March 12, 2012 Issue
March 12, 2012 Issue
March 12, 2012 Issue
32
Daily
By Morgan joHnSon Senior Staff Writer
the Brown
Herald
Since 1891
U.S. Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., addressed the Hills benefits and drawbacks.
Roughly 60 students delivered a petition with more than 600 signatures from students, staff, faculty and alums to the University Friday, demanding Brown increase
The urban studies department hosted a two-day conference on sustainable urbanism this weekend, highlighting new challenges cities face to become cleaner, healthier, greener and less socioeconomically stratified. The conference, titled The City off the Hill: Working Together for Sustainable Urbanism, took place in MacMillan 117 and included six panels and a video-streamed keynote speech by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl Friday. With panels like Transportation Alternatives, Greening the Urban Environment and Afford-
able and Efficient Housing, the conference brought together experts from various fields to tackle the issue of sustainable cities from many angles. Ravenstahl, 32 who became mayor of Pittsburgh at the age of 26 spoke in his keynote address about programs he has implemented to transform Pittsburgh from a declining steel town to what Forbes Magazine called Americas most livable city. These initiatives have focused on diversifying the economy with the help of eds and meds educational institutions and hospitals to bring in industries like biotechnology, information technology and alternative energy. Other pro-
grams have focused on greening the local environment through urban gardens and forests, reducing energy use through stricter standards and increasing walkability and bikeability within the city. The eds and the meds are something that we focus on here to allow us to do better than most regions, if you look at our unemployment rate, which is far below the state average and the national average, Ravenstahl said. Ravenstahl went on to discuss the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which has been an engine of the citys growth and continued on page 3
The wages of on-campus student employees will increase by 3 percent starting the next fiscal year, based on a recommendation the University Resources Committee approved last month. The wage increase a routine activity to ensure students are being paid as much as possible makes it easier for students on financial aid to fulfill their work-study expectations or campus employment programs while only working eight to 12 hours a week, said James Tilton, director of financial aid. The increase also responds to both state and federal minimum wages, which can increase from year to year. We like to be ahead of the curve with that, said Tracy Frisone, senior assistant director of financial aid. Currently, the Universitys minimum wage is $8.45 per hour, while Rhode Islands is $7.40 per hour and the countrys is $7.25 per hour. Mark Schlissel P15, provost and URC chair, said the committee decided to approve this request as education grows more expensive. Students are being called upon to contribute more and more to either the cost of their education or continued on page 3
It has been called a microcosm of Brunonian culture, a Craigslist for Brown and an inspiration for students and alums to pose nude on the roof of the GeoChem Building,
feature
in Faunce House, in Sayles Hall, in Steinert Practice Center and in Salomon Center. While much of the hype of BrownBares.com on campus has died down, the site remains active months after its creation in mid-November. BrownBares is a subreddit of reddit.com, a site that allows users to submit photos and comment
on others submissions under selfcreated usernames. While certainly not the only site of its kind, BrownBares is one of the only not suitable for work subreddits exclusive to a university. With approximately 1,000 to 2,000 unique hits every day, dozens of users and nearly 300 subscribers, the place in which Brown bares all has occupied a unique niche in Browns culture of sexual positivity. Submissions feature Brownrelated humor and cultural references one user posed with his cyclohexane model from organic chemistry, and other posters have censored their faces with photoshopped images of Bruno logos. continued on page 5
Courtesy of BrownBares.com
Students post self-pictures, some playful and others explicit, to a public website.
inside
weather
Big band
t o d ay
tomorrow
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2 Campus news
C ALenDAR
TODAY 12 P.M. Science Writing Panel, 3rd Floor Science Library 8 P.M. Invisible Streets, Smith-Buananno , Room 106 7 P.M. Seth Meyers, Salomon Center, Room 101 MARCH 12 TOMORROW 2 P.M. What Tyranny Is This, Granoff Center MARCH 13
MenU
SHARPE REFECTORY Gnocchi all Sorentina, Italian Vegetable Saute, White Chocolate Chip Cookies VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH Mediterranean Bar, Corn Salad with Zucchini & Tomato, Spinach and Rice Bake
DINNER Vegan Oven Roasted Tofu, Sustainable Seafood Cavatelli, Cream Cheese Brownies Stir Fry - Spicy Vegetarian Cuban and Spicy Cuban with Beef, Vegetables In Honey Ginger Sauce
SUDOkU
CR OSSWORD
Daily
the Brown
Herald
Danielle Marshak, Treasurer Siena DeLisser, 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 and once during Orientation 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.
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Campus news 3
Experts plot Providence roadmap
continued from page 1 has increased health care delivery. Ed Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences and professor of medicine, has cited the center as a model for what the University can do to spur development and job creation in Providence. During his introduction of Ravenstahl, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras hinted at the responsibility of eds and meds to help the cities in which they are located. The Universitys relationship with the city has been strained recently over Browns tax-exempt status at a time when the city is struggling financially. I love the name of this conference, Taveras said. This is what its all about the city off the hill. During the panel Introduction to Sustainable Urbanism, Scott Wolf, executive director of GrowSmart R.I., a public interest group fighting urban sprawl, spoke about the power of academic institutions such as Brown and Johnson and Wales University in kindling sustainable development in areas like the Jewelry District. There was a consensus among panelists that development will take time. Its going to be a couple years before anything happens, said Arnold Chace, managing general partner at Cornish Associates, a real estate development company based in Providence. Brown doesnt want to commit too much without knowing theyre going to get the land. Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the possibilities for job growth and creation in Rhode Island. She spoke of the collaborative effort of universities, the chamber of commerce, hospitals and other firms to devise a roadmap for job growth based on the states competitive assets. After conducting a large data analysis study, the collaborative team determined Providences strengths lie in its universities, colleges and hospitals. We asked ourselves, What are they doing in these institutions thats really different, unique, competitive and that will provide a platform for job growth along all points in the economic spectrum? White said. The roadmap isolated specific industries that are germane for Providence, such as preventive and rehabilitative services, life sciences and medical devices, design and media technologies, green technology and high-growth entrepreneurship, White said. Legacy industries are just not spitting out jobs the way they used to, she said. And if you look at census data, the bulk of the jobs that have been created in the last 10 years have come from small, new companies. But discussion extended beyond Providence to what other cities are doing to promote sustainable urbanism. Frank Ford, senior vice president for research and development at Neighborhood Progress, Inc., spoke about initiatives Cleveland is undertaking to build commitment to sustainability at the grassroots level. Journalist Greg Lindsay spoke about architectural efforts to create affordable, functional homes in vacant lots in Cicero, Ill. Sarah Aucoin, director of New York Citys Urban Park Rangers, spoke about greening efforts in that city. The conference concluded with a plea to young people. Everybody thinks theres going to be some technical innovation thats going to usher sustainable urbanism into the world, but that couldnt be further from the truth, said George McCarthy, director of metropolitan opportunity at the Ford Foundation. Its a sociological problem. How do we get people to change their behavior? How can young people leverage new tools like social media to come together and act? Hilary Silver, director of the urban studies program, said the conference exceeded her expectations. We got to listen to people who have been extremely creative in tackling big problems, she said. Theyre people who have not lost hope.
Fifty to 60 percent of student workers are fulfilling the work component of their financial aid packages.
the extra cost of their living while theyre on campus, Schlissel said. Madeline Borges 15, who works for the University libraries, said her wage is pretty good given what (shes) doing but that she is still happy about the increase due to what she called the high living costs in Providence. Christopher Farrow 15, who works for Brown University Dining Services, said he found the increase to be more of a positive statement than something that will affect his everyday life. I think its great for workers that they are willing to pay us more, and it is appropriate that it is above minimum wage, he said. But, from a monetary standpoint, 3 percent is kind of penny pinching at this point. Tilton said student workers are generally satisfied with their wages and that there are rarely requests for wage increases. That is part of our responsibility to oversee
these things and make sure that our students are being paid appropriately, he said. Though the Office of Financial Aid, which is in charge of student employment, does not have statistics regarding how student employees spend their earnings, Tilton said he assumes students typically spend their money on personal expenses rather than tuition. Frisone said this is especially true for students who have a work component in their financial aid package, a group that makes up between 50 and 60 percent of student workers. In these cases, she said, the work-study component is meant to cover students indirect expenses those not billed directly by the University such as books, personal items and travel expenses. Both Borges and Farrow said they use their wages for such expenses, but it wouldnt really be reasonable to ask students to live off of what they get from BUDS, Farrow said.
Shadow puppets bring poetry to life Big band offers varied program in first concert
Poet Zachary Schomburg watched his poems travel from the page to the screen Sunday night in the form of the fringe-media format of shadow puppetry. Theres a Built to Spill line, one of my favorite bands, that goes, I want to see the movies of my dreams, Schomberg told The Herald after the show. Its like I get to do that. In his reading of about 20 poems before the puppet performance last night, the Portland-based poet who has released three poetry volumes and will be publishing his first novel next year told the small audience, About half of my poems are from my dreams. In the intimate McCormack Family Theater, a crowd of about 50 gathered to watch Schomburgs dreams with him in Fjords, the contemporary shadow puppet interpretation of his book of poetry by the same name, told in 15 audiovisual shorts, each based on a different poem. This was the most recent stop of a touring collaboration between the Chicago shadow puppet troupe Manual Cinema, the Chicago Q Ensemble, Kyle Vegter, who wrote the score, and Schomburg, whose most recent volume inspired the performance. While Schomburgs reading of his work sounded lighter almost wistful the presentation of shadow puppetry retold a series of his poems in the dark, desolate dreamscape in which he first imagined them. I think they translated perfectly, from my perspective, Schomburg said. Theres this real inherent loneliness and sadness and longing and pining in those poems, and I think they really understood that, and with images were able to capture what I was trying to capture with text. To personify Schomburgs terse, idiosyncratic poetry, Manual Cinema used multiple overhead projectors, a collection of cutouts to make the silhouettes on the screen, color pictures to set the landscape and two live actors to navigate this dreamscape. Though the entire show was created with just light, paper and a projection screen, the audience did not hesitate to go backstage after the show to see how it was made. There were no technical innovations or truly astounding effects in the presentation, but the creativity inspired by such a simplistic medium was a fitting channel through which to express Schomburgs simply worded yet deeply evocative poems. Schomburg only read his poems before the puppet show. The actual presentation featured only the images on the screen and Vegters powerful original score. The performance was accompanied by a live string quartet for the first shows of the tour in Chicago, but last night a recording was used. The score switched deftly between unexpected sound effects, atmospheric ambience and what sounded like a minimalist classical string symphony, all serving as a well-timed counterpart to the visuals on the screen. I realized that he said they had live music, and I lamented at the loss so much, said audience member Manvir Singh 12 after the show. But it was still really neat, and the fact that there was recorded music means that they had to line everything all up, and I thought it was really impressive. The entire presentation, including the reading, a five-minute break and the puppet show, lasted just under an hour and a half. But as there was no poetry to actually accompany the visuals with the exception of title lines projected on the screen like in a silent movie the audience seemed a little tired during the last few vignettes. I enjoyed it for the most part, maybe like two thirds of it, Singh said. In the beginning, its really novel, and its pretty impressive. After that, the novelty wears off. Schomburg said that while he is most dedicated to working with text on a page, he appreciates the energy and longevity that new media can provide to his work. If I write a poem, I want it to be a poem, but naturally Im kind of interested in the fact that it could be another kind of thing, too, Schomburg said. Like it could have a new life as a new thing and kind of continue to live through different mediums and be able to get translated and re-translated and re-translated and not just get stuck on the page.
By jaMeS joHnSon Contributing Writer
The Brown University Wind Symphony performed five big band pieces and one percussion piece ranging in origin from 1949 to 2002 for its first concert of the semester in Salomon 101 Friday night. The symphony was led by conductor Matt McGarrell, senior lecturer in music and director of bands. The program was traditional it started with an overture, followed by three pieces composed in the last 15 years, and finished with the finality of an old American classic. I thought more about the moods of the pieces and how they complimented each other, McGarrell said. This program is a little different from what we would normally do in that it doesnt have a unifying theme, he added. To begin the night, Kevin Plouffe, teaching associate in music and coach of the rhythm section, conducted Avalanche by composer Billy Madison. The piece was written in 1981 and features the eight percussionists exclusively. The first piece featuring the whole symphony was the 1965 Dedication Overture by Vittorio Giannini, which swayed between lightly driving rhythmic riffs and melodic swells, pausing before sliding into a beautiful interlude with no percussion, and finishing with a repeat of the more upbeat first section. It was a highlight of the night. The next piece, entitled The Dra-
goons Lament, was written by Brant Karrick in 1998. Its just a beautiful, simple folk song, well-scored, McGarrell said of the piece. The music was romantic and modern. Next was Persis, a 2000 piece by James L. Hosay. It is a musical fantasy set in Ancient Persia. Apart from a prettier, more lyrical center section, this is Iron Maiden in symphonic form. McGarrell characterized it as neo-primitive, really strong. The 2002 A Hymn for the Lost and the Living by Eric Ewazen was a piece never before played by the symphony or conducted by McGarrell, who expressed enthusiasm about being able to conduct it for the first time. The program stated that Ewazen, a teacher at the Juilliard School in New York City, wrote the work after 9/11 as a memorial for those lost souls, gone from this life, but who are forever treasured in our memories. Amidst the brief moments of an uplifting trumpet melody or clarinet raised in pitch, the music was fittingly melancholy. The music portrayed the sadness and the strength of the families left behind to endure their losses. Apart from a brief wrong note played by a tuba, the band was tight and did the piece its due justice. The symphony concluded with Robert Russell Bennetts 1949 Suite of Old American Dances. The songs were groovy, light-hearted and fun. While there is no core repertoire for wind symphony, this is one of a few really great pieces all students should have a chance to play, McGarrell said.
The performance began with the lights completely off, leaving only a keyboard and a violin under a dim spotlight. There were no formal introductions or polite bows preceding the opening act. A member of the group, in a T-shirt and jeans, simply invited the audience to sit back and enjoy the semesters first performance by Fermata, a studentled classical music group created last semester. Fermata performed Saturday night at the Underground in the Stephen Robert 62 Campus Center. The performance was deliberately unconventional. There were no familiar pieces by Beethoven, procedural formalities or even tickets. Instead, the Underground was filled with friends, casual conversations and new music being showcased for the first time. The performance featured five original pieces: Jungle Pigeon composed by Jack Boeglin 12, String Quartet by Ben Kutner 14, a Herald senior staff writer, Finding by Nash Rochman 13, Greenwood by Alex Stix-Brunell 13.5 and Gronch by Emily Chiu 14 and Liam Hynes 12. Katie Parker 14, vice president
of the club, said Fermatas composers are influenced by the genres of jazz, hip-hop and classical music. Fermata performs pieces composed by students with a wide range of musical taste and talent. This makes the performance interestingly complicated and unconventional, she said. The student composers had different inspirations for their pieces. Greenwood is a calm and serene piece that was inspired by light and reflection, Stix-Brunell said. After writing his piece, it was a refreshing experience to see his music interpreted and performed by student musicians, he added. Rochman, who composed Finding a work performed by four saxophone players described it as the newest-sounding performance. When composing his piece, he tried to find the right balance between familiarity and inventiveness, he added. His music has various styles and themes that were combined in a very unique way, said Sam Rosenfeld 12, who played the alto saxophone for Rochmans piece. Many of the performers expressed excitement at having been able to work with composers during rehearsals. It makes a huge difference to have a composer
explain original ideas and inspirations behind the music, said Alec Kacew 14, who played the cello in Greenwood. Eileen Kim 11, who played the violin, said practicing and performing as a group definitely brings people together at a personal level. Knowing the composers personally as friends, she said it was interesting to see how their personalities were reflected in the music. Both performers and the audience enjoyed the overall casual atmosphere. The Underground opens up classical music for more people and presents it in a less reserved way, Rosenfeld said. One of the goals of the group is to introduce classical music to young musicians and audience, Stix-Brunell added. After the performance, Emily Polk 14, a former Herald copy editor, said she was impressed that all the pieces were composed by students, which made her better able to relate to the music. Despite not being a huge classical music fan, Audrey Davis 14 said the performance felt more modern and enjoyable than most classical music. Fermata will have its second performance of the semester in April in the Underground.
Moving on from loss can be difficult for anyone. Admitting the loss can be even more trying. The Mourners Bench by George Brant, running at Trinity Repertory Company through May 24, illustrates this painful facet of the human experience through three stories linked to one another by a house that represents their loss. The first two stories revolve around the death of Evelyn, the mother of Melissa (Angela Brazil) and Bobby (Mauro Hantman) and the younger sister of Wilma (Janice Duclos) and Caroline (Phyllis Kay). The play begins as Bobby invites his sister Melissa to the house he recently purchased, after they have not seen each other for five years. Melissa is stunned to find that the house he bought was the one they lived in as children, perfectly restored to how it used to look. During a conversation, the trauma they share from a terrible loss they experienced in childhood is revealed. Their conversation suggests themes of being caught in the past, denial and embracing the wounds of losing loved ones. The second act takes place in the past, not long after the death of Evelyn, as Wilma and Caroline
discuss the future of the two remaining children and the sale of the house. While on the surface they seem to argue over selling the house and how to raise the children, their talk is really about the dilemma of finding a balance between remembering their sister and moving on. The last act is about the couple who moves into the house after the sisters sell it. Joe (Timothy Crowe), who bought the house for his sick wife Sarah (Anne Scurria), is sterile, and the two were never able to conceive despite Sarahs longing to have a child. Their story is about the loss felt for something that never happened Joe and Sarah suffer emptiness because they are unable to have children and cannot give each other what they want. The actors expressed their fluctuating emotions without overplaying them. Hantman, in particular, was able to convey both childish innocence and the complicated emotions of an adult. Friday nights show was well attended, filling the small theater downtown. Many of the guests shed tears as they exited. Andrew Park 14, who attended the show, called it very moving and a great depiction of darkness and hope at the same time.
Features 5
more obviously pornographic content as opposed to more artistic photographs. Samantha Cheung 14 has never posted to the site but has frequented it with friends. When I go on it, Im not looking for sexual gratification, she said. Im bored, and I just want to be entertained. Cheung was disappointed to see mostly dick pics rather than artistic or entertaining photos, she said, but she added that the exhibitionist photos were cool. John Salomon guy expressed concern about users becoming creepy. When the site first started, it was really positive, he said, and over winter break it kind of degraded. Its gotten to a point where its like Craigslist, he added, noting that some users try to solicit hooking up with other members of the site instead of posting in an artistic or tasteful manner. Some users have even reported being blackmailed and having to delete their photos for fear of having their identities revealed, he said. One of the main values of the site is anonymity, and the moderator promptly deletes hurtful comments or those that attempt to reveal a posters identity. The fact that the negative comments are immediately deleted to the point that I dont even see them demonstrates that the moderator is doing his job, Emily said. But most users said they feel the site represents an important and unique aspect of Brunonian culture. I feel like Brown is one of the only places that I feel comfortable being sexual, Emily said. A site like BrownBares helps people realize that (nudity)s okay, it can be artsy, it can be fun and it doesnt have to be bad. Cheung agreed that it is good for students to have some sort of outlet, especially compared to other popular Brown sites such as spottedatbrown.com, a site created for anonymous users to post about spotting other students on campus that has also functioned as a way to solicit hook ups. Its a lot more beneficial, Cheung said. Emily attributed the sites success to the open environment to sexuality at Brown. A lot of positive energy feeds into peoples desire to want to be creative, she said. I guess promiscuity may have a little bit to do with it. Were comfortable being naked.
nuditys niche By Meia geddeS Staff Writer
BrownBares not outright New day shelter offers community of love porn, some students say
continued from page 1 Users submit photographs of themselves alone or with others, nude or semi-nude, artistic or pornographic, taken in the privacy of their bedrooms or in public places on campus. The sites traffic peaked Dec. 16, right in the middle of finals. Traffic spiked when students returned to campus after winter break and has since remained constant. For Emily 13, posting nude photographs of herself to BrownBares was never about receiving validation. (Emily is a pseudonym. She and several other students spoke on the condition of anonymity.) I enjoyed seeing how the photography wasnt outright porn it was art, she said. I thought, Why not? If I could see my body in that kind of art form, I wouldnt feel ashamed, Emily added. I would find it beautiful. Since then, she has submitted more than 10 photos to the site and frequently comments on others posts, particularly ones she finds artistic or inspiring. One of her favorites, entitled Intruder, features a female student sitting on a bed in one frame and a male approaching her from behind wearing all black in the next. You want to know where that story goes, Emily said. Emily was also inspired by a photo of a female student posing nude on the pianos in Steinert. Im really into music, she said, so that was really beautiful for me. Other users were pioneers in the exhibitionist photos quintessential to the site. One user, John 12, gained campus fame under the nickname Salomon guy for posing nude in the balcony of Salomon 101. Others choose to take more humorous approaches to their photos. A user entitled Bag_Man_Gone_ Wild has posted various submissions of himself wearing paper or plastic bags over his head and limbs. Another submission, entitled Just hanging out in my o[f] fice the parenthetical indicates the gender of the poster opens to a file photo of President Ruth Simmons sitting in her office, fully clothed. Indicating a gender in the title of the post is encouraged, as is using something to identify a posters affiliation with Brown. But some of the sites users are concerned about the amount of
Mostly dick pics art embodied
For Juan Delgado, 43, homelessness was almost an addiction. After three years on the streets sleeping on bridges, in parks and in abandoned houses and seven years of traveling from shelter to shelter, he finally found a cure. Delgado came to Emmanuel House, a shelter located in South Providence that oversaw his transition to becoming more empowered, he said. He has since returned to the shelter as a volunteer to help others climb the same ladder and escape homelessness. Delgados fathers death and his struggle with bipolar disorder, depression and alcohol abuse were all factors that contributed to his homelessness, Delgado said. Thanks to a substance abuse program he found through Emmanuel House, Delgado has now been sober for 60 days and signed a lease March 2 to his new, privately subsidized apartment after a yearlong process. My attitude changed I wanted to learn more about homelessness and how to get out of homelessness, he said. He said he has plans to reeducate himself in school, possibly studying social services to give back to others. Delgados story is just one of many successful transitions out of homelessness through Emmanuel House. The shelter, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, opened its doors as the largest day shelter in Rhode Island Jan. 27, fully staffed by individuals who once were homeless. Since opening as a day shelter, Emmanuel House has served about 40 guests daily from Rhode Island and beyond, said Dotty Perreault, site director. The shelter was formerly only open at night until Occupy Providence members negotiated with the city to open it during the day, too, in exchange for vacating Burnside Park. It was certainly something that was needed and a need that was recognized, said Jim Jahnz, director of Emmanuel House. At least 4,410 individuals visited shelters in Rhode Island last year, according to Homeless Management Information System data. The 2010 Census Bureaus American Community Survey found that 14 percent of Rhode Islanders live below the federal poverty level and 61,000 Rhode Islanders have
Fulfilling a need
incomes below 50 percent of the federal poverty level considered to be in deep poverty and at high risk of homelessness. This month, the Rhode Island Housing Resources Commission released details of an update to the states 10-year plan, launched in 2006, to end homelessness by streamlining access to affordable housing. There are many individuals in the homeless community who are not able to express their needs, said Mary-Beth Blaetz, 47. Blaetz has been homeless since her husband died about three years ago. Blaetz came to Emmanuel House in late February after learning about it through her church, she said. Emmanuel House offers much to be grateful for people like Dotty, a bed, a meal, shelter and access to opportunities, she said. Its a huge community of love, she added. Emmanuel House works with agencies to provide services such as peer-to-peer counseling, housing referrals, medical and mental health assistance, substance abuse treatment and assistance in applying to jobs. Emmanuel House is certainly the best of all facilities combined and a beautiful place to be, said Blaetz, who has been to many shelters, including some out of state.
lifes a journey
house was a dumpster that cost $300 monthly to rent money that could have been spent on medication, he said. Im dying, he said, referring to his AIDS. I cant do nothing. Emmanuel House aids in eliminating long-term homelessness by urging people to leave the shelter for permanent housing, wrote Eric Hirsch, professor of sociology at Providence College and chair of the Homeless Management Information System committee, in an email to The Herald. A housing-first model and adequate affordable housing will lead to a long-term solution compared to congregate shelters we dont want people to have to get used to living in congregate shelters, Hirsch wrote. Homeless Management Information System has data indicating the number of families visiting shelters is decreasing because the length of stay is increasing the shelters are full thus limiting turnover, Hirsch wrote. Emmanuel House is not licensed to prepare food on site but works with agencies like Providence Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army, which provide food to eat on a regular basis, Jahnz said. The shelter provides everything for everyone even those who are drunk the people who you need to help the most, Delgado said. Unlike some other shelters, Emmanuel House searches and temporarily confiscates items from visitors that might harm others, such as drugs, alcohol and weapons, Delgado said. The shelter also takes medication for safekeeping. At other shelters, substances often end up in the wrong hands, he said. Perreault said funding is a challenge. While Emmanuel House has funding through the end of April, Perreault expressed concern about how long the funding will last. The shelter provides a strong community and is staffed with a good group of people who were once homeless, some of whom are in recovery from substance abuse, Jahnz said. It really allows for a good sense of understanding between the staffers and guests. Perreault, once homeless, said her job is rewarding when someone the shelter has assisted in recovering from an addiction returns to say, You saved my life. But the shelter is just a stepping stone to helping abusers reintegrate into society, she said.
a long-term solution
Its nice, and its quiet, said Robin Hansen, 54, looking up from her crossword puzzle. Hansen has been homeless for more than three years, though she recently came to Emmanuel House. Though Hansen and her husband were both employed, after her husbands death she was fired from her job and lost her home. Hansen also has a neurological disorder and other medical issues that do not allow her to work on her feet for eight hours a day, she said. Lifes a journey, Hansen said. She receives Social Security income and a widows pension and has friends who help her with shelter and food, she said. Now, she is waiting to hear about her housing application, she said. Homeless people may come from a lot of walks of life, and some are only a paycheck away from the street, Hansen said. People have many prejudicial ideas about individuals who are homeless for example, that they are all alcoholics, she said. Angel Carmona, 48, had a home for about 20 years, but his previous
COMICS
Fraternity of Evil | eshan Mitra, Brendan Hainline and Hector Ramirez
eDITORIAL
eDITORIAL CARTOOn
By RACHeL HABeRSTROH
t h e b r ow n da i ly h e r a l d
Editor-in-chiEf claire peracchio ManaGinG Editors rebecca Ballhaus nicole Boucher sEnior Editors tony Bakshi natalie Villacorta Business GEnEral ManaGErs Siena delisser danielle Marshak officE ManaGEr Shawn reilly editorial Arts & Culture editor Sarah Mancone Arts & Culture editor emma Wohl City & state editor elizabeth carr City & state editor kat thornton Features editor aparna Bansal Assistant Features editor jordan Hendricks news editor david chung news editor lucy Feldman news editor greg jordan-detamore news editor Shefali luthra science editor Sahil luthra sports editor ethan Mccoy sports editor ashley Mcdonnell Assistant sports editor Sam rubinroit editorial page editor jonathan topaz opinions editor charles lebovitz opinions editor jared Moffat Graphics & photos eva chen emily gilbert rachel kaplan jesse Schwimmer Graphics editor photo editor photo editor sports photo editor
An article in Fridays Herald (Debate examines U. contributions to the city, March 9) stated that both sides of the debate agreed the University should not increase its financial contributions to Providence. In fact, Ben Wofford 14.5, a member of the student group Brown for Providence, did advocate increasing the amount the University pays the city while also increasing its civic contributions. The Herald regrets the error.
CORReC TIOn
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BloG dailY Herald jennifer Bloom Matt klimerman editor-in-Chief Managing editor
opinions 7
point of omitting the plus and minus is to emphasize learning over grades, the reality is that this oversimplifies the levels of performance in a class. In organic chemistry, for example, a student who achieves an 85 percent average will receive the same grade as one who gets a 100 percent on every test. Both students get an A in the class, despite considerably different achievements. One of the things that hurts Brown in national rankings is the perception we dont have grades. Though Feb. 21) or how guilty we should feel about our financial privilege here on College Hill (Should Brown give more money to Providence? Mar. 2). Brown students should realize that it is acceptable to reap the rewards of hard work and innovation. Thats not to say that we must encourage all graduates to focus on making as much money as possible without ever considering giving back to the community. Rather, its an issue of trust. Browns next president should trust that the people who graduate from this For example, all service-oriented student groups must classify themselves as Category S, a category that does not receive funding from the University. In contrast, all other categories of groups are entitled to eventually receive money. For full disclosure, I am the president and founder of a service group. The theory behind this policy is that Brown students activity fees shouldnt be spent on groups who do the majority of their work off-campus. In contrast, other groups stay on campus and thus are entitled to money. This policy subsidizes empty words and pointless pursuits, while it penalizes actual grassroots volunteerism. A group entirely devoted to making snow angels could receive $200 in University funding, while a group that picks up trash downtown, making a real, tangible difference, can receive nothing. The new president must demand that Brown students get their hands dirty. Rather than forming a group that reads books on urban poor, form one that works face-toface with the urban poor that live down the street. As the president of this institution, you will have the power to do tremendous good. I encourage you to harness the energy and potential of Browns world-class faculty and students to move the University ahead into a new era of excellence. Garret Johnson 14 was pushing for Gail McCarthy of the Sharpe Refectory for president but concedes that Christina Paxson is a great choice, too.
Welcome to Brown, home of one the most accomplished and diverse student bodies in the world. You have some big shoes to fill we all love President Ruth Simmons. But here are a few places that you can make a positive impact on our school, picking up where Simmons left off. First, I urge you to continue Browns culture of not caring about national college rankings. While most students here do, in fact, have Browns ranking memorized, the school as a whole takes steps to make it clear that rankings are not important. And they really arent. There have been numerous studies that indicate that quality of education at a school is not significantly linked to its numerical ranking. Rankings tend to favor large, researchfocused universities, which Brown is not. We dont want to become a university that focuses on its graduate students. Brown has always been a university-college, and we like it that way. With that said, if there are ways to improve our national esteem without harming the soul of Brown, please enact them. For example, Brown could definitely use some work on its grading system. The current system, which does not append minuses and pluses to letter grades, is flawed. Though the
The new president must demand that Brown students get their hands dirty. Rather than forming a group that reads books on urban poor, start one that works face-toface with the urban poor down the street.
this is false, we could remedy the situation by having a slightly more traditional grading scheme. Browns grade inflation, recently rated worst in the country, also hurts the image of our school. We must work to combat perceptions that Brown is academically easy. Anyone who has actually taken a class at Brown knows that we work just as hard as students at peer schools. Second, encourage Brown students to accept that financial success is okay. Too often, The Heralds opinions columns feature debates about whether venture capitalism for profit is ethical (The essence of America, University, people who have chosen to be educated here, understand the importance of giving back. Simmons has done a good job of placing equal value on careers of service, like teaching, and careers of investment and big business. Brown is a unique place where recruiters from Bain Capital walk by flyers for the Peace Corps, each of them fighting for our students. Finally, the next leader of the University should promote an atmosphere of doing, rather than preaching. Too often in academia we focus on abstract ideals and miss out on opportunities to actually perform hands-on work. This is a real problem.
Brown can now honor its commitment and require brands to participate. In a time where brands treat the developing world as a playground for worker exploitation, we need the DSP now more than ever.
Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that the Fair Labor Association, an organization meant to monitor factory conditions, ignored her complaints. The (association) is a mask, Evangelina said with tears in her eyes. Our co-workers are being attacked. We have made the complaint, but here we are in the same situation. Universities and corporations fund the association, but the same people that run the organization sit on the boards of these big corporations clearly a conflict of interest . Students have long scrutinized the relationship that schools have with their licensee brands and have called for greater responfiliated with the Worker Rights Consortium, an organization that monitors factory working conditions. Unfortunately, even these steps have not stopped the race to the bottom. The Fair Labor Association and company strategies of cutting and running circumvent our Vendor Code of Conduct, and now we are seeing a global crisis of compliance with these codes. We need a way to hold companies accountable for their working conditions. The solution lies with the Designated Suppliers Program, which comes as a simple answer to the crisis of compliance with vendor codes. It requires brands to source from fac-
M. LACROSSE
A potent offense helped the mens lacrosse team get back on track Saturday with an 11-3 road victory over St. Josephs. The Bears (2-2) scored 10 unanswered goals to start the g a m e , St. Josephs 3 a n d a Brown 11 strong defensive display prevented any chance of a comeback for the Hawks (2-4). The win gives the squad momentum as it heads into next weekends Ivy League opener against No. 20 Harvard. Eight minutes into the first quarter, the Bears drew first blood. Attackman Sam Hurster 14 scored the first of his three goals on an unassisted play to give Bruno the 1-0 lead. Hursters goal opened the floodgates, and three more goals in the next five minutes put the Bears up 4-0 by the end of the first. The first couple of games, especially the scrimmages in the fall, we came out a little flat, Hurster said. It was great to come out hot. That was the main thing we were focused on. Bruno continued to find a way through the Hawks defense in the second. Dan OBrien 12 finished
off a feed from co-captain Rob Schlesinger 12 six minutes into the quarter to extend the lead to 5-0. A flurry of goals followed, as Nick Piroli 15, George Sherman 13, Stephen Chmil 14 and Hurster all ripped twine to give Bruno a commanding 9-0 lead at the half. If you look at our first game against Quinnipiac, the scoring was spread out, Hurster said. Thats definitely something were pushing towards in the future, to get as many scorers in our offense as possible. Hurster completed his hat trick just 12 seconds into the third quarter. But the Hawks would not be shut out, outshooting Bruno 11-6 in the quarter, netting two back-to-back goals to get on the score sheet 10-2. But a second goal from OBrien with 17 seconds remaining in the quarter squashed any hopes of a Hawk comeback as Bruno went up 11-2. Despite outshooting the Bears again in the fourth, the Hawks could only manage one more goal, and Bruno came away with the 11-3 victory. The Bears will hit the road to play their first Ivy League game against rival Harvard (2-2) next Saturday. The matchup is crucial
Sam Hurster 14 led the Bears in a bounce-back win over St. Josephs.
for Bruno as the team looks to get off to a good start in league play. Were going to grind in prac-
tice all week, and were going to push each other, Hurster said. We have yet to play a complete
game, and in order to beat a good team, you have to play 60 minutes of good lacrosse.
W. LACROSSE
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Ice hockey captain signs with NHL
Mens ice hockey captain Jack Maclellan 12 signed a one-year entry-level contract with the nashville Predators, according to a Predators press release Saturday. Maclellan is currently in nashville practicing with the team. The announcement comes after fellow seniors Bobby Farnham 12 and goaltender Mike Clemente 12 signed amateur tryout agreements with the Providence Bruins, the Boston Bruins American Hockey League affiliate. Maclellan tallied 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in the same number of games this season, making him the team leader. Throughout his collegiate career, Maclellan racked up 101 points, one of 23 players in Browns history to score more than 100 points. Maclellan is on the Hobey Baker Award watch list, an accolade he was in the running for last season as well. He is also a finalist for the 2012 Lowes Senior CLASS Award. Maclellan is the third Bear in three years to sign with an nHL club upon graduation. In 2010, Aaron Volpatti 10 signed with the Vancouver Canucks, and Harry Zolnierczyk 11 signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last year. Ashley Mcdonnell
After posting a less-than-spectacular 7-8 overall record (2-5 Ivy) last year, the womens lacrosse team will have to put forth a consummate effort to contend for an Ivy League title. This season, the Bears motto will be the team is our superstar, said Head Coach Keely McDonald 00. Thats what its going to come down to for us, McDonald said. Every players going to need to step up. The rookies will add a lot to the team, despite not having collegelevel experience, McDonald said. The freshman class has significant depth, she said. We have more numbers this year and practices are significantly more competitive for each spot. McDonald emphasized that expectations of their performances on the field are very high. They need to step up and play not as freshmen, McDonald said. The new faces should be promising signs for the Bears, who lost such players as Paris Waterman 11, Alexa Caldwell 11 and Tori Conway 11. The Bears (2-2, 1-1 Ivy) most recent game was this Saturday, when they hosted No. 14 Princeton. Having beaten both Columbia 14-10 and Manhattan College 9-2 away March 3 and 4, respectively, Bruno felt confident about
Bre Hudgins 14 netted a hat trick in the Bears loss to Princeton at the home opener.
its matchup against the Tigers. But within the first 13 minutes of play, Princeton managed to slot in six goals. Thanks to goals by Bre Hudgins 14 and Kaela McGilloway 12, the Bears began a small comeback. But it did not take long for the Tigers to strike again, and by halftime, Bruno was down 9-3.
After the break, Princeton quickly found the back of the net. Hudgins and Lindsay Minges 13 each scored, narrowing the deficit to 10-5. Back and forth scoring continued, with Danielle Mastro 14, Alexandra Crerend 15 and Julia Keller 12 each adding tallies to the scoreboard. But Princeton still
dominated, beating the Bears 18-8. While McDonald bemoaned that the team let in six early goals, she said she was proud of how the Bears competed throughout the rest of the game. To know how much fight we have in this time is a really good thing for us moving forward, she said.