws 1 percent support. But the numbers are unimportant. While the quantitative argument for Roemer is painfully weak, he deserves a spot for qualitative reasons. I recently asked Roemer about being excluded from the debate. Im not one to be overly anxious about it. I need a debate theres no question about it. My ideas are different. I talk about the money, and its corrupting influence in politics, Ro-
to speak. So far, the debates already suffer from an imbalance of speaking times, with an emphasis on the front-runners. As evidenced by former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorums complaints during the August Fox News/Washington Examiner debate, no matter how many candidates attend, some will not get enough speaking time. Adding Roemer will not change that reality. Just look at former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has as much of a shot as Roemer of winning the nomination zero, for those of you wondering yet is on stage for all of the debates. With all due respect to the speaker, if he
Time and again, undergraduates are caught in the crossfire and suffer incalculable damage to their education.
mental right to free speech. By the same logic that our Founding Fathers saw it necessary to guarantee the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, the right to collectively bargain allows workers to associate, thereby checking the power imbalances that exist in employer-employee relationships. The ability of the union to mitigate abuses of power is particularly relevant to student employees. Whereas an employee of McDonalds might be able to quit and find employment at Wendys, students, particularly those at private universities, cannot so
other teachers not on the tenure track, and transient teachers lack of institutional support compromises the quality of educational experience they are able to provide. In the most extreme scenarios, for example, during finals at Yale in 1995, teaching assistants could go on strike, refusing to teach or grade. Time and again, undergraduates are caught in the crossfire and suffer incalculable damage to their education. Recognizing collective bargaining rights for graduate student employees offers additional positive externalities for education as a whole. Most directly, the cessation of artifi-
Walkways on Lincoln Field were replaced, and new bike racks were added around campus. Ittleson Quadrangle will be a new green space for the athletic complex, and the new fitness and aquatics center are scheduled to open in the spring.
remainder is still under construction. Some classrooms, such as MacMillan 117, received new painting and carpeting. Facilities repainted 456 rooms in 24 residence halls this summer, according to Dietel. Some residence halls also received lighting upgrades, part of a larger ini-
tiative to make the Universitys buildings more energy-efficient, Dietel said. The showers in some Goddard House bathrooms were completely gutted out and renovated, Dietel said. Several of these showers were leaking to the point where we couldnt maintain them. Tropical Storm Irene did not
inhibit summer work. There was no impact on construction as a result of the storm, Dietel said. All of our construction sites were secured in advance of the storm to prevent damage, he said. Overall, everything went according to plan with over 100 continued on page 8
There has been an increase in student demand over the past five years for Psychological Services, according to Director Belinda Johnson. Johnson largely attributed the increase to greater student awareness of available resources. About 17 percent of the total student body, 1,460 students, sought help for psychological or emotional issues last year. This figure is typical of the last five years between 16 and 18 percent of the student body typically seek help annually, Johnson said. But the stable figures understate demand because the student body grew significantly in that time period. Visitations were at their lowest in the 2007-08 academic year, when the center saw 16 percent of the population, Johnson said. Students are allowed seven free consultations, though the average student who visits Psychological Services attends three. It is rare that a student will reach the seven-consultation limit, Johnson said. About 30 percent of the students are referred to an external therapist, either because they want ongoing regular consultation or have exceeded the Universitys limit. In 2006, when the number of free visits was capped at five, students were often asked to wait as long as two weeks for a consultation, Johnson said. Psychological Services hired an additional psychotherapist at that time to reduce the wait. But in 2009, a New England Ascontinued on page 9
The University will make a major announcement within the next several weeks regarding the Humanities Initiative, a multidisciplinary effort launched last year to strengthen teaching and research in the humanities. A working group including Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P12, Provost Mark Schlissel P15, Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron, Deputy Provost Joseph Meisel and Director of the Cogut Center for the Humanities and Professor of History and Music Michael Steinberg is still making final decisions about how to attract six new faculty members and spend the anonymous donation of $3 million allotted to the initiative.
When implemented, the initiative will encourage laboratory research in the humanities by providing venues for research across disciplines, Steinberg said. In addition to creating positions for six renowned scholars of the humanities, the initiative will provide funding for collaborative programming, multidisciplinary graduate research and new coursework. We made an announcement last fall that we would hire six new faculty, each of whom would have a degree of flexibility in teaching so they could develop projects, McLaughlin said. This year, we are scaling up the initiative to include a wider set of proposals for the humanities centered on collaborative research and teaching. The Humanities Initiative started by former Dean of the
Faculty Rajiv Vohra P07, now a professor of economics is still in the planning phase. The working group must receive approval from the Academic Priorities Committee before disclosing full details about the project to the community, McLaughlin said. No new faculty members have yet been hired and none of the money donated to the cause has been spent. The University hopes to have extended a couple of offers out for faculty hires and initiated some interdisciplinary research projects by the end of the year, McLaughlin said. Of the three to four candidates considered as finalists last year for these faculty positions, only one remains under consideration, he said. The hiring procedure for the six positions this year will likely
entail soliciting nominations from faculty, but nominees will have to be named by professors from at least two departments to be considered, McLaughlin said. Ultimately, the University is searching for younger and midcareer scholars who are focused on what they could do here that they could not do where they are now, he said. The announcement coming in the next few weeks will likely include further information on hiring and how the $3 million will be spent. We havent worked out any final details, Schlissel said. We have just thought in more detail about how to help the initiative achieve its goals. The initiative will build on the Universitys tradition of academic exploration and curricular open-
ness, Steinberg said. The Cogut Center for the Humanities will provide the home and resources for initiative projects by creating opportunities for collaboration. The initiative will feed into the Cogut Centers efforts to create interactions among different subjects, Schlissel added. By dedicating resources to strengthen the humanities, the University is ultimately hoping to encourage innovation in the humanities on par with advancement in the sciences, McLaughlin said. This priority, he added, is unique to Brown. Brown is making a big statement about the humanities that other universities arent making, McLaughlin said. The initiative will help us continue to keep strength in the humanities part of our national profile.