Daily
the Brown
vol. cxlvi, no. 35
After quake, At crossroads, reform
Japan study rests in governor’s hands
abroad in
question
By Nicole Boucher
News Editor
The unstable condition of nuclear
reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi
power plant — about 160 miles
outside Tokyo — could prevent six
Brown students from attending pro-
grams at Keio, Sophia and Waseda
Universities this semester.
“Several Tokyo universities have
begun sending students and fac-
ulty home or telling students not to
come to campus until the situation
becomes clearer,” wrote Dean of
the College Katherine Bergeron in
an e-mail to The Herald. But the
situation is still in flux, she wrote.
Keio University already an-
nounced its study abroad program
will be postponed for about two
weeks, said Jack Boeglin ’12, one
of the students enrolled in the Keio
program for the semester.
“If you are currently outside of
Japan, please remain there,” Keio
University program coordinators
wrote in an e-mail to students yes-
terday. “If the situation in Japan
does not improve, it will not be
necessary for you to come to Japan
right away.”
Boeglin said orientation origi-
nally scheduled for March 24 has
continued on page 2
Hedy Epstein (above), a Holocaust survivor, advocated for “equal rights” for both
Israelis and Palestinians in a lecture last night during Israeli Apartheid Week.
news...................2-6
inside
CITY & State.....7-9
editorial.............10
Opinions.............11
Thursday, March 17, 2011
By Claire Peracchio
City & State Editor
Sara Bohnsack MAT’11 leads a game
of word jeopardy in a fifth-grade
classroom at the Paul Cuffee School
in Providence. “If I told you that
you’d never have to do homework
again, some of you might respond
by doing this,” she reads from a clue.
Some of the students act out the
correct vocabulary word — “cheer”
— which a boy in the front row spells
out loud.
The students wear navy and kha-
ki uniforms befitting the school’s
namesake, a black sea captain. They
face a whiteboard, above which tri-
angular college flags — Brown’s in-
U. expands off-campus holdings BCA names
By Katherine Long
Staff Writer
The University purchased another
building downtown Monday for
roughly $6 million, according
to Richard Spies, executive vice
president for planning. The prop-
erty, which will house the Office of
Continuing Education, is near the
Medical Education Building and
other University-owned buildings
in the Jewelry District.
The search for a new building for
the Office of Continuing Education
started six months ago, when the
department’s staff began to exceed its
Stephanie London / Herald
Whiskey Wednesday
A new bar opens at former
Fish Co. location.
campus news, 6
Herald
cluded — are posted as reminders of
a college-bound future. Paul Cuffee’s
student population is 89 percent
minority and 77 percent below the
poverty line. And when compared
to neighboring Providence schools,
Putting Rhode Island’s
public schools to the test
Fifth in a five-part series
the proportion of its students scor-
ing proficient on standardized tests
in math and reading is nearly 30
percent higher.
Only 2 percent of Rhode Island
continued on page 7
available work space in the Gradu-
ate Center.
“Deciding to buy the building
was an explorative process,” Spies
said. “We were actively looking for a
building, and the owner at the time
was probing potential buyers. ... We
met in the middle.”
The 41,000 square-foot building
sits on more than two acres near
land to be freed up by the reloca-
tion of I-195, which will conclude
in 2012. University administrators
expressed interest in acquiring some
of the parcels formerly occupied
by the highway in 2009, but butted
heads with city officials over issues
Holocaust survivor calls
for support of Palestine
By Shefali Luthra
Senior Staff Writer
Hedy Epstein had never seen so much
blood.
“It was like when you turn your
faucet on fully,” she said to an audi-
ence of about 60 last night in Smith-
Buonanno Hall.
Epstein, a Holocaust survivor and
advocate for Palestine, discussed her
experiences during the Holocaust
and her visits to Palestine in a one-
hour speech followed by a heated
question-and-answer session.
The blood Epstein described was
the product of a demonstration she
participated in during her first visit
to Palestine. A group of demonstra-
tors — which Epstein said consisted
of “Palestinians, peace-loving Israelis
and internationals” — were protest-
ing a fence that blocked Palestinian
farmers from reaching the fields.
Post-
takes a birthday shot,
gets lucky for St. Pat’s
e d u c at i o n i n c r i s i s
Roughly 50 percent of students at Central Falls High School graduate.
of taxation.
The recently purchased prop-
erty — at 198 Dyer St. — will be
under non-educational use, and will
function as a taxable commercial
property.
The building’s acquisition was
part of the University’s plan to grow
into the city, Spies said. “We’ve had
this ‘expand off College Hill’ goal
now for a couple years, mainly for
reasons of space,” he said. “The
purchase of this building is part of
an evolution of the campus, which
hopefully will please everybody.”
continued on page 2
Protestors aimed to “symbolically”
open the gate, though no one would
actually cross it.
But as Epstein marched, she
heard gunshots. In her “American
mindset,” she said she assumed they
were warning shots before she real-
ized demonstrators were being shot.
The blood was that of an Israeli boy,
among the first to be injured. He had
just finished serving his mandatory
three years in the army.
Epstein visited the Palestinian
West Bank four more times after that
trip. She has also attempted to go to
Gaza four times, though she has not
yet been successful. Her parents were
anti-Zionists, and though she said
she did not fully understand the term
as a child, she decided she was one
too. She remembered being the only
Jewish child in her neighborhood not
continued on page 3
weather
post-, inside
Since 1891
Claire Peracchio / Herald
full Spring
Weekend
lineup
By Miriam Furst
Staff Writer
Das Racist, Lee Fields and the Ex-
pressions and Rebirth Brass Band
will support headliners TV on the
Radio and Diddy–Dirty Money at
the 51st Spring Weekend.
Das Racist — a rap trio based
in Brooklyn — will open for TV
on the Radio Friday, bringing
their “style and energy” to the
Main Green, according to the
Brown Concert Agency’s press
release.
“Das Racist has been gain-
ing a lot of popularity since last
year,” said Serin Seckin ’11, BCA’s
administrative chair. “MTV said
they were one of the best new
bands in the world.”
Lee Fields and the Expressions
will “help get everyone in the
mood” for Saturday’s shows, open-
ing for Rebirth Brass Band and
headliner Diddy-Dirty Money. A
New Orleans “brass funk band,”
Rebirth Brass Band will bring jazz
music and “its rich mix of brass
instruments and sound,” accord-
ing to the press release.
But following the announce-
ment, student reaction to the
BCA’s choices varied.
“I’ve never heard of any of the
supporting acts,” said Caroline
Katzman ’13. “How does a soul
artist and a jazz band get you in
the mood for a rapper like Did-
continued on page 6
t o d ay tomorrow
59 / 44 63 / 36
2 Campus News
calendar UCS talks ROTC, hydration at meeting
TodaY March 17 ToMORROW March 18
By David Chung
4 P.m. 7 p.m. Senior Staff Writer
John Hay Centennial with Vartan “The Famished,”
Gregorian, Sayles Hall Granoff Center Studio 1 Dean of the College Katherine
Bergeron spoke on behalf of the
9 p.m. 8 p.m.
committee on the Reserve Officers’
Brown Stand Up Comics, Brown University Jazz Band Training Corps at the Undergraduate
Macmillan 117 Concert, Grant Hall Council of Students’ general body
meeting last night.
menu The ROTC committee is seeking
student opinions regarding the possi-
ble reinstatement of the program on
SHARPE REFECTORY VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL
campus before it approaches the fac-
LUNCH ulty, Bergeron said. The committee
Chicken Milanese, Spicy Collard Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue has met with various special-interest
Greens with Bacon, Vegan Tacos, Cheese, Wisconsin Ziti with Four groups on campus to discuss the is-
Frost-Your-Own Cupcake Cheeses, Frost-Your-Own-Cupcake
DINNER
Grilled Rotisserie Chicken, Corned Corned Beef Brisket, Vegetable
U. office moves into downtown building
Beef Brisket, Colcannon Potatoes, Turnover with Cheese, Irish Soda continued from page 1
Irish Soda Bread, Shamrock Cookies Bread, Shamrock Cookies
It is the 15th University-owned
Sudoku building not located on College Hill,
according to the University’s website.
“We’re excited about the op-
portunity to be sharing part of the
knowledge district and to be con-
tributing to the brightness of the city
of Providence,” said Karen Sibley,
dean of summer and continuing
studies.
The building’s lone current tenant
— the City of Providence — leases
approximately 12,500 square feet in
the building for its Department of
Licensing and Standards, according
Crossword
Daily
the Brown
www.browndailyherald.com
195 Angell St., Providence, R.I.
Ben Schreckinger, President
Sydney Ember, Vice President
The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the
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Copyright 2011 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
editorial
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herald@browndailyherald.com
Thursday, March 17, 2011
sue and recently sent out a survey to
alums in an online newsletter. UCS
will host a luncheon in the Faculty
Club March 22 to facilitate dialogue
among students, and a faculty forum
on ROTC will be held April 13.
The Brown community has ex-
pressed strong opinions about the
program, Bergeron said. Many stu-
dents oppose its possible violation of
the University’s non-discrimination
policy, while others believe Brown
should offer students the chance to
serve in the military. Though “there
isn’t a movement toward one out-
come or the other,” the committee
to yesterday’s Providence Journal.
But the city is planning on vacat-
ing the property as part of its own
development plans, Spies said.
Though the University has no
existing plans to lease the space to
another tenant, “the question is on
the table,” he said. “The Office of
Continuing Education doesn’t need
the entire building. … We’re still
figuring it out.”
All 55 members of the Office of
Continuing Education are expected
to move into the building as soon as
renovations finish next fall, accord-
ing to Sibley.
Spies said the purchase has both
Herald
Matthew Burrows, Treasurer
Isha Gulati, Secretary
Business
(401) 351-3360
gm@browndailyherald.com
The Brown Daily Herald
hopes to reach “some form of clo-
sure” by May, she said.
Bergeron recently attended the
Ivy Plus conference, during which
deans from Ivy League universities,
Stanford, the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and the University
of Chicago discussed the status of
ROTC programs on their respective
campuses. MIT, Cornell, Dartmouth,
Penn and Princeton never elimi-
nated their ROTC programs but are
currently reviewing the terms on
which they were established. Har-
continued on page 3
short- and long-term benefits. “The
Office of Continuing Education
needed more space, and it worked
out that we were able to buy this
building at a reasonable cost rather
than renting another building. …
There’s also a substantive amount of
parking, which provides revenue,”
he said. It comes with 130 parking
spaces, and increasing property val-
ues in the district provided another
incentive.
The University purchased the
property from Extell Providence
LLC, a subsidiary of New York
City-based Extell Development
Corporation.
Tokyo study
abroad status
unclear
continued from page 1
been moved to April 4. Students
may also defer their study abroad
plans until next semester.
“My hope is still to go, but, at the
same time, I’m going to monitor
the situation as closely as possible,”
Boeglin said. “My study abroad ex-
perience is nowhere near as impor-
tant as the health of the Japanese
people,” he said.
The universities are closed until
March 22, partly due to planned
power outages in the city, accord-
ing to postings on the colleges’
websites.
Fears of a reactor meltdown — a
result of last Friday’s earthquake
and tsunami — increased as ra-
diation levels rose yesterday and
workers left the plant. Officials are
now working to install a new power
line that would facilitate cooling of
the reactors.
If the schools in Tokyo resume
classes soon, the programs would
likely end later in the summer to ad-
just for the later start date, Bergeron
wrote. The University will also
consider contingency plans if the
schools do not open this semester.
“In other crisis situations, we
have worked to identify alternative
study abroad options for students
or other ways to complete the se-
mester,” she wrote.
Three students are currently
studying abroad in Kyoto, which
was not affected by the earthquake
or tsunami. Their program does
not have plans to close at this time,
Bergeron wrote.
The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Holocaust speaker calls for
equal rights in Middle East
continued from page 1
to belong to the local Zionist youth
group because it was something her
parents would not allow.
Epstein came to the United States
in 1948, the year that Israel became
a state. She recalled having “mixed
feelings” about the state’s creation,
but it stayed in the back of her mind
until 1982. The Israeli invasion of
Lebanon at that time served as a
“wake-up call” for her. As Epstein
learned more about the Israel-Pal-
estine conflict, she said she grew
“increasingly disturbed” about the
Israeli government’s policies toward
Palestine. In 2003, she made her first
trip to Palestine.
Though Epstein acknowledged
that violence has come from both
sides of the conflict, she said Israel
has inflicted more damage.
“I don’t like to deal with numbers
because each number is a human be-
ing,” she said. “But the number of Pal-
estinian people who have been hurt
far exceeds the number of Israelis.”
Epstein ended her speech by call-
ing for “equal rights” for both Israelis
and Palestinians, saying she supports
democracy for the people of both
Israel and Palestine.
After her speech, she opened the
floor to a question-and-answer ses-
sion. One Israeli-American audience
member criticized Epstein for tell-
ing a “one-sided” story by not also
focusing on violence toward Israelis.
When Epstein said she had not been
to Israel and therefore could not dis-
cuss it with as much depth, he asked
her to do herself “a favor” by going.
Epstein also spoke about her
experiences in Nazi Germany. Her
parents often talked about leaving
Germany, though she said going to
Israel was never an option.
She recalled experiences with her
math teacher from school — a mem-
ber of the SS who came to class every
day wearing his uniform. He always
kept a revolver with him, which he
would finger or even point at her
when she answered questions, she
said. And no matter how she an-
swered a question — whether she
was right or wrong — he always
ridiculed her.
In 1938, E­ pstein was kicked out
of school, with her principal saying,
“Get out, you dirty Jew.” She came
home to find her father had been
arrested — he was sent to a concen-
tration camp. When he returned four
weeks later, she said he was an “old,
broken, very sick man.”
The next year, Epstein’s parents
sent her on a children’s transport to
England. In 1940, her family was
deported to Vichy, France and they
were sent to Auschwitz two years
later. She never heard from them
again.
Epstein compared the persecu-
tion of Jews in the Holocaust to what
Palestinians currently experience,
though she said the degree is not as
great today.
Epstein has spoken across the
country and made 2,000 presenta-
tions since 1970, according to her
website. Her 2004 presentation at
Stanford was met with anger from
the university’s Hillel organization,
which criticized comparisons of the
Holocaust to the Israel-Palestine
conflict.
Campus News 3
UCS hears
opinions
on ROTC
continued from page 2
vard has announced its intention
to reinstate the program, and Yale,
Columbia and Stanford are mov-
ing in a similar direction, Bergeron
said. Sixty percent of students at Co-
lumbia and 70 percent of students
at Yale have expressed support for
the program.
If the University decides to keep
ROTC off campus, it will most likely
be the only Ivy League institution
not to offer the program. Students
have been allowed to enroll in the
ROTC program at Providence Col-
lege since 1951, but Brown does not
offer course credit for participation.
The University of Chicago, which has
not offered a ROTC program since
1931, also does not have plans for
reintroduction, she said.
UCS also passed a resolution
urging the University to establish
permanent Brown e-mail addresses
for alums.
Campus Life Chair David Rattner
’13 introduced a resolution recom-
mending alternative water sources
in the campus center. Rattner said
Brown Dining Services and the Be-
yond the Bottle Campaign have not
provided adequate water alternatives
since the Brown University Commu-
nity Council banned bottled water
in November 2009. The lack of signs
directing toward hydration centers
and the high volume of visitors in
the center merit an increased effort
to provide water, he said.
4 Campus News
Summer UTRAs hold steady despite recommendation to increase
By Claire Schlessinger
Contributing Writer
Around 200 students received
Undergraduate Teaching and Re-
search Awards to support summer
research, according to Besenia Ro-
driguez, associate dean of the Col-
lege for undergraduate research,
about the same number offered in
previous years. The 330 applicants
were notified Tuesday.
Though a report released Sep-
tember 2008 by the Task Force on
Undergraduate Education recom-
mended the University increase the
number of UTRAs by 20 percent
each year for the next four years,
the number of summer awards
offered has continued to hover
around 200.
In previous years, Rodriguez
said additional UTRAs were of-
fered after some students declined
to accept the award or additional
funds became available. The num-
ber of awards also fluctuates from
year to year, Rodriguez said, be-
cause the money for UTRAs comes
from donors and alums who vary
their donations to the fund each
year.
Though the awards differ in
content and goals, Rodriguez said
she hopes to increase the number
of humanities and social science
applications because there are far
fewer applicants and little funding
Thursday, March 17, 2011
in these fields. UTRAs are one of
the few avenues for students in
those areas to do research, she
said. Applications in these fields
increased 4 percent last year, ac-
cording to a March 19 Herald ar-
ticle.
UTRAs can either be for a col-
laborative research project with a
professor or work involving course
design or revision of an existing
class.
Alex Salter ’12, who received
an UTRA for this summer, will
be working in a biology lab with
Laurent Brossay, associate profes-
sor of medical science. Salter will
study type II natural killer T cells,
which may play a role in determin-
ing the immune system’s response
to a viral infection, he said. Salter
said applying for an UTRA seemed
like a “logical step in the process”
because he started working in
Brossay’s lab last fall. He said he
was glad the University offers such
a meaningful research opportunity
to undergraduates.
The Brown Daily Herald
Enoma Okunbor ’11 did an
International UTRA last summer
evaluating the cost-effectiveness
of antiretroviral therapy in ru-
ral South Africa. Her interest
stemmed from a class she took
her sophomore year on interna-
tional health. As a community
health concentrator interested in
the prevalence of HIV, Okunbor
looked for professors on Brown’s
International Health Institute web-
site who had similar interests and
found Mark Lurie, assistant profes-
sor of medical science. Okunbor
and Lurie agreed to work together
on the project, which was part of a
larger study funded by the National
Institutes of Health.
Okunbor said the UTRA gave
her a “rare opportunity” to get a
realistic view of health care outside
the U.S. Though it challenged her
“romantic view of what interna-
tional medicine is,” Okunbor said
she is still committed to global
health. The experience offered a
“suitable alternative” to studying
abroad during the semester, and
being in South Africa during the
World Cup made for an overall
“amazing” experience, she said.
Rodriguez said with “so many
competitive applications,” the best
ones demonstrate collaboration
between the student and faculty
member. Both parties must have
“investment” in the project and
must be able to contribute, she
said.
The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011
U.’s reverse-auction utility buying still bringing savings
By Ashley Aydin
Senior Staff Writer
The University will save $15 mil-
lion by 2014 on utilities costs by
asking suppliers to compete for
an energy contract, according to
Christopher Powell, director of
sustainable energy and environ-
mental initiatives. Though price
fluctuations are common for oil and
natural gas, the University avoids
paying high energy costs by asking
suppliers to participate in a reverse
auction every two years to secure
a contract.
About 92 percent of the current
utilities budget — roughly $19 mil-
lion for the current fiscal year — is
locked into contracts, according
to Powell. “The pricing for all that
energy that we purchase and use
has already been hedged,” he said.
The University cannot see fluctua-
tions in these cost until contracts
are renegotiated.
Already, 84 percent of the utili-
ties budgets for the fiscal year be-
ginning July 1, 2012 and the one
beginning July 2013 are locked in
to contracts.
The University anticipated the
reverse auction system would save
$15 million over five years, The
Herald reported Feb. 27, 2009.
The University “basically locked
up (the utilities budget) for that
five-year period,” Powell said. “We
know we’re going to achieve those
savings. In essence, we are probably
ahead of the $15 million for those
five years.”
Within this year’s $19 million
utilities budget, Powell said roughly
about $7 million is used for heating,
$10 million goes toward electricity
and the remainder pays for water,
sewage and interest on a $20 mil-
lion loan from the University to
spend on increasing efficiency.
Getting green
In 2008, the University set a goal
of reducing its carbon footprint to
42 percent below 2007 levels by
2020. Prior to the introduction of
reverse auctions, the biggest source
of emissions came from the Uni-
versity’s heating.
The central heating plant used
Number 6 fuel oil, which is “a
heavy, gooey kind of oil that is
low-cost” for its buildings during
the winter, Powell said. Number
6 oil has a higher energy content
than traditional heating oil because
of its density.
“We decided to stop using that
Number 6 oil and use natural gas
instead,” he said. “This helped us
drop our emissions in a major way.”
Although natural gas is more ex-
pensive than the Number 6 oil, the
University had negotiated a natural
gas contract before oil prices rose
in recent years so it did not have to
pay such high prices, he said.
‘Everyone starts bidding’
Powell brought the idea of a
Campus News 5
The practice of buying energy in reverse auctions will save the U. $15 million.
reverse auction to the University
from his previous job with United
Technologies Corp, he said. “It just
took some time to convince the
administration that this was a good
methodology for Brown.”
Before the use of reverse auc-
tions, the University’s electricity
and other utilities were supplied
by local utility companies, he said.
“That’s actually riskier, because
those prices can change, as opposed
to locking in the prices,” he added.
The reverse auctions start on-
line. The University posts its terms
and energy consumption profile,
telling pre-qualified bidders what
it wants to buy “on a daily basis,”
though “that amount can vary by,
Freddy Lu / Herald
say, 20 percent,” he said.
The pre-qualification ensures
that the bidder can continue its sup-
ply in future years and also stay
in business. The University’s pre-
qualification standards specifically
limit carbon emissions.
“The guy that has the high car-
bon footprint wouldn’t be able to
bid in the system if he didn’t meet
the requirement,” Powell said.
The University holds a reverse
auction every two years to negoti-
ate either a heating or electricity
contract that will take effect two
years after the auction, Powell said.
On the selected day, bidding opens
for an hour.
“When it gets to that last five
minutes, everyone starts bidding,”
he said. “The companies can’t see
who is making the bid. They’re bid-
ding to get the lowest price and
deciding how far to go.”
Alternatives to the auction
The University has also evalu-
ated the feasibility of providing its
own electricity to reduce its utilities
spending.
But Powell said regulatory rules
in the state have made that path
a difficult one to pursue, adding
that the decision comes down to
where the University could make
its own energy.
“Because we’re in a city, we’re
limited in terms of putting solar
panels,” he said. “What we can do
is make our buildings much more
efficient. I have another $20 million
to spend on efficiency.”
According to Powell, heating
and electricity costs are expected
to drop by 20 percent when that
$20 million is spent.
The University will continue to
use the reverse auction process to
buy utilities in the future. “It is so
efficient and so transparent. It gets
you to the point where you have the
least possible costs,” Powell said.
Powell said he cannot predict
how much money the reverse auc-
tion buying will save the University
in the next five years until auctions
for an electricity contract begin-
ning in July 2014 and July 2015 take
place in mid- to late April.
6 Campus News
New bar may offer ‘classier’ ’Co. Students skeptical of
By Miriam Furst
Staff Writer
The Whiskey Republic — a new bar
replacing the popular Fish Company
at 515 South Water St. — will host its
first-ever “Brown Night” March 23.
The bar hosted an invitation-
only private reception with a per-
formance by the Dropkick Murphys
March 14. The following night, the
Whiskey Republic had its grand
opening with a fundraiser to ben-
efit the Claddagh Fund, a charity
founded by Ken Casey, one of the
Whiskey Republic co-owners and
bassist for the Dropkick Murphys.
Though the bar will not boast
Fish Co.’s famed dance floor poles or
fish sign outside, Blaine Grinna ’11
said he plans to bring students back
to the former waterfront hot spot.
Grinna organized Brown Nights at
Fish Co., and since the bar’s clos-
ing, he has planned similar nights
at Olives on North Main St.
The owners of the Whiskey Re-
public renovated the interior drasti-
cally — there is now a dance floor
where the pool table used to be
located, Grinna said. Owners also
renovated the stage to accommodate
live entertainment, extended the bar
and installed 20 high-definition tele-
visions, according to a press release
from the Regan Communications
Group, the public relations firm
representing the owners.
The owners — who could not
be reached for comment — consist
of a group of restaurant proprietors
and investors, according to Dan
Gouthro, senior account manager
at the Regan Group. The owners
also manage two popular bars in
Boston — Revolution Rock Bar
and McGreevy’s 3rd Base Saloon,
Gouthro said.
“Revolution Rock Bar is one
of the best bars in Boston, which
definitely gives the owners some
credibility,” Grinna said.
Students visiting the Whiskey
Republic March 23 will be surprised,
Grinna said, adding that the bar has
a very different feel from that of Fish
Co. Despite the venue’s significant
changes, “the location is the best for
a bar in Providence. It’s on the river
and close to campus. It has so much
potential,” he said.
Though other bars and clubs have
tried to step in as the new Wednes-
day night destination for Brown
students, they have not achieved
the same reputation and character
that Fish Co. once claimed. “Olives
and Colosseum are fun and all that,
but it’s not the same as Fish Co.,” said
Beau Martino ’13.
Without Fish Co.’s signature pool
table, poles and “Fish Piss shots,”
some students are skeptical of the
Whiskey Republic’s potential. “I
don’t think it can replace Fish Co.
It seems like it serves a classier
demographic than drunk college
students,” said Harry Samuels ’13,
who noticed the new bar while run-
ning in the area. He added, “from
the looks of it on the outside, it
doesn’t look like a venue that’s very
conducive to DFMOs: dance floor
makeouts.”
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Spring Weekend lineup
continued from page 1
dy?”
Others related to Katzman’s
frustration. “I’m not outraged
but just sort of unenthused,” said
Daniel Stern ’13, who has heard
of Das Racist but was unfamiliar
with the group’s songs.
“I’m excited for Das Racist. I
think that’s going to be fun,” said
Noah Rose ’12. “Ultimately, they’re
a pretty good rap band.” When it
comes to the other groups, Rose
said he is “reserving judgement”
until he sees them and is “optimis-
tic.” Rose said he is excited for the
spectrum of bands. Das Racist is
a more “bloggy” internet-based
band, whereas Rebirth Brass Band
plays “live music for live music’s
sake,” he said. “They are both sort
of fun in their own way.”
“Spring Weekend is mainly fun
because of my friends. But it’d be
nice if I knew (the) bands, which
I don’t,” said Maia Chao ’13.
“Lee Fields and the Expressions
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The Brown Daily Herald
and Rebirth Brass Band are both
awesome live, and a lot of people
on the board have seen them,”
Seckin said, in response to student
disappointment. “Lee Fields espe-
cially has been becoming more
popular in the underground music
world. Rebirth has been popular
for many years and we wanted to
appeal to the folk genre.”
“Spring Weekend should be
fun no matter who is playing,” said
Dave Rosen ’14, who has never
heard of the supporting acts.
“One of the things you realize
over the years is that there’s no
single act that’s going to please
and excite everyone,” wrote Abby
Schreiber ’11, BCA’s booking
chair, in an e-mail to The Her-
ald. “Instead, we try to bring a
variety of acts that represent dif-
ferent genres and will hopefully,
as a whole, appeal to a wide range
of students.”
— With additional reporting
by Natalie Villacorta
The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Poor R.I. student performance spurs wide-reaching reform
continued from page 1
students attend charter schools
like Paul Cuffee, where 973 stu-
dents entered a lottery this spring
in hopes of being selected for one
of 39 open spots. The vast major-
ity of students in Rhode Island at-
tend public schools, where student
achievement differs dramatically
across the state’s 36 districts. For
every high-achieving district like
Barrington and East Greenwich,
there is another like Providence, in
which under half the district’s 26,000
students were proficient in reading,
and only one-third demonstrated
proficiency in math.
Rhode Island has trailed neigh-
boring New England states in stu-
dent performance in recent decades.
But the arrival of Education Com-
missioner Deborah Gist in July 2009
brought a new sense of urgency to
the push for reform. With Gist at
the helm, the state won $75 million
in federal education aid last August,
taking fifth place in President Barack
Obama’s Race to the Top program.
Last June, the state adopted an ed-
ucation funding formula, which,
beginning July 1, will apportion aid
based on student enrollment and
the number of students in poverty.
And two weeks ago, the state’s top
governing body on education voted
to adopt tougher high school gradu-
ation requirements effective in 2014.
The biggest question, according
to Warren Simmons, executive di-
rector of Brown’s Annenberg Insti-
tute for School Reform, is whether
the momentum will continue un-
der Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14.
Chafee, elected last fall with support
from the state’s two largest teach-
ers unions, was the only gubernato-
rial candidate who did not express
full support for Gist’s reforms. “I
think the question will be pace of
the change and tone, particularly
when there are hard decisions to
be made given the continuing effect
of the economy on state and local
budgets,” Simmons said.
‘A sense of accountability’
Just 15 minutes away from Paul
Cuffee is Central Falls High School,
which became a flashpoint in the
national education reform debate
almost a year ago. After the district’s
teachers union rejected Central Falls
Superintendent Frances Gallo’s
demands to transform the failing
school, Gallo fired all of the school’s
teachers Feb. 12, 2010. Nearly three
months later, they were all rehired
— but only after agreeing to work
a longer school day, eat lunch with
students, provide extra tutoring and
attend weekly 90-minute profes-
sional development sessions.
During the stand-off last March,
Obama weighed in. “If a school con-
tinues to fail year after year after
year and doesn’t show sign of im-
provements, then there has got to
be a sense of accountability. That
happened in Rhode Island,” he said
City & State 7
in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce.
Central Falls is Rhode Island’s
smallest and poorest city, with
nearly 19,000 people living within
1.29 square miles. Roughly four in
10 children there live in poverty.
Also mired in debt, Central Falls
was forced into state receivership
last July.
About 50 percent of the students
at Central Falls High graduate.
“I believe we’re making headway,”
Gallo said of the school. Since the
firings, the school has audited its
curriculum, reevaluated its teachers,
adopted a strategic plan and agreed
to have its transformation process
overseen by outside evaluators.
But problems remain. On aver-
age, 14 teachers on a staff of 89 call
in absent each day, Gallo said.
Deloris Grant, an English and
drama teacher who has taught at
Central Falls High for 14 years, said
she thinks the climate at the school
has improved since the firings. But
high staff turnover is still a big prob-
lem, she said, as are demographics.
“The actual reality is that we ser-
vice kids that are not similar to the
kids in Lincoln, the kids in Cum-
berland, in Barrington and all the
high-performing schools,” Grant
said. “For anyone to believe that a
child who lives in poverty is going to
learn the same as another child who
goes home every day to a hot meal
and is sent off with warm clothing
— it’s ridiculous.”
Report cards and requirements
According to the Nation’s Report
Card, a national assessment of stu-
dent performance in multiple sub-
jects administered every two years,
Rhode Island consistently lags be-
hind other New England states. In
fourth grade reading, it placed 23rd
out of 50 states, while four other
New England states ranked in the
top five. Rhode Island placed 34th
in eighth grade science and 38th in
eighth grade mathematics, accord-
ing to 2009 test results.
“In Rhode Island, we’ve had
wonderful assessment systems, but
we haven’t had the funding levels
required to support and invigo-
rate reform,” Simmons said. “Mas-
sachusetts not only adopted high
standards — they invested heavily
in education reform over the last
decade.”
The fact that Rhode Island
funds its schools disproportionately
through property taxes — which
generate more money for schools
in areas with higher property val-
ues — exacerbates inequality across
districts, Simmons said.
Another reason for Massachu-
setts’ success is tougher graduation
requirements, according to Gist. Un-
der Rhode Island’s newly approved
requirements, which Gist strongly
supported, high school juniors must
score at least partially proficient on
the New England Common Assess-
ment Program or improve on the
test their senior year to graduate.
During the most recent round of
testing last October, 38 percent of
the state’s juniors received scores
indicating they lack fundamental
math skills.
The focus on standardized test-
ing, Gist said, is a matter of account-
ability.
Testing allows education officials
to “set an expectation statewide for
what performance is and what kind
of skills and knowledge we want stu-
dents to have when they graduate,”
she said. “Right now, the reality is
that what is considered to be algebra
in Woonsocket may not be the same
as the algebra in Westerly.”
Sticking to the plan
The state’s ambitious strategic
plan — which goes hand-in-hand
with its Race to the Top application
— lays out objectives for all schools
to meet state performance targets by
2015 and for 85 percent of students
to graduate and proceed to higher
education, vocational training or
employment by the same year. Last
January, Gist announced six persis-
tently under-performing schools in
Central Falls and Providence that
would be required to undergo state-
supervised transformation, a move
that set the stage for the dramatic
firings in Central Falls. Gist said
she plans to name five additional
low-achieving schools in the com-
ing weeks.
continued on page 9
8 City & State
City’s emergency funds dramatically depleted under Cicilline ’83
continued from page 12
Republican National Committee to
start pouring money into the cam-
paign immediately, she added.
For the moment, it’s difficult to
know if Loughlin would garner that
kind of national support, Cicione
said, adding that the national com-
mittee generally decides its fund-
ing priorities in the last two to three
months leading up to the election.
Other names being floated as po-
tential challengers in the 2012 race
are Col. Brendan Doherty, former
superintendent of the Rhode Island
State Police, and John Robitaille,
last fall’s Republican candidate for
governor.
Though no Democratic chal-
lengers are immediately apparent,
Profughi said he “wouldn’t write it
off as a possibility.” Cicione agreed,
adding that Democrats “want to de-
fend the seat as best they can,” with
or without Cicilline.
According to Schiller, challengers
will only split the anti-Cicilline vote.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
More challengers mean a greater
likelihood that Cicilline will win,
she said.
Still, both Schiller and Profughi
agree that Loughlin would be the
candidate best positioned to mount
a successful challenge. The six-point
margin between Loughlin and Cicil-
line was closer than most expected,
Schiller said.
But Providence’s mayoral his-
tory shows voters might not hold a
grudge. Former Mayor Buddy Cianci
resigned during his first term after
pleading guilty to assaulting a con-
tractor, whom he suspected of having
The Brown Daily Herald
an affair with his wife. He was later
re-elected mayor.
“It’s all a scale of what the vot-
er’s willing to accept,” Schiller said.
“Anybody who woke up and thought,
‘Well, we should have had perfectly
clean government and perfectly
transparent government in the city
of Providence’ hasn’t lived in the city
of Providence.”
Towns to
integrate
municipal
services
continued from page 12
Weekly salaries for police and
fire officials are significantly higher
in Pawtucket than in Central Falls
— police patrolmen in Pawtucket
receive $882, as opposed to $658
in Central Falls, according to a Feb.
28 article in the Providence Journal.
Grebien told the Journal that shared
services would allow Pawtucket to
see savings and that the shared forces
would eliminate the need for hiring.
Flanders said he doubted Paw-
tucket would lay off any employees in
the process, pointing to Pawtucket’s
self-insurance policy, which stipu-
lates that the city has to pay two-
thirds of compensation to any em-
ployee it lays off. The city would have
to lay off three people to get one unit
of savings, he said. “This would dev-
astate social services when scaled.”
“The greatest difficulty will likely
lie in convincing the police and fire
forces from the two communities
that it is in their interest to integrate
their ranks and make do with result-
ing smaller overall budgets,” Baum-
Snow wrote.
The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Ed. reformers end teacher seniority system, adopt new funding plan
continued from page 7
The strategic plan also focuses
on teacher performance. Under the
plan, 75 percent of educators will be
evaluated using an assessment sys-
tem that takes into account student
achievement by 2012.
The state currently lacks a com-
prehensive evaluation system for
identifying ineffective teachers, ac-
cording to Maryellen Butke, execu-
tive director of R.I. Campaign for
Achievement Now, an education
reform policy and advocacy organi-
zation started in December. In most
districts, teachers are hired and fired
based on a seniority system codified
in union contracts, whereby new
teachers are first to be fired and last
to be rehired after layoffs.
“How do we make sure that just
because you’ve recently graduated
and you’re the first in, that you
won’t be the first out if you’re get-
ting amazing results?” Butke said.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Rhode Island’s Race to the Top
application calls for teachers to be
hired and assigned to schools based
on credentials set by education offi-
cials rather than seniority by August
2013. Gist has directed education
officials to demand the change in
new collective bargaining agree-
ments with teachers unions, most
of which are slated to be renegoti-
ated this year.
‘A voice at the table’
When U.S. Secretary of Edu-
cation Arne Duncan spoke at the
National Education Conference in
Denver Feb. 16, he singled out the
relationship between Providence
Superintendent Tom Brady and
Providence Teachers Union Presi-
dent Steve Smith as a model of col-
laboration between labor and man-
agement. Under Smith’s leadership,
the Providence Teachers Union was
the first union to sign on to Rhode
Island’s Race to the Top proposal.
Labor cooperation was among the
criteria for successful Race to the
Top applications.
Exactly one week after Duncan’s
speech, Mayor Angel Taveras fired
all 1,926 Providence teachers, citing
the dire state of the city’s finances
and strict seniority rules that would
limit the city’s ability to retain the
best teachers, regardless of tenure.
Smith called the move a “back-door
Wisconsin” at a Feb. 24 Providence
School Board meeting.
“There are tremendous financial
constraints, but that doesn’t alter
the fact that next year Providence
is going to have 20,000 kids that
need and deserve an education,”
said Frank Flynn, a 34-year veteran
Cranston teacher and the president
of the Rhode Island Federation of
Teachers and Health Professionals,
the state’s second-largest teachers
union.
“The teachers need to have a
voice at the table,” he said, adding
that reformers must take into ac-
count the perspectives of the teach-
ers who work in classrooms every
day.
Flynn pointed to the $5 million
Investing in Innovation federal
stimulus grant the Rhode Island
Federation of Teachers received
to develop new teacher evaluation
standards in six cities as an example
of how unions and administrators
can work together. Another example
is in Providence, where Brady and
the Providence Teachers Union have
spent two years working on a plan
for transforming failing schools, he
said.
While Flynn is not completely
opposed to eliminating seniority, he
said it must be replaced by an evalu-
ation system that protects teachers’
rights. Hiring and firing decisions
must be “defensible and quantifi-
able,” he said.
But the current system just isn’t
City & State 9
Claire Peracchio / Herald
Central Falls Superintendent Frances
Gallo fired all of the district’s teachers
last year.
working, according to Gallo. “When
the contract becomes so convoluted
that due process takes a few years
before you can move a teacher who
is absolutely ineffective, then some-
thing’s wrong with the picture,” she
said.
With seniority under attack
due to state budget crunches and
recently-elected Republican gover-
nors determined to take on public
employee unions, the president of
the national union affiliated with the
Rhode Island Federation of Teach-
ers and Health Professionals, Randi
Weingarten, proposed a plan Feb. 24
to change the system. Weingarten
called for giving teachers deemed
ineffective by administrators one
academic year to improve. If teach-
ers do not improve, they can be fired
within 100 days, according to We-
ingarten’s proposal.
Setting the pace
Though a new player in Rhode
Island’s education policy, the gov-
Cloud Buddies! | David Emanuel
Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline
BB & Z | Cole Pruitt, Andrew Seiden, Valerie Hsiung and Dan Ricker
ernor is the most important in
determining the pace and tone of
future reform. Chafee was elected
with strong support from the state’s
major teachers unions, which put
their organizing muscle behind the
independent’s campaign, helping
him win a 36 percent plurality in
the four-way race.
During his gubernatorial bid,
Chafee said he does not support
all the reforms called for under the
state’s Race to the Top plan. Edu-
cation Secretary Duncan has said
Race to the Top funds might not be
granted if states fail to honor their
plans.
“The very idea that this governor
wants to materially slow down or
reverse school reform couldn’t be
further from the truth,” said Mike
Trainor, Chafee’s communications
director. “He just has his own sense
of how and how fast education re-
form should appropriately proceed.”
Trainor pointed out that the
state’s teachers unions supported
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI,
in Chafee’s 2006 Senate re-election
campaign and have never endorsed
Chafee prior to the recent election.
In a budget address March 8,
Chafee announced his intention to
fully fund the state’s new education
funding formula, which allocates
more money to schools than was
apportioned through the old sys-
tem. Rhode Island had been the
only state without such a formula.
Chafee has also voiced a desire to
observe a “thoughtful pause” on
charter schools — which are largely
non-unionized — in order to assess
their effectiveness. Last March, the
General Assembly almost doubled
the state’s cap on charter schools
comics
in order to better position Rhode
Island to win Race to the Top funds.
Chafee also made new appoint-
ments to the Rhode Island Board
of Regents for Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education by removing four
strong supporters of Gist’s reforms
and placing George Caruolo, a po-
litically savvy former Rhode Island
House majority leader, as its chair.
Caruolo has questioned the re-
cent pace of reform. “It’s not as im-
portant to get all of this work done
in the next 15 minutes,” he said in a
March 1 Providence Journal article,
“as it is to get it done correctly.”
There was media speculation
about whether Chafee would re-
move Gist, who has stated publicly
that she will stay in Rhode Island as
long as she is wanted and feels she
can proceed with reform efforts. In
January, RI-CAN sent Chafee a letter
signed by former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush and Joel Klein, former chan-
cellor of the New York City Depart-
ment of Education, urging him to
keep Gist.
Trainor said Chafee will honor
Gist’s contract, but would not com-
ment on whether the governor will
renew it when it expires in June
2013. As for charter schools, the
governor wants to see additional
data on their performance before
proceeding with new schools and is
concerned that additional charters
might detract from the state’s focus
on public education.
“This governor is first, last and
always a proponent of the public
school system in the state,” Train-
or said, adding that local schools
should not be “force-fed decrees
from either the state or the federal
level.”
10 Editorial & Letter The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011

Editorial Editorial comic b y a l e x y u ly

Keeping sight of Haiti
We, like the rest of the international community, are horrified by
the destruction in Japan. Search and rescue teams continue to work
around the clock to find missing people while the country deals with
emergencies at its nuclear power plants. Just yesterday, the chair of the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission called radiation levels “extremely
high.” Meanwhile, Japan’s citizens must try to pick up the pieces after
losing their homes and loved ones.
We know that, however painfully, Japan will rebuild from this horrible
tragedy. But that such wreckage can happen in such a rich country is
appalling and still somehow shocking. As the international community
sends its prayers and turns its attention to the people of Japan, we wanted
to readdress the aftermath of a disaster in a country whose economy,
political institutions and infrastructure are far more vulnerable: Haiti.
Over a year has gone by since an earthquake hit Haiti in January
2010, and the nation remains in shambles. While Japan ranks third in
the world in gross domestic product, Haiti is the poorest country in
the Western Hemisphere, exacerbating an already difficult situation.
Over one million people in Haiti are still displaced and live under
tents as their only means of shelter. While aid from the international
community was vital in the initial relief period, Haiti has yet to make
significant inroads in its long-term recovery. Last October, the coun-
try experienced an outbreak of cholera, likely caused by problems in
hygienic infrastructure and water supply. Further, allegations of fraud
and vote-tampering marred December’s presidential elections. Protests
around the country against the elections turned violent and produced
many casualties.
letter to the editor
The University responded promptly and decisively to the destruction
in Haiti. Just a week after the earthquake, it formed the Brown Haiti Gay marriage an issue not only of love
Crisis Response Committee that encouraged donations — including a
union with Partners in Health — scholarly lectures and disaster relief. To the Editor: Nguyen’s claim that marriage is not a legal issue is of
Last March, student groups on campus raised $25,000 for Haiti relief. paramount importance to her central thesis. However,
This past fall, Brown committed to increasing “educational partnerships” I was distraught as I read the beginning of Tanya I maintain that marriage has traditionally been, and
with groups in Haiti and started the Brown-Haiti Medical Exchange Nguyen’s ’13 column (“Skepticism of marriage equality,” remains to be, based in an economic and legal frame-
and the Brown Haitian Studies Initiatives. March 16) this morning because its opening paragraphs work. I’m not saying that everyone marries to solidify
With another crisis now present, and with all of the commitments sounded eerily like she was on the cusp of proposing political allegiances or to assure financial stability, but
the University has made, it is natural to pat ourselves on the back and something similar to the “separate but equal” ruling of even in our post-Jane Austen world, marriage remains
direct our gaze elsewhere. But Haiti was poor even before the earth- the United States Supreme Court, which was perhaps tied to a host of legal and semi-legal constructs such
quake. We urge University officials to continue to sustain and increase one of the most insincere and disastrous rulings in as taxes, visas and health care. The last in this list may
our partnership with the agencies and people of Haiti. the history of the country. After finishing the column, become an even larger issue as our country moves to-
Japan, just like Haiti, will need a long-term recovery plan after I breathed a sigh of relief because Nguyen’s views are wards nationalized health care. While love is an obvious
the initial relief. Just two weeks after the Haitian earthquake, CNN actually quite well grounded in a desire for sexual part of marriage in our society, the presence of love in
reported that donations had decreased over 50 percent, and recovery orientation equality. Her opinion, however, is that marriage has not been enough to depoliticize marriage.
workers noted that “after the initial response, care from outside Haiti emphasis on marriage equality should be downplayed. Nguyen mentions after her article that she is by no
has markedly decreased.” It will take an extremely long time to rebuild I strongly disagree, as I believe that marriage equality means an expert on family law or queer activism. I
infrastructure in both Haiti and Japan, and thus our community must is an essential stepping stone towards our common agree with this part of her column.
make a long-term commitment to both. future goal of a world without discrimination based
Ultimately, Brown students continue to devote their energy, time and on sexual orientation. Tim Eisen ’11
money to the many international disasters that have occurred in the
past decade. The Brown Disaster Relief Group has organized a spring
break service trip to Tennessee to work in the aftermath of the storm
and flood there last year. Countless Brown students have worked with
Corrections
Habitat for Humanity and other groups to help the Gulf Coast years An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Former TA recounts Bahraini protests,” March 15) incorrectly stated that
after Hurricane Katrina. We hope that as the Brown community looks Maryam Al-Khawaja, a prominent Bahraini human rights activist, was forced to leave the country after
East and offers support to Japan and its people, it will still remember receiving death threats from the royal family on Twitter. Though Al-Khawaja did receive death threats on
that there is much, much more to be done in Haiti as well. Twitter, the tweets she received from the royal family were harassing but did not contain death threats. The
Herald regrets the error.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments An article in yesterday’s Herald (“Kennedy appointed visiting fellow,” March 16) incorrectly quoted Edward
to editorials@browndailyherald.com. Wing, dean of medicine and biological sciences, as saying that Patrick Kennedy “is committed to research
and care for people with medical illnesses.” In fact, Wing said that Kennedy “is committed to research and
t h e b r ow n da i ly h e r a l d care for people with mental illnesses.” The Herald regrets the error.

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The Brown Daily Herald
Thursday, March 17, 2011
By Hector Najera
Opinions Columnist
I find myself in a constant struggle against
forgetting — haunted by Marcus Aurelius’
observation that time is like a torrent that
sweeps away all that is born. Insights, faces,
actions, definitions — anything that sprouts
a root in my memory is immediately threat-
ened by the currents of this river. I will ven-
ture to say that you, reader, struggle with
this as well. Yet it is an essential effort be-
cause the things that survive, however frag-
mented, are stitched together to constitute
our identity.
When I was seven, I got my first job
working for a mechanic. But I was clumsy
and slow in learning the names of the tools.
Spilling my boss’ hot chocolate was the last
straw, and I was fired. But before my firing,
there was my first paycheck. Upon receiv-
ing it, I walked next to the highway toward
home. Along the way, I counted over and
over the money in my hands — not a smart
move in a city with plenty of robbers.
In some ways, it is a crucial memory, as it
can help to organize other experiences. For
example, the thrill of first being paid for one’s
labor anchors future experiences of compe-
tence and agency over one’s property. But we
all have these golden nuggets of memory —
these discrete instances of identity. I intend
to suggest that we bring all of these to bear in
our academic and personal pursuits — that
we embrace Jorge Luis Borges’ assumption
By Ian Trupin
Opinions Columnist
Providence is in pretty deep. With deficit es-
timates hovering around $180 million over
the next two years, this cannot be denied.
From firing all Providence teachers and clos-
ing four schools to giving Mayor Taveras a 10
percent pay cut, our city leaders are making
tough decisions.
Amidst the budgetary equivalent of Ar-
mageddon, a familiar old devil named “Tax
Brown” has returned to terrorize us.
Every couple years, it seems, a bill is in-
troduced to tax the University in some way,
and every time, we protest wildly until the
measure is withdrawn. This is by no means a
new phenomenon — in fact, this struggle is
as old as Brown itself. In the original charter
of 1764, our founders asserted that, like col-
leges and universities elsewhere in the world,
Brown’s property and the University com-
munity — including the president, students
and faculty — should be “freed and exempt-
ed from all taxes.”
Ever since, these claims have been con-
tested. As early as 1774, prominent voices
in Providence were calling on Brown to pay
town taxes. During the Civil War, Provi-
dence residents, who were frustrated about
having to pay high taxes while wealthy pro-
fessors and administrators continued to en-
joy their exemption, spoke out again. This
time the University agreed to taxes on all
professors with property worth more than
$10,000.
Linking to remember
that “everything touches everything.” That
when we think about fundamental rules of
physics, we remember that it is a Platonic
ideal. That we inform our exploration of bi-
ology with insights from literature. That we
force the authors we read to converse with
one another within us. In short, that we link
everything.
Although inspired by a writer, this prin-
ciple is given flesh to me by the biologist
Edward Wilson. In his book “Consilience,”
Wilson holds that any undergraduate should
I admit that it is true — when we write something
down, we assume we have thought about it sufficiently
and thus abandon the subject. How many papers have
we written that we never return to?
be able to explain the link between the social
sciences and the natural sciences. Witness-
ing the facility with which he employed his-
tory and philosophy in his discussion of bi-
ology, I was inspired.
Other examples include another biolo-
gist, Jared Diamond. After being asked by a
New Guinea native about the sources of Eu-
ropean wealth, he was motivated to develop
the theory that underlies “Guns, Germs and
Steel” — namely that European advance-
ment was largely a function of acciden-
tal factors, like geography. These biologists
were undaunted by disciplinary barriers.
Whatever the criticisms of their work, the
connections they have made are incredible.
A sinking ship metaphor
This is how things have remained ever
since. Students, faculty, staff and administra-
tors pay taxes on their earnings, their pur-
chases and the properties they own as indi-
viduals. But the University’s land holdings
remain essentially tax-free.
To put forward an argument about wheth-
er or not the University should pay taxes, it is
important to fully examine the context of the
Charter’s assertion of tax exemption. In the
same passage, the Charter also says that giv-
en their particular status as men of intellect,
students, faculty and administrators should
Brown clearly uses its tax-exempt status to its
advantage in pursuing profits, even if its resources
ultimately go towards the common good.
be exempted from jury duty, military service
and “menial services.”
Reading the document, it is immediate-
ly apparent that these assumptions and this
language came from men who did not ques-
tion inequality, even if they may have pro-
fessed to hold Enlightenment values. As a
community of men devoted to the higher
calling of scholarship, the intent of the au-
thors was clearly for the University to exist as
a community apart from the lowly business
of the city.
Do we still believe this? I hope not.
Opinions 11
The fact is, most of today will be swept
away by the time tomorrow comes around.
Our challenge is to identify the things that
matter and hold on to them. This is an am-
bitious undertaking prone to relativistic ar-
guments. Still, proper perspective emerges
from the remembered context. By linking
everything, we begin to discover those links
that are most important to us. Over time,
this will reveal connections that are endur-
ing. Perhaps even ones we can call first prin-
ciples.
To be clear, linking everything refers to
intradisciplinary links, interdisciplinary
links and personal links. Although this is
something we already tend to do as Brown
students, I suggest a rigorous questioning
that aims to powerfully link disciplines and
deepen meaning for ourselves. As I have
suggested before, our choice in taking var-
ied classes already connects these courses.
Our job is to investigate these connections
to their limit. The reason, again, is that in
this way we can find connections that tran-
scend the obvious and give sincere meaning
to what we are doing here.
There is a reason Socrates refused to
write anything down — nothing rivals the
To be fair, the opponents of taxes on
Brown probably do not subscribe to all the
beliefs of the founders either. Generally, they
argue that the Brown community already
contributes to the city as a source of em-
ployment, business and bright, young ser-
vice-oriented students. Though other taxed
organizations in the city also provide em-
ployment and business — as does the city
government to which the taxes go — and
the contribution of Brown volunteerism is
debated, these arguments have prevailed in
the past.
The basic logic of exempting certain insti-
tutions from taxation makes sense given the
assumption that, as non-profits, the income
saved from taxation is used to serve the com-
mon good beyond the efforts of the govern-
ment. Tax-exempt institutions do not gain
an unfair privilege over taxed ones because
they operate on this different model.
In the case of the University and many —
if not all — of its peers, these assumptions
are flawed. Brown profits from renting out
its tax-free properties to private businesses
like Hemenway’s Restaurant. Furthermore,
act of thinking on the spot. Of thinking over
and over again about those topics that mat-
ter most to us as people, among them truth
and ethics. In exploring the issue of orality,
George Steiner goes even further — “Writ-
ing arrests, immobilizes discourse. … The
written word does not listen to its reader. It
takes no account of his questions and ob-
jections.” I admit that it is true — when we
write something down, we assume we have
thought about it sufficiently and thus aban-
don the subject. How many papers have we
written that we never return to? For many
reasons, we allow this torrent of time to
sweep them away.
Maybe there is something to pure orality.
We should be able to recall verbally what we
have learned. But written words can help. I
find that writing helps me untangle the al-
phabet soup in my head. Perhaps it might
help you as well — to write down the links
you make.
One of my favorite shows is “House,” the
one with the jerk doctor who deals with af-
flictions that on the surface appear to be
witchcraft. There was a recent episode in
which House indirectly gets relationship ad-
vice from two kids. The episode is hilarious,
but as a fan, my judgment is biased. Never-
theless, the lesson I distilled is that adults
can easily learn from kids — so-called ex-
perts from so-called commoners. So long as
we pay attention, searching for those links,
there is evidence that “everything touches
everything” through us.
Hector Najera GS is a graduate student
focusing in education.
several branches of the University operate
on profit-based models, including the Office
of Continuing Education and the Investment
Office — the latter admits considering social
responsibility as an afterthought to the strat-
egies it believes will maximize profit. Brown
clearly uses its tax-exempt status to its advan-
tage in pursuing profits, even if its resources
ultimately go toward the common good.
Regardless of whether or not one accepts
these arguments as reasons to question the
University’s tax-exemption, it is important
for all of us to realize the current desperate
reality of our city. The last time the Brown
community was faced with the prospect of
a tax was 2009, when then-Mayor and cur-
rent Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-RI, pro-
posed a student head tax of $300 a year on
the grounds that out-of-state students at pri-
vate colleges and universities in Providence
enjoy city services without paying for them.
At the time, the city was faced with a budget
deficit of a mere $17 million.
What we are looking at now is about 10
times that amount. Accordingly, a bill in the
state legislature is now calling for a proper-
ty tax on non-profit organizations including
hospitals and private colleges and universi-
ties.
While tax-exempt institutions clearly
have a place in our society, there are cer-
tainly reasons to debate Brown’s traditional
place among them. To invoke an appropriate
metaphor for the Ocean State — on a sinking
ship, everyone picks up a bucket.
Ian Trupin ’13 is a prospective COE and
Africana Studies concentrator who
believes strongly in building coalitions.
Daily Herald City & State
the Brown
Providence celebrates history of creativity
By CLAIRE gianotti
Staff Writer
This year marks the 375th anniver-
sary of Roger Williams’ founding of
Providence, and the city is looking
to its residents to make the celebra-
tion special. The celebration aims to
“recapture a sense of pride in this
city and not dwell in the negative,”
said Jennifer Smith, site manager
for Roger Williams National Park.
Due to Providence’s $110 mil-
lion budget deficit, Smith said there
are no city funds allocated to the
celebration. Unlike the 350th an-
niversary — for which organizers
created a host of events including
performances by Bob Hope and
Frank Sinatra — this celebration will
take advantage of already planned
events.
Organizers will work to incorpo-
rate existing events that fall under
the celebrations’ theme and market
them as part of the festivities. Events
will be part of a “branded marketing
effort to build pride in the capital
city,” said Lynne McCormack, di-
rector of art, culture and tourism
for the city.
The celebration will be led by a
coalition of city officials, the Provi-
dence Warwick Convention and
Visitors Bureau, the Roger Williams
National Memorial, Providence
Monthly and the CW television
network.
Andy Cutler, an entrepreneur
and self-described “Providence im-
migrant” involved with the coali-
tion, spearheaded the initial plan-
Cicilline ’83 challenged over city’s finances
By Amy Rasmussen
Senior Staff Writer
As Providence begins to battle what
Mayor Angel Taveras called a “cat-
egory five” financial crisis, allegations
have emerged that former mayor
and current Rep. David Cicilline ’83,
D-RI, failed to paint an accurate pic-
ture of the city’s financial health.
Since 2008, Providence’s rainy day
fund — a reserve for fiscal emergen-
cies — dipped dramatically from a
high of $22.36 million to $220,816,
according to a March 14 Providence
Journal article.
Former Internal Auditor James
Lombardi, now the city treasurer,
alerted the City Council in October
that Cicilline raided the rainy day
fund without the council’s approval,
a violation of the city’s charter. At the
time, Cicilline denied the charges,
saying that $30 million remained
in the reserves. Five city council
members sided with Cicilline in
the dispute.
Immediately after an indepen-
dent audit commissioned by Tav-
eras confirmed Lombardi’s findings,
Cicilline refused to take questions
from reporters, instead issuing a
statement explaining that budget
decisions were made “as a result of
a $40 million reduction in state aid,
the loss of federal education stimulus
funds, the loss of revenues due to
the troubled economy and a large
pension liability.” In a March 7 in-
June 3, 1916: 1,500 Rhode Island schoolchildren arrange themselves in the form of an American flag.
ning for the celebration and helped
to come up with its four key themes
— freedom, hope, ingenuity and
roots. Providence is remarkable for
its ability to do “the most with the
least,” he said.
During one of the events planned
for the celebration — a Roger Wil-
liams-themed canoeing event host-
ed by the Rhode Island Blueways
Alliance — participants can trace
Williams’ journey into Providence.
Providence Monthly will publish
an official guidebook for the cel-
ebration in its June issue that will
include historical and contemporary
essays, said John Taraborelli, special
projects manager for the magazine.
Students will also be involved in
terview with the Providence Journal,
Cicilline defended his decisions on
issues ranging from pension reform
to the use of the reserve as necessary
to balance the budget.
Cicilline’s office did not return
phone calls for comment.
The recent assertions serve as “a
reminder that the city of Providence
has been driven into the ground by
Democratic mayors,” said Giovanni
Cicione, chairman of the Rhode Is-
land Republican Party. “They have
an approach to governance that’s
destructive, and people are suffer-
ing because of what they’ve done.”
Citing the city’s looming budget
deficit, Taveras ordered the termina-
tion of all 1,926 Providence public
school teachers Feb. 23 and an-
nounced the closing of four of the
city’s elementary schools Monday.
‘A savvy politician’
Reactions to Cicilline’s handling
of the allegations have been mixed.
“This is not something that is
going to go away and be forgot-
ten,” said Victor Profughi, profes-
sor emeritus of political science at
Rhode Island College and CEO and
research director of the polling firm
Quest Research.
In recent interviews, Cicilline
has said he faced a decision between
dipping into the reserves, and cut-
ting services and raising taxes.
“He’s handled it like a savvy politi-
cian,” Cicione said. “He’s dodged it
planning events. A public art class
at the Rhode Island School of De-
sign will hold an installation at the
Roger Williams Memorial in the
spring. The Haffenreffer Museum
of Anthropology, located in Brown’s
Manning Hall, will hold an exhibit
about Roger Williams this fall and
students in AMCV 1550: “Methods
in Public Humanities” will conduct
semester-long projects geared to-
ward the fall celebration, Smith said.
The memorial is also offering
four $2,500 grants for groups to
host arts and culture events in the
months from May to October as
part of the celebration. The memo-
rial is targeting smaller-scale groups
that have operating budgets of less
to the extent he can and passed the
buck and hopes he comes out clean.”
Though Cicilline’s mayoral record
is mixed, no one could reasonably
blame him for all the city’s fiscal
problems, said Wendy Schiller, as-
sociate professor of political science
and public policy.
“It’s easy to blame the guy who’s
gone,” she said, referencing President
Barack Obama’s public statements
faulting former President George
W. Bush for the poor state of the
economy.
Cicilline has handled recent me-
dia coverage to the best of his ability,
Schiller said.
“In his eyes, he was mayor — that
record is over,” she added. “There’s
no incentive for him, personally or
politically, to discuss his record.”
While Schiller said she does not
think the accusations will have any
long-term impact on Cicilline’s fu-
ture political prospects, others are
not so sure.
The allegations may cause vot-
ers to view the 2010 campaign as
a “partial deception” because they
believe Cicilline was dishonest about
the city’s finances, Profughi said.
“That puts him in a whole different
category than the typical freshman
congressman.”
Still, Cicilline is moving quickly
to repair his image. According to
Profughi, he is already working to in-
crease his visibility in the district and
to produce legislative accomplish-
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Herald file photo
than $75,000 per year.
Organizers hope these grants,
which were made possible by the
Rhode Island Foundation, will allow
the celebration to incorporate more
arts events and include organiza-
tions that promote diversity.
Kaitlynne Ward GS, an intern at
the memorial, urged student groups
to get involved with the celebra-
tion. “It is an opportunity to turn
outward and engage in local history
and engage the community more
broadly,” she said.
The celebration is “intended to
be a morale booster,” Smith added.
“There are a lot of things to be cel-
ebrated, with a little pride and a lot
of fun.”
ments that he can burnish in 2012.
Road to re-election
By the 2012 elections, Schiller said
she expects Providence’s finances to
be in better condition. At that point,
voters are more likely to view Cicil-
line as the candidate fighting a Re-
publican majority than be concerned
with allegations of mismanaging the
city’s finances.
Given the enormity of the bud-
get deficit, the GOP chair said he
thinks the city will still be struggling
in 2012. “Even if Angel Taveras was
on his A-game every day for the next
500 days, I don’t see how he can get
Providence out of this,” Cicione said.
As for Cicilline’s reelection chanc-
es, though, “two years is a political
eternity,” he said.
But Profughi said he thinks Cicil-
line will not be able to outrun alle-
gations against his mayoral record
so easily.
“Two years is not a long time to
offset negativism that goes back to
his days as mayor,” he added. “He’s
got a long way to go and a short time
to do it.”
Former state Rep. John Loughlin,
who lost to Cicilline last fall, could
seek a rematch. Much will depend
on whether he can match Cicilline’s
fundraising prowess, Schiller said.
To have a chance at unseating
Cicilline, Loughlin would need the
continued on page 8
Pawtucket,
Central Falls
to share
services
By Clare de boer
Staff Writer
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien has
proposed sharing certain municipal
services with the city of Central Falls
to cut costs and generate revenue for
both cities. The city of Pawtucket,
which has a deficit of $9 million in its
current budget, would benefit from
providing services to the smaller
Central Falls, said Central Falls’ ap-
pointed receiver Robert Flanders
Jr. ’71. Central Falls has been under
state control since May 2010, and
expects a $5 million budget shortfall
next year.
Grebien submitted the proposal
— called Pawtucket Central Services
Inc. — to the state Department of
Revenue. Under the terms of the
proposal, Central Falls would pay
to receive services from Pawtucket,
such as zoning and coding enforce-
ment and animal control. The two
cities would share police and fire
forces, Flanders said.
“It’s the notion that if we can
pay for services or share them with
another municipality, we can po-
tentially save money and reduce
expenses,” he said.
Regionalization of local services
such as police and fire protection has
become a common way for smaller
local communities to cut the cost
of service provision, wrote Nathan-
iel Baum-Snow, assistant professor
of economics, in an e-mail to The
Herald.
“This is not unique to Central
Falls and Pawtucket. We are all
scrambling to try and figure out what
might be some ways to get out of
this financial trouble,” Flanders said.
Sharing services would begin
on a low-risk level, such as library
services. “We are already drawing
up proposals for the ‘low-hanging
fruit’ … to see how some of these
work without being as high stakes
as would police and fire,” said Doug
Hadden, spokesperson for Grebien.
The sharing of police and fire de-
partments would be complicated by
collective bargaining agreements,
which cover municipal employees
through 2012, Hadden said.
Central Falls Police Chief Joseph
Moran III was not familiar with the
details of the proposal. “We haven’t
really sat down. It’s all behind the
scenes,” he said.
Officials predict that Pawtucket
and Central Falls will begin shar-
ing other services — besides police
and fire departments — in the near
future. “It could happen within a
matter of weeks,” Flanders said.
Hadden and Flanders stressed
that the standard of services would
not be compromised by the pro-
posal. “I don’t expect any change
to be felt by the residents, except
for potential savings,” Flanders said.
“In terms of police and fire, we
cannot jeopardize the level of those
services,” Hadden said.
continued on page 8