Members: President Simmons, Provost Kertzer, Russell Carey, Marisa Quinn, John Cassese, David Cutts, Chi-Ming Hai, Elmo Terry-Morgan, Alison Cohen, Michael Glassman, Lauren Kolodny, Mark Ramadan, Clay Wertheimer, Joseph Bush, Lauren Buckel, David Margolius, Kartik Venkatesh, Gillian Bell, Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, Nancy Fjeldheim, Kathleen Rossi, Sarah Sharpe, David Bloom, Damon Rarick, and Emma Simmons were in attendance. Katherine Bergeron, Mike Chapman, Christopher Bull, Anthony Cokes, Stephen Foley, Marida Hollos, David Sheinberg, Michael Stein, James Doyle, Carin Algava, and Guy Sanchez were unable to attend.

The minutes of the March 11, 2008 meeting were approved.

Russell Carey, Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, gave an update on the early morning incident of Saturday, March 15, where two combustible devices (Molotov cocktails) were thrown at an off-campus building in which an employee of Brown/RISD Hillel lives. Meetings for the Hillel community and the broader Brown community were held in the week following the incident. The Providence Police Department had nothing to report at the time and the investigation continues.

Mr. Carey began the discussion of sexual assault by giving the definition of sexual misconduct as stated in the Brown University Standards of Conduct. He continued by reviewing the 2004 through 2006 Brown University criminal offense statistics regarding forcible sexual offenses. The data only includes reported forcible sexual offenses. Allison Pappas ’08, Heather Bennett ’11, and Margaret Klawunn, Associate Vice President of Campus Life and Dean for Student Life, spoke about the work of the Sexual Assault Task Force and the Sexual Assault Advisory Board and the resulting initiatives currently underway: a sexual assault resource center, peer-led support groups for survivors, a full-time sexual assault staff person, a 24-hour on-campus sexual assault hotline, review of the judicial process, statistics reflecting incidents reported formally or informally, more extensive training for Department of Public Safety and all other staff who come into direct contact with survivors, and peer education programs aimed at education and prevention. The Task Force and Advisory Board are sponsoring a campus forum on sexual assault to be held on April 23 at 4:00 pm in the Salomon Center, Room 001.

Brenda Allen, Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity, reviewed the Diversity Action Plan’s principles, focus, and goals and outcomes. The Plan recognizes that diversity and academic excellence go hand-in-hand and is focused on recruitment, retention, management, and assessment. A goal of the Plan is increasing the diversity of faculty through targeted and aggressive recruitment strategies and innovative retention programs. The goals of addressing the diversity among undergraduate students and improving recruitment of graduate students and medical students from underrepresented backgrounds are also part of the Plan. Ms. Allen reported that Brown is keeping pace with the goals of the Plan.

Dick Spies, Executive Vice President for Planning and Senior Advisor to the President, gave a presentation titled Community Relations and Knowledge-Based Economy. In his presentation, he addressed what is a knowledge-based economy and why Brown should play a role in economic development of the City and State. He reviewed the Knowledge-Based Economy Study which is led by the Chamber of Commerce and Providence Foundation and involves universities, hospitals, business community, and City and State government. A consulting firm is facilitating the study and drafting a report that identifies targets of opportunity and an implementation strategy for strengthening Providence’s knowledge-based economy.

At the close of the meeting, members of the Brown community were given the opportunity to address the Council. Mary-Catherine Lader ’08 and Anne Wooton ’08 talked about a joint project they are working on with the Library to digitize the entire 120-year archive of the Brown Daily Herald. Lauren Kolodny ’08 and Michael Glassman ’09 spoke about the Brown is Green initiative scheduled for April 24-26.

The next meeting of the Brown University Community Council will be held on September 16, 2008 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm in Leung Gallery, Faunce House.

Respectfully submitted,

Catherine Pincince
Secretary of the Brown University Community Council