At its meeting yesterday, the Brown University Community Council voted in support of a motion stipulating that donors "have the option of their new donations being invested in a social choice fund" but was reluctant to support the creation of such a fund at this time. The council also discussed recommendations about alcohol use on campus and the University's efforts to increase energy efficiency.
The Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing has made little ground since October regarding a possible social choice fund, according to Professor of Economics Louis Putterman, chair of the ACCRI. Such a fund "would provide donors with the option of designating their donations to Brown for investment in a fund that chooses stocks based on environmental, social, and corporate behavior criteria," according to a Sept. 29 ACCRI proposal.
Putterman said his committee had been too involved in the process of divesting from Sudan to find "decisive answers" to questions posed by President Ruth Simmons and the Brown Corporation regarding a social choice fund.
Simmons said one fear is that a social choice fund could upset donors who want their money to go toward high-growth opportunities.
However, in response to fears that a social choice fund might generate lower returns for the University, Putterman suggested donors might give more money if it is directed toward socially progressive investments.
"If some monetary return were to be sacrificed it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, even in terms of monetary goals," he said.
Courtney Hull '06, a member of the ACCRI, spoke in favor of creating a social choice fund, saying the BUCC's agenda has shown "a lot of values that we think should be represented in our investments."
"Many more members of my class would be inclined to contribute if they knew the investments were in line with their values," she said.
Also at the meeting, Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Behavior Nancy Barnett presented her findings on student alcohol use and presented recommendations from the Campus Life Advisory Board Subcommittee on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Barnett presented part of her study on pre-gaming, or binge drinking before parties, and the use of prescription drugs, marijuana and alcohol by freshmen and sophomores at three New England colleges. The level of heavy drinking experiences, meaning the consumption of five or more drinks in one sitting, among first-years during Brown's orientation coincided with the roughly 40 percent of freshmen who engage in this activity nationally, Barnett said.
At Brown, this level dropped off in late October of last year, presumably because of Parents' Weekend. It also fell the week after Sex Power God and during final exams. "The trajectories seem to be driven by times of year," Barnett said.
Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president of campus life and dean for student life, said next year's orientation will be changed to try and curb the level of heavy drinking. Incoming first-years will be asked to complete an online quiz about the University's alcohol policy, sexual assault and academic and non-academic disciplinary systems before arriving on campus. Many BUCC members also asked about the possibility of more late-night non-alcoholic events during orientation.
While many of the subcommittee's recommendations were similar to those of the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Social Events Policy and Procedures, it also suggested more training for Residential Peer Counselors, the recruiting of more juniors and seniors as counselors and the implementation of regional peer boards. These boards, which would be made up of students, would "improve communication and improve implementation of the guidelines (for residence halls)," Barnett said.
The subcommittee also recommended that alcohol education beyond orientation could prevent abuse. Barnett's study shows that the only alcohol-safety information students remember from orientation is how to contact Emergency Medical Services.
Another suggestion was to give breath alcohol monitors to EMS personnel, though Barnett advocated against making readings readily available to students because they would have incentive to one-up their friends' marks.
To combat off-campus drinking, the subcommittee recommended that the University work with area liquor stores to prevent sales to minors and remind students living off campus that University policies still apply to them.
The BUCC also heard from the Environmental Task Force, which recommended that the University decrease its overall energy use by 5 percent within the next 14 years.
The task force recommended that the University invest in equipment and programs to increase the efficiency of both old and new buildings. This would lead to a 1 to 2 percent reduction in total building energy utilization each year. The task force also advocated that the University prioritize efficiency improvement projects.
"Projects with 20 percent or higher return on investment should be funded now and completed by 2010," said task force member Kate Brandt '07.
Other task force recommendations included the creation of a monitoring and reporting structure for consumption and emissions reduction, the drafting of a fuel strategy plan, the purchase of more energy-efficient University vehicles and promotion of an information campaign on conservation opportunities.
"If successful in strategy ... (the University) can reduce emissions and utility costs by 20 percent," said Kurt Teichert, resource efficiency manager for Facilities Management. "This would mean a $40 million utility bill versus a $50 million one by year 2020."
Jenna Horton '08, a representative from the Brown Environmental Action Network, asked the University to purchase 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010. "Providence has set a goal of 20 percent by 2010," she said. "If we want to be a leader, let's set it five points above."
"I know the budget is tight, but renewable energy is important to us," Horton said.
"This is something we have to work very hard at. ... We need to set a high bar," Simmons said of efforts to increase the University's use of renewable energy.
