CHATTING WITH PAXSON:
President Christina Paxson P'19 gave the annual State of Brown address on Wednesday. Paxson used the talk to address several topics, including her excitement over the Engaged Scholars Program and BrownConnect and her desire to strengthen Brown's curriculum by using technology to shrink class sizes. Paxson also reiterated her goal of doubling the 8.5 percent of underrepresented minority faculty members in the next 10 years. In an hour-long question-and-answer session, students asked about subjects such as the administration’s sensitivity to issues of inclusion and identity and several recently leaked emails from Paxson and Corporation members that suggest special treatment for the wealthy during the admission process. Paxson also acknowledged student protests this year, saying, "I am always happy that Brown has students that aren't complacent. I would rather have you (protest) than to not care."
Around 700 prospective members of the Class of 2019 visited campus this week for A Day On College Hill. The three-day-long event offered the students a taste of what attending Brown would be like, including performances by student groups and the option to shop classes.
RECOVERY MODE:
A week gone and students are still recovering from Spring Weekend. Though Friday night greeted students with overcast weather and the occasionally chilly gust of wind, Yeasayer, Waka Flocka Flame and Hudson Mohawke brought students out of the library and onto the overly cramped Main Green. As students wearing jorts and bro-tanks huddled together for warmth, Yeasayer and Waka pleased the crowd, while Mohawke failed to meet expectations. Saturday brought sunny skies and high... spirits with the performers What Cheer? Brigade, Kelela, Pusha T and Modest Mouse. As the weekend came to a close with a campus full of happy students, more than one stopped to wonder: Will I remember any of this tomorrow?
THE XX FACTOR:
Women in STEM fields were front and center this week with The Herald’s three-part series "The XX Factor." In the first part, Pembroke alums reflected on their challenging experiences as women pursuing STEM fields in the ’60s. Alums cited the difficulty of being in male-dominated classes taught by professors who did not respect them. The second part investigates some of the current issues facing female faculty members and grad students, who said they face microaggressions and issues regarding cultural and social norms. The third part focuses on current female STEM concentrators, who talked about issues relating to a lack of female representation in some fields, especially computer science, engineering and physics. In the physics department, only 11 percent of faculty members are women.
IT'S RAINING PULITZERS
Professor of Anthropology and Italian Studies David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 won a Pulitzer Prize Monday for his book "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe." The book, which President Paxson called "authoritative and compelling to read," gives concrete evidence of Pope Pius XI provoking state-sanctioned anti-Semitism around the time of World War II. In case you didn't think Kertzer was cool enough, his 1997 book "The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara," is in development to become a film, produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Tony Kushner.
Solutions by The State News
