THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012

THE BROWN
sici 181 voi. cxxii, o. 11,

INSIDE
post-
pre-apocalyptic, potlucking,
psychoacoustic
Sound policies
Meropol 13: U. has fair,
effective assault standards
Page 7
Going up?
Students take home prizes at
elevator pitch contest
Page 8
Post
49 / 42
TOMORROW
42 / 30
TODAY
By MATHIAS HELLER
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Te Universitys net assets decreased to
$3.16 billion at the end of fscal year 2012,
a decrease of about 2 percent from last
years total of $3.23 billion, according to
fnancial statements released last month.
Implying that the tough national eco-
nomic climate is continuing to have an
efect on elite universities fnances, the
market value of the Universitys endow-
ment dipped to $2.48 billion as of fscal
year 2012, down from $2.53 billion in
2011, according to a report released by
the University Resources Committee
last month.
Te dip in the value of the Universitys
investments coincides with a fall in net
contributions to the University that are
linked to the end of former president
Ruth Simmons Campaign for Academic
Enrichment fundraising initiative. Net
contributions are counted as amounts
of money that have been pledged by do-
nors but have not yet been paid out to
the University, said Beppie Huidekoper,
executive vice president for fnance and
administration.
Simmons capital campaign, which
began in 2002 and ended in 2010, raised
$1.6 billion, the largest-ever haul for a
Brown fundraising campaign. Tere have
been decreases in net contributions re-
ceived by the University in the two years
since the end of Simmons campaign,
according to the Universitys fnancial
statements.
Tis year, the University received
about $159 million in net contributions,
an 18 percent fall from its 2010 total and
a dip from last years $161 million.
Huidekoper said she was not sur-
prised by the fall in net contributions
over the last couple years. Te University
collected many of its donors most recent
fundraising pledges at the tail end of Sim-
mons capital campaign, accounting for
the recent fallof in collections, she said.
Te overall decrease in net assets is
also afected by the persistently strug-
gling U.S. economy. Te Universitys total
investments declined in value from $2.88
billion at the end of fscal year 2011 to
$2.79 billion at the end of fscal year 2012.
Its a very challenging capital market,
Huidekoper said. We certainly hope to
do better this year.
Tough Huidekoper said she was
concerned about the dip in the market
value of the Universitys investments, she
emphasized that Brown is not alone in
dealing with a dimcult economic climate.
Te Universitys dip in endowment
value and net assets comes on the heels of
a report
U. sees drop in net assets, endowment value
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
University Net Assets Per Fiscal Year
B
i
l
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i
o
n

D
o
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a
r
s
Fiscal Year
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
KYLE MCNAMARA / HERALD
The Universitys net assets fell by about 2 percent this year. A principal cause
was the end of the Campaign for Academic Enrichment, administrators said.
By SONA MKRTTCHIAN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Six months afer the University settled
negotiations with Providence Mayor
Angel Taveras through an agree-
ment that increased Browns voluntary
contributions to the city in lieu of taxes,
amid criticism from both students and
city residents the administration re-
leased a comprehensive report last month
describing the Universitys economic
impact on the city and states struggling
economy. Te report outlines Browns
involvement and infuence in the greater
Rhode Island community, highlighting
data on University spending and hiring
and introducing the prospect of future
development within Providence.

Knowledge economy
Providence has taken clear steps
toward becoming a less industry-de-
pendent economy, initiating the drive
toward a knowledge economy, which
would shif the capital citys focus to
technological development and in-
novation. Te report focuses on the
Universitys position in a state with
poor fnancial prospects and suggests
that the University could further pro-
mote economic activity.
Te University initiated the eco-
nomic review process in the spring
of this year, enlisting the services of
Appleseed Economic Development
Consultants, the same frm that drafed
similar reports for the University in
2005 and 2009. Te information pre-
sented in the report is a refection of
data submitted by Brown and indepen-
dent research conducted by Appleseed,
said Hugh ONeill, president of the
frm.
Report positions U. to aid Providence recovery
By ADAM TOOBIN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A lawsuit fled by several Rhode Island
unions following state municipal pen-
sion reform last November goes before
Superior Court Judge Sarah Taf-Carter
tomorrow. Te hearing provides Taf-
Carter an opportunity to rule on a state
motion to dismiss the case, which, if
upheld, would be a major step toward
solidifying the pension reform as state
law. But if the judge strikes down the
states motion, as most analysts expect,
litigation will continue until the par-
ties have expended all their options,
including a possible appeal to the State
Supreme Court. Te process may con-
tinue for several months or until the
parties negotiate an acceptable alterna-
tive settlement.
Its a nine-inning game, said Scott
Mackay, political analyst for Rhode Is-
land Public Radio. Were in the second
inning.
Prospects for a negotiated settle-
ment brightened Tuesday when Gov.
Lincoln Chafee 75 P14 expressed
willingness to return to the bargain-
ing table with George Nee, president of
the Rhode Island AFL-CIO and Robert
Walsh, executive director of the Na-
tional Education Association Rhode
Island, a prominent teachers union, the
Providence Journal reported. Walsh told
the Journal he wanted to leave it up to
the judge to answer the question of a
settlement, while Nee said he supported
negotiations with the state.
Rhode Island General Treasurer
Gina Raimondo, an architect of the
pension reform and a possible con-
tender for the governorship in 2014,
criticized Chafees ofer to negotiate with
the unions. It is not time for closed-
door meetings, she wrote in a statement
released yesterday. But Raimondo added
that if at some point the court asks
the state to sit down to try and reach a
settlement, we will do so in good faith.
Chafee said Raimondo was display-
ing a real venture capitalist attitude
a criticism of her Wall Street back-
ground, the Journal reported.
Speaker of the House Gordon Fox
joined Raimondo in decrying the ne-
gotiations. It is not appropriate for me
to negotiate legislation that was passed
by the General Assembly and signed by
the governor, he wrote in a statement
released yesterday. Tis law is critical
to securing the states retirement system
and placing Rhode Island on sound f-
nancial footing now and into the future.
Te matter is now in the hands of
the judiciary, where it will be appropri-
ately decided, Fox wrote.
Raimondo has also argued that the
governor cannot engage the unions in
negotiations without her, since state law
excludes employees retirement systems
from the collective bargaining process.
Christine Hunsinger, Chafees press sec-
retary, said that while Raimondo was
the chief architect and cheerleader
for pension reform, the governor has
the authority to submit a deal to the
General Assembly for consideration.
Like many states across the country
over the past few decades, Rhode Island
has neglected to fully fund its pension
system, allowing a signifcant buildup of
unfunded liability the diference be-
tween the money the state has promised
and the money it has on hand to fulfll its
obligations. Before the pension reform
legislation passed last year, reducing
the unfunded liability by $3 billion, the
state was behind by $7.3 billion. Te
smaller unfunded liability means the
state pays about $200 million less in an-
nual required contributions to the fund,
according to the non-partisan Rhode
Island Public Expenditure Council. Te
law achieves the cost reductions mostly
by suspending the cost of living adjust-
ments
Landmark pension reform faces legal challenge
By ALISON SILVER
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Across the country, the number of inter-
national students has increased signif-
cantly in the last few years, contributing
additional revenue to colleges and state
economies, according to a November
report by the National Association for
Foreign Student Afairs. Rhode Island
was no exception in the 2011-12
academic year, international students
and their families accounted for $191.2
million of the states economy, according
to the report. Last year, the number of
international students in the state rose
to 5,054, marking an increase of 143
between 2010 and 2012, according to
the Providence Business News.
Since federal funding cuts have
prompted public institutions to seek
other sources of revenue, the rise in
international students who pay out-
of-state tuition has sparked questions
about whether these institutions in-
ternational recruitment is fnancially
driven. With decreasing public funding,
the revenue potential of international
students takes on additional vigor, ac-
cording to the report.
International students for some
institutions have become a means to
broaden or diversify the institutions
revenue, said John Hudzik, who co-
authored the NAFSA report and cur-
rently serves as vice president for global
engagement and strategic projects at
Michigan State University. But Hudzik
said that for institutions that have his-
torically admitted a large number of
international students, increasing rev-
enue is not the principal motivation, he
added.
An economic impactreport released last month describes the Universitys
contribution to the local economy through consumption and hiring.
/ / Endowment page 2
/ / Report page 4
/ / Pensions page 2 / / Internationals page 4
Surging intl
enrollment
increases
revenue for
R.I. schools
Browns economic impact (FY 2011)
$159 million
paid to Rhode Island vendors
and contractors
$68 million
paid towards purchases of
goods and services
$171.8 million
spent on research
705
full-time construction jobs
created
$61.1 million
spent by students
$15.2 million
spent by visitors
$22.9 million
contributed and paid in taxes
to the city and state
4,459
non-student employees on
campus
c.mv0s iws 2
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
ACROSS
1 Sundsvall rollers
6 Trickeries
11 Pops
14 Portion out
15 Knighted
conductor
16 Took in
17 Typically pink-
flowered bloomer
19 Paris pronoun
20 Title words
preceding
beneath the
milky twilight, in a
1999 hit
21 So relaxing!
22 Worrisome
engine sound
23 Gateway Arch
architect
26 Set straight
29 Hit, maybe
30 Breeders Cup
event
31 Loses on purpose
34 Light touch
37 Key Egyptian
artifact unearthed
in 1799
41 Coll. applicants
42 Big name in beer
43 Mindless process
44 Manitoba tribe
46 Blood sugar
regulator
49 Postwar reception
53 Neutrogena rival
54 Like ifs and
buts: Abbr.
55 Throw a feast for
59 Back talk
60 Tools of the
mischievous god
hidden in 17-, 23-,
37- and 49-Across
62 Czannes
summer
63 Pad user
64 Light wash
65 Le counterpart, in
Leipzig
66 Like-minded gps.
67 Guide
DOWN
1 Grain holder
2 Jai __
3 Mass robes
4 Raspy-voiced
Like a Rock
singer
5 Where the anther
is
6 Dallas-to-Houston
dir.
7 Wedding dances
8 HI hi
9 Highest peak in
the Calif.
Cascades
10 Sprechen __
Deutsch?
11 Single-and-
looking group
12 Do a makeup
job?
13 Stoop
18 Unfaithful co-
star
22 One that stands
to prevent a
strike
24 More strange
25 Soft-spoken
painter Bob
26 Liberal subject?
27 1939 Garland co-
star
28 Defroster
alternative
32 Who am __
say?
33 Moral principle
35 Con
36 Summer intern,
often
38 Plural medical
suffix
39 Stock holders?
40 John Wayne
classic
45 Campanella of
Cooperstown
47 North of Paris
48 Mascara
mishaps
49 Sank, in a way
50 High class
51 Cary of The
Princess Bride
52 Blond comic strip
teenager
56 Secretary of
Education
Duncan
57 Get whipped
58 Fancy pitcher
60 Org. with Eagles
61 Hardly shows of
support
By C.C. Burnikel
(c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
12/06/12
12/06/12
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE Thursday, December 6, 2012
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
xwordeditor@aol.com
2:30 P.M.
Poet Ray Ragosta
McCormack Family Theater
8 P.M.
SPEC Presents: Candyland
Sayles Hall
7 P.M.
Shades of Brown Concert
Metcalf 101, Friedman Auditorium
9:30 P.M.
IMPROVidence: The Last Show
Salomon, Room 001
SHARPE REFECTORY VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL
LUNCH
DINNER
Marinated Beef with Au Jus, Pesto
Tortellini Salad, Red Potato Frittata,
Herb Turnips, Garlic Bread Sticks
Cajun Pasta with Chicken, Vegan
Paella, Yellow Beets Roasted with Red
Onion, Green Beans with Tomatoes
Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy,
Mashed Mustard Potatoes, Fresh
Broccoli, Vegetable Bean Stew
BBQ Beef Sandwich, Butternut
Squash Ravioli, Sage Cream Sauce,
Zucchini and Summer Squash
TODAY DEC. 6 TOMORROW DEC. 7
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
MENU
CALENDAR
Claire Peracchio, President
Rebecca Ballhaus, Vice President
Danielle Marshak, Treasurer
Siena DeLisser, Secretary
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Copyright 2012 by Te Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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EDITORIAL
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on:tv nvunto
THE BROWN
released in July by Bain and Company,
a consulting frm, and Sterling Partners,
a private equity frm, warning that many
elite institutions including Brown were
on a fnancially unsustainable economic
path.
Bain and Sterling pointed to the
22 percent increase in the Universitys
expense ratio, a measure of its costs to
earnings, as an indicator of high fnancial
risk. Te report highlighted the dimcul-
ties that higher education institutions
face in tough economic times, especially
when faced with higher expense ratios.
Everybody realizes that higher
education has got to look at its business
model, Huidekoper said. We cant keep
increasing expenditures over revenues.
University Provost Mark Schlissel
P15 cautioned against drawing too many
conclusions from the Bain and Sterling
report, saying he believed the frms re-
leased the study mainly for the purpose
of fnding new customers.
Tey already have a business when
they consult with universities, Schlissel
said, adding that the Universitys peer
institutions experienced varied fnancial
performance in the past year. He cited
Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology as two institutions with
varied investment performances last year
Harvards net assets fell while the MIT
posted a large increase.
But Schlissel added that the Univer-
sity will face tough times ahead if invest-
ment yields from the endowment remain
as low as in fscal year 2012 and if the
federal government does not increase
its funding grants for the Universitys
research projects. In a dimcult economy,
I dont think universities are going to be
able to grow their budgets like they did
in the past decade, he said.
Net contributions typically fall at the
end of a large capital campaign, Schlissel
said. He predicted that President Chris-
tina Paxsons new capital campaign,
which is currently in planning stages, will
precipitate an increase in donations in
coming years, as the Universitys donors
become reengaged in a new fundraising
campaign.
Huidekoper said there were no sub-
stantial changes in the past year in the
type of donations given to the Universitys
Annual Fund. Donations to the Univer-
sity come in the form of cash gifs, as
well as gifs of securities, which include
individual stock and mutual fund shares.
T h e
The largest proportion of Browns net revenue comes from tuition and
fees, according to the data most recently released by the University.
which have in recent years increased the
value of pensions faster than the rate of
infation until the plan is healthier.
Raimondo told WPRI in April that if
the courts reject the pension reform law,
the state, cities and towns will all face
devastation. John Simmons, executive
director of RIPEC, said if the courts
overturn the law the economic impact
would be severe. He also stressed that
the states municipalities would be hard
hit the reform saved them a sub-
stantial amount of money, and the state
would have to cut aid and raise taxes to
pay for its increased pension burden.
Walsh wrote in a June NEARI press
release that the pension reform violates
the states legal and moral obligation
to the active and retired teacher, state
and municipal workers. He added that
Chafees decision to honor the debt the
state incurred afer 38 Studios, which
defaulted on its $75 million loan, went
bankrupt while ignoring its promises
to its employees reflects misplaced
priorities.
Te dispute will eventually be re-
solved through negotiations, and the
current posturing only sets the ground-
work for bargaining positions, Mackay
said. Te unions recognize that winning
the case would devastate the state, and
they do not want to be responsible for
increased taxes, he noted. But union
members particularly the teachers
and retirees are angry about the pen-
sion cuts, forcing the legal challenge,
he said.
I think (the unions) are looking to
save face to chip away at what the
legislature took away, Mackay said.
Tey would like to get a little bit back.
David Boies, an esteemed litigator of
Boies, Schiller and Flexner who argued
for presidential candidate Al Gore in the
2000 George Bush vs. Al Gore Supreme
Court case, recently joined Raimondos
legal team, potentially boosting the
treasurers willingness to go another
round, Mackay said. Boies involve-
ment demonstrates the extent to which
other states are watching Rhode Islands
reform efort to better understand the
implications of modifying their own
pension systems.
When news broke that the gover-
nor was willing to negotiate, Raimondo
was in Chicago Tuesday night to at-
tend a fundraiser before heading to
New York to receive an award honor-
ing her leadership in the states pension
reform. Chafee called the coincidence
ironic, since Tuesdays news showed
the treasurer has far from solidifed this
signature accomplishment, the Projo
reported.
Te political side of this fght has
lurked just below the surface as Chafee
and Raimondo begin to draw battle lines
for an eventual campaign. Everyone
knows Raimondo is running for gov-
ernor and Chafees approval rating
is 29 percent, Mackay said, the second-
lowest gubernatorial approval rating
in the country. You cannot know how
much smoke and how much fre is here.
Te case has also received atten-
tion due to allegations that Taf-Carter,
whose brother and mother both receive
state pensions, cannot rule objectively,
according to the New York Times. Taf-
Carters mother receives about $22,000
a year from her state pension and stands
to have her cost-of-living-adjustments
which raise the value of the pension
between three and six percent annually
based on factors like infation sus-
pended under the new law, the Times
reported.
Taft-Carter has sided with the
unions on pensions in the past. Te
attempts of former Governor Donald
Carcieri 65 attempt to reform the pen-
sion system in 2009, Taf-Carter ruled
that the pension agreements counted
as contracts between the state and its
workers and were thus inviolable. Te
Carcieri-era changes were less extensive
than the alterations under the 2011 law,
which afect more people and save the
state more money.
State pension reform has followed
a path similar to Providences pension
reform. Facing untenable payments to
the pension fund following years of mis-
management, Providence Mayor Angel
Taveras worked with the city council
to pass a law that rewrote the pension
system for city retirees in April. But
when the unions challenged the ordi-
nance in court, the mayor negotiated a
new agreement with local unions and
retirees, announced a month afer the
ordinance passed.
Cities and towns across Rhode Is-
land are following the states lead and
attempting to reform their pension
systems instead of increasing taxes or
cutting services. Te municipalities
ofen run into the same kinds of legal
challenges that the state is currently
confronting. Te eventual end of this
legal case will set the precedent for how
cities and towns can move forward,
Mackay said. If the state can end (cost-
of-living adjustments) legally, every city
will try to do it.
/ / Endowment page 1
/ / Endowment page 3
/ / Pensions page 1
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
c.mv0s iws 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
chairs of the Annual Fund, Andrea
Baum 83 P15 and Samuel Mencof 78
P11 P15, could not be reached for com-
ment. Richard Spies, interim senior vice
president for advancement, declined to
comment.
Donors ofen are able to avoid paying
capital gains taxes on stock gifs, mak-
ing them an attractive option for giving.
People do whats best for them with their
own tax data, Huidekoper said.
Marisa Quinn, vice president for Uni-
versity relations, wrote in an email to Te
Herald that a record number of donors
participated in the Annual Fund last year.
While the amount raised is impor-
tant because of the range of valuable
programs the annual fund supports
participation also matters, regardless of
giving level, because we know that col-
lectively so much more can be achieved,
Quinn wrote.
Schlissel said the University continues
to count on the support of its donor net-
work for critical funding. Te University
wouldnt be anywhere near as good as it
is without the enthusiastic support of its
alumni, he said.
Te University collected $238 mil-
lion in net tuition in fscal year 2012, a 3
percent gain from last years net total of
$226 million. Net tuition has increased
as a percentage of the Universitys overall
revenue stream in recent years, account-
ing for about 38 percent of budget rev-
enues in fscal year 2013, up from about
32 percent in fscal year 2007, according
to the University Resources Committee.
Lower total contributions raised by
the Annual Fund and a fattened payout
from the Universitys endowment have
corresponded with the greater reliance
on tuition revenue to cover expenses in
recent years.
Te University ranks frst among Ivy
League institutions for the percentage of
its net revenue that comes from tuition,
while Penn comes in second with just
under 30 percent of its net revenue com-
ing from tuition. Harvard and Princeton
rely on tuition the least among Ivy League
institutions, with each having under 10
percent of net revenue coming from
tuition, according to the URC report.
Harvard and Princeton have the frst- and
third-largest endowments, respectively,
in the nation.
Despite the lower net contributions,
the University has maintained its com-
mitment to funding a substantial number
of scholarships. Te University spent 34
percent of the money raised from tuition
and fees in fscal year 2012 on scholar-
ships to students, amounting to about
$123 million. Te University devoted
the same percentage to scholarships in
fscal year 2011.
Weve done a lot to maintain our
commitment to fnancial aid, Huideko-
per said, adding that the 34 percent schol-
arships-to-overall-tuition ratio was not
a stated target ratio. She said rather
than set a fxed amount for scholarships,
the University seeks to fulfll all of its
fnancial aid obligations, given that it
has a need-blind admission policy for
domestic applicants.
But Huidekoper warned that the Uni-
versitys fnancial aid program, which has
been growing at an average annual rate
of 6 percent, has the potential to outpace
revenue growth. With the endowments
decreased value from the recent fnancial
crisis, the University has had to slash
staf salaries and initiate layofs in recent
years in order to maintain its fnancial aid
commitments, she said.
Outside experts expressed skepti-
cism that the University is in as dire of a
fnancial situation as the Bain and Sterling
report suggested.
I wouldnt say that places like Brown
are stuck in a rut, said Tom Parker, se-
nior associate at the Institute for Higher
Education Policy. I just dont see Brown
in the category of those institutions that
Bain is most concerned about.
Te 34 percent share of tuition and
fees going to scholarships falls within the
norm for wealthier universities, Parker
said. He added that he doubted the Uni-
versitys dip in its net assets value was
due to any management problem, saying
that the University has a strong fnancial
management team.
Expensive private schools like Brown
are like hospitals, Parker said, disagree-
ing with assessments warning that the
University is not on a steady long-term
course. Its a little like saying Mass Gen-
eral Hospital is going out of business.
Howard Bunsis, chair of the Ameri-
can Association of University Professors
collective bargaining congress, disputed
Bains characterization of the Universitys
fnancial outlook.
Te conclusion is completely erro-
neous, Bunsis said. A bad year in the
endowment for them really has very little
efect on their long-term health.
But Bunsis noted that he believes
many universities, including Brown
and other elite institutions, face a sharp
fnancial challenge from the growth in
the number of administrators. He said his
review of the Universitys fnancial state-
ments indicated that too much money
is apportioned to administrators when
it should instead be going to more aca-
demic functions, such as the hiring of
new faculty.
Tey seem like they are incredibly
top-heavy with administrative costs,
Bunsis said. Tere are too many ad-
ministrators making too much money.
Bunsis said many universities need to
consider the costs and benefts of hiring
more administrators as opposed to more
faculty members, pointing to research
as a key to bringing in more money for
universities.
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
At 38 percent in scal year 2013, Brown receives a higher percentage
of its net revenue from tuition than any other Ivy League institution.
/ / Endowment page 2
c.mv0s iws 4
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
Te resulting six-part report em-
phasizes Browns role in the city and
state economies as an employer, con-
sumer and research university, and
it suggests the community benefts
from the Universitys development of
human capital and community ser-
vice projects. Tese roles are explained
through the perspective of fnancial
growth and opportunities for the Uni-
versity, with a focus on development
of the Jewelry District.
Purchasing power
In 2011, Brown was ranked the
ffh-largest private employer in the
state, just below Rhode Island-based
frms such as Lifespan and CVS Cor-
poration. Excluding jobs for students,
the University sponsors jobs for 4,459
employees, 80 percent of which were
full time last year. A similar report
from 2005 notes 3,753 workers were
employed by Brown that spring.
Te 2012 report also claims the
University is directly responsible for
the creation or support of 1,050 jobs
in private frms across the state in the
construction, service and production
industries through in-state spending.
Te University spent nearly $328
million in the last fscal year on goods,
services and construction purchased
from Rhode Island businesses and
frms. But in-state spending on goods
and services amounted to 37 percent
of the Universitys overall expenditures
in that area, while almost 70 percent
of construction costs were paid out to
Rhode Island frms. Of the total fgure,
$131 million of spending resulted from
both direct and indirect construction
costs related to the completion of three
major infrastructure projects on cam-
pus during fscal year 2011: the reloca-
tion of the Alpert Medical School, the
construction of the Perry and Marty
Granof Center for the Creative Arts
and the renovation of Metcalf Chemi-
cal Laboratory and Auditorium.
Student spending also supports
economic growth in the city. Accord-
ing to the report, both direct and indi-
rect spending by students and campus
visitors amounts to more than $100
million of revenue for local businesses.

Start-up territory
Te University spent more than
$178 million on research in fscal year
2012, an approximately $40 million
increase since 2009. But in the report,
Appleseed writes, Even the best re-
search does not by itself drive growth.
Te report also discusses the Uni-
versitys relationship with innovation
and start-ups in Providence. Apple-
seed notes that economic growth
through technology is a rising trend
across the country and that Brown,
as a highly competitive research uni-
versity, ofers the human capital nec-
essary for such ventures. Te report
includes a list of 25 in-state companies
including Narragansett Brewing
Company and NuLabel Technolo-
gies that collectively employ 450
workers. According to Appleseed, the
report illustrates the wide range of
companies that are connected to the
University.
But the report also points out that
only 8 percent of all Brown graduates
live and work in the state, according
to data from the Brown Alumni As-
sociation.
Te University has initiated new
programs, such as the Founders
League created through a part-
nership with the Greater Providence
Chamber of Commerce, the University
of Rhode Island and Betaspring
in order to familiarize students with
the livability of the city, said Marisa
Quinn, vice president for public afairs
and University relations. Te Founders
League is designed to support small
business development in the state.
Te overall goal is to sustain the
growth of a strong entrepreneurial
ecosystem in Rhode Island, said
Bethany Costello, vice president of
public afairs and communications
at the Chamber. Brown is a huge as-
set. It brings a wealth of students,
faculty and academic knowledge to
the local economy. Te current fo-
cus is ensuring that there are in-state
jobs for graduating Brown students,
Costello added.
Around 10 percent of graduat-
ing seniors in each class since 2009
planned to live and work in Rhode
Island, according to data provided
by CareerLAB.

Development
Looking to the future, Brown is
now working with state and city of-
fcials to determine what role the
University might play in development
of the state-owned land in the area that
has been freed up by the relocation of
I-195, according to the report.
At the end of November, both the
University of Rhode Island and John-
son and Wales University expressed
interest in creating programs in the
Jewelry District, currently home to
Browns medical school and its associ-
ated teaching hospitals. URI intends to
partner with Rhode Island College to
develop a nursing program, and John-
son and Wales publicly announced
plans for a physicians assistant train-
ing program. JWU also fnalized the
purchase of two parcels of land in the
Jewelry District made available by the
relocation of Interstate 195. Besides
the Med School, Brown already has
land holdings in the Jewelry District
for the Laboratories of Molecular
Science and the Omce of Continuing
Education.
State reports estimate the I-195
relocation project will be completed
by the end of 2012, freeing land for
purchase and development along the
Providence River.
We care deeply about how the
195 land is developed, Quinn said.
Our own plans there will be guided
by what happens in the strategic plan-
ning process, but we certainly have a
real interest because of our signifcant
presence in the area.
According to updates to the Plan
for Academic Enrichment, the Univer-
sitys current agenda includes plans for
a new pedestrian bridge connecting
College Hill to the Jewelry District
and master planning and zoning for
the vacated I-195 land.
It is important for institutions of
higher education not to view the role
and value of international students
solely in dollar terms, he said, though
the attraction of international students
as a revenue source takes on an ad-
ditional beneft, especially at smaller-
level institutions.
A nancial gain
Dania Brandford-Calvo, director
of the Omce of International Students
and Scholars at the University of Rhode
Island, a public institution, said the
university admits international students
based on their academic credentials and
to increase the cultural and national
diversity of the student body. But he
acknowledged that those students do
provide signifcant revenue both to the
university and the state economy.
As in-state students pay subsidized
or discounted tuition, international
students paying out-of-state tuition
provide a revenue stream, Brandford-
Calvo said. She added that there is no
doubt that international student admis-
sions represent a positive impact on the
economy of a given region.
But admission of international stu-
dents does not interfere with admission
of domestic students, Brandford-Calvo
added.
Rather than looking primarily to
international student enrollment to
compensate for the decline in federal
funding, URI has expanded its sum-
mer and other special programs for
international and domestic students as
a means of increasing revenue.
Dual degree programs that span
two countries play an important role
in the universitys diversifcation and
economic success. Students in such
programs are gaining a degree from
their nation and our nation, and theyre
paying in their nation and our nation,
Brandford-Calvo said. In the end, they
are the winner.
Global outreach
Johnson and Wales University, a pri-
vate university where international stu-
dents pay the same tuition as domestic
and in-state students, held the highest
number of international students in the
state in the 2011-12 academic year, with
2,093 international students attend-
ing and contributing $64.5 million to
the economy, according to Providence
Business News. Tese students hail
from more than 90 diferent countries at
the universitys four campuses, accord-
ing to its website. As of 2010, Johnson
and Wales ranked 83rd in the country
for international student enrollment,
according to that years Open Doors re-
port. For the same year, the universitys
Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School
r anke d
/ / Report page 1
/ / Internationals page 1
/ / Internationals page 5
c.mv0s iws 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
sixth among masters degree institu-
tions.
One reason for its current lead in
foreign student attendance could be the
diversity of academic programs ofered,
said Miriam Weinstein, communica-
tions and media relations manager at
Johnson and Wales Providence cam-
pus the largest of its four campuses.
Te international student population
has always been an important one to
Johnson and Wales, she said, particu-
larly in the hospitality and culinary
areas of study. Tese global-reaching
industries, in addition to the univer-
sitys college of business and school of
technology, naturally attract students
from around the world, she said, and
the most represented countries are
China, South Korea and Taiwan.
Roger Williams University has also
experienced extreme growth in in-
ternational student population over
the last few years, said Michael Vieira,
an international admission counselor.
We continue to grow our international
recruitment eforts, recognizing that
our international population really adds
diversity to the university, he said. Te
universitys professional schools and
liberal arts programs gives us a high
appeal abroad, he said.
Looking forward
Te NAFSA report predicts a 150
percent increase in the total number of
students around the globe, projecting
that it will reach 250 million by 2025.
It also predicts that global competi-
tion among students will intensify,
especially as countries such as China,
South Korea, Mexico and Russia in-
crease their recruitment eforts for
incoming students.
Students from China, India and
South Korea account for 46 percent
of total international enrollment in
the United States, according to the
NAFSA report. Te total number of
international enrollments increased
by 5.7 percent over the last year, rising
to 764,495, according to a November
article in the Chronicle. For the frst
time in 11 years, the number of interna-
tional undergraduate students exceeds
the number of international graduate
students in the United States, according
to the article.
Te trend of higher international
enrollment will continue both because
American institutions welcome inter-
national students and because many
other countries do not have sumcient
resources to accommodate them, ac-
cording to Peggy Blumenthal, senior
counselor to the president of the Insti-
tute of International Education.
Certainly those students who come
from abroad and are able to pay for
their full tuition at an out-of-state stu-
dent rate are going to be very welcome
at public institutions, she said. Such
institutions rely on these full tuitions so
that they may maintain in-state rates for
in-state students and keep their depart-
ments open to all students, she said.
I dont think its just fnances that
are driving this either at public or pri-
vate universities, she said, adding that
schools need to teach in a way that
encompasses international students
perspectives to internationalize educa-
tion for American students.
Bringing it home
Brown boasts the Ocean States
second highest number of enrolled
international students, with 1,446 for-
eign students in 2011-12, according
to Providence Business News. Tese
students provided $59.5 million to the
state economy.
We dont look at international stu-
dents as a unique revenue source, said
Provost Mark Schlissel P15. We look
at them as an essential component of
the student body.
Tough Brown is not currently
need-blind for international students,
it allocates a specifc budget to help
those students attend every year, Schlis-
sel said. Te University increased its
fnancial aid to extend aid to one-third
of international students, while its com-
mitment for domestic students is 45
percent, said Jim Miller 73, dean of
admission. Financial aid has grown
faster than the tuition rate over the
last decade, he said, including for in-
ternational students. Te number of
international students receiving aid has
increased by 80 percent since 2007-08,
he said.
Extending need-blind admission to
international students would require
an increase in tuition across the board
or greater fundraising, which would
certainly end up challenging the Uni-
versitys budget, he said.
The bottom line for us is that
theres absolutely no fnancial incen-
tive built into our international admis-
sion, Miller said. Its very important
for Brown students to become cultur-
ally literate and for students from other
countries to come and learn about the
U.S.
With additional reporting by
Mathias Heller
/ / Internationals page 4
iui1ovi.i ii11iv 6
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
LETTER
CORRECTI ONS POLI CY
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submitted up to seven calendar days afer publication.
COMMENTARY POLI CY
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Te Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics refect the opinions of their authors only.
LET TERS TO THE EDI TOR POLI CY
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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 authors identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed.
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U. divestment from Israel a double standard
To the Editor:
I was distressed and dismayed to learn that the Advisory
Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment
Policies, an omcial University committee, sent a letter to
President Christina Paxson requesting a campus dialogue to
discuss divestment from Israel. As an alum and the parent
of an alum, Browns campus had always been a place that
encouraged the exploration of all points of view. While it
might be appropriate to have a campus dialogue concern-
ing University investments in and possible divestment
from various companies and countries, based on respect
for and violation of human rights, it is inappropriate and
intellectually dishonest to only focus on divestment from
Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. Any such
dialogue should consider, for example, investments in Syria,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
While I understand that it is currently in vogue to subject
Israel to unrelenting and unrealistic examination, I had
previously believed that Brown did not succumb to what
was in vogue. Rather than engage in a dialogue that focuses
solely on divestment from Israel, the more appropriate
and intellectually honest dialogue would be to examine
University investments and make recommendations con-
cerning divestment based upon a uniform standard, not a
double standard.
Tani Sapirstein 78 P12
EDI TORI AL CARTOON BY ANGE L I A WANG
You cannot know how much smoke and how much
re is here.
Scott Mackay, political analyst for Rhode Island Public Radio
See PENSIONS on page 1.
EDI TORI AL
When Jill Abramson was named executive editor of the New York Times, several
editors incoming and outgoing ofered their takes on the biggest challenges
she would face in her tenure. Among them was a realization that is beginning to
dawn on journalists across the globe. Former New York Times Magazine editor
Gerald Marzorati put it bluntly when he spoke about the Times in an interview
with the New Yorker, Were not just a newspaper anymore.
Te changing role of newspapers is becoming increasingly evident at the
college level, too. Is Te Brown Daily Herald just a newspaper anymore? Over
the past two decades, Te Herald has gained a website, a blog, a Facebook page,
a Twitter handle and now even an Instagram account. And over winter break,
we will be rolling out a more user-friendly website that ofers a sleeker, more
functional interface. Te Herald is enhancing its online presence to accommo-
date a readership that increasingly consumes its news online. But what is more
dimcult to discern are the other ways both in terms of news content and
delivery Te Herald needs to adapt to changing times. We need to reevaluate
how best to serve the student body.
In the past, college newspapers served as a students primary source of informa-
tion about campus happenings. If you wanted to know what shows were coming
up, what issues other students were protesting or what changes were happening
in University administration, you consulted your campus newspaper. Now, that
information is being fred at you from countless diferent angles: Facebook,
listservs, emails, text message blasts. Tough Te Herald can contextualize that
information, explain its importance and better inform uninvolved parties about
campus activities, you dont really need us to tell you whats happening on campus.
But campus newspapers still have a very important and relevant role: to
investigate and report the news. As an independent newspaper, we have the
responsibility and the capacity to ask dimcult questions about issues that have a
profound efect on the student body and take a critical perspective on campus
and local news. News industry analyst Ken Doctor wrote in a Nov. 29 Nieman
Journalism Lab article, We live in an age of way too much. People want context,
not more content. Since news is everywhere, Te Heralds job is to help our
readers fnd the deeper meaning.
Similar trends are cropping up across the country. In spring 2009, students
at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University
of Southern California started a now widely successful website called Neon
Tommy that aims to provide in-depth news coverage of issues marginalized
by other media outlets. In April, the Center for Investigative Reporting and the
Investigative News Network announced the launch of a new YouTube channel
funded by an $800,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to highlight
investigative reporting from outlets including the New York Times, National
Public Radio and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Te second question is how best to present such reporting and thats
where you come in. We want to know both how you consume your news and
what subjects interest you. Do you read our website? Check in with our Twitter?
Pick up our print edition? Do you want to know more about the inner workings
of the University? How the University fts in with the larger culture of higher
education institutions? What your peers are doing?
As the news industry continues to change perhaps the realm of college
newspapers fastest of all we are determined to stay relevant and to maintain a
voice on campus. Most of all, we want to know how to serve you best. If you have
ideas, we ask that you email us at future@browndailyherald.com. We promise
to take your ideas to heart.
Tanks for reading.
Todays editorial was written by e Heralds editorial board. Send comments
to herald@browndailyherald.com.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Envisioning Te Heralds future
facebook.com/browndailyherald @the_herald thebdh.org
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oviios 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
Talk of divestment from Israel has been
abundant both in Te Herald and around
campus. A Herald article last month at-
tempted to explain the role of the Advisory
Committee on Corporate Responsibility in
Investment Policies and its recommenda-
tion to President Christina Paxson to open
dialogue regarding divestment from Israel
(Committee seeks campus discussion on
divestment, Nov. 19). But the article failed
to portray the complexity the committee
ignored when starting this conversation.
Days later, Te Heralds editorial page board
astutely pointed out that divestment from
Israel is unwise, especially due to the lack
of consensus among the student body (Is-
rael divestment is hypocritical, Nov. 27).
We would like to take this small amount of
space to represent an ofen reticent voice on
campus that disagrees with terms such as
apartheid and occupation, and one that
strongly opposes divestment from Israel.
First and foremost, the committee has
stated their intention of fomenting dialogue
on divestment, but they have only heard a
dubious narrative from one side of the aisle.
Brown Students for Justice in Palestine has
been actively lobbying the committee for
two years and has distorted how the com-
mittee views Israel. BSJP views the country
only in terms of blockades and human rights
violations. In fact, a former member of BSJP
is currently a student representative on the
committee. Te committee was within its
jurisdiction in issuing this recommenda-
tion, but let us not be misled into thinking
that there was intellectually honest dialogue
amongst the committee or adequate repre-
sentation of the Brown student body as a
whole leading to this recommendation.
Te committees letter to President Pax-
son states that Israel is indisputably en-
gaged in ongoing systemic abuses of human
rights and violations of international law.
By accepting the BSJP narrative as truth-
ful, the committee is misleading Paxson into
believing that Browns student body unani-
mously supports this narrative. We believe
this is simply not true.
We strongly maintain that divestment
from Israel is extremely problematic. Fol-
lowing through on the committees recom-
mendation for campus debate would place
Israel, the Middle Easts only liberal de-
mocracy, on the same level as apartheid-era
South Africa and the genocidal government
in Sudan. Israel, a country with a vibrant
democratic process for all its citizens, should
not be lumped together with these two op-
pressive regimes. While there is almost
unanimous consensus regarding South Af-
rican apartheid and Sudanese genocide, the
same cannot be said about Israels actions.
It is also impossible to distinguish com-
panies that function within Israel from those
that allegedly beneft from occupation. We
must not divest from companies that are
crucial to Israels economy, an economy that
works cooperatively with the United States
in various technological, environmental,
medical and security endeavors. Keeping
the Israeli economy strong provides oppor-
tunity for economic cooperation between
Israel and the Palestinians that in turn serves
as a potential road to peace. Israel gives mil-
lions in humanitarian aid and support to the
Palestinian Authority, which is crucial for
Palestinian society and security.
We must also be sure not to link the call
for divestment with the recent military con-
fict in Gaza. While certain groups will at-
tempt to inextricably connect the two, it is
important to remember that the call for di-
vestment, as part of the larger Boycott, Di-
vestment and Sanctions movement, started
in 2005. Attempts to evoke visceral reactions
in light of the heartbreaking and unfortu-
nate loss of life in the recent confict are in-
tellectually dishonest. Te committees rec-
ommendation specifcally relates to compa-
nies functioning in the West Bank, an area
not directly involved in the recent violence.
Most importantly, though, we oppose the
debate on divestment because it does abso-
lutely nothing to advance peace between Is-
rael and the Palestinians. Imposing one-sid-
ed burdens on Israel does not create the col-
laborative atmosphere needed for creating a
lasting peace through direct negotiations. In
fact, divestment breeds a culture of unilat-
eral action that is counterproductive to the
peace process. We acknowledge the human
rights concerns afecting both the Israeli and
Palestinian populations. However, divest-
ment does nothing to directly address these
needs or further the widely agreed upon
two-state solution.
Te United States and international com-
munity have accepted the idea of self-de-
termination for both the Jewish people and
the Palestinians, but the BDS movement ex-
plicitly calls for the eradication of the Jew-
ish state something President Obama
strongly opposes. Brown students voted
overwhelmingly for Obama both in 2008
and 2012, and presumably agree with his op-
position to the eradication of Israel. Both the
Israelis and Palestinians must make conces-
sions to achieve peace and security, and the
divestment movement propagates the idea
that one side is the absolute obstacle to re-
solving this confict.
Brown Students for Israel is a pro-Israel
voice on campus that seeks honest cam-
pus dialogue that leads to informed stu-
dents who desire a lasting peace.
Divestment from Israel is counterproductive
I am the president of a Brown fraternity
and a member of Browns Student Conduct
Board, and like many college students, I have
witnessed and obstructed sexual harass-
ment. I have friends who have been sexually
assaulted on campus. I commend Chris Nor-
ris-LeBlanc 13 for reiterating how horrify-
ingly normal my experience is (Rape hap-
pens here, too, Nov. 28). Not only rape but
the whole spectrum of sexual assault does
occur here, and being frank about this fact is
the essential frst step toward crafing a safer
community.
While I thank Norris-LeBlanc for add-
ing openly to a conversation that desper-
ately needs to be had, his article was misin-
formed, which made it dangerous to print
and counterproductive in assisting victims
of sexual assault. I believe that, if lef uncor-
rected, Norris-LeBlancs article contributes a
net negative to the conversation. Heres why:
Norris-LeBlancs claim that the Universitys
sexual assault policies are ignorant and un-
sympathetic is misguided and grossly un-
true. In reality, the University has achieved
great strides in setting up a positive and
powerful system for helping victims of sexu-
al assault gain resolution and disciplining the
perpetrators of that assault. But no victim
would speak to an administration they be-
lieve will be callous and unhelpful. In false-
ly denouncing the Brown administration as
uncompassionate and incompetent in cas-
es of sexual assault, Norris-LeBlancs article
discourages victims of sexual assault from
coming forward with their experiences.
As a member of Browns Student Con-
duct Board, a disciplinary board that ofen
hears cases of sexual misconduct, I have ex-
perienced frsthand how seriously and com-
passionately Brown handles cases of sexual
assault. I would like to clear up the ambigu-
ity and misinformation surrounding Browns
policies by detailing Browns standard proce-
dure during sexual assault cases.
When victims of sexual assault report
their cases, they have several options. Stu-
dents are always provided with the opportu-
nity to pursue a police case, and the Univer-
sity has resources to advise students about
that process. All criminal complaints go
through the Providence Police Department,
but may start with the Department of Pub-
lic Safety, which has a civilian worker whose
specifc job is to work with students on these
issues.
Te University will ofen issue an imme-
diate no-contact order between the accuser
and the accused. Tis is done at the Univer-
sitys discretion. Tis is a decision made to
ensure the safety of the accuser, and the Uni-
versity is prepared to take stronger measures
if necessary.
Victims also have the option of request-
ing a disciplinary hearing before the Stu-
dent Conduct Board against their attackers.
While deliberation on accusations of sexual
misconduct is challenging for all parties in-
volved, it is integral in determining an accu-
rate verdict in each case. Te University goes
to great lengths to make sure these hearings
are as fair and as comfortable as possible for
both parties. Te accuser is never required
to face his or her alleged attacker and has the
option of having an advocate present during
the hearing who is experienced in providing
support in such cases. Both parties may re-
quest in advance to disqualify a member of
the board whom they feel may be prejudiced
by association with the case. Additionally,
victims are not required to be present during
the entire hearing, but may instead choose
to be represented by a trained dean who will
make their case for them.
During the hearing, the board hears tes-
timony from and rigorously questions
both parties. Both parties are able to request
witnesses to speak before the board on their
behalf. Once the board adjourns, it takes ex-
treme care to determine the facts of the case
and whether a violation has been commit-
ted. If it determines there has been a viola-
tion, the board suggests an appropriate sanc-
tion to the senior associate dean for student
life, who makes a fnal verdict. Both parties
receive this verdict within fve days of the
hearing, and both have the ability to appeal
this judgement. Tere is no maximum sanc-
tion set for any case before a hearing. Sanc-
tions are determined on a case-by-case basis.
It was horrifying to read about Norris-
LeBlancs friend, whose shocking story he
recalled in his op-ed. Cases of sexual assault
are incredibly emotionally dimcult, and no
system is perfect. Brown certainly has room
for improvement, and faculty members are
constantly working with students to enact
specifc policy changes. But Norris-LeBlancs
call for Browns policies to be overhauled is
not constructive and is profoundly unwar-
ranted. We should not be discouraging vic-
tims of sexual assault from coming forward
and seeking help through the University,
which has worked extremely hard to pro-
vide many channels through which students
can do so as comfortably as possible. It is im-
portant that these victims be encouraged to
speak up as soon as possible so they can re-
ceive immediate emotional support, and so
they and the rest of campus can be protected
from their attackers.
Tis is something we all can do to con-
tribute to a safer space at Brown.
Dan Meropol 13 cares deeply about creat-
ing a safer space at Brown. He can reached
at daniel_meropol@brown.edu.
U. has eective, compassionate sexual assault policies
In falsely denouncing the Brown administration as
uncompassionate and incompetent in cases of sexual
assault, Norris-LeBlancs column discourages victims
of sexual assault from coming forward with their
experiences.
Imposing one-sided burdens on Israel does not create
the collaborative atmosphere needed for creating a
lasting peace through direct negotiations.
BY DAN MEROPOL
GUEST COLUMNIST
BY BROWN STUDENTS
FOR ISRAEL
GUEST COLUMNISTS
on:tv nvunto
THE BROWN
ci1v s1.1i
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012
By SOPHIE YAN
STAFF WRITER
Brown students took home six out of 10
cash prizes, including frst place, at the
seventh annual Rhode Island Elevator
Pitch Contest last night.
David Emanuel 13 won the $250
frst place prize for his company Lockd,
which distributes a contraption that
locks and wraps the belongings of
urban backpackers to prevent thef.
Other fnalists included Clif Weitzman
16, Tim Kwak 13, Cory Abbe 13, Isha
Gulati 13 and Sidney Kushner 13.
Participants presented their busi-
ness plans to peers, investors and judg-
es in 90-second pitches. Te contest,
held at Johnson and Wales University
Harborside Campus, was one of the
events sponsored by the 2013 Rhode
Island Business Plan Competition,
which intends to promote early stage
companies in the state.
Te 50 participating teams compet-
ed for cash prizes totaling $2,000. Each
proposition was diferent the plans
included simple inventions, nonproft
organizations, eateries and food trucks.
Teams joined the contest for dif-
ferent reasons. It sounded like a good
opportunity to practice speaking, said
Amber Ma GS, an intern at the Provi-
dence Granola Project, who presented
a pitch for Beautiful Day Rhode Is-
land, a nonproft specializing in help-
ing refugees. Ma said she and others
from Providence Granola Project have
been working on the nonproft since
September. Tey plan to continue de-
veloping the group, though Ma said she
was unsure about whether they would
enter the business plan competition
in the spring.
For Joschka Tryba 12 and Max
Fowler 15, the elevator pitch contest
presented other opportunities besides
public speaking practice. You never
know, Tryba said, explaining that their
company, Lovegov, an online political
social network, found its frst angel
investor at a previous business plan
competition. Lovegov, which just went
into beta testing last summer, is cur-
rently searching for further funding
to develop the website.
But presenting an elevator pitch
is easier said than done. Its very
dimcult, Tryba said. You cant be
nervous. Presenters had only 90 sec-
onds to cover their plans, which had
to include the problems they were at-
tempting to solve, their solutions, how
their proposals will make money and
their qualifcations for implementing
their plans. Ofen, when the presenters
slipped up even slightly, it made a big
diference, Tryba said.
Rhode Island School of Design
students Cynthia Poon and Maeve
Jopson, who also pitched their con-
cept at the contest, agreed. Te most
dimcult part is communicating to
an audience thats not familiar with
your feld, Poon said. She and Jopson
also cited dimculties such as the ban-
ning of props and insumcient time to
memorize their speech. For the past
semester, they have been working
on a tactile map-globe in conjunc-
tion with the Perkins School for the
Blind. Te two industrial designers
intended the project to eventually
become a toy and learning tool for
blind children, facilitating learning of
abstract and ephemeral concepts such
as textures and spatial reasoning. Tey
plan on entering the spring business
plan competition.
The contest was well-attended
by students from local universities,
including 10 teams from Brown and
several others from RISD, University
of Rhode Island, Johnson and Wales
University and the Massachusetts In-
stitute of Technology.
U. students rise to top
at elevator pitch contest
By MATHIAS HELLER
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Despite the progress made by Presi-
dent Obamas health care reform law,
the United States still faces signifcant
challenges in improving the quality
of its health care, according to three
panelists who spoke at a forum on the
future of health care reform last night.
Christopher Koller, Rhode Island
state health insurance commissioner,
Ira Wilson, professor of health services,
policy and practice and Glenn Tung,
associate dean for clinical afairs at the
Alpert Medical School, spoke at the
forum, held in MacMillan Hall. Health
Leads Providence, a group of students
who work with urban health clinics to
connect low-income individuals with
better health resources, sponsored the
discussion.
Koller gave the audience an over-
view of the major changes enacted with
the Patient Protection and Afordable
Care Act of 2010, saying he believes
the health care reform law is a step in
the right direction. He said while the
law is controversial today, the reforms
may become more popular once they
have been implemented.
If we do a good job implement-
ing the Afordable Care Act, then in
40 years, it will be regarded just like
Medicare, Koller said, adding he hopes
Americans in the future will consider
todays large number of uninsured in-
dividuals to be barbaric.
About 50 million Americans are
currently uninsured, but this number
will fall substantially as key reform pro-
visions kick in, Koller said. Te law will
expand health insurance coverage by
extending Medicaid eligibility to all in-
dividuals with incomes below or equal
to 133 percent of the federal poverty
line, he added. Te poverty line for a
family of four is $23,050.
Americans with incomes below or
equal to 400 percent of the poverty
line will be able to purchase insurance
through a new network of government-
run exchanges that will enable them
to compare the costs and benefts of
diferent insurance plans, Koller said.
Te law also establishes an individual
mandate, which kicks of in 2014, to
buy health insurance and establishes a
penalty for anyone who can aford to
purchase insurance but fails to do so.
Te basic idea is that you have to
buy it. If you cant aford it, well help
you pay for it, Koller said, adding that
the law will be fnanced through a com-
bination of tax measures and savings
found in Medicare, including eliminat-
ing Medicare waste.
Koller praised the insurance ex-
changes as a way to allow individuals
to consider what policy best suits their
needs, saying state governments will be
able to choose whether to receive aid
from the federal government or to set
up the exchanges themselves. He said
Rhode Island has decided to build its
exchange by itself to best cater to its
localized health care market.
State governments currently pos-
sess a high degree of control over the
business practices of state insurance
companies, with wide variance be-
tween right-leaning and lef-leaning
states, Koller said. Its really a red state,
blue state thing, he said, adding that
once the health care reform law is fully
implemented, national regulations will
more closely resemble those of more
liberal states.
Wilson described the health care
reform laws impact on patients, say-
ing the act seeks to plug systemic gaps
in the health care system. He said
universal health insurance is the frst
necessary step in controlling long-term
health care costs. Since many Ameri-
cans who currently lack insurance will
eventually contract serious chronic ill-
nesses, it makes sense to extend cover-
age to them before they get sick, Wilson
said.
Wilson noted the link between ad-
dressing the nations long-term fscal
problems and curbing health care costs.
Both the right and lef agree about
certain facts about the rate of increase
in the cost of Medicare and Medicaid,
Wilson said, adding that he believes
the federal government must develop
a strategy for dealing with the budget-
ary problems associated with these two
entitlement programs.
Tung addressed the need for further
reforms for health care providers, say-
ing Obamas reform law creates the po-
tential for future changes to the health
care system. He highlighted three areas
for further improvementcreating a
more integrated health care delivery
system, standardizing the quality of
care nationwide through cost-beneft
analysis and aligning the medical in-
dustry with the digital era.
Tung said the United States could
save about $35 billion in wasteful health
care spending by facilitating greater
coordination between doctors, nurses
and other providers. He also stressed
the necessity of cutting down on paper-
work in the medical community, saying
the United States spends $161 billion
on health care administration when
only half that amount is truly necessary.
Panel discusses future of Obamacare
By MARIYA BASHKATOVA
STAFF WRITER
Te University is sponsoring the frst-
ever Brown Shops Local! event today
as part of a larger city initiative to sup-
port local merchants. A free shuttle
service will take students, faculty and
staf to four diferent shopping locations
around Providence from 4 to 8 p.m.
Te University rented old-fashioned
trolleys, which will take interested pa-
trons from the front of Rhode Island
Hall on George Street to Westmin-
ster Street, South Main Street, Hope
Street and Wayland Square, said Jen-
nifer Braga, government relations and
community afairs liaison, who planned
the event.
Each shuttle will be dedicated to
one location, she said, and the event
will include a refreshment tent outside
of Rhode Island Hall.
Te festive event aims to facilitate
bonding within the community and to
support local shopping, Braga said. It
is also part of Providences annual Buy
Providence/Buy Art campaign, which
strives to keep capital within the com-
munity even though it is easier than
ever to shop online, she said.
We thought it would be nice to
make it easy for the Brown commu-
nity to take advantage of these incred-
ible things that are so close to us while
at the same time supporting the local
economy, Braga said.
Various shops and restaurants in
the areas will be ofering discounts to
Brown students. Hope Street will be
having its annual Holiday Stroll, which
includes special events like acrobatic
and ballet performances, horse-drawn
carriage rides and a parade featuring
Santa Claus, she said. South Main Street
will also be having a holiday stroll, and
Westminster Street will host the Buy
Art kickof party at Crafland, she said.
Students generally expressed posi-
tive opinions about the service, though
many said they had not heard about the
event before. Several students described
the service as a fun idea and convenient
for holiday shopping, though Mark Ja-
cobson GS cited the upcoming fnals
period as a time crunch concern that
might decrease attendance at this week-
day event.
U. supports local holiday
shopping initiative
By KIKI BARNES
STAFF WRITER
Te total number of students placed on
serious warning by the Committee on
Academic Standing has declined from
an average of 252 students each academic
year from 2000-01 to 2005-06 to an av-
erage of 188 students each year from
2007-08 to 2011-12, according to the
Committee on Academic Standings an-
nual report released this month.
Te report also noted that the number
of students placed on academic suspen-
sion declined from an average of about
38 to 26 students. But the suspension rate
of students placed on serious warning
increased slightly from 6.7 to 7.3 percent.
Students are placed on warning, seri-
ous warning or suspension for failing to
complete the required number of courses
given their semester level, with the spe-
cifc classifcation depending on the ex-
tent to which they have fallen behind.
Stephen Lassonde, deputy dean of
the College and chair of the Commit-
tee on Academic Standing, attributed
the decline to more active and frequent
communication with students to help
them stay in good academic standing.
Deans have increased their omce
hours by 75 percent since 2007, he said,
now collectively ofering over 40 omce
hours per week to students seeking ad-
vising.
Students kept saying that University
Hall was intimidating, Lassonde said.
Now we also meet in places like the
Nelson Fitness Center and Tird World
Center so that students can feel more
comfortable about seeking help.
Lassonde also said it helps signif-
cantly that students now provide their cell
phone numbers online through Banner.
(Academic warning) is a message
that needs to be redundant, he said. We
try to get the message to students through
as many avenues as possible, now includ-
ing calling them on their cell phones.
Dean of the College Katherine
Bergeron also credited Banner pre-reg-
istration to the decline. In the years before
Banner was created in 2007, hundreds of
students would fail to register for classes
afer the add/drop period was over, she
said.
Tere have not been any retroactive
course registration requests for the last
three years, according to the Committee
on Academic Standings report.
When you have an open curricu-
lum, its important for students to plan,
Bergeron said. Banner helps students
develop good planning skills.
Te Committee on Academic Stand-
ing reviews each students individual case,
Lassonde said. Before a student is sus-
pended, he or she gets a letter to meet
with a dean and is contacted around three
times, he added.
Having conversations with students
is making a diference, he said.
Te reorientation of our stamng
toward outreach to students has had a
tremendous efect, Bergeron said. We
used to have students return from seri-
ous warning requiring them to have an
advising relationship with a dean, but
many never took that opportunity, and
so they never got the help they needed.
Students on serious warning can avoid
suspension by taking courses over the
summer, according to the Dean of the
College website.
Te addition of the serious warning
category in 2009 in lieu of suspension also
helped students, Bergeron said.
In some cases, we realize that a stu-
dent may beneft from a second chance,
she said.
Advising, tutoring programs and
study skills workshops have made a dif-
ference as well, Bergeron said.
Sometimes we come to the conclu-
sion that a student needs to be away for
a while, and thats not a bad thing, Las-
sonde said. Students have said it was the
best thing that ever happened to them.
Students time away from school can
help them sort out problems or personal
issues and acquire new skills to help them
succeed when they return to school, he
added.
Lassonde said the Committee on Aca-
demic Standing will continue its eforts
to reach out to students more, though
its hard to say how much more we can
reduce it.
We believe that each student at
Brown is truly special, and were dedi-
cated to helping students achieve their full
potential, Bergeron said. Were glad to
see that some eforts seem to be allowing
more students achieve that.
Dean accessibility reduces academic warnings