tuesday, october 2, 2012

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012 daily THE BROWN since 1891 vol. cxxii, no. 78 herald INSIDE Global ed New study abroad option offers masters program Political rodeo PolitiFact calls out congressional candidates Page 4 Minor issues Katz ’14 says minors should be included in curriculum Page 7 Page 3 62 / 71 TOMORROW 60 / 74 TODAY By ALEXA PUGH SENIOR STAFF WRITER Involvement in faculty governance remains persistently low — only one in seven faculty members regularly attend monthly faculty meetings, and the task of recruiting faculty for leadership roles is often extremely dif- ficult, according to Faculty Executive Committee members. But as President Christina Paxson settles into office, she and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 have taken an interest in incentivizing participation in faculty governance, said Harold Roth, professor of reli- gious studies and a member of the FEC, adding that they have commis- sioned the FEC to suggest creative ways to support faculty members who choose to take leadership roles. In general, faculty are invested in having a voice in University matters, wrote Professor of Philosophy and FEC Chair Mary Louise Gill in an email to The Herald, but other obliga- tions can make committing time to governance burdensome. The Nominations Committee, which is charged with finding faculty volunteers for leadership positions, has often faced difficulty finding fac- ulty to fill leadership roles and serve on various committees. “It took six months for the Nomi- nations Committee to find somebody to be vice chair of the Faculty Execu- tive (Committee),” Roth said. “It was like pulling teeth.” Finding faculty to fill leadership positions this year has been easier than past years, Roth said, but such jobs are still not the highest priority for faculty members. “We’re expected to have very high- level scholarship, but we’re also ex- pected to excel in the classroom,” said Peter Shank, professor of medical science and past chair of the FEC. “Service tends U. seeks to attract faculty members to leadership roles By MARIYA BASHKATOVA STAFF WRITER Over the summer, the University’s two main dining halls underwent a series of minor changes, including additions to the Sharpe Refectory dining area and new food options with an emphasis on local produce. “We wanted to focus our menus around our most popular recipes, of- fer seasonal variety, more sustainable proteins and increased fish offerings, more fresh fruit and vegetables with more color and more crunch,” wrote Brown Dining Dietitian Gina Guiducci in an email to e Herald. is includes adding a new variety of fresh vegetables, like beets, fennel, corn and carrots, wrote Executive Chef John O’Shea in an email to e Her- ald. Breakfast will incorporate more seasonal fruit, and students will also see more seasonal local New England food, Guiducci wrote. More accommodations have also been made for special diets, such as using gluten-free soy sauce and pro- viding vegetarian “sausage” at Sunday brunch, she wrote. e Ratty’s Sunday brunch will also now feature a crepe bar, which has so far been “the biggest hit,” she wrote. Changes to the facilities include a new television and new seating in the back alcove of the Ratty and a new television in the main dining room, wrote Claire Sidla, director of residen- tial dining, in an email to e Herald. A new allergen-free pantry was installed in the main dining room of the Ratty as an addition to the Medical Dietary Accommodations program. New tray holders will “support our ongoing semi-trayless efforts and overall commitment to sustainability,” Guiducci wrote. e “Tastes of the World” line at the Ratty has been renamed the “Chef’s Corner.” e change was made to broaden the variety of options the line was able to Dining halls add seasonal food, crepe bar By CAROLINE FLANAGAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Senators, representatives and other gov- ernment officials addressed a packed room Sept. 27 at the fall open house for Betaspring, a startup accel- erator located in Providence’s Knowledge District. e audience energetically welcomed the 13 new startups participating in Betaspring’s fall session. Betaspring helps fledgling startups by connecting them with mentors and resources during an intensive 12-week program. It selects about 20 companies from an applicant pool of more than 500 for sessions held in the fall and spring, said Mike Rowan, vice president of re- search and development for SendGrid and a mentor for Betaspring. When the 13 new startups complete the program in November, Betaspring will have served a total of 57 startups. e companies spend their 12 weeks meeting regularly with mentors, present- ing their product to customers and testing and refining their business models. At the end of the program, the companies present their product to investors to gauge interest in their product. Betaspring ex- pects one-third of its companies to fail within two years of graduation, while the other two-thirds usually remain on fast or sustainable growth paths, according to its website. At the event, the chief executive of- ficers of the 13 startups gave 30-second elevator pitches Betaspring open house draws politicians, mentors TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD New dining hall options will include local ingredients and additions such as a crepe bar and an allergen-free pantry. By CALEB MILLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER e men’s tennis team took top honors in all four of its singles flights at the Penn Invitational this weekend, topping 15 teams in the national competition. David Neff ’14, Daniel Hirschberg ’15 and Will Spector ’15 were singles cham- pions for the Bears, dropping only six sets total en route to their final matches. Ivy League foe Princeton was Bruno’s top singles competitor, facing off against the Bears in the finals of two of these first three flights. An unusual scenario in the Bears’ fourth flight saw Lucas Da Silveira ’16 and Ivan Kravtchenko ’16 both reach- ing the final match, but the two opted to forgo the contest and accept co-champion titles. ey finished their tournaments with exhibition matches against another flight instead. e doubles teams were no slouches either, as Spector teamed with Justin To ’15.5 to take second place in the “A” flight. Michael Hill ’13 and Da Silveira also com- peted as a duo, along with Hirschberg and Kravtchenko, but both pairs fell short of the final. e tournament brought together Ivy League competitors and non-conference teams from across the country. rough- out the weekend, Bruno battled teams from the Big Ten and other conferences it had not played against before. “ere was some really good com- petition,” Spector Singles players sweep at Penn / / Faculty page 2 COURTESY OF BETASPRING.COM Thirteen companies will start Betaspring’s 12-week program this fall. Betaspring works to increase awareness and success rates for start-ups. / / Dining page 4 / / Beta page 5 CITY & STATE / / Tennis page 2 COURTESY OF HAN SHENG CHIA Jayson Marwaha ’14 and Han Sheng Chia ’14 catalogued and repaired medical equipment supplies in Zanzibar this summer. SEE PAGE 3 M. TENNIS

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The October 2, 2012 issue of the Brown Daily Herald

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tuesday, ocTober 2, 2012dailythe Brown

since 1891vol. cxxii, no. 78herald

INsIde

Global edNew study abroad option offers masters program

Political rodeo PolitiFact calls out congressional candidates

Page 4

Minor issuesKatz ’14 says minors should be included in curriculum

Page 7

Page 3

62 / 71

tomorrow

60 / 74

today

By AlexA Pugh Senior Staff Writer

Involvement in faculty governance remains persistently low — only one in seven faculty members regularly attend monthly faculty meetings, and the task of recruiting faculty for leadership roles is often extremely dif-ficult, according to Faculty executive Committee members. But as President Christina Paxson settles into office, she and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 have taken an interest in incentivizing participation in faculty governance, said harold roth, professor of reli-gious studies and a member of the FeC, adding that they have commis-sioned the FeC to suggest creative ways to support faculty members who choose to take leadership roles.

In general, faculty are invested in having a voice in University matters, wrote Professor of Philosophy and FeC Chair Mary Louise Gill in an

email to the herald, but other obliga-tions can make committing time to governance burdensome.

the nominations Committee, which is charged with finding faculty volunteers for leadership positions, has often faced difficulty finding fac-ulty to fill leadership roles and serve on various committees.

“It took six months for the nomi-nations Committee to find somebody to be vice chair of the Faculty execu-tive (Committee),” roth said. “It was like pulling teeth.”

Finding faculty to fill leadership positions this year has been easier than past years, roth said, but such jobs are still not the highest priority for faculty members.

“we’re expected to have very high-level scholarship, but we’re also ex-pected to excel in the classroom,” said Peter Shank, professor of medical science and past chair of the FeC. “Service tends

u. seeks to attract faculty members to leadership roles

By mAriyA bAshkAtovAStaff Writer

over the summer, the University’s two main dining halls underwent a series of minor changes, including additions to the Sharpe refectory dining area and new food options with an emphasis on local produce.

“we wanted to focus our menus around our most popular recipes, of-fer seasonal variety, more sustainable proteins and increased fish offerings, more fresh fruit and vegetables with more color and more crunch,” wrote Brown Dining Dietitian Gina Guiducci in an email to The herald.

This includes adding a new variety of fresh vegetables, like beets, fennel, corn and carrots, wrote executive Chef John o’Shea in an email to The her-ald. Breakfast will incorporate more seasonal fruit, and students will also see more seasonal local new england food, Guiducci wrote.

More accommodations have also

been made for special diets, such as using gluten-free soy sauce and pro-viding vegetarian “sausage” at Sunday brunch, she wrote.

The ratty’s Sunday brunch will also now feature a crepe bar, which has so far been “the biggest hit,” she wrote.

Changes to the facilities include a new television and new seating in the back alcove of the ratty and a new television in the main dining room, wrote Claire Sidla, director of residen-tial dining, in an email to The herald.

A new allergen-free pantry was installed in the main dining room of the ratty as an addition to the Medical Dietary Accommodations program. new tray holders will “support our ongoing semi-trayless efforts and overall commitment to sustainability,” Guiducci wrote.

The “tastes of the world” line at the ratty has been renamed the “Chef ’s Corner.” The change was made to broaden the variety of options the line was able to

dining halls add seasonal food, crepe bar

By CAroline FlAnAgAnSenior Staff Writer

Senators, representatives and other gov-ernment officials addressed a packed room Sept. 27 at the fall open house

for Betaspring, a startup accel-erator located in

Providence’s Knowledge District. The audience energetically welcomed the 13 new startups participating in Betaspring’s fall session.

Betaspring helps fledgling startups by connecting them with mentors and resources during an intensive 12-week program. It selects about 20 companies from an applicant pool of more than 500 for sessions held in the fall and spring, said Mike rowan, vice president of re-

search and development for SendGrid and a mentor for Betaspring. when the 13 new startups complete the program in november, Betaspring will have served a total of 57 startups.

The companies spend their 12 weeks meeting regularly with mentors, present-ing their product to customers and testing and refining their business models. At the end of the program, the companies present their product to investors to gauge interest in their product. Betaspring ex-pects one-third of its companies to fail within two years of graduation, while the other two-thirds usually remain on fast or sustainable growth paths, according to its website.

At the event, the chief executive of-ficers of the 13 startups gave 30-second elevator pitches

betaspring open house draws politicians, mentors

tom sullivan / herald

new dining hall options will include local ingredients and additions such as a crepe bar and an allergen-free pantry.

By CAleb millerContributing Writer

The men’s tennis team took top honors in all four of its singles flights at the Penn Invitational this weekend, topping 15 teams in the national competition.

David neff ’14, Daniel hirschberg ’15 and will Spector ’15 were singles cham-pions for the Bears, dropping only six sets total en route to their final matches. Ivy League foe Princeton was Bruno’s top singles competitor, facing off against the Bears in the finals of two of these first three flights.

An unusual scenario in the Bears’ fourth flight saw Lucas Da Silveira ’16 and Ivan Kravtchenko ’16 both reach-ing the final match, but the two opted to forgo the contest and accept co-champion titles. They finished their tournaments with exhibition matches against another flight instead.

The doubles teams were no slouches either, as Spector teamed with Justin to ’15.5 to take second place in the “A” flight. Michael hill ’13 and Da Silveira also com-peted as a duo, along with hirschberg and Kravtchenko, but both pairs fell short of the final.

The tournament brought together Ivy League competitors and non-conference teams from across the country. Through-out the weekend, Bruno battled teams from the Big ten and other conferences it had not played against before.

“There was some really good com-petition,” Spector

singles players sweep at Penn

/ / Faculty page 2

courtesy of BetasPring.com

thirteen companies will start betaspring’s 12-week program this fall. betaspring works to increase awareness and success rates for start-ups.

/ / Dining page 4

/ / beta page 5

city & state

/ / tennis page 2

courtesy of han sheng chia

Jayson marwaha ’14 and han sheng Chia ’14 catalogued and repaired medical equipment supplies in Zanzibar this summer. see Page 3

m. tennis

Page 2: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

said. “Some schools, like Iowa and Min-nesota, we haven’t ever played before, so I didn’t really know what to expect.”

But the Bears rose to the occasion and defeated their Big ten competitors for the tournament title.

“It’s good to play teams like this,” hirschberg said. “we held our ground pretty good, and we were successful.”

Spector credited the team’s success, with nine flights won in its first three tournaments, to good practices and posi-tive attitudes.

“we had really good energy this

weekend,” Spector said. “we have two really good captains who have been push-ing us, so our practices have been really good, and the energy out there has really helped a lot.”

The successful campaign this weekend added to the team’s confidence, he added. “we’re making really good progress and we’re going to try to keep getting better.”

Though this weekend’s experience against outside schools helps, hirscherg said, the Ivy League competition remains the focal point of the team’s preparations.

“The goal is to be playing well come Ivy season,” he added. “every win we can get is going to help us toward that goal.”

campus news2 the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

5 P.M.

Classic Apple Pie Chef Demonstration

Faculty Club

6:30 P.M.

TEDxBrownU Student Challenge

Metcalf 101, Friedman Auditorium

5 P.M.

Sons of Providence Lecture

Salomon 101

7 P.M.

Film Screening: Falling from the Sky

List 120

SHARPE REFECTORY VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

lunCh

Dinner

Gnocchi with Pesto, Niman Ranch Quarter Pound Burger, Salmon with Provencal, Chipotle Cheddar Sausage

Roast Pork Loin Jour Ouvert, Broccoli Quiche, General Tso Chicken Stirfry, Carrot Casserole

Grilled Reuben Sandwich, Baked Potato Bar with Toppings, Tomato Quiche, Grilled Vegan Malibu Patties

Shaved Steak Sandwich, Falafel, Onion Rings, Enchilada Bar,

TODAY OCT. 2 TOMORROW OCT. 3

C r o S S W o r d

S u d o k u

m e n u

C a l e n d a r

Claire Peracchio, Presidentrebecca Ballhaus, Vice President

Danielle Marshak, treasurerSiena 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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edITorIal(401) 351-3372

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daily heraldthe Brown

to be the last thing on the totem pole.” the struggle to increase leader-

ship participation among faculty is not new. A 2003 task force exam-ined the faculty governance system in hopes of making service seem more relevant and interesting to faculty members, said John Savage, profes-sor of computer science and former chair of the FeC.

when the FeC reviewed faculty governance in 2008, the report ex-pressed interest in increasing trans-parency in various decision-making processes, including budget matters and the selection of candidates for faculty leadership roles.

get out the voteFaculty participation remains

largely interest-driven, said Stephen Foley, professor of english and com-parative literature and secretary of the faculty. As in any system of gover-nance, some people are simply more inclined to be involved, he said.

“there is moderate and conscien-tious interest at every meeting, and that interest is peaked by topics and driven by issues,” he said, “I don’t see why it shouldn’t be that way.”

Shank estimated that around 100 faculty members attend each meeting, out of a population of nearly 700.

Limited attendance has at times prevented faculty members from passing legislation, Shank said. when a quorum was called on a vote to amend the charter of a committee, Shank said not enough faculty were present to obtain the requisite 100 votes for the motion to pass.

Increased awareness about the incentives offered for service could encourage participation, Savage said. Currently, the tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee, which has a particularly intensive time commitment, is the only commit-tee to offer compensation. Members are awarded research money in an amount proportionate to time served.

Junior faculty are particularly less inclined to attend faculty meetings, in part because of an increased sense of competition among their colleagues, Savage said. the Department of Mo-lecular Microbiology and Immunol-ogy discourages their junior faculty from participating in governance so they have time to build their research credentials, Shank said.

Both Shank and roth emphasized that eligibility for tenure is based on scholarship first, teaching second and service third.

Prioritizing debatethe University’s emphasis on

scholarship was at the crux of a par-ticularly contentious debate over improving tenure policies two years ago, roth said.

the Corporation feared that the University was granting tenure to too many junior faculty in comparison to its peers. A review of tenure policies led to several changes regarding the standards for faculty tenure.

the new policies devalued under-graduate teaching and took decision-making power away from depart-ments, causing widespread objection from the faculty, roth said.

“In the wake of that, there was an impression among the faculty that service didn’t count for much,” he said. “the impact of that flap over so-called raising tenure standards left a really bad taste in the mouths of a lot of my colleagues.”

no faculty members have explic-itly cited the tenure standards issue as a reason for declining leadership roles, Savage said, adding that frustra-tion over the issue could just as easily serve as a motivating factor for seek-ing a voice within faculty governance.

If anything, the issue proved that faculty will be heard on certain is-sues, Foley said. “If you had a strong interest in a certain area of University policy, committee work would be ex-actly where you’d want to be.”

Members of the Academic Priori-ties Committee and the University

resources Committee have the most power to influence policy, and Foley and his colleagues agreed that the faculty culture allows and even en-courages dissenting opinions.

recent meetings have been rela-tively free of conflict, due in part to the arrival of a new provost and president, roth said.

“there’s a honeymoon period with Chris Paxson,” he said. “She’s just such an ebullient, optimistic, high-energy person — nobody’s yet wanted to rain on her parade.”

Paxson’s attitude could open up new horizons for the University, roth said. he also praised Kevin McLaugh-lin P’12 as one of the best deans of the faculty he’s ever worked with. Schlis-sel has been particularly receptive to faculty input and straightforward and informative about budgetary issues, roth said.

In an email to the Brown commu-nity yesterday, Schlissel announced the creation of six new committees, including the Committee on Faculty recruitment, Career Development and retention; the Committee on Financial Aid; the Committee on educational Innovation; the Com-mittee on Doctoral education; the Committee on online teaching and Learning and the Committee on rei-magining the Brown Campus and Community.

Many faculty expressed interest in joining the new committees, Shank said.

overall, both Paxson and Schlis-sel have shown a genuine respect for faculty and the role that they play, Savage said, adding that there has been a general increase in the Uni-versity’s esteem for faculty in his 45 years at Brown.

“this isn’t like a corporation that has a bottom line or a hierarchy,” Fol-ey said. “there is a faculty of some hundreds of people, there’s a student body, there’s an alumni body, there’s a large staff — all of those elements have to work in consensus, not on every issue.”

/ / Faculty page 1

/ / tennis page 1

Page 3: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

By DAniyAl khAnContributing Writer

Jayson Marwaha ’14 and han Sheng Chia ’14, co-directors of Medical equipment Donations International, spent about 10 weeks in Zanzibar this summer assessing medical equipment needs in the region. MeD International is a recently-formed nonprofit organization that focuses on the delivery and use of medical equipment in underdeveloped countries.

while in Zanzibar, Marwaha and Chia conducted an extensive field study to document what equipment was al-

ready available at the Mnazi-Mmoja hospital in Stone town, Zanzibar City. In addition to the study, which involved cataloguing over 1,000 pieces of medical equipment at the hospital, the pair was able to oversee the repair of equipment worth nearly $50,000 using a volunteer team of biomedical engineers. The team was recruited by MeD International through another organization, engi-neering world health.

Among the machines available at the hospital when they arrived was a set of infant incubators of which only two were operational, meaning that babies often

had to share incubators.“on really bad days, (doctors) would

fill up gloves with hot water and wrap the babies in blankets,” Chia said.

without adequate equipment, the hospital recorded a 50 percent premature death rate in February, Chia said. when the team of engineers arrived over the summer, they restored the set of eight incubators to full functionality.

“It was a four-fold jump on incuba-tors, and we believe this will go a long way in helping clinicians improve these figures,” Chia said, referring to the in-fant death rate. The maternity unit of the

operating theater at the hospital, where surgical operations are performed, also increased functionality from 30 to 80 percent, Marwaha said.

The business model of MeD Inter-national is based on a three-part inter-vention.

“It’s one-third equipment manage-ment — repair and making sure that all machines are properly logged — one-third training of local technicians and one-third donation of equipment.” Marwaha said. This model has changed from its original conception, when the action plan was broken down into three different steps — “supply, delivery and utilization” of equipment, The herald reported in February. But ground reali-ties forced the organization to seriously cut down on the first and second steps. The group found the nonprofit sector “saturated with donors” and donations, which resulted in them shifting their focus from equipment donations to maintenance and repair, Marwaha said.

“I think they were able to pay close attention to what was and what wasn’t working and incorporated what they learned into their business model,” said Alan harlam, director of social entrepre-neurship at the Swearer Center for Public Service. harlam serves as a board mem-ber for MeD International and origi-nally introduced Chia to Marwaha as a potential partner. The pair’s reflections during their summer experience are key, harlam said.

“They did a fabulous job. Starting a new company is a long process, and what they are doing right is taking stock of what they have learnt during the sum-mer,” he said. “Their knowledge of the problem is strong.”

elaborating on the new business model, Chia said cataloguing the exist-

ing equipment in Zanzibar “was accom-plished through working with a local programmer to input data into manage-able software that the Ministry of health (of Zanzibar) now runs.” Chia added that “the software helps us see gaps so we can make smarter donations.”

This program is currently being re-fined by computer science concentrators on campus, Chia said.

training technicians, the second part of the model, is equally important, as it drastically reduces the cost of repair, Chia said. The organization is currently ex-ploring ways to support Zanzibar’s public college training program to increase the number of qualified technicians.

not including the funds needed to bring in technicians from abroad, the cost of repairing machines was less than $200 in total. Machines varied from simple suction machines to complex ultrasounds.

The two also stressed the importance of working through the government rather than setting up a non-govern-mental organization.

“Donations take pressure off of gov-ernments. They lose motivation, start re-lying on others and become dependent,” Marwaha said. “we are concretely in the business of equipment maintenance, but we’re also there to instill change. The goal is to systematically get the Zanzibar gov-ernment off foreign aid for equipment and equipment repair.”

Marwaha said he believes that if their marketable service proves effective, as it has so far, they can take on more projects in Zanzibar and in other parts of Africa.

“It has always been part of the phi-losophy to go deep within a country’s health system because it is only through an investment of time that we under-stand the dynamics of a place,” Chia said.

By molly sChulsonContributing Writer

trinity College Dublin became the newest partner school in Brown Plus one, a study abroad program that allows students to earn one-year master’s degrees following gradua-tion, last spring. trinity College joins the University of edinburgh and the Chinese University of hong Kong as the three Brown Plus one partner universities.

“we were looking for partners that are leading world universities,” qualifications that trinity meets, said Kendall Brostuen, director of inter-national programs and associate dean of the college.

Students can begin studying in Dublin next semester, Brostuen said. Currently, three students are taking courses at Chinese University, and no Brown students are participating in the University of edinburgh program this semester, he said.

Participants in the program can opt to spend one or two semesters studying abroad at the partner school of their choice during their junior years. while abroad, they take full course loads, including up to two graduate courses. when a student graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Brown, he or she is invited to return to the partner school, Brostuen said. the graduate courses taken dur-

ing the study abroad semester will count toward the master’s degree earned in the fifth year.

“we know the caliber of Brown students,” Brostuen said. Brown Plus one “gives them an opportunity to dig deeper in their concentration.”

Students have a variety of mas-ter’s programs to choose from, rang-ing from international relations to comparative literature, according to an April 25 University press release. Most one-year master’s programs are in the social sciences or humanities, Brostuen said.

“I think it’s a really lovely idea, and one of things that is nice about the Brown model is that because of the flexibility of our curriculum, it’s actually possible for us to imagine doing this,” said Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron.

the idea behind Brown Plus one formed after Brown’s task Force on Undergraduate education filed a re-port in September 2008 advocating more study abroad opportunities, Bergeron said. Programs such as the Global Independence Study Project and Brown Plus one were created as a response, she said.

GLISPs allow students on semes-ter abroad programs to work on in-dependent projects with Brown fac-ulty members. All Brown Plus one students are required to complete GLISPs, which can then be used as

senior capstones or honors theses, Brostuen said.

“In a way, it creates a kind of po-tential sequence of work where you learn more and more about a particu-lar subject,” Bergeron said.

though students are not required

to return to the partner school where they studied abroad, Brostuen said it is advantageous because students returning to partner schools will already feel familiar with their en-vironments. “they have a network of people so they can hit the ground

running,” Brostuen said. In order to maximize student par-

ticipation, all courses in the Brown Plus one program are taught in english, no matter the destination, Brostuen said. this may change as the program moves forward, he added.

campus news 3the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

Nonprofit repairs med equipment in developing world

brown Plus one master’s program adds new partner school

frank mullin / Brown university

trinity College Dublin is the most recent school to partner with the university through brown Plus one, a program in which students earn one-year master’s degrees following graduation.

courtesy of han sheng chia

meD international repaired about $50,000 worth of medical equipment at a hospital in Zanzibar as a part of their initiative to improve healthcare services in underdeveloped countries.

Page 4: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

By ADAm toobinSenior Staff Writer

PresidentThe first debate of the 2012 presi-

dential campaign will take place to-morrow at 9 p.m. on cable and network news channels. President obama will face off against republican challenger, former Massachusetts governor Mitt romney, in a confrontation that many speculate will be a definitive moment in the race.

romney made his debating ability a major part of his primary campaign, arguing that he was the only candidate in the republican field who could de-feat obama.

each candidate has promised to fact-check his opponent during and after the debate. Up to this point, the race has been punctuated by allega-tions of lying from both sides. The obama campaign has even arranged to send a team of politicians who worked with romney while he was governor to battleground states after the debate to “tell the truth” about romney’s record, according to Politico.

u.S. Senate In his bid for reelection, Barry

hinckley Jr., the republican nominee opposing Sen. Sheldon whitehouse, D-r.I., has gone on the offensive in the past few weeks in an attempt to blunt the incumbent’s polling lead. hinckley connected whitehouse to the 1,000 jobs rhode Island will lose from layoffs at a General Dynamics plant if Congress allows major cuts planned

for January 2013 to go into effect. The congressional Super Committee’s fail-ure to reduce the federal deficit will trigger automatic cuts of $500 billion in January if Congress does not move to stop the process.

hinckley proposed holding an “up-or-down” vote — meaning neither side would be allowed to filibuster the vote — on obama’s national Commission on Fiscal responsibility and reform, instead of playing a game of “chicken, in which thousands of rhode Islanders and millions of Americans are politi-cal pawns.”

early last month, whitehouse re-leased his first advertisement of this election season, which celebrated the healthcare reform bill Congressional Democrats passed and highlighted the economic recovery stewarded by Democratic policies.

u.S. House of representativesIn the first congressional district,

where incumbent rep. David Cicil-line ’83, D-r.I., is defending his seat against republican businessman Bren-dan Doherty, statements from both candidates have recently been judged by the non-partisan website Politifact — which ranks the politicians’ state-ments as true or false — as mostly false.

Cicilline received a “mostly false” rating for his assertion that Doherty wants “to repeal obamacare, increas-ing drug prices for seniors.” while Politifact conceded that repealing the health care law would raise drug prices for seniors, it clarified that Doherty has expressed support for retaining the

component of healthcare legislation that closes the “donut hole” — a gap between cost and prescription drug coverage. Doherty has also said he wants to keep the mandates that pre-vent companies from denying coverage to individuals with preexisting condi-tions and those that continue to allow children to remain on their parents’ health care plans until they turn 26.

Doherty received a false rating after he claimed that his campaign, “un-like the Cicilline campaign, is funded mostly by individual donors — not the big PACs that Cicilline relies on” in a Sept. 26 news release. Cicilline’s campaign receives 75 percent of its funding from individual donors and 24 percent from PACs, according to Politifact. Doherty’s campaign has raised 86 percent of its funds from individuals and 10 percent from PACs.

In its ruling, Politifact argued that “Cicilline may have gotten more money from political action committees than Doherty has, but the scope — 24 per-cent of $1.7 million raised — doesn’t even come close to supporting a state-ment suggesting that Cicilline is getting most of his funds from PACs.”

The second congressional district, which is playing host to a race this year between incumbent rep. Jim Langevin, D-r.I., and republican Michael riley, has also heated up in recent weeks. In a new radio ad this week, riley ac-cused Langevin of neglecting rhode Island families and encouraging high gas prices by voting against the Key-stone pipeline and the expansion of offshore drilling.

city & state4 the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

congressional races heat up

serve, to add more new alternatives and to have more chef demonstrations to showcase culinary talent, o’Shea wrote.

Though some students did not no-tice the changes, most offered over-whelmingly positive reactions. The crepe bar is a welcome addition that livens up Sundays at the ratty, which can otherwise be somewhat bland, said Chris Janigian ’13.

“I really enjoy the seasonal fruits,” said June Choo ’13.

Students also said they like the seating additions in the back alcove, which come on the heels of last se-mester’s overhaul of the dining room’s front alcove. These areas are “condu-cive to studying,” said Corey Scult ’13.

Students suggested various im-provements the ratty could make, such as getting bigger glasses and serv-ing more fresh vegetables.

Brown Dining Services is self-funded, and changes and improve-ments to services are paid for using surplus revenue from the previous year, wrote Ann hoffman, director of

administration and human resources, in an email to The herald. The struc-ture of the student meal plan has not changed from last year, but a meal credit is now worth $6.60, up from last year’s $6.40, she wrote. no concrete plans have been finalized to keep the Verney-woolley Dining hall open on weekends, she wrote.

Special events in the ratty this se-mester will include wednesday dinner chef demos, pep rallies before most home games, a chili and bread bowl special and other seasonal specialties, Guiducci wrote.

/ / Dining page 1

sam kase / herald

in the race for u.s. house of representatives in the first congressional district, recent comments by both rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-r.i., and his opponent, businessman brendan Doherty, have been called false.

Professor holds Saturday classin 1959, Professor of history James hedges rescheduled

a meeting of history 151 to be held on a saturday despite “much eyebrow-raising comment.” saturday classes had been suspended for that weekend in a faculty and administration vote. But undergraduate students voted to hold the class despite a Brown versus yale football game in new haven that weekend. “if they hadn’t so voted, there would be no session,” hedges told the herald in 1959.

Fox Point houses slated for rehabilitation torn down

in 1969, the Providence redevelopment agency demolished two fox Point houses that had been allotted funds for rehabilitation earlier that day. the rhode island department of community affairs had granted community group churches concerned $30,000 to begin work on the site. its director said no one in the group was informed of the agency’s decision to tear down the buildings until the demolition group arrived. at the time of the demolition, the agency planned to construct tennis courts on the site instead.

Possible cancer risk found in U. labs in 1979, rhode island health officials expressed concern over

the unsafe use of carbon tetrachloride, a possible carcinogen, in chemistry 3 lab experiments.

“any instructor who would allow this is completely nuts or doesn’t know what he’s doing,” said herbert kilgus, principal industrial hygienist of the state department of health. the university safety office said it would monitor the toxic vapor levels of the chemical in upcoming lab sessions to see if they met federally mandated levels.

Rally protests police brutalityin 2006, over 100 students and alums protested police

brutality on the main green, reading students’ anonymous accounts of police misconduct to chants of “dPs, we are watching you.” the newly created coalition for Police accountability and institutional transparency organized the rally in response to the arrest of chipalo street ’06 ms’07 three weeks prior. street refused to show his i.d. upon request by dPs and was consequently assaulted and pepper-sprayed.

By e l i z a B e t h ko hs e n i o r s ta f f w r i t e r

to day i n u n i v e r s i t y h i s to r y: o c t. 2

Page 5: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

city & state 5the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

Fly by night | adam kopp

Class notes | Philip trammell

co m i c s

Grinnell reviews need-blind policyin a letter to alums last thursday, grinnell college announced

it would consider amending its financial aid policies, prompting rumors that the college could end its need-blind admissions policy, though nothing in the letter explicitly referenced such a plan. the school has the fifth-highest endowment of any liberal arts college, but grinnell President raynard kington expressed concern about its financial sustainability in the letter, inside higher ed reported.

kington’s letter comes on the heels of an announcement from wesleyan university in June that the school would be ending its need-blind admissions process.

“if we took the path of least resistance, what we were inevitably going to do is cut and cut and cut so that we would find ourselves having an inferior education, so that the least painful thing in the world would be to slide into mediocrity,” kington told the scarlet and Black, grinnell’s student newspaper.

the school’s financial future is still under review.

Former U. president under heat for $7.7 million expense account

former Brown President gordon gee has earned $8.6 million dollars so far during his five-year tenure as president of ohio state university, the dayton daily news reported. the daily news investigation has sparked national attention after revealing that gee also has a multimillion-dollar personal account he uses for parties, luxurious travel accommodations and bowtie memorabilia. his expense account neared $7.7 million, the huffington Post reported.

this past fiscal year, gee’s salary reached nearly $2 million, according to the daily news. the ohio ethics commission reported last month that gee failed to report over $150,000 in travel expenses. gee’s term as president has been marked by a football scandal that arose last year and resulted in the firing of coach Jim tressel.

ohio state released a statement in defense of gee’s large bowtie and party budget, clarifying that gifts to the university fund his expense account.

“given the size, stature and reputation of ohio state university, the glad handing that comes with being the university chief executive officer is a requirement of the job,” dan hurley, spokesman for the american association of state colleges and universities, told the daily news.

After search, Northwestern sophomore found drowned

the search for harsha maddula, a sophomore at northwestern university who disappeared last week, ended last thursday when his body was discovered by a fisherman in wilmette, ill. officials have confirmed that the cause of death was drowning, according to aBc news chicago wls-tv.

maddula went missing after attending a party off-campus, the chicago tribune reported. there were no signs of theft, and maddula was found with all his belongings.

“some other media outlets have written that he was ‘party hopping,’ (but) that statement is a clear misrepresentation of harsha and his character,” nasira rafiq, a former teacher of maddula, told the new york daily news.

a memorial service was held for students at northwestern, and maddula’s funeral took place monday in new hyde Park, n.y.

By to n ya r i l e y s e n i o r s ta f f w r i t e r

h i g h e r e d n e w s r o u n d u P about their companies. They were preced-

ed by speeches from Betaspring’s founder and managing partner, Allan tear, as well as from sponsors and officials.

Sen. Jack reed, D-r.I., and Sen. Shel-don whitehouse, D-r.I., both praised Betaspring in their opening comments, heralding the organization for bring-ing young, ambitious Ceos to rhode Island, especially in the current struggling economy.

“you make rhode Island look great,” whitehouse said.

rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-r.I. also applauded Betaspring and expressed hope that the fledgling startups would keep their businesses in rhode Island.

“you’ll all stay here as you develop your companies and come to enjoy this beautiful city and state,” he said.

If the companies remain in Provi-dence for 12 months after the program’s completion, they will become eligible for a $50,000 equity investment from the city of Providence, according to the Betaspring website.

The introduction also featured up-dates from alumni companies such as Sproutel, which developed a character called Jerry the Bear, a stuffed bear with diabetes to help diabetic children learn how to cope with their disease. Sproutel recently raised $300,000 at a fundraising drive and is currently developing a new product.

The new startups included AutoBike, which developed an automatically shift-ing bicycle, and Crunchbutton, a food-delivery app based on a database of the best food and restaurants in a community.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 also ad-dressed the crowd before the companies were introduced.

“with (Betaspring’s) help, we’ll make rhode Island a hip, hip, happening place,” he said.

/ / beta page 1

thirteen companies were selected to participate in Betaspring’s fall development session. these organizations will spend 12 weeks networking and undergoing advisement to build their companies and promote their products.

Autobike makes a bicycle that shifts automatically to enhance the biking experience.

Crunchbutton collects information about the best food and restaurants within a community, creating databases that allow users to order favorites with a click of a button.

greentape created an app that coordinates with stores — particularly in the organic food market — to provide loyalty rewards to consumers and notify them of sales.

healthiD Profile makes a bracelet that serves as a mobile solution for sick patients, helping them track and manage their conditions, share information with doctors and family and transmit information to first responders in the event of an emergency.

kuratur creates attractive web pages for marketers to present information in an accessible and well-organized fashion.

Pennant created a tool that allows advertising agencies to provide

Fall session participants

interactive advertisements to phones, desktop computers and tablets.

Plandree hosts an online vacation planner that allows collaboration and networking between family and friends to simplify the planning process.

rootless created an online community that connects drivers and passengers interested in carpooling. the company has already seen success in organizing carpools for large events like concerts and sports games.

scholryly created a search engine that facilitates the research process by clearly showing connections between papers, authors and topics.

tennishub built a social platform that helps tennis players connect with each other based on a number of factors, like their skill levels, and simplifies the process of booking courts.

touchvu created a tool that allows businesses to convert their facebook pages into fully-functioning websites that can work on phones — many of which do not support flash — as well as tablets and desktops.

umbie DentalCare is an online management program for dentists that encourages the use of electronic health records.

Worldbrain built an online program that creates a model for successful school trips and makes trips easier for teachers and parents to plan and finance.

Page 6: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

editorial & letter6 the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

l e t t e r

C o r r e C t I o n S P o L I C yThe Brown Daily herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

C o M M e n tA r y P o L I C yThe editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only.

L e t t e r S t o t h e e D I t o r P o L I C ySend letters to [email protected]. Include a telephone number with all letters. The herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed.

A D V e r t I S I n G P o L I C yThe Brown Daily herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

renovations undercut financial aid fundsto the editor:

Brown’s push towards Ivy League-standard facilities sweeps the University’s appallingly substandard financial aid under the rug, as Daniel Moraff ’14 pointed out in a column last week (“hiking tuition and blowing money on sparkly things,” Sept. 27).

new buildings don’t just require targeted fundraising ef-forts. They also require maintenance. The new fitness center, for example, will cost Brown hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. That comes out of our operating budget, not gifts.

Another kind of gift to target is an endowed scholarships. Putting $67 million toward housing might make Brown a little nicer, but it means at least 15 students in every class whose Brown experiences will be inarguably worse — 15 students who will choose the safe desk job over the risky policy internship because of financial strain.

Scholarships are good investments: They allow students to take the kinds of early-career risks that pay out later. That’s good for Brown’s repute and coffers. Amenities are often bad investments — rather than paying you back, they add costs.

nevertheless, the “fear the Corporation” undertones of

Moraff’s column are too convenient. Alums lavish incredible fortunes on Brown because they’re generous, not because they’re suspect. If you’re wondering why the Corporation thinks Brown’s housing needs a sparkly update, look back in this paper’s archives. It’s exactly what our committees and columns have been telling them.

There’s a time for building up. Maybe that was the past decade. But it’s not what Brown needs today. Financial aid tramples any other issue in polls as the top priority of students. try pitching Brown to prospectives, and you usually end up talking about price. It’s an embarrassment, out in the open. It’s just not visible in the way that an alum would see on a flyover.

Brown for Financial Aid started last spring in part because members of the Corporation might not have the clearest insight into what student priorities are. It’s the job of students and recent alums to make clear the importance of financial aid to their experiences.

In the meantime, you might as well go for a swim in the new pool. haven’t you heard?

Anish sarma ’12Brown for financial aid alumni ambassador

e d i to r i a l C a r to o n b y a n g e l i a w a n g

“with (Betaspring’s) help we’ll make rhode island a

hip, hip, happening place.” ”— gov. lincoln chafee ‘75 P’14

See beta on page 1.

e d i to r i a l

Almost a year has passed since former president ruth Simmons recom-mended the University continue its campus ban on the reserve officers’ training Corps. These recommendations engendered controversy and dis-cussion both on campus and nationwide at the time, but recently, they have faded from the public eye. In light of a recent herald article about the state of rotC on campus (“rotC looks to increase campus involvement,” Sept. 26), we would like to revisit the decision that was made last october and urge President Christina Paxson to reconsider the campus ban on rotC.

Last year, The herald published an editorial (“A plea for rotC’s rein-statement,” oct. 19, 2011) that disagreed with the ban for several reasons, and this rationale is still applicable. The campus ban furthers a sense of separation between the University and the rest of the nation, particularly from a socioeconomic perspective. Though cross-institutional partnerships exist, they are logistically challenging, and only options for Army rotC exist in Providence. These logistical concerns help explain why there are only a handful of students involved in Army rotC at Providence College or Bryant University, and no Brown students involved in navy or Air Force rotC at all. to top it all off, there are only six student veterans attending the University.

we are quite proud of Brown’s reputation as an outspoken liberal in-stitution. But this reputation may discourage students with other political beliefs or backgrounds from matriculating at Brown. This is a distinct loss to the community, as we could all benefit from thoughtful and rational debates with those with whom we disagree. while we do not want this reputation to change — nor do we think it will — we are concerned that the symbolism of the campus ban dissuades potential rotC students who could contribute to political and intellectual diversity on campus from at-tending the University.

Furthermore, we believe that allowing rotC on campus would further efforts to increase socioeconomic and geographic diversity. Many high school students interested in rotC specifically matriculate at universities that have these programs. Given the tuition benefits of the rotC program, many students who look into this program have financial reasons for doing so. As The herald’s “Money Matters” series observed last spring, lack of socioeconomic diversity is still a problem for the University and perpetu-ates a divide in the campus community. Continuing the campus ban on rotC promotes the notion that the University is primarily the domain of wealthy students, and reinstating rotC could provide an avenue for increased economic diversity.

In response to the well-founded concern in the Brown community about the relationship of the military to the LGBtQ community, we agree that the policy of transgender discrimination should be halted. however, the University still receives federal funds from the military for research pur-poses, as well as federal funds for student financial aid. Instead of sticking our heads in the sand, we would be better served to change problematic aspects of these institutions from within. Though we appreciate the creation of an on-campus office to support veterans and help students participate in the military, we believe the symbolism of the on-campus ban sends a dangerous message to the community at large about our values. we should engage those with whom we disagree, and we should remove the campus ban on rotC.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to [email protected].

q u ot e o f t H e d ay

reconsidering roTc

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An article in Monday’s herald (“As Paxson seeks strategic plan, committees form,” oct. 1) incorrectly referenced Peter weber as dean of the graduate school and chair of the chemistry department. In fact, weber stepped down from his role as chair when he was named dean. The herald regrets the error.

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Page 7: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

opinions 7the Brown DAILy herALDtUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

Like most Brown students, before arriving on campus for the start of the semester, I spent time playing around on Banner. with two concentration requirements set, I had two courses to choose from among over 40 academic departments.

The freedom to choose exactly which courses to take is an exhilarating pro-cess and one of the reasons why I came to Brown. In fact, prior to the start of my freshman year, I had compiled a list of ac-ademic departments in which I hoped to take courses before graduation.

yet as I stared at a confused, chaotic shopping cart, I wished that in addition to the freedom to handpick my own courses, Brown would provide students the free-dom to choose how to structure their de-gree programs in the form of majors and minors.

Minors would give students the oppor-tunity to organize a portion of their non-concentration courses into a coherent pro-gram of study. Minors were eliminated with the implementation of the new Curricu-lum. Susannah Kroeber ’11 noted in 2009 that the designers of the new Curriculum feared allowing minors would limit stu-dents’ desire to experiment with classes outside of their concentration in “which they did not have sufficient interest or ex-

perience to eventually declare a minor” (“Kroeber ’11: A minor change, a major dif-ference,” oct. 4, 2009).

In the absence of minors, Brown stu-dents can pursue a concentration and take other courses that interest them, or they can double or even triple concentrate, a task made easier without the burden of distribu-tion requirements.

But doesn’t double concentrating also limit students’ ability to take courses in a variety of departments? why, then, does

the new Curriculum allow students to dou-ble concentrate, but take the option of mi-nors off the table?

Minors would allow students to pursue a second field of interest without the burden of taking on a second concentration, which would undoubtedly reduce the amount stu-dents could experiment with courses in other departments. especially for students who consider double concentrating after their sophomore year, having the ability to minor would allow them to more easily pursue another academic passion. Instead of simply taking a cluster of courses in a given field, a minor could function as a way for students to structure their secondary in-

terest and to earn a degree while doing so. At harvard, “secondary fields” — which are equivalent to minors — “provide the opportunity for focused study (four to six half-courses) outside of the primary area of concentration, but they are entirely option-al and are not required for graduation,” ac-cording to the harvard Student handbook for the 2012-13 academic year.

Because minors are not simply a jumble of electives strewn about a student’s tran-script, they would also serve to more easily

showcase a student’s acquaintance with dis-ciplines other than his or her concentration to employers. Kroeber argues that a resume, not an academic transcript, is the paper tool that helps you get a job.” In the fiercely competitive job market beyond the walls of Brunonia, minors would allow Brown stu-dents to present relevant credentials and demonstrate their interests and expertise in multiple disciplines. without minors, stu-dents have fewer avenues through which they can display their academic interests other than their concentrations, since em-ployers rarely read a full list of coursework.

of course, a Brown education is not about accumulating a list of credentials for

future employers. This would not be the purpose behind a minor, either. A minor would simply allow students to organize a second field of interest, if they have one, as an alternative to double concentrating. And while it is possible that some students may “pick up” a minor for the sake of enhancing their resumes, this is already the motivation behind why some students double concen-trate.

Furthermore, minors might encourage students to pursue advanced coursework in fields other than their concentration. In-stead of dabbling in a multitude of intro-ductory classes, minors would provide stu-dents an incentive to challenge themselves in upper-level courses while still allowing enough room in their schedules to reap the benefits of the new Curriculum. For example, a student who might otherwise stop language instruction at the 400 level may continue onto more advanced levels if Brown offered minors or their equivalent for completing a certain number of courses.

It does not go against the integrity of the new Curriculum to provide students the tools to highlight their qualifications and pursue a secondary field of interest. If the University permits double concentrations, which hinder a student from taking a wide variety of courses more so than minors would, then it should also allow students the option to complete a minor.

Jaclyn katz ’14 has no idea if she would minor if given the option and can be reached at [email protected].

Why brown should have minors

“well, you know how it is with him — he’s in a monogamous relationship so he bare-ly has any time for his friends.”

“People don’t have the time for mo-nogamous relationships? That’s like saying that you don’t have the time to love.”

The above quotes are snippets from conversations I have had with friends about the status of relationships at Brown. The first quote derides the constraints of being in a monogamous relationship at Brown, while the second quote laments the lack of emotional commitment in the “hookup culture” present in college.

Both perspectives examine two oppo-site sides of the relationship spectrum, but by no means encompass the only types of healthy relationship models at Brown. These two types seem to be the most pop-ular at Brown. But there are more relation-ship types available, despite Cara Dorris’ ’15 claim in her column declaring that the only two kinds of relationships at Brown are “rigid, Facebook-official romances and hurried, efficient and occasionally chronic hookups” (“Dorris ’15: The fiction of rela-tionship?” Feb. 10).

The myth that there are only two types of relationships at Brown creates a stig-ma for students who want to explore any type of relationship — whether a monoga-mous relationship, hook-up or other kind of relationship. In other words, there’s a

lot wrong with the relationship scene at Brown. Students get criticized either for being in a committed relationship, for hooking up consistently with the same person or for having a relationship that is outside of those two categories, such as a polyamorous relationship or multiple ca-sual hookups.

Let me first discuss the prevailing no-tions of the two most recognized types of relationships on campus. The “rigid ro-mance” that Dorris describes is the re-lationship type that is most accepted by popular society. A misconception about

the exclusive relationship is that very few people at Brown want one — that every-one just wants to hook up and not be lim-ited by a monogamous relationship.

In reality, there are a fair number of people who choose to engage in monoga-mous, romantic relationships. The herald published an article in nov. 2011 about the surprisingly low number of different sexual partners Brown students had in the fall of 2011 (“Students fall short of sex ex-

pectations,” nov. 28, 2011). A 38 percent plurality had no sexual partners, while 36 percent had only one partner. Though these numbers might suggest that people are hooking up with the same partner, it also suggests that the myth of the “crazy hook-up culture” at Brown is exaggerated.

Sure, we may not see many couples holding hands on Thayer or going out for dinner in a fancy restaurant, but couples at Brown do exist, despite the popular no-tion to the contrary.

The other common relationship type, the hook-up, also dominates conversa-

tions about the general atmosphere of ro-mances at Brown. everyone just wants to hook up, no one wants to feel a special connection, no one has time for real love. This notion is false.

As The herald’s poll shows, reports of the hook-up culture at Brown have been greatly exaggerated. even when people do decide to hook up instead of following more traditional relationship models, it doesn’t mean that they are any less “com-

mitted” as they probably hook up with the same partner.

Indeed, both monogamous relation-ships and hook-up relationships can foster positive, healthy and consensual relation-ships. The stereotype that hooking up only entails meeting someone at a party, having sex with them and then never speaking to them again is false and is damaging to people who have empowering experiences with this type of relationship. A hook-up relationship can be “committed” or “ex-clusive” or have any of the other positive qualities usually associated with romantic monogamous relationships.

And what about other kinds of rela-tionships that do not fall neatly under these two categories? There are many types of relationships people can have positive experiences with, whether they be open relationships, online relation-ships, asexual relationships or other kinds. Preferences can fall anywhere on the re-lationship spectrum — even outside of it. to pretend that there are only two types of relationships effectively shames those who do not choose those two types. More edu-cation on what a positive relationship en-tails could help many students seek what they’ve been looking for without having to settle for someone else’s notion of what a relationship should be.

david romero ’14 encourages you to not be ashamed of your relationship preferences and can be reached at

[email protected].

let’s talk about relationships

there is a spectrum of relationship types, and preferences can fall anywhere on that spectrum — even outside of the spectrum. to pretend that there are only

two types of relationships effectively shames those who do not choose those two types.

it does not go against the integrity of the new curriculum to provide students the tools to highlight

their qualifications and pursue a secondary field of interest.

Jaclyn katzopinions Columnist

david romeroopinions Columnist

Page 8: Tuesday, October 2, 2012

daily heraldthe Brownsports tuesday

tUeSDAy, oCtoBer 2, 2012

By Connor greAlySPortS Staff Writer

The men’s golf team trudged through the challenging MacDonald’s Cup this past weekend, finishing 13th out of a field of 15 teams with a team score of 591 — 292 on Saturday and 299 on Sunday — on the par-70 yale Golf Course.

“It’s frustrating to finish so far down,” said head Coach Michael hughes, “but I felt it was a step in the right direction. … If we didn’t drop a few strokes, we could have been in the middle of this.”

The Bulldogs paced the tourna-ment and captured the victory on their home course. yale Golf Course, known for its difficult approach shots and greens, forced teams to more ef-fectively plan their shots.

“The greens at yale are pretty diffi-cult and were actually pretty slow this weekend,” said co-captain Jack Mylott ’13. “Since they’re so large and tilted, I don’t think we made the transition too well.”

The team practiced at Metacomet Country Club to prepare for yale but ended up playing on much slower greens than they expected.

“I think we had the most putts in the field,” hughes said. “we should be able to handle those greens.”

The team did put together a num-

ber of solid rounds in the cup but was outplayed by a strong field. After not being able to play last weekend, nel-son hargrove ’13 was the top scorer for the Bears, shooting 73-72, five-over for the weekend, and earned himself 29th place as an individual.

“nelson played great this week-end,” hughes said. “he had the third most pars in the field…If a few of his putts go differently, he could have been in the 60s for both rounds.”

Justin Miller ’15 had Bruno’s best round with a one-over 71 on Saturday, but he was not able to carry that mo-mentum into Sunday, carding an 80.

“For me, I learned a lot from last weekend (at the Big red Invitational),” Miller said. “I put everything I learned into play on Saturday, but it’s easy to revert back to what you’ve been doing.”

Jack wilson ’16 and Peter Callas ’14 both shot 74 on Saturday, while wilson improved to shoot 73 on Sunday and Callas shot 76. Mylott followed in the scoring with rounds of 80 and 78.

Though the scores may not have shown it, the squad shot the ball well, with a number of players recording a high percentage of greens hit in regu-lation — a statistic used to measure shots played onto the green with a chance of scoring either birdie or par.

“Peter hit 14 and 15 greens, nelson

hit 16 and 15, and I had 15 on Sunday,” Mylott said.

There were other positives to be taken from the team’s play this past weekend. The team placed first in the field in par-three scoring — the cu-mulative score shot on par-three holes — at four-over, and was third in the field with 119 pars in the tournament.

“If everyone minimizes the big mistake and comes away with a bo-gey instead of a triple (bogey), these close matches will end up working in our favor,” Mylott said.

hughes expressed concern about major miscues on a few holes tak-ing away from overall competitive performances.

“we were once again plagued by playing 14 great holes and a couple holes poorly,” he said.

“The biggest problem is big num-bers in our short game,” Miller said, referring to putts and approach shots near the green.

hughes said he viewed the week-end as a learning experience for his relatively young team.

“every time we go out there, it’s a chance for them to learn,” hughes said.

The team will use this weekend to fine-tune its game in a scrimmage before heading to Philadelphia oct. 13 and 14 to participate in the Big 5 Classic.

difficult yale course strands bears at bottom of pack

courtesy of david silverman

bruno returned from yale golf Course having placed at the bottom of the tournament. the young team’s next tournament is oct. 13 in Philadelphia.

annaBel ruddle / herald

bruno men’s singles swept the top spot in a field of 15 at the Penn invitational last weekend. see Page 1

m. golF

Cross Country

Women’s team shines at lehighBy JAmes blum

SPortS Staff Writer

The cross country teams ended com-petition at Lehigh University this weekend with mixed results — the women finished 8th in a field of 40 and the men 14th of 37. The Paul Short Invitational was the Bears’ first major meet of the season. Though the women placed three runners in the top 20, the men did not give “a representative performance of where we are at our fitness level or racing ability,” said tim Springfield, men’s cross country head coach and interim director of track and field and cross country.

this was the first meet of the year for the women at which their top runners competed. The women’s “fitness is far superior to where it was a year ago,” said women’s head Coach Mitchell Baker.

“the majority of athletes ran much faster” than at last year’s race, he added.

“It was a good first effort and I am excited by all of the things we can improve,” Baker said. “I thought we executed a much higher percent-age of the race plans than we have in the past.”

Co-captain olivia Mickle ’13 led the women and finished the 6-kilo-meter course 11th overall in 20:37. Mickle, who set the school record in the 10,000-meter run in the spring, has continued to build off her success. She is now a “different level athlete than she was in the spring,” Baker said.

“I haven’t had success with cross

country yet, so I felt more nervous than I’m used to, and I was glad to finish 11th,” Mickle said. “It gave me the confidence I think I need to per-form well in later meets.”

The other two runners to finish in the top 20 were Margaret Con-nelly ’14 and heidi Caldwell ’14 who finished in 20:54 and 20:57, respec-tively. Though the top three for Brown finished in quick succession, the last two scoring competitors were almost a minute behind Caldwell. one of the things that the women will work on during the next couple of weeks is “pack running”, Mickle said, which means closing the gaps between the team’s runners so that they run as a team.

“I think the next step is getting people physically and mentally able to stick together,” Baker said. “espe-cially the chase pack behind our top three, we’ll be looking to really try to get them to gel and run together the whole time.”

explaining the men’s disappoint-ing performance, Springfield placed the responsibility on his own shoul-ders. “I didn’t have the team as pre-pared as we needed to be,” he said.

one bright spot for the men was the performance of co-captain Conor Grogan ’13, the first of the Bears to finish the 8k course in 24:55 and 46th place overall. Springfield said Grogan raced well and did a good job “leading the way” for his teammates.

“It was a step forward for me in terms of where I’m at as a runner,” Grogan said. “we were looking to place a lot higher. It’s kind of a wake-up call this early in the season.”

About 330 runners competed in the men’s race at Paul Short. In such a large field, “it’s really important to get off the line aggressively,” Grogan said, because a passive start makes it difficult to pass other runners later in the race.

“As a team, we need to have a more aggressive mindset early in the race,” Grogan said. “In the future, we’ll put more of an emphasis on running as a group in the early stages of a race.”

Kevin Cooper ’13 and Colin Sav-age ’14 were the next two runners to finish for Brown, and recorded times of 25:12 and 25:36, respec-tively. Jeff Bush ’14 and Brendan Boyle ’14 rounded out Bruno’s five scoring competitors. The spread, or time difference between the first and fifth runners to finish, was 51 seconds.

Springfield has emphasized that he believes a small split is the key to success, pointing to this meet’s large spread as a “big mistake.” Despite this race, the men will “almost auto-matically get better” to avoid another similar performance, Springfield said.

Both teams will send runners to compete at the new england Cham-pionship next weekend. The runners who race there will not compete at the Adidas Invitational hosted by the University of wisconsin the following weekend.

Both Grogan and Mickle char-acterized the Adidas Invitational as “extremely competitive,” since many of the best teams in the country will be present.

“we need to be aggressive and not be intimidated by some of the higher-ranked teams,” Mickle said.