David Rohde ’90 is a columnist for Reuters and The Atlantic, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and a former reporter for The New York Times. His latest book, “Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in a New Middle East,” was published in April. A member of the board of the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, he taught a nonfiction writing class at Brown in 2012. As a student, he was a news editor at The Independent and a writer for Issues monthly.

Jonathan Ellis ’06 is deputy editor for digital platforms at The New York Times, focusing on smartphones and tablets. He manages the presentation of the news report on all mobile platforms, and works with business and software colleagues to define The Times’s mobile strategy. He has previously served as chief producer, home page producer and politics producer for NYTimes.com. He was editor-in-chief of The Herald in 2005.

Maha Rafi Atal ’08 is a freelance journalist, covering the intersection of business, economics and public policy for Forbes, The Guardian and other outlets. From 2009-2010 she was a foreign correspondent in South Asia for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Public Business, a nonprofit supporting investigative business journalism and public debate about the wider impact of business. At Brown, she was a Herald columnist for eight semesters, a contributor to the Independent, and an editor at Clerestory and the Brown Journal of World Affairs.

Ben Schreckinger ’12 served as co-editor-in-chief of The Herald in 2011. He recently completed an Atlantic Media Fellowship, covering public policy and politics for National Journal in Washington, D.C. He has written for Slate, The Boston Globe Ideas section, and the Associated Press. In June, he will travel to Burma to report on the country’s turbulent transition toward openness with GlobalPost.

The forum will consist of moderated discussion among the panelists and an opportunity for audience questions. It will last approximately one hour, allowing forum attendees to participate in the Baccalaureate ceremony or attend the annual Herald alumni reception after the event.

Connecticut police arrested suspect Tory Lussier at his house in Vernon, Conn. Wednesday, WPRI reported.

Law enforcement officials announced Friday that Dillon Ingham ’14 has been charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the disturbance, the Boston Globe reported. Police declined to discuss the extent of Ingham’s alleged involvement, the Globe reported.

Lussier, a member of the U.S. Marine Reserves, appeared in Providence District Court Friday and was released on bail, the Globe reported.

Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General Charles Calenda said the assault was unprovoked, but John Lombardi, Lussier’s attorney, said his client was acting in self-defense, the Globe reported.

Lombardi said Lussier was trying to protect another Marine from being beaten at the crime scene, New England Cable News reported Thursday. Lussier was visiting fellow Marines in Providence at the time of the assault, Lombardi said.

Officials have scheduled a pretrial hearing July 22, the Globe reported.

Lussier is also currently facing charges in Connecticut of breach of peace, second-degree assault and second-degree assault of an elderly person after being arrested in Vernon in September, the Globe reported. Connecticut police charged him with beating two individuals, one of whom — who was 68 years old — allegedly lost consciousness, NECN reported.

The student was talking with two other people — one male and one female — at the corner of George and Thayer streets when he was approached by another male who punched him in the face, Oates said. The student fell to the ground from the blow, receiving “severe head injuries” as a result, Oates said.

PPD dispatched officers to the corner of George and Thayer at 2:25 a.m. after receiving a call from DPS officers about the reported assault, Oates said.

Dardashti currently serves as director of community engagement at Temple Beth El, a Conservative congregation in Stamford, Conn. She will start her new position at the University this summer, according to the press release.

The search to fill the position began when Rabbi Mordechai Rackover announced in December he would leave the University at the end of this academic year, The Herald previously reported. An Orthodox Jew, Rackover has served as Hillel’s rabbi since the fall of 2008.

Dardashti was chosen from almost 100 applicants for the position, said Harpo Jaeger ’14, one of two students on the search committee. The search committee members, who chose a Conservative rabbi to succeed an Orthodox rabbi, decided early in the process that they “didn’t want the person’s practice to matter” when they made their selection, Jaeger said. “People from all Jewish backgrounds” applied and were strongly considered, Jaeger said. “It wasn’t like by picking someone who wasn’t Orthodox we were ‘trading down.’”

Janet Cooper-Nelson, University chaplain, praised the committee’s selection. “I think (Dardashti is) a wonderful mix of traditional scholarship and very modern, socially engaged understandings of the traditions of Judaism,” Cooper-Nelson said.

Dardashti comes from a diverse background — her father is Iranian, her mother is an American folk singer and she is married to an Australian Jew, according to Hillel’s press release.

With a family “literally from all over the world,” Dardashti “knows many different traditions of Judaism and is not only acquainted with them but really values them,” Cooper-Nelson said.

Dardashti said her perspective fits well with the culture of “openness” at Brown.

“Brown is a place that is interested in melding one’s own personal story with a broader story,” she said.

Emmet Golden-Marx ’13 and Jesse Golden-Marx ’13, student leaders of Hillel’s Reform services, said they are pleased with Dardashti’s appointment.

“The response in the Reform minyan was positive,” said Emmet Golden-Marx. “It sounds like she has a real focus on the community.”

Dardashti said she received two other offers at synagogues, but the “pace of a university” and the “unique opportunity” of serving at Brown made the choice “very clear.”

“College is all about … exploration and learning and wanting to develop oneself,” Dardashti said. “People are certainly eager to grow and learn generally, and my role is helping make Judaism a piece of that.”

For the second year in a row, more students have committed to the University than expected, Miller wrote. Last year, 55.8 percent of admitted students committed to Brown, a six-year high. This year’s 60 percent yield rate is the University’s highest since 1998, the first year for which such data is available from the Office of Institutional Research.

The University anticipated an incoming class of 1,515 students, or 57 percent of accepted students. Instead, about 1,589 have committed to Brown. The total number of students in the class of 2017 is not yet final because some students have secured extensions on the May 1 commitment deadline due to financial reasons, Miller wrote.

But the Admission Office expects the number of committed students to decrease as some may decide to take gap years or attend other universities to which they are admitted from waitlists, Miller wrote.

The Admission Office will likely admit only “a handful” of students off the waitlist this year, Miller wrote. No students on last year’s waitlist were offered admission.

This year is the first in a three-year process of implementing former President Ruth Simmons’ recommendations for reducing the number of admission spots for recruited athletes.

Following the Corporation’s approval of Simmons’ recommendations last year, the Admission Office was required to cut 20 spots reserved for recruited athletes — from 225 to 205 — within the subsequent three years, The Herald previously reported. Two hundred and sixteen recruits — 10 fewer than last year — were admitted, Miller wrote.

David Savitz, current professor of epidemiology and obstetrics and gynecology, will assume the position of vice president for research starting Sept. 1, Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 announced in a community-wide email Tuesday.

Savitz has “an incredible history” of expertise in leadership, administrative and research roles that will prepare him effectively for the position, said Kristi Wharton, associate professor of medical science and a member of the faculty search committee.

Savitz previously chaired the epidemiology department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and directed the Disease Prevention and Public Health Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He joined the University faculty in 2010, and he currently holds dual appointments in the School of Public Health and Alpert Medical School.

Wharton said Savitz presented ideas about cross-departmental retreats and lunch meetings and articulated a commitment to the Seed Fund, a program that provides money for new research initiatives.

The signing ceremony immediately followed a vote in the House of Representatives supporting the legislation, which passed in the Senate April 24. Though the House passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in January, the Senate added protections to allow religious officials who oppose same-sex marriage to decline to officiate them, requiring the House to vote again to approve the changes.

The signing ceremony opened with a performance by the Providence Gay Men’s Chorus. Master of Ceremonies Stephen Hourihan opened the ceremony, saying today of all days, he was especially proud to be an openly gay man.

“I’m proud of the way Rhode Islanders came together,” he said. Countless people “worked tirelessly to pass this legislation,” he added.

Chafee began his speech with a quote from his January 2011 inaugural address.

“When marriage equality is the law in Rhode Island, we honor our forefathers who risked their lives and fortune in the pursuit of human equality,” he said. “I am proud and honored to make the Marriage Equality Act the law of the land.” Calling the history of same-sex marriage legislation an arduous battle, Chafee said Rhode Island’s LGBTQ community and allies had long awaited the legalization of same-sex marriage.

“Now, you are free to marry the person you love,” he said. “We couldn’t be here today without the Rhode Islanders who fought for freedom.”

“Today, looking at your faces, I love Rhode Island even more,” said Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, who said he began fighting for marriage equality when the first same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the General Assembly 16 years ago.

When Chafee showed support for same-sex marriage in his inaugural address two years ago, Fox said “for once, (he) wasn’t alone on this issue. (He) had a true friend.”

The passage of the legislation represents a historic moment that will change the way marriage is perceived in the state, Fox said.

“We’re not going to be talking about same-sex marriage anymore. We’re going to be talking about marriage,” he added. “This is your victory. This is our victory. We did it together.”

“Today your tenacity will be rewarded,” said Sen. Donna Nesselbush ’84, who sponsored the original legislation.

The legislation gradually gained support of legislators and organizations, Nesselbush said. “We changed the hearts and minds on this issue one at a time.”

“Every generation has a chance to further the cause for equality,” she said, and Rhode Island has now taken that chance.

“Today we send a message of tolerance and equality to all Americans,” said advocate Christopher Utter, who said he has been in a committed relationship with his partner for nearly 20 years.

Julia Harvey ’14, who was born and raised in Rhode Island, said she testified in support of same-sex marriage at 4 a.m. during a marathon 12-hour hearing of the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Harvey said she is proud she has the right to “marry the person (she) loves in her own state.”

Dowling will succeed interim CIO Kenneth Shimberg, who has served since Cynthia Frost left the position in December. Frost began her tenure in July 2000 and was the University’s first-ever CIO, The Herald previously reported.

Dowling will begin his new post in June, according to the press release.

“We are thrilled to have Joe,” said Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper. “He was our top choice.”

The University formed a subcommittee of the Corporation’s Investment Committee to conduct the search for a new CIO, Huidekoper said. The subcommittee then developed a detailed job description for the position and hired a headhunting firm to aid in the search, she said.

Dowling “brought to the table excellent management and investment experience,” Huidekoper said, adding that President Christina Paxson interviewed Dowling and made the final selection.

In addition to his strong investment qualifications and detailed plans, Dowling expressed the most enthusiasm of any of the candidates about joining the Brown community, Huidekoper said.

“I am honored to get the position,” Dowling said, adding that he plans to work with Chancellor Thomas Tisch ’76, Paxson, investment committee members and students to grow Brown’s $2.5 billion endowment. During Frost’s 12-year tenure, the endowment nearly doubled from a starting point of under $1.4 billion in 2000, The Herald previously reported.

“I want to make sure that this asset is invested prudently,” Dowling said, referring to the endowment.

Dowling highlighted low interest rates as a continuing challenge for growing the University’s endowment, adding that he will work to ensure the University makes good returns on its investments despite “the current economic landscape.” The endowment posted 6.7 percent in annual returns on average under Frost’s stewardship, but growth has slowed since the financial crisis, with only a 1 percent return in fiscal year 2012.The endowment will provide about $110 million of the University’s $902 million operating budget during the upcoming fiscal year 2014, according to the press release.

Dowling said students’ needs are a key factor he will consider as CIO. “I work for everyone,” he said.

Dowling grew up in Providence near campus and attended the Moses Brown School until he was a junior, he said. His father, Joseph Dowling, Jr., ’47, is a University trustee emeritus and was a faculty member and administrator for the University’s athletics program, he added.

Tripathi’s body was identified April 25, more than a month after he went missing.

The memorial service took place on a sunny spring day, the kind friends said he would have spent juggling on the Main Green. University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson and President Christina Paxson paid their respects to Tripathi and his family before opening the floor for others to offer their remembrances in the tradition of the Quaker service.

Tripathi, a philosophy concentrator on leave from the University, often served as a source of calm, said sister Sangeeta Tripathi ’04 at the memorial service. “He just always had a way of, within one sentence or a few words, putting things in perspective.”

“He lived a very contemplative life,” said Joe Rosner ’12, a friend who lived near Tripathi during their sophomore and junior years.

But he also had a humorous side. “He had a very dry sense of humor, which would always catch you by surprise because he was a very quiet guy,” Rosner said.

Tripathi chose his words carefully, making sure never to hurt anyone, even inadvertently, Yvonne Yu ’14 said.

“I never heard him say a bad word about anybody,” said Kelly Winter ’12, a friend who lived near Tripathi during their junior years.

Tripathi often comforted friends and strangers in times of need, interning with the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless in Pawtucket one summer, friends recalled at the memorial service. The youngest of three children, he left his parents an empty nest when he started college, mother Judy Tripathi said at the service — so he called her every night for two years after arriving at Brown.

Yu recalled Tripathi walking a guest home at the end of a party she threw when the student didn’t want to walk alone, even though he did not know her. “He was just willing to go to really great lengths for other people,” Yu said.

While Tripathi was widely described by friends as careful and quiet, his composure belied strong passions for philosophy, music, the environment and even the Sharpe Refectory, where friends said he was known for eating nearly anything within the bounds of his vegetarianism.

Tripathi, who played the saxophone, took multiple classes in the Department of Music and performed in a wind symphony group and a saxophone quartet. “It meant a great deal to him, this world without words,” said Professor of Music David Josephson at the memorial service.

“He had a more ideological view of education, like you should be at college to learn what you want to learn,” said Vincent Pham ’12, who became friends with Tripathi as his first-year CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure” lab partner and later lived with him one summer in Providence.

Conversations with Tripathi were marked by his ability to be fully present, whether pondering something he learned in a philosophy class or having the patience to teach relatives Sudoku, friends and family members said. “The one thing about Sunny: When he would sit with you, he was with you,” said aunt Lisa Vargas at the memorial service. “There was no other place in the world he was.”

Sangeeta Tripathi added that despite the service’s sad atmosphere — which she said her brother would have hated — the family was inspired by the outpouring of support it had received since Tripathi’s disappearance. “There’s so much love in this room,” she said.

After friends and family members spoke, a saxophonist closed the tribute with a performance of “Ave Maria.”

Attendees left messages of love and condolence on program inserts, which bore the outline of a hand with fingers outstretched.

“Sometimes it seems like we have to lose people to discover how special they were,” wrote Tripathi’s girlfriend Malika Hale ’13 in an email to The Herald. “With Sunil, I always felt like everybody already knew.”

Todd Harris ’14.5 will be president of the Undergraduate Council of Students next year, winning 54 percent of the vote to defeat Afia Kwakwa ’14 in a run-off election.

UCS President Anthony White ’13 announced the results on the Faunce steps Thursday evening.

The run-off was employed because in the first round of voting last week — which also included candidate Daniel Pipkin ’14 — no candidate received a majority.

Harris added that he looks forward to focusing on the “top three” initiatives of his platform — in addition to improving advising, he aims to strengthen student-alumni partnerships and expand community initiatives — as president next year.

Kwakwa said she plans on joining the council next year as a general body member. She added that she will continue to push for the council to pursue parts of her platform, such as ensuring quality hydration facilities and improving the council’s transparency to the student body.

“I’m very glad Todd is president,” said Leila Veerasamy ’15, who won the race for chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board against Alex Sherry ’15 in last week’s election.

“We get along really well,” Veerasamy said. “It’s going to be very helpful for UCS-UFB relations.”

“I know Todd is going to do an amazing job as UCS president,” White said.

White said he was “heartened” by the increased voter turnout — about 48 percent of undergraduates — in this year’s election. Though Brown has historically faced lower voter turnout in student government elections than other Ivy League schools, the turnout this year “puts us more in line with our peers,” he said.

White said he will make himself available to Harris to advise him in his new role.

“Any time he needs me, he can pick up the phone,” White said.

The Rhode Island state medical examiner’s office performed an exam Wednesday and positively identified the body Thursday morning through a forensic dental examination, Chadwick said.

The cause of death is still unknown and is pending further study, Chadwick said. She added that she was unsure how long the body had been in the water before it was discovered.

The Brown men’s crew team first spotted the body while rowing on the Providence River late Tuesday afternoon.

Tripathi’s family confirmed the identification Thursday morning through a press statement and a post on the Facebook page dedicated to searching for him.

“We extend our thanks for the words of encouragement, for your thoughts, for your hands, for your prayers and for the love you have so generously shared,” the statement read. “At this time, we ask for privacy for our family and for our love for Sunny.”

Tripathi was last seen by housemates at his Angell Street apartment March 15, and surveillance camera footage pictured a man resembling him walking south away from his apartment at about 1:30 a.m. March 16.

Tripathi, a philosophy concentrator, took a leave of absence from the University in spring 2011 and struggled with depression, The Herald previously reported. Family members told The Herald after he went missing that he seemed to be doing well in the weeks before his disappearance. Tripathi left a note in his apartment that his sister said might have indicated suicidal intent.

After his disappearance, family members, friends and police officers conducted searches throughout New England, with assistance from the FBI.

Tripathi received international attention last week when online commenters mistakenly identified him as one of the potential suspects in the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. Speculative posts on websites including Twitter, Reddit and Facebook claimed photos of one of the suspects resembled Tripathi and that Boston police scanners had named Tripathi as a possible suspect, The Herald previously reported. Tripathi’s name was never mentioned on the scanners, and the rumors were confirmed false Friday.

President Christina Paxson expressed sympathy for those close to Tripathi in the wake of the news in a community-wide email Thursday morning.

“For more than a month our community has sought to support the Tripathi family in their courageous and tireless efforts to search for Sunil,” she wrote. “We extend our deepest condolences to Sunil’s family for their loss and for the immeasurable pain they have endured during this period.”

The Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life and Psychological Services are offering support to members of the Brown community, and a memorial service for Tripathi is planned for Saturday, Paxson wrote.

Last updated 2:43 p.m., April 25.