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and friends had about how best to continue his efforts. At the colloquium this weekend, those initial planners joined forces with students, whose views were challenged through a series of workshops, lectures, organized discussions and spontaneous conversations all within a real atmosphere of respect, tolerance and understanding, said Talia Xefos 15, one of the Brown student participants. Xefos, who is half-Saudi and said she grew up hearing mostly the Palestinian narrative of things, learned about the colloquium through JUDS 0650: History of Zionism and the Birth of the State of Israel, a class she took last semester. Encouraged by the welcoming atmosphere the Schaefer family brought to the colloquium, she said she opened up continued on page 5
Students gathered at an event this weekend hosted by the Avi Schaefer Fund.
A small group of Ivy League students convened this weekend at the Hope Club for an intimate conference that brought together people of all perspectives to engage in a meaningful dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Student Leadership Colloquium, which included three or four students from each Ivy League school, was organized and funded by the Avi Schaefer Fund. Following Avi Schaefers 13 death in February 2010, his family created the fund to promote the ideals Schaefer worked toward during his life, particularly the goal of starting dialogue about the conflict and striving for its peaceful resolution. The idea for the colloquium originated from conversations Schaefers family
Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Onondaga Turtle Clan and an inductee to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, addressed a crowded Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Friday and detailed the history and culture of guh jee gawah hai known colloquially as lacrosse. The renowned Native American leader spoke prior to Saturdays lacrosse game between the mens varsity lacrosse team and the U19 Iroquois National Team, which the Bears won 11-7 at MeisterKavan Field. The Iroquois Nationals represents the six nations of the Iroquois League and are the only remaining Native American sporting team sanctioned to play in official international competition. Lyons discussed a wide range of topics, including the history of lacrosse and global warming. Perhaps a testament to the physical prowess of lacrosse players, Lyons now in his 80s did not slow down for a moment of his two-hour lecture. Though the lecture sometimes became somber usually over reflections on the historic trials of Native Americans Lyons kept continued on page 2
University faculty and students traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia last weekend for the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Annual Meeting. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology Heather Leslie participated in a symposium on marine conservation and management and Professor of Biology Ken Miller 70 spoke about the intersection of religion and science education. Emily Hartman 12 presented her research
on pollen grain germination at the student poster session Saturday. Its a really fun and interdisciplinary meeting and great for students to attend, Leslie said, adding that next year the meeting will be in Boston. Leslie spoke about drawing on different knowledge bases from anthropology to economics to geography to better understand how humans are connected to marine systems. The focus of the symposium was recognizing that people are part of ocean systems, Leslie said, drawing
on examples from Narragansett Bay. (This) is quite a big shift in terms of the science and also in terms of how we use the science to inform policy and management. In his talk, Miller suggested strategies for teaching students who have reservations regarding the intersection of faith and science. This is an important topic, since about 75 percent of college students say they believe in God, he said. Every year, he has a couple of students ask him if they have to believe in continued on page 3
Turn off all your cell phones, or well rescind your admission, announced Admission Officer Matt Price to the roughly 250 representatives of the class of 2016 who assembled Monday for the Early Decision Admitted Students Day. Despite the chuckles, nearly every student in Sayles Hall reached for his or her pocket. Better safe than sorry, said Ben Silverman 16 a little sheepishly. Almost twice as many students attended this years event for early decision applicants as last years inaugural event. Representatives from the Office of Admission and the Bruin Club said the increase was due to better planning and more foresight. Last year, it was kind of thrown together at the last minute, said Rebekah Stein, a Bruin Club executive board member. Invitations to last years mid-March event were sent a few weeks before the event took place. This year, we sent out invitations in (accepted students) admissions packets, Price said. We also used Facebook to publicize continued on page 4
Pre-med students enrolled in the Universitys Program in Liberal Medical Education are not afraid of obligations. They have committed to a profession at the fresh-faced age of 18 or 19 years old, something most students are unwilling to do. They have committed to a place a school
mates leave campus after convocation, PLME students who continue on to the Warren Alpert Medical School make the half-mile trek down College Hill to the newly transformed Med School building in the Jewelry District. For them, after-college life was never shrouded in ambiguity. Convocation is their commencement. The workload medical students take on is without parallel in the undergraduate years, and this disparity is especially clear during the first year, Gruppuso said. From day one, the difficulty of the subjects and the pace of testing is striking. Med school is organized differently from undergrad, with a final (exam) every three to four weeks instead of at the end of a semester ... Its more of a marathon than a sprint. continued on page 2
Stephanie Vasquez / Herald
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and a city where they will study for eight sometimes grueling years. And they have committed to a high level of stress, the neurological and physiological effects of which they will experience firsthand, on top of reading about them in textbooks. What sets PLME students apart is their commitment to a field so early on, said Philip Gruppuso, associate dean for medical education. When their undergraduate class-
PLMEs commit to Brown for eight years before they even arrive as first years.
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C ALENDAR
TODAY 5 P.m. Ash Wednesday Service Manning Chapel 7 P.m. French Film Festival: Opening Film Granoff Center 4 P.m. The Language of Hip Hop Lecture Salomon Center, Room 101 FEbRUARY 22 TOmORROW 3 P.m. Remembering and Rethinking 9/11 John Nicholas Brown Center FEbRUARY 23
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SHARPE REFECTORY Buffalo Chicken Wings, Vegan Nuggets with Dipping Sauce, Parsley Potatoes, M and M Cookies VERNEY-WOOLLEY DINING HALL LUNCH Saturday Night Jambalaya, Mediterranean Eggplant Saute, Vegetarian Spinach Strudel
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But according to Chow, a human biology concentrator who took mostly bio classes as an undergrad, medicine-related material studied at the undergraduate level can only go so far in easing the transition. I dont think I could have prepared more for medical school without being in medical school, Chow said. I wish I took more non-bio classes and really took advantage of the liberal aspect of PLME. Students also now have access to the new Med School, which is very open and light-filled and provides a calming atmosphere, Ahmedli said. The Med School which relocated last fall from the BioMed Center, Smith-Buonnano Hall and a piecemeal fabric of other buildings and classrooms to a transformed jewelry factory was designed with students in mind. I think it is facilitating better interactions between students, said Isha Parulkar, a first-year medical student who received her undergraduate degree from Columbia. Everybodys there all the time. People kind of just end up staying there rather than dispersing. Ahmedli said she knew what she signed up for prior to matriculating to the Med School. My older PLME friends prepared me for what was to come, Ahmedli said. Forming relationships with older med students is one of the benefits PLME provides, and this idea of
mentorship continues through student academies at the Med School. Academies are self-contained units in which students from all four years come together, along with advisers and a director, so that they can have a more personal community within the Med School. Students talking to one another is probably the most important support system. Just talking to each other about how to study is so important, said Gruppuso. PLME students at the Med School stay in Providence for eight years until they graduate with medical degrees. For some students, that seems like an intolerably long time in one place, and some PLME students take a period of time off between undergraduate and medical school. Eight years is a long time, but going into PLME, you know this, Ahmeldi said. I think the two fouryear time periods are so different that it doesnt feel like a continuous eight years. And for some, more time in Providence means more time to engage with the city. With the Med School located down the hill, the program may help facilitate this engagement. In undergrad, youre really in a bubble on College Hill, Chow said. Since the Med School is in a different location, I dont even feel like I go to the same school.
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the audience engrossed with stories from his childhood and his lacrosse career. In one anecdote, he told of his experience playing goalie against a man whose shot was so hard it had killed two previous goalies a problem unique to an era when players took the field without helmets. Luckily, Lyons said when the shot came his way, it only broke two of his ribs. Lyons spoke about how lacrosse games in his community transcend the physical, becoming more than just a sport. The games are traditionally played for someone or something in particular to honor or help them, he said. We can play it for the nation, or we can play it for the world. We can play it for the buffalos, or we can play for the birds, Lyons said. The speech focused on lacrosse and the Iroquois Nationals but also touched on a number of social is-
sues. Lyons highlighted a traditional winter Iroquois game called Snow Snake to make a point about the changing climate. This winter is the first in his memory where it has not snowed enough to allow for a game of Snow Snake, he said. Environmental issues seemed to be at the core of Lyons political consciousness. In addition to the warnings about climate change, he criticized the historical attacks on the native flora and fauna of North America by European settlers. When settlers struck out West, there were over 70 million buffalos, Lyons said. But that number fell to as low as 36 at one point, he added. Despite the occasional reality check, Lyons endless collection of anecdotes about lacrosse and the Iroquois Nationals kept the mood light and the crowd laughing. He said he was upset he had forgotten to bring his wooden stick, which would have been a better demonstration of what real lacrosse is like
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than the tupperware todays players use. Lyons also talked about Native American contributions to American history. He mentioned that Native Americans fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War and displayed a flag originally commissioned by George Washington that the Iroquois Nationals took as its official flag when it first entered international competition. The game between Brown and the Iroquois Nationals the following afternoon was a competitive battle. Though Brown controlled the majority of the game, the Iroquois came out of the gate strong, jumping out to a 2-0 lead early. Brown Head Coach Lars Tiffany 90 said the Iroquois team deserves a lot of credit for how it played. In addition to not being able to practice as often as the Brown team can, most of the Iroquois players are two to three years younger than their opponents on Browns team, Tiffany said. Only players 19 years old and younger can play on the U19 Iroquois national team. The official Iroquois National team has successfully competed on the international level since 1987 the team currently holds the fourth position in international lacrosse rankings, behind only Canada, the U.S. and Australia. But as a team that does not have the full rights of a sovereign nation behind them, the Iroquois Nationals faces distinct disadvantages that other teams do not. After the 9/11 attacks, officials at the European Union decided to stop recognizing Iroquois passports, and the team was unable to attend the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship in England.
Campus news 3
continued from page 1 evolution in order to get an A in his class, he told a group of alums Saturday night at a Brown Club of Vancouver event. Miller himself is Catholic and explained how he has reconciled his religious beliefs with the concept of evolution. If properly presented, science need not be compromised or soft-pedaled to accommodate religious concerns, he wrote in the description of his AAAS lecture. Hartman presented her research on pollen grain germination and the resulting elongation of pollen tubes after pollen lands on a flower. The research has potential applications for biofuels, she said. The student poster session was a really great way to talk about my research and get used to speaking about it with people who arent necessarily from a plant biology background, Hartman added. More than 150 students participated in the session, a majority of whom were from the University of British Columbia or schools on the West Coast. Hartman was able to attend through a research fellowship from the American Chemical Society, the academic portion of which she spent attending the AAAS meeting because she wanted to learn more about how to communicate science, she said. Barry Connors, professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Diane Lipscombe, professor of neuroscience and David Rand, professor of biology, were named AAAS fellows this past November for their contributions to science but were unable to attend the awards ceremony Saturday due to prior commitments.
Fundraising to expand Science conference draws students, faculty brain science faculty
By Sarah mancone artS & Culture editor
The University will fundraise $50 million over the next five years as part of a new initiative to expand the Brown Institute for Brain Science. A large portion of these funds will be used to pay for seven new positions in the institute, said John Donoghue PhD 79 P09 P12, director of the institute and professor of neuroscience. Originally started as a program in brain sciences 12 years ago, the initiative became a fullfledged institute three years ago, Donoghue said. The collaboration unites faculty and undergraduates from 10 different departments at the University, including neuroscience, biology, computer science, physics and cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences. The institute provides Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards, supports graduate students, funds faculty pilot projects and sponsors talks and seminars all within the realm of brain science. Brown has a very large and very distinguished faculty studying the brain, Donoghue said. Donoghue recently brought forward a plan to expand the institute by hiring faculty in specialized areas, said Provost Mark Schlissel P15. The University then brought in outside reviewers with knowledge of neuroscience to advise Schlissel and President Ruth Simmons on the decision to further invest in the institute, which Schlissel said went spectacularly. The reviewers told him and Simmons that Brown is as good as anybody in brain science, Schlissel said, and that it is an important area of research in which the University should invest. This investment will mainly fund the creation of seven new tenure-track positions in the institute, Donoghue said. The institute is already in the process of searching for a molecular neuroscientist and a computational neuroscientist to add to the faculty, said Barry Connors, professor of neuroscience. Hiring a new faculty member is extremely expensive, Connors said, adding that it requires negotiating laboratory space, resources, equipment, technicians, graduate students and often postdoctoral students. Where people used to get $100,000, now they get $1 million, Donoghue said of funding startups for faculty-run laboratories. All 10 departments involved in the institute will meet as a group to discuss how these positions are going to be filled, Donoghue said.
The increase in faculty will benefit the institute as well as the Department of Neuroscience by adding substantially to the diversity and quality of neuroscience on campus, Connors said. There will be more professors to teach interesting undergraduate courses, as well as more opportunities for undergraduate research in brain science, Schlissel added. To find qualified candidates, the institute has advertised in professional journals, Schlissel said. Members of the Brown community can also apply if they are not already faculty members since faculty already have the ability to work with the institute, he said. . With a constrained budget and a commitment to not diverting funds from other University projects, the institutes expansion is largely being funded by individual donors who support brain science initiatives, Schlissel said. A modest amount of money has been raised already, he said. The Corporation, the Universitys highest governing body, formally accepted $3 million donated to fund a computational neuroscience professorship at its February meeting, as well as another $1 million to support research in neuroscience, according to a Feb. 11 University press release. In addition, a gift of $1.5 million was recently given to fund work on neurodegenerative diseases, which will eventually lead to the establishment of a center for synaptic and neurodegenerative diseases, Donoghue said Other sources of funding include external federal grants and corporation and foundation partnerships, Donoghue said. This initiative provides a step forward in the institutes expansion. Members of the institute are beginning to think about the creation of a new building, which will be highly interdisciplinary and represent the flavor of Brown, Donoghue said. As it expands, the institute will continue its approach of focusing research on fundamental understanding of brain function, maintenance of brain health and development of neurotechnology. There are important levels of scientific understanding we would like to achieve, Schlissel said. Donoghue added that he wants to incorporate into the institute research on smart technology the elements of human thought that are currently outside the abilities of computers such as making generalizations and connections in real life situations. There is something we can do that computers cant, Donoghue said. The future will be very exciting.
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continued from page 1 the event and scheduled it on a holiday, so most of the students have the day off from school. The University admitted 556 early decision applicants to the class of 2016, meaning that nearly half of the admitted early applicants attended Mondays event. Those present were overwhelmingly from New England and the mid-Atlantic region, though close to a dozen hailed from the West Coast or Midwest. Roughly five students traveled from foreign countries, according to event organizers. The best part of the day which included a tour of the campus, lunch in the Sharpe Refectory and a discussion with a panel of current University students was hearing from a faculty advising panel, said Peter Enriquez 16 of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Calling Professor of Geological Sciences Jan Tullis really inspirational, he added, Its a little cliched, but she ended her speech saying, Be bold. I thought that was the best advice of the day. Opportunities arent going to make themselves. You have to be bold, and seek them out. While at Brown, Enriquez hopes to expand on a nonprofit he began while in high school called Young Musicians Healing Haiti, which raises money in support of a music school in Haitis capital, Port-au-Prince. While members of the Bruin Club and Admission Office called the event A Lunch on College
the event answered my questions and answered them honestly. I was pretty skeptical, because Id never been to campus before being accepted ED, he said. Going to the admitted students day was a huge relief. The event told me about a lot of things that I was looking forward to doing and reassured me that Id made the right choice. Still, he said, once he came to school and heard about ADOCH, I was pretty bummed that I wasnt invited.
NE WS iN BRiEF
37 juniors elected to Phi beta Kappa
thirty-seven juniors were elected to the rhode island alpha of phi Beta Kappa Feb. 8. the honor society, founded in williamsburg, Va., in 1776, is the oldest and most prestigious academic honor organization in the nation. of the more than 3,500 institutions of higher learning in the United states, only 270 have been authorized to house chapters of phi Beta Kappa. the Brown chapter, the rhode island alpha, was founded in 1830. it is the seventh oldest chapter in the country. kevin Casto Junhuo Chen Anne Cushing Prashanthi Divakar Dylan Fried Yawei Ge Berit Goetz Michelle Han Thomas Jarus Jr., former Herald staff writer Andrew kim Hannah koenig Travis Lloyd Julia Longoria Fiona McBride Colin MacGregor Danielle Marshak, Herald general manager James Mayo Lily Meyer Claire Peracchio, Herald editor-in-chief Daniel Prinz Carolyn Ranti Hannah Riskin-Jones Rahil Rojiani John Rosenberg Riyad Seervai Sanchita Singal Daniel Slutsky, Herald analytics manager Yanqiang Tan Nawal Traish, Herald copy editor Edward Tremel Arjun Vaidya, former Herald business staffer Manu Venkat Thompson Warren David Winer, Herald social media and marketing manager karolina Woroniecka Adela Wu Annie Wu
Campus news 5
a little disillusioned in terms of what could be done (at Brown), he said. It was really nice and inspiring and refreshing to see they were still willing to work with each other and they were still willing to talk to each other, and not a single person raised their voice the entire weekend. Xefos said the group hopes to meet with Simmons to discuss future action on campus, and some of their ideas include creating a neutral space not affiliated with anything, where people can come together to openly discuss and try to understand one another, like that at the Hope Club. Waters said such changes were imperative for the campus community, where he said the conversation has become so polarized that many students choose not to get involved if they have moderate views. I think that would do a tremendous amount for inspiring people to become re-interested in this issue, he said. Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, a facilitator, trainer and consultant in conflict resolution who led a session at the colloquium, said she emphasized the need to move past polarization by teaching students specific communication skills. For many of them, that really struck home when they got into the heated conversations and realized that they were having them in a new way, and as a result they were listening to each other and actually understanding each other, she said. Plans are already in the works to make the colloquium an annual event. Cooper Nelson said she envisions generations of participants forming communities on each campus over the years. While its not firm, we are already picturing next years project, she said, especially because it has the backing of many top administration officials. Xefos said she walked away from the conference with a new perspective. Ive been too judgmental, she said. Yes, they may fall on the opposite end of the political spectrum, (but) on sort of a human level, its really nice to be able to connect with people. Fisher said he was happy the colloquium materialized and actually achieved its goals. The energy was palpable, and people really said enormous things, he said. All of us involved in the planning were just hoping that it didnt flop and it was actually a phenomenal success.
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Fraternity of Evil | Eshan Mitra, Brendan Hailine and Hector Ramirez
6 editorial
EDiTORiAL
Shedding light on election spending
Last Thursday, Gov. Lincoln Chafee 75 P14 stood with the leadership of the Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives to introduce the Transparency in Political Spending Act. In a post-Citizens United world of potentially limitless, unregulated and undisclosed donations to so-called SuperPACs, the bill would make Rhode Island a leader in the fight for fairer and more transparent elections. Specifically, it would require outside groups campaigning on behalf of referenda to disclose the individual donors supporting them. While introducing the bill, Chafee argued that it would (make) those individuals and organizations trying to influence the outcome of an election accountable to the people of Rhode Island. While we applaud Chafees strong stance against undisclosed independent expenditures and welcome the way in which this bill will bring much-needed transparency to the states political landscape we are troubled by the bills limited scope, applying beefed-up disclosure regulations only to groups advocating for ballot measures. We urge the governor to extend disclosure requirements to all independent expenditures, including those on behalf of individual candidates. Although much of the concern about Super PACs has been focused on the national presidential race, the forces of big money are blowing at Rhode Islands door as well. This past winter, while the legislature debated how to reform state employees pensions, a group called Engage Rhode Island spent $617,000 promoting the bill. If EngageRI started electioneering as it has publicly acknowledged it plans to do its major donors may remain unknown until after Election Day. In this past election cycle, over $1.9 million was spent by outside groups trying to influence state elections in Rhode Island. Under the Transparency in Political Spending Act, Rhode Islanders would be able to access electioneering groups financial reports in a timely fashion, and groups would have to publicly state their largest donors in every print, television, radio or internet advertisement. Financial disclosure is not a perfect solution outside groups can still saturate the airwaves with election advertising. But even while enshrining the right to this unlimited spending in Citizens United, the Supreme Court reiterated the importance of financial disclosure, noting that prompt disclosure of expenditures can provide shareholders and citizens with the information needed to hold corporations accountable for their positions and supporters. Armed with knowledge about what interests are behind groups with pleasant-sounding names like And For the Sake of the Kids, a group in West Virginia whose major donors were coal company executives citizens will be empowered to make a more informed decision on Election Day. We commend Chafee for taking a public stand against the invidious influence of outside spending in state referenda and supporting legislation that would make Rhode Island a national leader in campaign disclosure. In the words of Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed, Campaign finance disclosure is absolutely vital to the health of our representative democracy. This is no less true in the case of individual races than in that of ballot measures. We hope that this act is only the first step towards a campaign finance system that would apply to all groups, no matter what candidates or causes they support. editorials are written by The heralds editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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Turn off all your cell phones, or well rescind your admission.
Admission Officer Matt Price to early decision admits See admitS on page 1.
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opinions 7
The essence of America
on the assumption that human beings make shrewd, reasonable choices following their own interests, form the basis of Pradas argument. For the most part, this theory of rational choice holds. It guides good business decisions. But I believe, as do many behavioral economists, that this human rationality is not absolute. We, as imperfect humans, end up making mistakes. Richard Fuld Jr., the Lehman Brothers CEO who believed to the bitter end that his bank was sound, ended up losing Each one of these people, and countless others involved in the 2008 financial crisis, were, in essence, entrepreneurs. Following the profit motive, they creatively used unprecedented extensions of credit to engineer unprecedented amounts of money. And following the profit motive, they messed up, hurting themselves and other people. But I dont mean these mistakes to be the focus of my column. Social entrepreneurs, following their own beliefs in social justice, are imperfect, too. In attemptcentives that have created our modern economy, as Prada contends many progressives do, is overly simplistic. Capitalism has built the prosperity that allows us to pursue the work of social entrepreneurship in the first place. Its excess wealth fills the coffers of our nonprofits. So what should we conclude? America and her people, throughout history, have constantly been waging this debate. Whether it is Franklin Delano Roosevelt vs. Herbert Hoover or Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney, it is the same debate. On one pole stands our collective belief in the individual and the great, constructive power of his own self-interest. On the other stands our care for the larger community and our desire to maintain a certain amount of equity and kindness. As I see it, Americas ultimate purpose throughout history is to reconcile these two lines of thought, to realize one without dismissing the other. As such, when conservatives like Prada endorse the virtues of the profit motive while disparaging the value of social entrepreneurship, or when progressives like myself recount the values of social charity while denigrating capitalistic individualism, they are doing more than establishing a shallow argument. In fact, they are denying a full half of Americas very essence. kevin Carty 15 is a political science concentrator from Washington D.C. He would love to hear any responses and can be reached at kevin_carty@brown.edu.
BY kEViN CARTY
opinions Columnist
I love capitalism and believe in the profit motive inherent in it. I also love societal progress and believe in the selflessness existing outside of the profit motive that makes that progress sustainable and kind. In a column last week (Every entrepreneur is a social entrepreneur, Feb. 14), Daniel Prada 12 describes the social entrepreneur as one who utilizes the mentality of the entrepreneur to focus on explicitly social, charitable ends, unlike other methods of entrepreneurship. In his piece, he defends the pursuit of profit and posits its benefits, as he details various entrepreneurs who, following their own self-interest, have improved society by satisfying consumers subjective wants. In his final sentence, he encourages aspiring social entrepreneurs to really help the world by following their own incentives for profit and becoming actual entrepreneur(s). His point is a valid one. I agree that, among progressives, capitalism is often rebuked more than it is respected, despite its awesome creative potential. However, his point is also simple. It ignores the flaws and nuances of the lauded profit motive, while devaluing the charitable social entrepreneurship that could address these same issues. For example, rational economics, based
i believe, as do many behavioral economists, that this human rationality is not absolute. We, as imperfect humans, end up making mistakes.
and this is a conservative estimate around $2.8 billion when he sat atop the largest bankruptcy in American history. Joe Cassano, the chief financial officer of American International Groups Financial Products Division, was fired after he oversaw the lending out of $80 billion in insurance on subprime mortgage bonds, $80 billion that AIG couldnt pay back when the time came. And Stan ONeal, Merrill Lynchs CEO until 2007, dutifully watched as his company accumulated $41 billion worth of crappy mortgage bonds and derivatives, actions that led to his eventual firing. ing to solve the most difficult of issues, they may make overly complex plans and issue burdensome regulations. They may miss their goal entirely. Or they may worsen the situation while trying to address it. Frankly, all of these mistakes, whether they are driven by profit or charity, matter a great deal. We cant ignore, forget or wish them away. However, to applaud the profit motive alone, as Prada seems to do, misses the point. Profits can drive bad decisions that may hurt people or leave millions without a home or a job through no fault of their own. On the other hand, to relentlessly condemn the free-market in-
One major reason that last year was so lackluster was that the BCA tried to do the same thing as 2010 and failed miserably.
is not indicative of a successful formula. The 2010 concerts worked because Snoop Dogg and MGMT are excellent performers, not because one appeals to pop music fans and the other to hipsters. This faulty logic brought the same types of groups to Spring Weekend last year Diddy for Snoop and TV on the Radio for MGMT. The lineups have shocking similarities. The BCA should be wary of allowing this to repeat itself yet again, lest we wind up
ground but got much less value. The BCA should have spent an extra effort making the indoor concert worth the money paid to see it. But acoustics aside, here are my suggestions for this year. First, the BCA shouldnt try to please absolutely everyone. There is no need to get a TV on the Radio for every Diddy. The groups should be knowable, but not necessarily well known. Diddy came late, played a short
Prof honored as rising Campus leftovers feed R.I. homeless star in evolutionary bio
Associate Professor of Evolutionary Biology Sohini Ramachandran received the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship for her research in computational and evolutionary molecular biology, according to the foundations Feb. 15 press release. The award is granted to young scientists who are rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders, according to the release. The fellowship includes a grant of $50,000 to advance Ramachandrans research, which pertains specifically to evolutionary history based on variations in the human genome over time. Im really interested in historical relationships between human populations and the signatures they leave on our genome, Ramachandran said. Specifically, she studies topics like the mating interaction between Europeans and Latin Americans during early colonization and the modern relevance of the genetic signatures of humans in Africa from 100,000 years ago. Her research is computational and statistical, using data gathered across the globe to mathematically map out aspects of the human genome. I feel really honored, Ramachandran said. The Sloan Fellowship has this really exciting history of making contributions to young faculty. The foundation gives grants in eight scientific areas but only began giving grants in computational and evolutionary molecular biology in 2002, when Ramachandran began graduate school. Each of the 126 recipients of the 2012 fellowship was nominated by a colleague and then picked by an independent panel of scholars. Ramachandran was nominated by Mark Bertness, chair of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. Shes a spectacular young faculty member working on really interesting problems, Bertness said. He added that as a promising female scientist, Ramachandran is a role model for young women in scientific fields. Ramachandran arrived at the University in summer 2010 after receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University and completing a post-graduate year at Harvard. At Brown, she said she has been influenced by the supportive and collaborative environment in her department and the opportunity to teach undergraduate students beginning this year. The grant money she will receive will enable students doing research with her to pursue projects that were previously impossible due to lack of funding, she said. Ive been wanting to generate some data in collaboration with people in Newport to collect genetic data from different breeds of cattle and sheep that humans have domesticated, Ramachandran said. She plans to use this data to study how variation has changed in domesticated breeds and what traits humans have selected. Its just a nice, prestigious recognition that one of our new junior faculty members has this level of recognition this early in her career, Bertness said. Brown usually has one or two winners a year, Ramachandran said. Last year, two faculty members received this fellowship David Badre, assistant professor in the department of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, and Anastasia Volovich, associate professor of physics. It enabled me to continue research, Volovich said, who studies wave amplitudes related to the theory of motives in algebraic geometry. The funds from the fellowship enabled the physics department to bring distinguished visitors, she added, and will allow her to travel to some conferences. Volovich emphasized the unrestrictive nature of the Sloan Foundation grant compared to other grants. You can use it however you want, she said. The Swearer Center for Public Service van carrying over 20 pounds of food donations does not encounter much traffic on its midnight trips down the hill to Kennedy Plaza. While most occupants of the homeless shelter at the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church are sleeping, students from Browns Food Recovery Network unload the boxes of leftover muffins, bagels, pastries and packaged produce collected from campus eateries every evening. The operation hardly takes any time at all, but each nightly installment of food donations makes a difference for the local Providence community. The network, a new student group affiliated with Rhode Islands non-profit corporation We Share Hope, aims to reduce waste and increase food donation to local homeless people by collecting and transporting leftovers from Browns eateries and cafe carts. The goal is figuring out how to make more food reach people and not the trash can, said Shelby Wilson 15, one of the groups leaders. The network was first established by students at the University of Maryland and now has participating chapters at Pomona College, University of California at Berkeley and Brown. During his gap year before starting college, Ben Chesler 15 was working at Search for Common Ground in Washington when he and several University of Maryland students came up with the idea for the group. After returning from South Africa, where Chesler donated food first-hand, he decided he wanted to bring the program to Brown. Last semester, the national network, which includes all the participating colleges, donated 15,000 meals, according to the networks website So far this spring, the network has recovered 2,000 meals. Browns chapter performed its first food recovery and delivery Nov. 11 and has been growing ever since. In addition to weekly contributions of up to 200 pounds of food from Brown Dining Services, students perform a nightly pickup of leftover
Food delivery dynamos
baked goods and packaged produce from the Blue Room, the Sciences Library, the Rockefeller Library and Barus and Holley. With the use of a Swearer Center van, the group delivers each nights donations directly to the Mathewson Street church. When Chesler pitched the idea of the club to Dining Services, there was very little hesitation. The group has regular meetings with Associate Director of Dining Services Peter Rossi to work out logistics and add new dining locations. Almost all of the operations take place after midnight, once the food has been compiled at each of the pickup locations. Despite the late hours, the trip is quick and easy, usually taking less than half an hour to complete. To increase efficiency, Chesler said that the group is implementing a clipboard system to keep track of the number of items collected from each campus eatery. They will also record and report the weight of the daily donations. Any students
is helpful as they often have their own cars. Were still looking for more involvement all the time, she added. Chesler said the groups greatest challenge is that the closing times of the various cafe carts and eateries differ. Were really willing to take any food, no matter how small the quantity, but we cant be running around from 7 to midnight every night collecting food, he said. The connection to the Mathewson Street church is in part due to Cheslers previous work with Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, a student organization based at the Swearer Center. I just knew that (the church) was a place that was open to this idea, he said. The Mathewson Street church operates one of the emergency winter shelters in downtown Providence and stays open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Because it is overnight, the church does not provide a structured meal to people who use the shelter. The donations from Brown are distributed to the shelter occupants before they leave in the morning. The network not only seeks to help the homeless, but also to raise awareness about the benefits of food donation in general. Legally speaking, its a lot easier to donate food than people think, Wilson said. In fact, the Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996, named after former U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson, provides that people who donate surplus food are not liable unless they show gross negligence. Food donated to an approved agency is eligible for a tax reduction of one half the foods appreciated value, according to the Food Donation Connections website. Saving food is environmentally advantageous. The network is green and socially responsible, Wilson said. In the future, members hope to incorporate reusable bags and containers for shepherding food to the shelter. Blue State Coffee has also agreed to donate food to the chapter and the group hopes to collect from more businesses on Thayer Street in the coming months, Chesler said.
midnight meals for the homeless
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who have taken a driving course with a Brown insurance agent are authorized to drive the Swearer Center van used to transport food donations. Weve been having student clubs take charge, Wilson said. The Brown Democrats, St. Anthony Hall, Brown/RISD Hillel, emPOWER, Athletes in Action and the Delta Tau fraternity are among the groups that have volunteered to deliver food. The Brown Democrats have been involved with deliveries for the past two weeks. After hearing about the Food Recovery Network from Chesler, one of the board members of the Brown Democrats decided to get the group involved. We have decided to help out with Tuesday nights, said Emily Regier 14, the groups civic involvement chair. The group was already looking for various volunteer opportunities, Regier said, and as they have meetings on Tuesday nights anyway, they decided to make it their night for food collection and transport as well. Wilson said reaching out to fraternities and other student groups
The Womens Leadership Council which seeks to promote philanthropy and volunteerism and offer mentoring to the Universitys female students and alums has been planning a conference to celebrate 120 years of womens history at Brown. But after President Ruth Simmons who created the council in 2004 announced her resignation, the council has decided to shift the focus of the conference, slated to take place May 3-5, to incorporate bidding farewell to the Universitys president of 11 years. At the heart of this is an effort
to really celebrate a remarkably long history of women at Brown, said Nancy Neff 76 P06 P14, council co-chair. People tend to forget that Brown had women students long before other universities did. Though celebrating womens history at Brown is an important aspect of the conference, Neff said the activities and discussions will be geared more toward celebrating the current role of women in the University community. The council is excited about the prospect of bringing in a wide range of women in various careers and various locations to showcase what the fabulous alumnae of Brown do,
Neff said. Though many of the plans for the conference have yet to be finalized, Neff said it will include panels of women discussing topics related to womens lives, health, finance and more. Also included in the program will be fun, social pieces that allow current students and alums to connect with one another, Neff said. Mary Vascellaro 74 P07 said she also hopes the conference will exhibit the councils increasingly influential role at Brown, which has evolved over the past several years. Though this fall will mark the councils first semester without Simmons, the council hopes to
continue to expand, Vascellaro said. It has continued to build on its mentoring and philanthropic programs, including a program called Womens Launch Pad that matches council mentors with women in the senior class, offering guidance to graduating seniors as they transition to life after college. The council also helps to foster philanthropy in the Brown community. This year, the council led the Graduates of the Last Decade challenge and raised $1 million for a matching fund that will contribute to the Annual Fund. The matching fund will help display the councils philanthropic clout on campus, Vascellaro said.