SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLVIII, ISSUE 50
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Exploring Providence’s historic Chinatown WHAT’S INSIDE Former residents, researchers talk landmarks important to community BY KATHY WANG, JACOB SMOLLEN, JULIA VAZ & ALEX NADIRASHVILI UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR, METRO EDITORS & MANAGING EDITOR When asked to recount the history of Providence’s Chinatown, sources pointed to fixtures that are long gone: restaurants, community centers, apartment buildings and laundromats. But a single physical component of the vibrant Chinese community that once inhabited the heart of Providence remains unchanged after a century: the alley between Empire and Walnut streets. The alley is the “only remaining space” from Chinatown’s earliest era, said Jeffrey Yoo Warren, a Providence-based artist and researcher who initiated the “Seeing Providence Chinatown” project. Starting in the late 19th century, Providence saw an influx of Chinese immigrants escaping economic unrest in search of financial stability overseas. While Chinese immigrants initially hoped to benefit from the West Coast gold rush and other ventures, some were pushed to the East Coast amid anti-Chinese sentiments and legislation. Over time, growing Chinese migrant populations across U.S. cities formed Chinatowns — neighborhoods where Chinese immigrants lived and worked, establishing flourishing businesses and cultural spaces. The Herald spoke with several former residents of Providence’s historic Chinatown and researchers who have studied the city’s cultural roots to capture the history, voices and legacy of a once-thriving downtown community.
Three phases of PVD Chinatown According to Professor Emeritus of American Studies Robert Lee, trade with China was one of the “main economic anchors” of 18th-century Providence. Local merchants — like the Brown and Nightingale families traded with China among many other areas of investment, such as the transatlantic slave trade or rum industry. “They were kind of cheek-by-jowl,” Lee said. “You could take money out of the slave trade and invest in underwriting the China trade.” This trade sparked Chinese immigration to Providence, with merchants often bringing immigrants to the city in their “entourage,” said John Eng-Wong, visiting scholar in Ethnic studies and special assistant to American Studies. While there “was a degree of openness” when receiving these immigrants, Eng-Wong said there was also a sense of “discomfort” with the presence of Chinese people in Providence. In 1880, only 40 Chinese immigrants lived in Rhode Island, according to the U.S. census. The history of Providence’s Chinatown can be divided into three phases: from the 1880s to 1914, 1915 to 1965 — and from 1965 on, according to Yuanyuan (Angela) Feng GS MA’18, who co-curated a 2018 project on Providence Chinatown. In the late 19th century, Providence’s Chinatown was located downtown on Empire Street and was primarily a “bachelor society,” as men often migrated to the U.S. to send money back to their families. This was largely due to racist U.S. immigration policies and gender expectations in China that kept women back home, Feng said. The Page Act of 1875 prohibited “ unfree laborers and women brought for ‘immoral purposes’” from entering the United States and primarily targeted Chinese workers. “It was demeaning
SEE CHINATOWN PAGE 20
SPORTS
Women’s basketball wins 90-35 against Johnson & Wales SEE PAGE 6
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Brown celebrates ’23.5ers at Midyear Completion Ceremony SEE PAGE 16
ARTS & CULTURE
RISD student artists discuss meaning behind their craft SEE PAGE 18
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
Pembroke Center hosts panel to discuss gender disparities in medicine SEE PAGE 22
2023 in Review
COURTESY OF JEFFREY YOO WARREN AND ROBERT YANG
ADMISSION & FINANCIAL AID
U. trails Ivies in percentage of students on financial aid Size of U.’s fin aid packages in middle of pack among Ivy League peers BY OWEN DAHLKAMP SENIOR STAFF WRITER Brown and other Ivy League schools have recently faced intensifying scrutiny about the economic diversity of their student bodies. One analysis from the New York Times showed that the University was tied for 230th of 286 schools in its percentage of Pell Grant recipients — the lowest among all Ivy League schools. Financial aid offers a high-level, if imperfect, view of a college’s economic diversity. Packages vary from student to student, but the portion of students who apply for and receive financial aid, as well as the average package, create data points detailing a given school’s financial accessibility.
By dollar value, Brown’s financial aid packages are squarely in the middle of the pack among its Ivy League peers. But the University consistently ranks lowest or second-lowest in the Ivy League in the portion of students who apply for and receive financial aid, The Herald’s analysis of Common Data Sets from 2012-13 to 2022-23 found. The numbers From 2012-13 to 2021-22, Brown ranked last in the Ivy League in the percentage of students receiving financial aid. The gap between Brown and Penn, its closest peer, has been as big as 5% and as small as fractions of a percentage point through the years. In the 2022-23 academic year, Penn’s proportion of students receiving aid dipped slightly lower than Brown’s. The proportion of students who receive financial aid at the University has also remained relatively stable over the past 10 years, hovering around 45%.
Brown also has one of the lowest proportions of financial aid applications from its students, trading off with Penn in recent years. But for financial aid application rates for first-years, Brown is among the middle of the Ivies: The number has fluctuated between just under 50% and over 63%. For non-first-years, the percentage applying for aid drops to the lowest in the Ivy League — between 44 and 49%. The drop has occurred in each year over the past decade, though similar drops are visible at most other Ivy schools each year. In an email responding to these trends, University Spokesperson Brian Clark pointed to an increase in students hailing from “moderate-income households” after the implementation of the Brown Promise in 2018. The Brown Promise is an initiative that replaced loans with scholarship funds in the University’s undergradu-
ate financial aid packages, The Herald previously reported. “In 2017-18, 54% of incoming firstyear undergraduates came from moderate-income households,” he wrote. “By 2022-23, it had surged to 67%.” The University defines moderate-income households as “families with incomes in excess of $100,000 yet a combination of income and assets in which they still receive need-based scholarships,” according to Clark. They are usually “students who typically do not qualify for the level of financial aid offered to families with lower incomes, yet also do not have the full resources to cover the cost of attending college.” Another way to look at Brown’s financial aid is through the award rate, the proportion of students applying for aid who ultimately receive assistance. The number has fluctuated since 201213, when it stood at a high mark of 92%. It dropped to 83.64% in 2018-19, but
SEE RANK PAGE 3
SEE PAGE 8
post-
SEE PAGE 10
PAGE 2
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
TODAY
2
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
Saint Augustine’s University reportedly fires President Christine McPhail
Saint Augustine’s University fired President Christine McPhail, who became president of the University in 2021. According to a SAU Board of Trustees member, McPhail’s firing was caused by personnel issues.
3
The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. to shut down in May 2024
The century-old Catholic college, which enrolled 2,800 students in the fall of 2022, has announced that it does not have the financial resources to operate for another academic year.
A. Ivy Room B. Josiah’s C. Sharpe Refectory D. Verney Woolley Dining Hall
A. John Krasinski B. Andrew Yang C. Emma Watson D. Janet Yellen
2. What is closest to your concentration?
7. What is your favorite campus publication?
A. Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences B. Independent Concentration C. English D. The Trinity (Econ, APMA and CS)
A. The Indy B. Brown Noser C. The BDH D. BPR
3. What is your favorite study spot on campus?
8. What is your ideal Friday night?
A. Hay Library B. Your dorm room C. Campus Center D. Sciences Library
A. Concert in Boston B. Ego C. Wine night D. Small Victories
4. What is your favorite campus tradition?
9. Who was your favorite artist from Spring Weekend?
A. Primal scream B. Main Green on 4/20 C. Naked Donut Run D. Brown-Harvard Game
A. Ethel Cain B. Alice Longyu Gao C. Remi Wolf D. JID
5. What is your favorite outdoor campus space?
10. What are your postgrad plans?
A. Quiet Green B. I don’t go outside C. Main Green D. Wriston Quad
A. Backpacking across Europe B. Unemployment C. Graduate school D. Consulting
Were most of your answers As? You’re thoughtful and despondent but deep down you’re almost always ready to scream your head off. You would probably enjoy taking a listen to some of boygenius’s music.
On Monday, Dec. 4, faculty, lecturers, counselors, librarians and coaches at Cal Poly Pomona, San Francisco State University, Cal State LA and Sac State went on strike for one day to demand a 12% salary raise and 6-weeks of parental leave.
6. Who is your favorite alumni?
Were most of your answers Bs? You’re definitely the crazy one in your friendgroup — they can’t take you anywhere! Take a listen to some music from hyperpop superstars 100 Gecs.
California State University faculty held a strike calling for higher pay
1. What is your favorite dining hall on campus?
Were most of your answers Cs? You probably enjoy some nice autumn walks and had an unhealthy co-dependent relationship with your high school English teacher. Take a listen to some Taylor Swift!
1
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
QUIZ: Answer 10 questions about Brown to find out what major 2023 artist you are.
Were most of your answers Ds? You may not be at Brown to make use of the Open Curriculum (because Econ is such a demanding concentration), but you’ll certainly make use of the Career Center. And you probably love listening to Drake.
WEEK IN HIGHER ED
THIS WEEKEND Providence Medical Orchestra Holiday Pops Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Sayles Hall
Brown University Orchestra Concert Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Lindemann Performing Arts Center
The Thin Place Dec. 9 at 8:00 p.m. Leeds Theatre
Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Northeastern Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m Meehan Auditorium
NEXT WEEK Drop It Like It’s Hot (Chocolate) Dec. 11 at 4:00 p.m. Stonewall House
Square Dancing with the OldTime String Band Dec. 12 at 9:00 p.m. Fulton Rehearsal Hall
Faculty Entrepeneur Connect Dec. 15 at 10:00 a.m. The Nelson Center
Carney Institute Holiday Party Dec. 15 at 3:00 p.m. 164 Angell St.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WEB EXCLUSIVE
PAGE 3
UNIVERSITY NEWS
RANK FROM PAGE 1 has fluctuated between 85 and 87% since 2020-21. Brown ranks solidly in the middle of the Ivy League in average financial aid and need-based grants awarded, with a steady increase in the average award amount over the past decade as the cost of attendance has also risen.
Students discuss pre-grad school plans, rationale
No Empty Seats raises money for suicide prevention
Brown celebrates ’23.5ers at Midyear Ceremony READ IT ONLINE
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
How does Brown determine financial aid? Brown meets 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need, allowing the University to enroll “exceptionally talented students from all socioeconomic backgrounds,” Clark wrote. He also noted “financial aid offers, the share of undergraduates receiving financial aid, the distribution of students across income levels and many other indicators” in “recent decades” as evidence of strengthened socioeconomic diversity on campus. From 2012-13 to 2022-23, the share of undergraduates receiving financial aid has not changed significantly, though the size of the student body has grown, meaning the total number of students who receive financial aid has grown. There has also been a decrease in the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants — a federal scholarship reserved for students with “exceptional financial need” — on campus. The University did not provide data detailing the distribution of family income levels on campus. Colleges employ a federal methodology to determine federal student aid awards, according to Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. In addition to federal policies, the University uses an institutional methodology policy to award grants, which includes “several income and asset factors not considered” in federal methodology.
The College Board, which creates the standard version of the IM, lists the consideration of detailed analyses of investment equity, real estate and noncustodial parent information. “We believe in most instances that the Institutional Methodology of need analysis more accurately determines a family’s ability to pay for education,” the University policy states. “The schools that have more dollars to spend will typically use an institutional methodology, which they can tailor a little bit more than the federal methodology,” Desjean said. In the 2022-23 academic year, the University ended consideration of home equity in financial aid calculations and decreased student contribution requirements. “The resulting increased scholarships cover full tuition for families earning $125,000 or less a year with typical assets,” Clark wrote. For those from households making less than $60,000, “Brown scholarships cover all expenses — tuition, room, board and books,” along with personal expenses. 56% fewer students took out loans to pay for Brown’s cost of attendance last year in comparison to pre-Brown Promise levels, according to Clark. Future steps “Intentional recruiting practices are so important for economic diversity,” said Nick Lee ’26, co-lead of the Admissions and Access Team for the on-campus advocacy organization Students for Educational Equity at Brown. He encouraged the University to “go into places that are under-resourced, where you get consistently less socioeconomically diverse applicants.” Brown “recruit(s) and admit(s) students based on a broad range of factors,” Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell previously told The Herald. Recruitment efforts target “first-generation students, students from rural backgrounds, student veter-
ans, students who work with community-based organizations” and students from Providence Public Schools and the Community College of Rhode Island. Lee added that he believes that “Brown should be (consciously) admitting lower-income students.” The students that benefit the most from attending an institution like Brown “are actually lower-income students,” said Niyanta Nepal ’25, co-president of SEE. “They see the biggest rise in socioeconomic status” after attending Brown, Nepal pointed out. Desjean said she also hopes that the simplified upcoming Free Application for Federal Student Aid “will make the application process easier and more accurate,” decreasing the verification workload required by financial aid offices.
SEE members said they submitted direct recommendations to Provost Francis Doyle in his capacity as co-chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions Policies — a group currently considering changes to the University’s admissions practices. In the appeal reviewed by The Herald, SEE recommended “ending preferred legacy admissions, permanently instituting a standardized testing optional policy and considering a Restrictive Early Action policy.” “These policies are essential in the pursuit of an equitable and just admissions process,” the report reads, directly citing Brown’s commitment to “creating a more diverse and inclusive academic community” on campus. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor.
SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD 133RD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Will Kubzansky Managing Editors Katy Pickens Alex Nadirashvili Senior Editors Augustus Bayard Caleb Lazar Peter Swope Kaitlyn Torres POST- MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Liu NEWS Metro Editors Rhea Rasquinha Jacob Smollen Julia Vaz Jack Tajmajer Science & Research Editors Haley Sandlow Gabriella Vulakh Arts & Culture Editors Finn Kirkpatrick
Rya Vallabhaneni Sports Editor Linus Lawrence University News Editors Charlie Clynes Sam Levine Neil Mehta Haley Sandlow Kathy Wang Aniyah Nelson Katie Jain
Photo Editors Mathieu Greco Lilly Nguyen Kaiolena Tacazon Social Media Chief Sahil Balani Podcast Editors Finn Kirkpatrick Jacob Smollen Director of Technology Swetabh Changkakoti
COMMENTARY Editorial Page Editors Kate Waisel Devan Paul
PRODUCTION Copy Desk Chief Brendan McMahon
Head Opinions Editor Alissa Simon
Junior Copy Desk Chief Anna Dubey
Opinions Editors Juliet Fang Yael Wellisch Anika Bahl MULTIMEDIA Photo Chiefs Elsa Choi-Hausman Claire Diepenbrock
@the_herald
Design Chief Neil Mehta Junior Design Chief Gray Martens
Designers Allyson Chen Julia Dubnoff Joyce Gao Audrey He Michelle Jun Aijoon (Jennie) Lee Menasha Leport Nathaniel Scott Kaiolena Tacazon Angela Xu Jane Zhou
Op-eds are typically between 600 and 900 words and advance a clear argument related to a topic of campus discourse. You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words and respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, or critique or commend The Herald’s editorial decisions. You can submit letters to the editor to letters@browndailyherald.com. Submissions undergo multiple rounds of editing. These rounds of editing generally take place over the course of one evening, and you may have to respond to edits late in the evening. If you know you will be unable to do so, please mention that in your email, and we will do our best to work with you. Submissions can build on reporting from The Herald, reporting elsewhere, official statements from the University or other groups and other reputable sources, but they cannot break news or contain information that The Herald cannot verify. Because we cannot publish unsubstantiated information, failure to provide appropriate sources may mean we have to modify or remove unverified claims. The Herald will not publish anonymous submissions or submissions authored by organizations. Leaders of student organizations can be identified as such but cannot write under the byline of their organization.
BUSINESS General Managers Joe Belfield Andrew Willwerth
The Herald cannot publish all submissions it receives and reserves the right to edit all submissions.
Sales Director Alexander Zhou
Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald.
Finance Director Eli Pullaro Office Manager Cary Warner
Design Editors Ashley Guo Tiffany Tran
@browndailyherald
88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com
All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media) and must be exclusive to The Herald. Once your submission is published in The Herald, The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. owns the copyright to the materials.
The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 one semester daily. Copyright 2023 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
METRO
BROWN & BEYOND
Brown’s relationships with hospitals in Rhode Island
Brown will enter new agreement with Lifespan in 2024, potentially renaming Lifespan to Brown Health BY CIARA MEYER STAFF WRITER Earlier this fall, Brown announced that it would enter an agreement to strengthen its existing affiliation with Lifespan, the largest hospital system in Rhode Island, starting in 2024. The terms of the new partnership structure have yet to be finalized, but could include renaming Lifespan to “Brown Health,” the Herald previously reported. Lifespan’s current agreement with Brown expires on Dec. 31, after which point the new non-binding terms will take effect. This newest collaboration is the most recent in a long line of partnerships between Brown, Lifespan and the state’s second-largest hospital group, Care New England. Current partnerships Lifespan and CNE’s academic hospitals serve as teaching hospitals for Warren Alpert Medical School students, and the two hospital systems also serve as primary University collaborators for research. “Lifespan has a long-standing affiliation agreement with Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School as three of the Lifespan hospitals are academic teaching hospitals — Rhode Island, The Miriam and Bradley hospitals,” wrote Lifespan Spokesperson Kathleen Hart in an email to The Herald. “Many physicians in these hospitals are faculty members of Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and are employed by Lifespan.” “We have deep relationships across both our undergraduate … and graduate medical … educational programs,” wrote Jessica McCarthy, chief marketing officer
RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD
at CNE, in an email to The Herald. The last major update to CNE’s affiliation agreement with Brown was made in 2018, McCarthy said. In 2022, the University announced plans for a new aligned research collaboration agreement with Lifespan and CNE. The Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health plan was a key step taken by the University and its partners to support their research efforts together. CNE and Brown have both reiterated that the University’s new agreement with Lifespan will not impact their independent relationship. “As principal teaching hospitals for (Warren Alpert), we have a formal affiliation agreement, which remains in full effect,” wrote McCarthy. “CNE’s agreements today are the same as they were last week, and there are no plans to alter that ongoing and important work.” Partnership possibilities While specifics about the new agreement continue to be discussed, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 wrote in an Oct. 24 Today@Brown announcement that it will “strengthen the existing affiliation and licensing agreements between the health system and Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School.”
Paxson wrote that the institutions “collectively aspire to ensure robust health care services and biomedical research in Rhode Island and beyond” and will focus on “creating the Rhode Island Life Science Hub, working with government, civic and business leaders and other orgwanizations to create more well-paying jobs, and significantly improving access to both primary and specialty care.” Hart confirmed that Lifespan is in discussions with Brown. Regarding the potential name change to “Brown Health,” Hart wrote that “nothing is off the table in our ongoing discussions, but there is nothing to report at this point.” “It’s a little premature to characterize this potential partnership,” but it likely will not be deemed as any sort of merger, according to Yashaswini Singh, an assistant professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice whose research specializes in healthcare markets. As a member of the School of Public Health, Singh noted the bureaucratic and administrative challenges for Brown students and faculty doing research across institutions. She said the new affiliation seems to be “a research partnership” that could ease some of those difficulties. As for the impact a deepened Lifespan affiliation could have on patient
care, Singh noted that every type of partnership is different. While other local practitioners and community partners have remained relatively quiet about the new affiliation agreement, the Rhode Island Free Clinic — a Providence-based non-profit that serves uninsured adults and operates as a teaching site for aspiring healthcare workers — voiced their support for the agreement. The clinic currently partners with Lifespan, CNE and Brown. “I don’t see any downside (of the new partnership) for Rhode Island Free Clinic,” RIFC Chief Executive Officer Forrest Daniels said. “Both entities see value in what we do. … It’s in everyone’s best interest that Rhode Island Free Clinic remains here.” As for what Daniels hopes to see in the hospital system more broadly, he said, “I’d say what’s best for our patients is to ensure that we are here.” “In order for that to happen we need to ensure some long-term sustained funding,” Daniels added. Singh said that the healthcare markets that are best for patients are usually “competitive.” McCarthy noted that in the current healthcare system in Rhode Island, CNE and Lifespan “compete in certain areas,” which creates “options for care that is accessible and high quality.” Hart said that the conversations between Lifespan and Brown “have no immediate impact on care delivery in the state.” Dean Ashish Jha of the School of Public Health was not available to offer comment on the new affiliation agreement. University Spokesperson Brian Clark declined to comment until the affiliation agreement is finalized.
pursuing a deeper relationship, they stressed that the new agreement is not a revival of the Brown-endorsed 2022 proposed merger between Lifespan and Care New England. The proposal was withdrawn after Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha P’22 rejected the organizations’ application. “There is neither desire nor directive to resurrect merger discussions,” Hart wrote. While some community members came out in support of the proposed merger as a step toward cohesion and collaboration, others cited concerns about increased prices, program cuts and decreased accessibility of care, The Herald previously reported. Had the deal gone through, the new system would have employed 67% of the state’s hospital registered nurses, controlled 79% of in-patient psychological services and dominated 80% of the market for in-patient hospital care. Brown was not a legal partner in the merger proposal but did commission a report that posited the benefits of a merged system. If the deal had been approved, the University would have had voting membership on the Board of Directors and provided funding to the system, The Herald previously reported. Many of those who provided recommendations for the 2022 merger proposal could not be reached for comment about the new agreement. The Rhode Island Foundation, which organized a committee to develop a report on the potential consequences of the merger, declined to comment on the new affiliation agreement until more details about the proposed partnership are released.
Discussions continue While Lifespan and Brown are
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT
Southside Community Land Trust seeks to empower local growers in urban spaces Organizers, growers work to provide fresh, affordable produce BY SANAI RASID STAFF WRITER In 1981, Hmong refugees and residents of the South Side of Providence collaborated with three Brown students to create a space to grow nutritious food, establishing the Southside Community Land Trust. Today, SCLT is a nonprofit organization that manages over 60 community gardens and urban farms throughout Rhode Island. It supports farmers and growers as they generate produce for their neighborhoods and local farmers markets in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls. By providing “inexpensive land and agricultural resources” to residents, SCLT empowers community members to grow food for themselves and their communities, while generating income at seasonal farmers’ markets, according to the organization’s website. “I remember going into the backyard for the first time with my folks, and wrapping our heads of lettuce, picking tomatoes and making a salad,” SCLT Food Access Associate Amelia Lopez told The Herald. “SCLT’s goal is to make fresh, nutritious food abundant and affordable so that ev-
eryone in our state, regardless of income, can eat well and live well,” according to the organization’s homepage. SCLT’s mission statement says combatting food insecurity — which the organization describes as “inconsistent access to adequate nutritional foods” — drives its pursuit of supporting the health and wellness of urban neighborhoods. According to SCLT’s website, without access to fresh produce, Rhode Island residents with lower incomes may purchase processed, frozen and microwavable foods since they are more affordable and readily available, despite the adverse health effects they may cause. “Buying veggies is not the same as walking outside and grabbing what you need while eating it fresh,” said Lopez, whose mother and stepfather are growers for SCLT. “It sounds simple. But when you experience it, it’s so much more gratifying.” Lopez’s stepfather Teodulio Martinez, who immigrated to Rhode Island from the Dominican Republic in 2013, was farming in his yard when someone from SCLT saw him and offered him a plot of land at Urban Edge Farm — one of SCLT’s largest properties — to expand his efforts. In a study from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, one in three of all Rhode Island households and over 40% of Black and Latino households reported experi-
encing food insecurity in 2022. Many of the growers in SCLT are people of color, including refugees and immigrant farmers. According to SCLT’s 2021-2022 annual report, 34 languages were spoken on their farms in 2021. Due to the language barrier this creates, “for some farmers, the way that we can ask them to get us 50 bunches of kale is by texting their daughter,” Lopez said. “That’s just how we communicate. And I’ve had to do that for my parents before.” According to a study by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and the School of Public Health Survey Research Center, “45% of low-income households reported having to choose between paying for housing or paying for food at least once in the last 12 months.” Additionally, 85% of SCLT growers live below the poverty line, according to the annual report. Both figures continue to motivate SCLT’s mission to provide low-income families with tools to address food insecurity. SCLT has also spearheaded an array of youth programs to ensure that children from lower-income neighborhoods receive the education and support needed to care for the environment and their health. “There is immense power in giving food out of love and not out of anger,” said Raffini, the youth program director of SCLT. Though Raffini started as SCLT’s youth
program director in 2019, she has been an educator for the last 40 years, teaching gardening workshops for SCLT growers since the 1980s. In her current role, Raffini teaches children to grow healthy food, allowing them to participate in the process of growing an array of fruits and vegetables that they can take home to their families each week. “It is important to remember who we are growing for (and) who we are feeding, so we can grow the foods that they are used to,” Raffini said. Recently, she has been “psyched” about tropical foods — like passionfruit and sugar cane, which are typically not grown in Rhode Island — appearing in the gardens, since these foods are culturally familiar to many of the immigrant families to which SCLT provides produce. Though the growing season is currently not at its peak, The Herald toured Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, Rhode Island to get a glimpse into the inner workings of SCLT. At over 50 acres, Urban Edge Farm supports nearly 50 farmers as they grow everything from corn to kale in their plots, greenhouses and high tunnels across the facility. “It’s impossible to exist without each other,” Lopez said, pointing out the contraptions U.S. farmers invented that SCLT
growers have implemented at UEF to make their day-to-day work easier. From attaching an air conditioner to an old truck to create incubators to keep produce fresh to using repurposed barrels and washing machines to wash carrots and kale more efficiently, like farmers across the country, SCLT’s growers are “innovators,” Lopez said. She added that they help one another make their labor more efficient so the community as a whole can benefit. “I don’t think we talk about Rhode Island’s history enough, why the second you step out of Providence, there is so much farmland that covers the entire state,” Lopez said. “Now SCLT growers are reshaping that history by growing, planting and producing food to help benefit their communities.” SCLT is continuing to expand its efforts to help underserved communities in Rhode Island through its new property at 404 Broad St., which hosts a commercial kitchen for growers and three healthy restaurant spaces dedicated to providing jobs to South Side residents. Their second annual holiday bazaar will also take place this Saturday, where visitors can buy produce and engage in the community that SCLT supports. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 5
METRO WEB EXCLUSIVE
KATY PICKENS MANAGING EDITOR & VICE PRESIDENT Favorite Story: Fav story + link: I’m going to list way too many as I am wrapping up my third (!!) year with the metro section. I loved reporting on the opening of Al-Shami (because they’re just so lovely) and covering Ceremony’s new location (thank you to 131 for allowing me to publish the most ridiculous paragraph I’ve ever written). The Brown property footprint story and the series of articles on gentrification in College Hill and Fox Point will always be special to me as well. The story on the historic district zoning overlay — I know it sounds SO boring, but it’s what really got me into Metro (sorry Will for stealing your story but also not that sorry). And so many more — I’m grateful for the many great stories I’ve read, edited or written and the incredible people I have met and worked with because of this job :,) Favorite Spot: Coffee Exchange (for good coffee and better people-watching)
JACOB SMOLLEN METRO EDITOR & PODCAST EDITOR
JULIA VAZ METRO EDITOR & D&I COMMITTEE CHAIR
Favorite Story: At a weekly breakfast, a taste of RIPTA’s free transport program
Favorite Story: ‘You can’t put a price tag in that’: Little Compton addresses lack of affordable housing
Favorite Spot: The parking lot with the opposing murals on Matthewson Street downtown
Favorite Spot: South Water Street/Pedestrian Bridge grass area
Favorite Story: The magic behind the magic bars: A sweet peek inside the Brown Bakeshop
RHEA RASQUINHA METRO EDITOR Favorite Story: Gentrification and displacement in Providence: Urban renewal, economic markets, historic preservation Favorite Spot: Gano Street dock (to sit and watch the ducks!)
AVANI GHOSH SENIOR STAFF WRITER
TOM LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Favorite Story: “Rhode Island releases draft report on the presence of ‘forever chemicals’ in state” — It was so fun to write this story! I was very intimidated by something so science-driven but it was amazing to get a well-rounded understanding of the issue. It’s a great intersection of a lot of different topics.
Favorite Story: “Explore two decades of data on Brown’s payments in lieu of taxes” — I love how this story is so data-driven and comprehensive. The impact Brown has on the city as a tax-exempt institution is so important to understand, but also one that is very complex and nuanced. Voluntary payments are such a central part of The University’s relationship with Providence, and Rhea did an amazing job unpacking and explaining the program’s history. Favorite Spot: Fleet Library at RISD
Favorite Story: ‘Out of the box’ thinking to address R.I.’s housing crisis: Adaptive reuse Favorite Spot: One of the places to sit by the Providence River
YAEL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Favorite Story: 2023 Housing Fact Book, Rhode Island Zoning Atlas detail various housing trends
Favorite Story: How Brown’s campus and property holdings have changed, from 1770 to today
Favorite Spot:
Favorite Spot: Coffee Exchange
The Hay or Amy’s Cafe <3
Demonstrators gather outside Rhode Island State House to ‘Get Loud for Gaza’
MIKAYLA KENNEDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Favorite Spot: India Point Park <3
STELLA CHEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Conservation Commission seeks public comment on state’s ‘most important forests’ definition
Favorite Spot: The gardens around Rochambeau House!
Favorite Story: Student activists criticize proposed voluntary payment agreements at public hearing
SANAI RASHID SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Climate activists demand Chase Bank boycott, divestment from fossil fuels
Favorite Spot: Caspian Cafe
CIARA MEYER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JACK TAJMAJER METRO SECTION EDITOR Favorite Story: Malian artists reflect on decades-long music careers, discuss Providence’s support of African artists
Favorite Spot: Books on the Square. I first went to the bookstore with one of my best friends only a few weeks ago during a cold, lazy Sunday. It made us both feel like kids again — we watched the sunset surrounded by books, laughing about fantasy worlds.
MAYA KELLY STAFF WRITER
Favorite Story: “The Evolution of Thayer Street” — I’ve referred so many friends to this story! Even in my short tenure at Brown I’ve seen Thayer Street transform countless times, and I think looking back at the street’s turnover throughout history is fascinating. Favorite Spot: Bolt Coffee in downtown Providence!
Overdose prevention centers do not increase crime, study co-led by Brown professor finds READ IT ONLINE
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
ABBY DONOVAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Favorite Spot: Sarah Doyle Center <3
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
SPORTS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Women’s basketball dominates Johnson & Wales, extends win streak to four games Bears deliver offensive blowout against Wildcats, win 90-35 at home BY LYDELL DYER STAFF WRITER On Sunday, the women’s basketball team (6-3) took a resounding 90-35 victory over Johnson & Wales University (2-4, 1-0 Great Northeast) at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Led by career-high scoring performances from Alyssa Moreland ’26 and Olivia Young ’27, the Bears extended their winning streak to four games. The team is “playing really confidently,” Head Coach Monique LeBlanc said after the game. “As a coach, we want to pump them full of as much confidence as we can. The real magic is when they have confidence in themselves. (The team) really trusts how hard they’re playing, and from an identity standpoint, those are the types of teams that I love to coach.” Bruno’s 90 points were the most they’ve scored in a single game since defeating Mitchell College 101-45 last December. The Bears started the game aggressively, winning the opening tip and driving down the court. After buying time with their passing game, Ada Anamekwe ’26 found Moreland, who had broken free from her defender, under
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Bruno’s 90 points were the most they’ve scored in a single game since defeating Mitchell College 101-45 last December. the hoop. Boxing out the JWU defender, she scored the first points of the game — the first basket of her 15-point performance. Throughout the rest of the game, Bruno owned the paint, where they outscored the Wildcats 44-6. Aided by dominant performances inside the three-point line, Brown was able to establish its distance game early on. A few minutes later, after rebounding the ball underneath the opponent’s backboard, Moreland — who recorded her first career double-double — found Isabella Mauricio ’25, who knocked it down from three.
Up 10-0, Brown continued to score from beyond the arc, with Mauricio and Young scoring back-to-back triples. The Bears’ five first-quarter three-point shots helped them go on a 20-0 run to open the game. According to Moreland, a strong defensive performance set the stage for the Bears’ offensive success. “We had great intensity. We had a lot of turnovers, a lot of fast breaks,” she said. “And even if it wasn’t turnovers, our rebounding rate was really high.” “Getting rebounds, pushing in transition and turning (turnovers) into
buckets” is what ultimately helped propel the Bears to a 26-7 first-quarter lead, she explained. In the second quarter, Bruno pulled even further ahead. On the defensive side, they kept the paint clean, contesting the ball and preventing the Wildcats from getting off clean shots, allowing only a single field goal in the period. On the offensive side, the Bears made 53% of their shots in the quarter, going into halftime up 49-13. “We came out with full intensity,” Young said. “We came out giving everything we could give and it allowed us
to score big for each quarter. Besides (today), we haven’t been shooting as well, so this game gave us a lot of confidence and that will help us continue shooting better in the future.” Coming out of halftime, the Bears continued their unrelenting attack. In a play that was representative of the entire game, Young intercepted a JWU inbound pass. Playing the ball down the court, she found Moreland in full stride for a layup. Over the course of the game, Bruno forced 22 turnovers on the defensive end. On offense, they flipped the court efficiently, scoring 33 points off of turnovers. JWU’s attempts at a comeback were futile: For every point they scored, the Bears scored at least two, pulling ahead 67-21 by the start of the fourth quarter. By the end of the game, Brown reached a game-high 55-point lead to secure a 90-35 victory. The feeling in the locker room was “really good” after the game, Young said. “We’re happy we could score a lot of points — everybody on the team scored.” “It’s definitely given us a lot of confidence for our next game against (the University of Massachusetts) Lowell,” Young added. The Bears are set to take on UMass Lowell at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
SWIMMING & DIVING
Men’s swimming takes home dominant dual meet win, women’s team drops close competition Aidan Wilson ’24 leads Bears to victory with long distance wins BY DENNIS CAREY SENIOR STAFF WRITER Both the men and women’s swimming and diving teams competed against Yale at home in dual meets this weekend. The men’s team defeated the Bulldogs by a large margin, but the women’s team was unable to secure a victory in a close dual meet. The men’s team took a resounding 199.50 to 100.50 win, shutting the Bulldogs down and keeping them off the podium. Harrison Powe ’25, Jack Kelly ’25, Nathan DePiero ’24 and Jonathan Gim ’27 took first in the 200 medley relay to earn an early 11 points. The Bears’ second team followed up with a thirdplace finish to grab another two points. “That was a tremendous win for our program today. We jumped on a very good Yale team early, winning the opening relay, and did not let up,” wrote Kevin Norman, the men’s swimming & diving head coach, in a message to The Herald via Brown Athletics. “We got huge contributions from so many people and I could not be more proud of how tough we were today. Winning always feels great, but that was a special one.” The team’s win streak continued into the 1000 freestyle as Aidan Wilson ’24, Max Hardart ’26 and Andrew Berzolla ’24 swept the top three for a quick 16 points. Wilson went on to dominate in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:31.22,
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
The men’s team swept the top three positions in the 100 fly and taking the top 2 spots in the 200 IM and 400 free relay. about three seconds ahead of Yale’s best swimmer. Berzolla would also achieve second — less than two seconds behind Wilson — in the 500 for another 4. Kelly took second in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:58.24, nearly two seconds ahead of the second place Yale swimmer. The Bears were unable to take first in the 200 freestyle but positioned themselves second, third and fourth on the podium to outscore Yale in that event as well. “You can win dual meets by taking a few very talented athletes and spreading them throughout your lineup to win events. This was not one of those wins,” Norman wrote in a message to The Herald via Brown Athletics. “We
had several people step up and have the best dual meet performances of their collegiate careers. Everyone contributed in a big way which is why the score ended up being more lopsided than we anticipated. I would say this was probably our best dual meet performance as a team since I’ve been at Brown.” The closing stages of the meet were characteristic of Bruno’s dominance throughout the whole day, sweeping the top three positions in the 100 butterfly, taking the top 2 in the 200 IM and closing the day finishing with first and second in the 400 free relay. “A big win like this definitely provides a huge team morale boost as we enter a very critical time of the year, both academically and athletical-
ly,” Norman wrote. “This team has lofty goals on both fronts, in order to achieve those goals you need to be dedicated to putting in the work.” The women’s team didn’t find the same success, losing in a 149-151 heartbreaker. Bruno was unable to take home the win in the 200 medley relay, with a team of Jenna Reznicek ’25, Gillian Tu ’27, Hannah Ahn ’27 and Morgan Lukinac ’26 grabbing second with a time of 1:41.72, only half a second behind the winning Yale team. Bruno also achieved third in the relay. Kelly Dolce ’26 took home second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.98 and second in the 100 free with a time of 51.36. The big wins of the day came from
Reznicek, who won both the 200 and 100 backstrokes to give the Bears a much-needed 18 points. Lukinac was able to take home the win in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.28, but was isolated at the top of the podium. “For short sprints, I visualize my race before I swim. I think about going from a 0 to 100 effort level as fast as I can,” Lukinac wrote in a message to The Herald via Brown Athletics. “In the relays, there’s always so much energy from my teammates that the adrenaline makes the race feel super fast.” The Bears belly flopped in the long distance but achieved first, third and fourth in the 100 fly for a late points boost. Despite winning first and second in the 400 free relay, the Bears were unable to take home the overall points victory after their third place team was disqualified. “Off the top of my head, I think we still have some work to be done on the efficiency of our relay exchanges. I think we all swam really well but it’s those little things that can make or break a meet with really close competition,” wrote Lukinac. “That being said, we were really excited to have such a competitive meet, and although it was tough that it came down to something so close, it only makes us more excited to see them again during championship season!” Swimming season will resume in the spring when the Bears take on Columbia in a home dual meet on Jan. 13. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 6, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 7
SPORTS
YEAR IN REVIEW
10 Brown Athletics moments to remember from 2023 Women’s soccer four-peat, Olivia Pichardo ’26 historic debut among highlights BY SPORTS STAFF From conference championships to barrier-breaking moments to improbable win streaks, 2023 was a year packed with entertainment and excitement for fans of Brown sports. In honor of the accomplishments from Bruno’s teams, players and coaching staffs, The Herald looks back on 10 of Brown athletics’ biggest moments to remember from the past year. February: Women’s tennis crowned ECAC champions Mowing down their opponents in dominant fashion, women’s tennis pulled off an upset in February by taking home the ECAC Championship in Hanover, New Hampshire as the No. 7 seed. On their path to the title, they defeated No. 2 Penn, No. 6 Columbia and No. 1 Princeton. The team went on to finish with an 18-7 record, including going 6-1 against Ivy opponents, marking the program’s third-best season to date. March: Men’s basketball packs the Pizz with playoff berth at stake On Mar. 4, a crowd of 2,003 fans filled the Pizzitola Sports Center to watch the Bears face off against the Yale Bulldogs with a potential spot in the Ivy tournament on the line, marking the program’s first sell-out since 2012. Though they ultimately fell 84-75, Bruno put up a valiant fight, going on multiple electric runs in the first half. The senior night game acted as a send-off for departing players Paxson Wojcik ’23 and Perry Cowan ’23. The season also saw another key milestone, as Head Coach Mike Martin ’04 became the winningest coach in Bears men’s basketball history with his 134th victory Feb. 11
against Cornell.
region, Bruno defeated Kutztown University, the University of Northern Iowa, the
March: Olivia Pichardo ’26 debuts as first woman in Division I baseball On Mar. 17, Brown hosted a moment of intercollegiate history: With a pinchhit at-bat in the bottom of the ninth inning against Bryant University, Olivia Pichardo ’26 officially became the first woman to ever play for an NCAA Division I baseball team. Swinging on the first pitch, she hit a sharp groundout to first base. Pichardo, a New Yorker whose resume includes the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, was announced in November 2022 to have made the Bears’ roster as a walk-on.
United States Naval Academy and No. 1 East seed Army en route to earning the Rugby 7’s Premier Division National Championship. Over the tournament, the team dominated its competition, outscoring opponents 123-19.
February-April: Gymnastics wins Ivy title, Julia Bedell ’25 wins gold at championships With broken records, gold medals and an Ivy League title, the gymnastics team put together a stellar set of accomplishments in 2023. Amidst an early-season home-meet win streak, Julia Bedell ’25 introduced a new tumbling pass in her floor routine, notching a score of 9.925, which tied the program record. That routine eventually earned her gold at the end-of-season USA Gymnastics’ Women’s Collegiate National Championships. Three other gymnasts earned First-Team USAG All-American honors and competed at the meet’s individual finals. The Bears also walked out of their spring season with an Ivy title, collecting first place in the Ivy Classic. That meet, the team scored a 195.200, the second-highest team score in program history. April: Women’s rugby rises to national championship Capping off a stellar season in which they went 18-7-1, the women’s rugby team swept the Collegiate Rugby Championships held in Maryland in April. Entering as the No. 1 seed in the West
September: Taylor Virtue leads volleyball to roaring start in first season as head coach Despite losing to Yale in the Ivy Championship in November, the team has plenty to be excited about in Virtue’s second season at the helm, with two of their three first team all-Ivy selections — Beau Vanderlaan ’25 and Jessie Golden ’26 — returning for 2024. September: Football takes opening-day thriller, sets tone for future comebacks In their first game of the 2023 season against Bryant Sept. 16, the football team seized a sensational victory on their final possession, covering 76 yards in 43 seconds. The win set the tone for a season in which the never-say-die Bears earned multiple dramatic victories, including overtime wins against Princeton and Columbia and a nail-biter against Penn. The win also marked the start of a season filled with standout performances from quarterback Jake Willcox ’24 and receiver Wes Rockett ’23.5, who were named second- and first-team all-Ivy, respectively, at the conclusion of the season. October: Men’s water polo wins 14 of 18 to conclude season Rebounding from consecutive losses to start the month of October, the men’s water polo team proceeded to go on a 14-4 tear to conclude their season, featuring an eight-game winning streak from Oct. 8-22. This stretch included a
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
This year saw a number of remarkable feats from Brown athletics, including Ivy titles, staggering unbeaten streaks and shocking comebacks. record-setting performance from Ilias Stothart ’26, whose 10 goals in a 21-14 win over Occidental College on Oct. 15 marked the most in Bruno’s history. After their second-half surge, the Bears were held back by a postseason loss to Harvard. By defeating Long Island University and Iona University, the Bears managed to seize third place in the NWPC Tournament. October: Women’s soccer completes Ivy four-peat, Brittany Raphino ’23.5 earns award three-peat With a win over Cornell Oct. 21, the women’s soccer team clinched its fourth consecutive Ivy League title. Writing a new chapter of their dynasty, the Bears continued to dominate the competition, extending their regular season conference unbeaten streak originating in 2018 to an incredible 29 games. Though they fell as the top seed to Columbia in the first round of the inaugural Ivy Tournament, the Bears earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round for the third time in four years. 2023 marked the final season for a core group of graduating seniors including Ava Seelenfreund ’23.5, Sheyenne Allen ’23.5 and Brittany Raphino ’23.5, with Raphino becoming the first player
in Ivy League history to win three straight Ivy Offensive Player of the Year Awards. Head Coach Kia McNeill was also named Ivy Coach of the Year. November: Men’s soccer sustains unbeaten streak, makes miraculous run to Ivy championship final Entering the fall ranked seventh on the Ivy Preseason Poll, the men’s soccer team stunned the league with their postseason run. Riding an 11-game unbeaten streak which included five 0-0 ties, the Bears snuck into the inaugural Ivy tournament as the No. 4 seed, where they upset Penn in an instant classic decided by penalty kicks. The team was finally bested Nov. 12 in the Ivy Championship against Yale, marking Bruno’s first loss in almost two months. Despite falling one win short of a conference title, the group provided an unforgettable finish and defied expectations in 2023. In her first season leading the team, women’s volleyball Head Coach Taylor Virtue managed the most wins for a first-year head coach in program history, including an 8-0 run to open the season in which the Bears won 24 of 28 sets. Virtue began with the program as an assistant in the Bears’ Ivy Championship 2021 campaign.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Struggles persist for men’s basketball in road loss to Maine Bears fall to 2-8 after losing to Maine 60-49 in Sunday afternoon away game BY COOPER HERMAN STAFF WRITER A challenging start to the season continued for men’s basketball (2-8) Sunday afternoon as they fell on the road to the University of Maine (6-4). One promising sign: Bruno outscored Maine’s Black Bears 26 to 23 in the second half — but Brown was still unable to overcome a lopsided first half, leading to the team’s third straight loss. Brown came out sluggish, missing jumpers in the key, spilling costly turnovers and allowing Maine to run their offense far too comfortably. Maine capitalized on the Bears’ lackluster start, feeding the ball down for a few layups and coming out to a 8-2 lead after roughly three minutes. Brown picked up the pace, however, with offensive power from Kino Lilly Jr ’25, Nana Owusu-Anane ’25 and Kalu Anya ’26, whose buckets brought the score to 11-11. Just as the Bears seemed to heat
up, Maine’s offense got hotter. Maine’s point guard Jaden Clayton grabbed defensive rebounds at will, knocked down three-pointers and maneuvered through Brown’s defense to hit mid-range jumpers and push the ball in transition to finish layups Clayton created for himself and others, increasing Brown’s deficit to 15 and forcing Brown’s Head Coach Mike Martin ’04 to call timeout with four minutes left in the half. With the timeout, Brown made key substitutions and halted Maine’s run. Shortly after, Brown got back on their feet, as Felix Kloman ’24 immediately drained a three-pointer and Aaron Cooley ’25 followed with a strong layup. But despite halting Maine’s potent run, the Bears found themselves down 37-23 at the half. Shooting was the glaring difference between the two teams at that point, as Maine finished the half shooting an uncanny 66% from the field and 62% from three-point range, compared to 34% from the field and 22% from three-point range for Bruno. Brown began the second half with far more energy and intensity, forcing turnovers, creating second-chance opportunities and driving aggressively to the basket.
This intense effort proved to be effective for Brown, as a series of buckets from Lilly Jr. and Cooley cut the Maine lead to just six, as the Bears trailed 39-33 with 13:45 left, forcing Maine to call a timeout. Even after, Brown’s unyielding fight showed no signs of slowing down. The Bears continued to apply defensive pressure and relentlessly crash the glass, grabbing any rebounds in sight. Offensively, Brown remained aggressive, feeding the ball to the post and earning trips to the free throw line, where Malachi Ndur ’24, Owusu-Anane and Lilly Jr. all went 2-2 down the stretch, narrowing Maine’s lead to 49-47 and forcing Maine to call another timeout with 5:00 left. This time, though, a Maine timeout seemingly quelled the Bears’ success. Maine returned to the court with the intensity they had in the first half, knocking down open jumpers, finishing tough layups around the basket and getting to the free-throw line, which resulted in an 11-2 run in the last five minutes, essentially ending the game — and any hope for Bruno. “Despite not playing our best and digging ourselves a hole early, we still found ourselves down by 2 with the ball and 4
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
The Bears lost their third straight game Sunday — and will face two tough instate opponents in the next week. minutes to go,” Martin said in a statement to The Herald. “It was another game where we were in that situation at the 4-minute mark,” he wrote. “Our 2nd half defense, rebounding and overall play was very good. We outscored Maine 24-12 over the first 16 minutes of the half to put ourselves in position, despite not shooting the ball well from inside or outside. We’ll continue to improve offensively,” he added. The Bears will have to shake off Sun-
day’s loss for a run against challenging opponents in the Ocean State. Wednesday, they’ll head to Kingston to play the University of Rhode Island Rams, who are undefeated at home. Sunday, they’ll go downtown to Amica Mutual Pavillion to face Providence College, a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament last year and a No. 4 seed two years before. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 6, 2023.
PAGE 8
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
YEAR IN REVIEW
Editors’ Note: Looking back at 2023, reflecting on our tenure and a farewell from The Herald’s 133rd Editorial Board For a year, we’ve immersed ourselves in The Herald’s newsroom and the news — campus, local, national and international. Anyone who dives into a relentless news cycle for one year is likely to walk away with a sense that the year, more than others, held a particular salience and intensity. Still, at the risk of proving our recency
bias: It has been a momentous and busy year on campus. The year began with unprecedented undergraduate unionization. It continued with the end of race-conscious college admissions — and the reconsideration of admission policies that have stood for decades. As students returned to campus,
the University announced the agreements that will govern its voluntary payments to Providence for the next 20 years. Through the fall, escalating violence in Israel and Gaza brought an intensifying wave of campus activism and devastation for countless students with connections to the region. And then, horrifyingly, an
apparent hate crime was committed against a Palestinian Brown student. It has been a difficult time to be a student and a person. Our coverage this year has not been perfect. But we hope that we fulfilled our central goal: informing the community that we all belong to. Amid everything, we’re immensely
grateful for our staff who put countless hours into work that has mattered as much as ever this year — especially when it was most difficult. It has been a privilege to work with these talented staff members and to watch them grow. We have seen them come into their own as we gradually learned the ropes ourselves. We cannot wait to see what they will do next. As our tenure as The Herald’s 133rd Editorial Board comes to an end, we want to say thank you. Thank you to the Herald staff who made 88 Benevolent welcoming when we started college masked and six feet apart, and to those who kept us coming back week after week. We are grateful to our alumni Board of Directors for their guidance and to past editorial board members for fielding our questions with kindness. Thank you to our thoughtful and committed section editors for filling our pages and bearing with us through various degrees of delirium as late nights crept on, and to writers for crafting our stories and reporting them well. We appreciate the incredible tech and multimedia staff who have worked to improve our approach, as well as the editors and columnists who have kept our opinions section full. And every staff member that keeps this organization going and reporting the news. Thank you to our readers. We can’t wait to see where The Herald goes next.
Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s 133rd Editorial Board: Will Kubzansky ’24, Katy Pickens ’24, Alex Nadirashvili ’24, Augustus Bayard ’24, Caleb Lazar ’24, Peter COURTESY OF KAITLYN TORRES Swope ’24 and Kaitlyn Torres ’24.
2023 Feb. 9 Haffenreffer did not adequately consult with Narragansett Tribe regarding possession of human remains, Narragansett officials say
SAM LEVINE & ASHLEY CAI / HERALD
March 2
CS TAs vote to unionize, become first undergraduate labor union on campus BY SAM LEVINE & ASHLEY CAI UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER
March 9 Justin Bolsen ’26 wins Jeopardy! reunion tournament, claims $100,000 BY SOFIA BARNETT UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
BY NEIL MEHTA UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Brown community condemns end of affirmative action BY OWEN DAHLKAMP SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Feb. 8 DANA RICHIE / HERALD
July 11
Ricky Zhong ’23 wins recall, retains UCS president position BY KATHY WANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF SUSIE EUN / JEOPARDY!
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 9
YEAR IN REVIEW Nov. 29
Sept. 6
‘There weren’t really words’: Brown community members react to shooting of Hisham Awartani ’25 in Vermont
Brown forms committee to reconsider legacy, early decision, test-optional policies
KATY PICKENS / HERALD
BY OWEN DAHLKAMP & HALEY SANDLOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER & UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Sept. 6 New agreement would increase Brown’s voluntary payments to Providence BY SAM LEVINE & RHEA RASQUINHA UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR & METRO EDITOR
BY KATHY WANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Nov. 8 Students occupying University Hall arrested after sit-in demanding divestment, ceasefire BY HALEY SANDLOW & SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Oct. 13
KATHY WANG / HERALD
‘Gut-wrenching’: Community members process recent violence in Israel, Gaza BY KATHY WANG & SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Editors’ Note: Announcing The Herald’s 134th Editorial Board The Herald is proud to announce the members of our 134th Editorial Board, which will oversee the paper through its 133rd year. The 134th editorial board will be led by Editor-in-Chief and President Neil Mehta ’25. A resident of Long Island, New York, Mehta is a public health and statistics concentrator who currently oversees coverage of institutional equity and student affinity groups as a University News editor. Having served as The Herald’s design chief, a copy editor and a member of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Mehta has worn many hats at the organization — almost as many as the total number of concentrations they’ve attempted at the University. Mehta has been instrumental in expanding The Herald’s coverage, ensuring that we hold the University accountable in its efforts towards institutional equity and diversity. From his early coverage of the University’s Slavery and Justice Report to his investigation into the Haffenreffer Museum’s relationship with the Narragansett Indian Tribe, Mehta’s work has consistently focused on highlighting the diverse array of perspectives on College Hill. Julia Vaz ’25 will be The Herald’s next vice president and managing editor of the newsroom, transitioning from her role as a Metro editor and chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Vaz, a political science and Modern Culture and Media concentrator, is more than ready to take on the wild ride that is leading The Herald — despite her well-known track record of passing out on roller coasters. Vaz, who is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is stepping into her role after years of
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
experience reporting on the environment and crime and justice beats in Providence. In her tenure as a section editor, Vaz has covered it all — from unidentified individuals breaking windows in University Hall to local BioBlitzes that are bringing together nature-loving community members. A dedicated narrative nonfiction writer who has written for The Herald’s very own post- magazine, Vaz has made sure to keep The Herald’s coverage both informative and exciting. Charlie Clynes ’25, an applied math and history concentrator from Ann Arbor, Michigan, will be steering The Herald towards its digital-first future as managing editor of digital content and technology. As a University News editor, Clynes has
led The Herald in its coverage of University Hall, taking everlasting inspiration from his favorite publication: Wikipedia. (Clynes was quick to clarify that he has “never used Wikipedia to source or verify Herald content.”) From one of his first stories about the Graduate Labor Organization’s annual contract negotiations to most recent coverage diving into the University’s endowment, Clynes has spent his tenure as a reporter drawing back the curtain on what goes on behind the scenes at University Hall. Having worked on an abundance of data and digital-based projects over the past year, from The Herald’s analysis of Corporation members to our semesterly poll, Clynes will bring important insights
in a moment when the publication works to keep up with the evolving digital journalism landscape. After spending nearly two years as a pivotal member of The Herald’s podcast team — starting as a producer on the weekly Bruno Brief podcast and eventually moving up to lead the team in its investigation of University myths — Finn Kirkpatrick ’25 will begin a new role as senior editor of multimedia. Kirkpatrick, a comparative literature and East Asian studies concentrator, has spent the past year redefining the podcast team, which he will continue to lead starting this spring. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Kirkpatrick has brought a certain
Cali-swagger to The Herald’s Arts & Culture section, reviewing everything from 2021’s “Dune” to the albums redefining hyperpop. And while he may struggle with opening most child-resistant packaging, Kirkpatrick will certainly thrive managing The Herald’s photo, illustration and design teams as he oversees the publication’s visual identity. Studying English and comparative literature on the nonfiction and translation tracks, respectively, Kathy Wang ’25 will continue to pursue her passion for language and writing as The Herald’s next senior editor of community and postmagazine liaison. Coming from Beijing, China and overseeing the international student life beat, Wang has taken The Herald’s reporting all over the globe — covering important student advocacy efforts in places like Turkey, Syria and Afghanistan. While people may know Wang by one of her former names — Catherine, Katherine and Angel, among others — The Herald newsroom knows her as the go-to source on all things student government. During her tenure as a University News editor for the student government beat, Wang has seen it all. From UCS coup attempts to UFB budgetary disasters, Wang has always ensured to keep the Brown community informed on the bureaucratic happenings affecting them on the daily. The 133rd editorial board could not be prouder of these incoming editors. As we prepare to hand 134 the reins, we wish them good luck and good sleep for the hectic year to come. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
post-
December 7, 2023, Vol. 32, Issue 10
a brief (and incomplete) history of post-
Pre- post-
In 1973, the Brown Daily Herald purchased new typesetting equipment, an expense that sent them into financial trouble. The solution: to found Fresh Fruit, a weekly tabloid that was distributed to eight college campuses in Rhode Island. It promised to inform college students about “weekend events and notable items in the local scene.” Most importantly for the Herald, it provided the potential for generating advertising income, with every issue of Fresh Fruit promoting itself as “a new opportunity for advertisers to reach Rhode Island’s entire college population.” On February 15, 1973, Fresh Fruit (Volume I, Number I) published its first edition, featuring articles such as “Sexual instruction from the Sensuous Frog” and “Red-checkered tablecloths.” Fresh Fruit welcomed interested contributors to submit “any flippant, forceful, fruity fromage or fulminating, freelance, floozy fondue” to “dis mag for fanciful freedom in fruition of da facts.” In February of 1975, Fresh Fruit was taken over by a new editorial staff, an entity entirely separate from the Herald. The ’80s and ’90s are a blur (I didn’t have time to go through all the issues), but somewhere along the way, a weekend insert called “good clean fun” was added, and eventually, Fresh Fruit became 195 Angell, named after the predecessor to 88 Benevolent. 195 Angell’s backpage featured horoscopes, and had a section called “On the Green,” featuring fit pics and personal style pieces. As Y2K came and went, the new century ushered in a new name for the Herald’s cooler younger sister publication. On February 4, 2000, the first issue of post, as we know it today, was published. This twenty-first century post- described itself as being “about film and music, politics and modernity, issues and ideas, sex and cuisine, enormity and minutiae.” It promised each week to “inform, provide,
and entertain.” It also promoted the 8 condom flavors available through condomania.com (banana, orange, strawberry, mint, vanilla, chocolate, grape, cola). post-, in its most recent iteration, was born out of the academic convention of using "post-" as a prefix— as in "post-modernism" and "post-structuralism"—to indicate transcending older modes of thought. Although post- may not be quite as old as the Herald, its history speaks for itself: Fifty iterations of editors, writers, illustrators have made Fresh Fruit, 195 Angell, and post-. But it was, in fact, only until tonight that we discovered the joys of past post- with articles like “i wanna f*ck you like an animal… please?: how to get what you want” or “flex your jaw muscles: a different kind of endurance training.” It is a difficult history to access, one crammed in the middle of ’70s BDH anthologies on dusty shelves. COVID, the move from 195 Angell to 88 Benevolent, constantly cycling
leadership—whatever the reason, so much institutional knowledge has been lost. In spite of it all, the spirit of post- remains the same. Though top tens are uniquely ours and the sex columns have unfortunately been lost, the joy of prod nights, the insight of the writing, the humor of backpage are forever. And yet, though the spirit may be a constant, post-, as we know and love it today, has undoubtedly changed. But that’s not a bad thing. Good and bad, post- continues to transcend older modes of thought, with this semester ushering in a new website, a brief stint at the New Watson, and a battle with fruit flies—perhaps a lingering trace of fresh fruit gone bad. Though Fresh Fruit has ended, our Fall 2023 issue is about to end, and perhaps even post-, in name, one day will end, its spirit lingers. Ever transcendent, true to its name, post- is ephemeral.
to friendship
These Platonic Loves By Elena Jiang This summer, I started journaling more consistently, generating list after list to wrangle my otherwise incoherent jumble of thoughts—favorite songs of the month, all-nighters ranked from most-bad to sorta-fun, top five core memories, most transformative friendships. I lingered on the last one longer than usual. With international orientation looming less than a month away, I’d begun to feel anxious about making friends. How do two people from different continents go from complete strangers, to friends, to lying-on-a-carpet-ina-dorm-room-together type of close? Something about that exponential progression seemed shot by magic, the machinery of fate and coincidence coalescing in a rare stroke of sympathy from the universe. Reliving my past friendships anchored me. Dude, stuff like this happens in real life, to everyone. It’s happened to you, too, ever since you were barely old enough to remember. … I don’t know who discovered it first, but by spring, 6
word got around that the honeysuckles dotting the playground made for delicious recess snacks. I’d kneel with Alicia in front of the clusters outside our classroom window, pondering which ones to pluck as the ground dug patterns into our knees. Her bangs fell in front of her face in chunks—my hair was tucked behind my ears. The flowers were always sprinkled with little bugs. I’d watch them circle the stems, green and barely distinguishable from dew drops. We didn’t care—we stuck our tongues out anyways. It was second grade and we were bright with wonder, willowy, hitting growth spurts with the momentum of post-popsicle sugar rushes and shedding every loose tooth like a sacrifice for metamorphosis. We were hungry for everything. Alicia was my best friend, B-F-F, basically twin sister. She’s laced tightly through every memory of my childhood, like a tangerine peel knitted into ripe pulp. It was the type of friendship sprung from everything pure, so intimate you felt that you were more the other person than yourself. I guess that’s what it was, really.
Inside*:
These Platonic .... Loves There is Nowhere To Do It in New York . . . .
Page 2 Page 3
....
Page 4
Revisiting Gatsby . . . .
Page 5
.... Pre- post.... On Being Cringe . . . .
Page 6
Worthy of Love Look Around
Solving the Secret to Sibling Dynamics . . . . * In full on issuu.com/
Page 7 Page 8 Page 9
We screamed each other’s full, legal names from the bottoms of stairwells every day at three, believed every wild thing the other person said, and loved everything we did together, and in doing so, we made each other. Winter in Beijing came in heaving exhales, wind ripping through a yellow cold. During recess, we’d sit on the balance beam with our arms intertwined in some extravagantly complex way. “What if the wind blows us away?” “Then we’ll stick together, like this.” I adjusted my right hand so that it enclosed hers fully. Then, we squeezed our eyes shut and huddled close, imagining the wind scooping us up. Far off, where the tip of the steel transmission tower cut into the sky and a dandelion seed drifted, that’s where we were. Floating and weightless. We dreamed of flying and laughed about how crazy it all sounded. I think it was then that I first became conscious of our friendship, the fullness of our connection that made me feel so close to magic. Nothing had ever felt so good in my life. I realized this when I was 12, maybe 13, a year before Alicia left for Massachusetts. In Hua Hsu’s memoir Stay True, which explores friendship and grief through college, he writes, “Friendship rests on the presumption of reciprocity, of drifting in and out of one another’s lives ...
Illustration By emily tom Illustration By Caroline Houser
forgetting metropolitan culture
There is Nowhere to Do It in New York By Kimberly Liu Sitting in the art-deco-meets-botanica Domain Café (understood to be the Andrews of downtown Manhattan, given the prevalence of Asian-inspired food options), I feel exhausted. A frontal lobe headache is developing, and my eyes just can’t seem to adjust to the light. This is partly because I got up early to beat the rush hour traffic, but more so because I’ve gotten questionable sleep for the past four days. To save money on New York hotels and accommodations (so as to spend it all on New York food and drinks), I am bed-sharing with my friend’s exgirlfriend in her studio. My boyfriend came along, too, and he made a similar choice, staying with his friend in Chinatown above a laundromat. It’s a Monday, and the light in the cafe is too bright for both of us. It’s not a hangover we are nursing—we did not partake in nightlife the night before—and yet our living situations alone are enough to imitate the effects of staying up ’til dawn. It isn’t the best feeling all around. Physically, because of the obvious. But mentally? Spiritually? Something’s amiss. I can’t help but reflect on why I suddenly feel so
1
2
3
estranged from this city. It’s New York, after all—there’s a myriad of things to see and a myriad of things to do. It’s a place with endless hustle and bustle, where there is supposed to be something for everyone. Just looking at the slew of cuisines and consequent fusions (curry bratwursts were a first for me), intricate shopface decor, and creatively named drinks, it’s hard to put a finger on why I feel so off. It’s not that New York isn’t absolutely beautiful. Walking through the streets during Christmas time is pure delight, and the crispness of the air only adds to its appeal. It’s hard to believe, but long-distance running is enjoyable when in Manhattan—there is more and more to see from block to block, with the extravagant candy canes, garlands, and larger-than-life Christmas trees all very much lit up during the daytime. There is so much life on display in the streets: shopkeepers wheeling in their daily produce from the curbs, a surprising number of like-minded joggers, and corporate worker bees in pairs or groups on the way to or from a coffee chat. Traversing these streets, a whole hour can go by, and it would feel
like no time at all. The majority of people, however, are clearly tourists—out-of-towners who have been walking down Fifth Avenue shopping for advent calendars and directing their family over steaming manholes since 8 a.m. Something about this activity says, “I’m just passing through, like everyone else here.” It all seems to thrive on novelty and instability. Both New York and Beijing assure their residents that they will never need to dine at the same restaurant twice in their life if they don’t want to. There are enough restaurants for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack for 25 years without repetition, and given most restaurants don’t last for more than three years, a lot more math can be done here. The idea is that only the good ones stick, and the dog-eat-dog world will take care of the rest. It’s all “just business”; things come and go like the people, and even institutions and restaurants don’t come to stay. There is an explosion of attraction but an implosion of meaning. It’s so big—too big, too crowded, with too many things going on at the same time, none so inviting. There is no space for you to find rest and respite or privacy ...
4
Winter (Break) is Coming by Lily Coffman
6
5
1 5 7 8 9
7
What winter break brings for many One living outside of their home country Thomas with Common Sense Partner to alpha ____ machine
Down
8
9
post–
Across
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
1 2 3 4 6
Short-term borrowing, for short What you might have to do before you can experience 1-across Elevator pitch Dance that takes two, idiomatically
See Full Issue: (and crossword answers) ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
Something to suckle
December 7, 2023�7
editor's note Dear Readers, Notice something different about post- this week? Happenstance led us to discover that the first ever post- Magazine was published in 1973 under our previous name Fresh Fruit, making this year our 50th year in print.* We now publish online, in color, and with distinct sections, but beyond that, it is surprising how very little things have changed at all. Sure, our sex column isn’t what it used to be (it’s non-existent), and we are more pre-professional than college-publication (okay, a lot has changed) but having history does a lot to immortalize the little things we do now. Another tribe of sleep-deprived students sat in a cramped little room for hours on end fixing the dangling participles and vocalizing their stance on word choice, choosing to spend their time on something that at times seems trivial and thankless. I often wonder why people keep showing up, though I do have an inkling, having shown up myself. In Feature, the writer discusses friendships, divulging all the best parts of childhood—that of unbounded joy—and depth one can reach in college friendships. In Narrative, one writer talks about accepting the love we think we deserve, from familial to first loves. In another, the writer (me, sorry) reflects on growing up in metropolises and how different it is from Providence and New England, an area surrounded by hikes, nature, and the slow
December 7, 2023, Vol. 32, Issue 10 life. In A&C, post- managing editors write a piece about our exposure to art and music in Providence. Stories range from memories one's had while enjoying art, a recommendation from friends, or both. Another piece in A&C looks into adaptations of The Great Gatsby since it was released into the public domain (ever wanted to enjoy the content of The Great Gatsby in full alphabetical order?). In Lifestyle, the author reflects on moments at Brown that might be considered embarrassing and why she has come to embrace cringe in all its forms. Another writer speaks on the intricacies of sibling dynamics and the personality traits that often accompany older, younger, middle, and only children. And don’t forget our crossword, Winter (break) is coming, that will provocatively ask you to think of something one suckles on. To think it’s all circular is quite comforting—we can wander however much we want and not get too lost. Or is it naive to think of it like that? What I know for sure is that these publications are made up of people. Whether it is post- or the BDH, it all goes on because readers like yourself pick it up, and writers like the ones inside these pages have things to say. This is my last ever editor’s note at post- and it’s hard not to get mawkish, so I will try to make it simple: Read post-! This magazine changed my life. In a while, crocodile, *That’s a little white lie; read our little historical record (pre-, pg.1) for more information!
Kimberly Liu
Editor-in-chief
the unforeseen beauty of public domain reworks
Revisiting Gatsby By Aj wu The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in 2021. The air tasted the same. The clocks chimed no differently. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg remained unblinking. But the world as we—those of us exposed to The Great Gatsby in a high school English class—knew it was forever changed. Along with its newfound availability on Project Gutenberg, The Great Gatsby’s release into the public domain also came with many creative adaptations. During quarantine, documentary filmmaker Ben Crew embarked on a project to distract himself from the looming chaos of the global pandemic and the 24/7 news cycle covering “what was happening in D.C.” He emerged from lockdown with a 104-page script for a Muppets adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The work—which introduces a magnificent portrayal of Gatsby from our favorite green frog, as well as Nick Carraway’s constant internal monologuing confusing his muppet co-stars—brings delicious charm and ex-
travagant musical numbers to Fitzgerald’s original work. It quickly picked up a dedicated fanbase, which produced a fan-made poster and a Subreddit committed to launching the project. Gatsby Great The—the text of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with the words rearranged in alphabetical order by artist Ryland Stalder—is another inspired remix. While it does not make much sense narratively, it does shed light on the novel’s preoccupations—like a giant word cloud, it gets us both a little farther away from the plot and closer to the core of the novel and how it makes us feel and what it inspires us to think about. The alphabetical reading provides new and uncanny strings of words such as “dazed dazzling dead” and “loneliness, lonely lonely Long.” When stripped away of all narrative context, these amusing but thought-provoking strings retain and amplify the emotional core of The Great Gatsby. They describe in a way different from other formats the idea that extravagance is ephemeral and how loneliness becomes
Illustration By Stella Tsogtjargal 86
unbearably long. F. Scott Fitzgerald was buried in Rockville, Maryland, where I grew up. His grave is almost visible from the window of my tenth-grade English classroom. When Fitzgerald died at 44, having suffered from alcoholism and a series of three heart attacks, his books were all out of print and he believed himself fated to fade into literary obscurity. He requested “the cheapest funeral” possible and was buried where his father had lived—in Rockville, allegedly because he had made no plans to be buried anywhere else. While Fitzgerald may have been mostly apathetic about his relationship with Rockville, Rockville is decidedly more eager to claim Fitzgerald. Every fall, my hometown hosts the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival, a three- to four-day event. The festival offers writing workshops and talks on Fitzgerald scholarship, celebrates literary guests of honor—past honorees include Richard Powers and Barbara Kingsolver— and winners of various sponsored short story contests read from their stories. Almost immediately after Gatsby’s copyright was lifted, a podcast I’ve been a long-time fan of, Planet Money, released a four-hour episode consisting of a full reading of the novel by their cast of journalists and economists. The episode is simply captioned: “All of it.” I listened, bemused but appreciative of an easily accessible audiobook version. Other forthcoming adaptations of the text include a Broadway musical headed by Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine and a graphic novel first published in Australia in 2007 and now finally releasable in the US over a decade later. Following predecessors such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the novel has also been turned into The Great Gatsby Undead—a ghoulish retelling by Kristen Briggs where Gatsby is a vampire. One of my personal favorites is The Great Gatsby: But Nick Has Scoliosis, which is The Great Gatsby verbatim except for a sentence added in haphazardly every chapter that references Nick having scoliosis. Not all adaptations, however, are created equal. Nick, a prequel by Michael Farris Smith that fabricates a backstory for the novel’s least interesting ...
Pre-s 1. Fresh Fruit (duh) 2. -lude to the Afternoon of a Faun 3. The kind with alcohol 4. Star Wars I-III 5. Mature babies 6. Marital sex 7. Cum 8.-gnant 9. -nup 10. -sents!! Illustration By Emily Saxl
unspoken and understandable
Solving the Secret to Sibling Dynamics By Gabrielle Yuan During orientation week in August, I discovered that making small talk is one of my specialities. Thinking of questions to ask others comes easy to me, even if we’ve just met. “What majors are you for sure not interested in?” “Did you like the town you grew up in?” “What’s your favorite fruit to eat in the summertime?” Other times, I find myself trying to guess facts about them based on first impressions. One deceptively difficult guess is the answer to this question: “How many siblings do you have?” My guesses have been met with both looks of offense and flattery. It’s hard to tell from first impressions, but after meeting so many new people at once, I’ve learned key indicators that point to how many siblings someone might have. Only children, without a doubt, have the worst reputations: guessing incorrectly that someone is one often elicits a look of displeasure. Characteristics that many people associate with the “only child syndrome” include selfishness, self-entitlement, and an inability to share with others. While some do live up to the stereotype, there are often even more middle and youngest children who exhibit these traits. They are
not immediate distinguishers and can’t be used to accurately guess. For me, the qualities that send a flashing radar that this person is an only child are veneers of high-achievement and a tendency to relate the conversation to something that reminds them of home. Many of the only children I know have dangerous tunnel vision. When they have their mind set on a certain meal, reaching a certain deadline, or going to a meeting at a specific time, there is no hope of compromise or reasoning. Some might call this stubbornness, but I see instead a level of independence that most people can’t attain. Only children also always seem to reminisce about their time at home. For example, during a conversation about the weather or upcoming events happening at Brown, maybe ice skating or winter break plans, they talk about how the ice skating rink in their hometown is bigger, better, and filled with more talented figure skaters. Or, on the rare occurrence the food selection at the Ratty turns out to be quite decadent and delicious, they tend to bring up their homecooked meals—vivid descriptions of smoked ribs that fall off the bone ... EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kimberly Liu
Section Editors Emily Tom Ananya Mukerji
“Bite into Fresh Fruit!”
FEATURE Managing Editor Klara Davidson-Schmich
LIFESTYLE Managing Editor Tabitha Lynn
——Fresh Fruit First Editorial Board, “Editor’s Note” 2.15.73
Section Editors Addie Marin Elaina Bayard
Section Editors Jack Cobey Daniella Coyle
ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Joe Maffa
HEAD ILLUSTRATORS Emily Saxl Ella Buchanan
Section Editors Elijah Puente Rachel Metzger
COPY CHIEF Eleanor Peters
“post- will concern itself with coverage of the art forms that shape our culture, the personalities that define our popular taste, and the issues that demand discussion” —post- First Editorial Board, “Editor’s Note” 2.04.00
NARRATIVE Managing Editor Katheryne Gonzalez
Copy Editors Indigo Mudhbary Emilie Guan Christine Tsu
“Is it called Foot Locker because shoes are feet locks?” “If I’m in a house that’s on fire, I’m already butt-ass naked.”
SOCIAL MEDIA HEAD EDITORS Kelsey Cooper Tabitha Grandolfo Kaitlyn Lucas LAYOUT CHIEF Gray Martens Layout Designers Amber Zhao Alexa Gay STAFF WRITERS Dorrit Corwin Lily Seltz Alexandra Herrera Liza Kolbasov Marin Warshay Gabrielle Yuan Elena Jiang Will Hassett Daphne Cao
Aalia Jagwani AJ Wu Nélari Figueroa Torres Daniel Hu Mack Ford Olivia Cohen Ellie Jurmann Sean Toomey Emily Tom Ingrid Ren Evan Gardner Lauren Cho Laura Tomayo Sylvia Atwood Audrey Wijono Jeanine Kim Ellyse Givens Sydney Pearson Samira Lakhiani Cat Gao Lily Coffman Raima Islam Tiffany Kuo
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
post–
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
December 7, 2023�7 9
PAGE 14
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
COMMENTARY
Guan ’27: Brown must be ready to protect students from doxxing
Hours after student groups at Harvard published a letter stating that its signers “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” in response to the Israel-Hamas war, a debate emerged on the university’s campus over the limits of freedom of expression. As tensions rose and internet users began to leak the personal information of the letter’s signatories, a video billboard truck appeared on campus to pour further fuel on the fire. Paid for by the conservative group Accuracy in Media, the truck drove around Harvard’s campus broadcasting the names and faces of students who signed the letter, branding them as “Harvard’s Leading Antisemites.” Since then, similar trucks have been spotted at Columbia, Penn and, most recently, Yale. Given these developments and the publicity of the Nov. 8 University Hall sit-in that led to the arrest of 20 Jewish students on campus, it may only be a matter of time before a truck appears on College Hill and begins doxxing Brown students. In light of this, I urge the
Brown administration to prepare to offer adequate protection to any student affected by doxxing, and the student body to stand by the principle of respectful discourse. Barring any discussion of the merits of statements issued by doxxed students, I hope we are united in condemning doxxing as a threat to free expression. Exposing the personal information of pro-Palestinian students in an attempt to intimidate them is a direct affront to open discourse. Though dissent and disagreement are fundamental aspects of democracy and debate, the provocative rhetoric employed by the truck’s organizers only stokes tension and encourages the propagation of misinformed conclusions about the students. The trucks are also dangerous. Penn students who spoke at a pro-Palestine rally had already reported significant numbers of online threats around the time the doxxing truck arrived in University City. These concerns have only been amplified since the truck’s arrival, with similar worries raised by
“ I urge the Brown administration
to prepare to offer adequate protection to any student affected by doxxing, and the student body to stand by the principle of respectful discourse.
“ We have a collective duty as Brown students to remain faithful to constructive dialogue.
Harvard and Columbia students; even families of affected students have been contacted. Former Harvard president Larry Summers, a staunch critic of the Harvard open letter, later released a statement criticizing the doxxing for vilifying students. Despite these frightening outcomes, testimony provided by students at Penn and Columbia expressed disappointment at what they viewed as a lackluster initial response by administrators to the threats. Brown must not repeat this same mistake. While the doxxing trucks are difficult to remove and technically legal, as they stick strictly to public roads, there are steps the Brown administration can take to protect its students. Improved safety measures — such as heightening security around residential halls — staying vigilant for signs the truck could be coming and providing legal support to affected students should all be considered. Given the additional threats made against pro-Israel supporters, including the assault of an Israeli student at Columbia, these measures will improve safety for all students affected by the conflict. Beyond the administration, we have a collective duty as Brown students to remain faithful to constructive dialogue. While ten-
sions remain high on campus, productive discourse appears to have increased over the past few weeks, with UCS forums and a series of public lectures and seminars about the ongoing violence in Gaza hosted across College Hill. We cannot allow a radical actor to disrupt the progress we have made and widen the rift in the Brown community. The truck’s inflammatory rhetoric must not be taken at face value, and most importantly, those featured on it must not become targets for harassment by other students. If the doxxing truck is successful in further dividing the Brown community, intimidation will have defeated reason and compassion. That must not happen. We have little control over the truck if it materializes at College Hill, but we must not let it catch us off guard — nor allow it to compromise our values. Lucas Guan ’27 can be reached at lucas_ guan@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This article originally appeared online at www.browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
Zucker ’24: What I have in common with the X-Men In the X-Men fictional universe, mutants are people born with something called the X-gene, a gene that confers superhuman abilities of various forms. Yet these mutations also generate unique physical traits — metal claws, blue skin and maybe a tail — which lead to mutants being ostracized from society. However, most people at Brown don’t realize that an X-Man walks among them: me. In class, in the Ratty or on Thayer Street, people may notice my unique physical traits but not realize my superpowers. I was born with ectrodactyly, a genetic mutation inherited from my mother that caused me to be born with one finger on each hand and two toes on each foot. As is true for all X-Men, my mutation has conferred upon me a series of both abilities and weaknesses. My weaknesses, while minor, are real: I am afflicted with the curse of being universally recognizable. For example, this past June, I was traveling through Prague after my semester abroad when I was approached on the street by a short, curly-haired guy who I assumed to be a stranger. He then asked me: “Are you from New Jersey?” When I said yes, he told me that he was from a
“
nearby town and knew me from a day camp that I had not been to since I was nine years old. In fact, he wasn’t even in my age group at camp and we didn’t know each other at the time. I had to awkwardly apologize that I didn’t remember him and ask for his name. Being an X-Man means that I can forget about ever remaining anonymous since pretty much everyone in my life remembers me because of my physical condition. There are other minor weaknesses that plague me on a day-to-day basis: I can have some difficulty opening tight water bottles (who doesn’t?) and it can be hard to use sharp knives safely. However, my challenges pale in comparison to my superhuman strengths. Aside from always winning thumb wars (my fingers are exceptionally strong), my greatest superpower is my ability to filter — not just words, but also people. A few months ago, I was having a deep conversation with someone who felt utterly disillusioned with their friends for being superficial. While I expressed my sympathy and compassion, I couldn’t personally relate. Because I walk in
I can be confident that the people in my life are not superficial and are unconditionally accepting of me. What a gift!
“
And every day I walk this earth, I never forget that my powers, my X-gene, comes from the unlikeliest of sources: my single finger on each hand
this world with a notable physical difference, it creates an automatic barrier — a forcefield of sorts — between me and the most superficial people. If someone was solely focused on having the “perfect” life and surrounding themselves with “perfect” friends as part of their image, they likely would not want to be anything more than a friendly acquaintance with someone like me. Instead, I can be confident that the people in my life are not superficial and are unconditionally accepting of me. What a gift! Having ectrodactyly enables me to trust in the sincerity of my friends’ intentions while being authentically myself. In the age of social media, where we are all bombarded by judgments online, this isn’t something I take for granted. The ultimate irony I experience in my life is that I am often pitied by strangers for having only two fingers. But it’s quite hard for me to take that pity seriously — in my mind, it’s like pitying Wolverine for having retractable metal claws. While I was fortunate enough to be
born with an obvious mutation that constructs a forcefield against insincere people, I know that not everyone is so lucky. It is my belief that students on Brown’s campus would be better served by redirecting their sympathy elsewhere. Pity those who do not live authentic lives, those who are instead driven by insecurity and a desire to fit in. That, in my opinion, is the real disability that exists in our society. So maybe the real X-Men are the people who are impervious to judgment and live for themselves. And every day I walk this Earth, I never forget that my powers, my X-gene, come from the unlikeliest of sources: my single finger on each hand. Ethan Zucker ’24 can be reached at ethan_ zucker@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This article originally appeared online at www.browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 15
COMMENTARY
Editorial: Survey says: Filling out your course evaluations helps your fellow students It’s that time of the year again: course evaluations! The Course Feedback Forms pop-up has become inescapable in this last stretch of the semester. As annoying as it can be, we should all take full advantage of this opportunity as students to fill out course evaluations, as well as Critical Review surveys, as thoughtfully as possible. At the end of each semester, we are asked to fill out course feedback forms, which ask a variety of questions about courses and instructors. This semester, the forms close on Jan. 4. Students must fill out these forms — or indicate that they prefer not to — to view their final grades. Importantly, submissions are anonymous and instructors cannot see reviews until they post final grades. These course evaluations give us the opportunity to tell faculty and administrators how we want our education to look. They are specifically asking for our input. If we want our faculty and administrators to improve course quality, we have to tell them what we want — even if it feels like a pain. You are not required to answer every question. But if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “This assignment is pointless,” or complained to your friends that a professor was routinely unhelpful in office hours, this is a prime opportunity to improve future experiences with these courses and professors. Alternatively, if you’ve ever read something transformative in a class or had a professor
who blew your mind, mention that as well. A brief answer is better than nothing. Whether it is positive or negative feedback, it helps the University improve. And it’s anonymous — let it all out! The Critical Review is another course evaluation — one that is easier to ignore,
Because of this, many courses are missing data. And the ones that do have data often only have feedback from a small portion of students in the class, which can compromise review quality — or prevent a review from being written at all. This phenomenon can be especially pronounced in humanities
“
If we want our faculty and administrators to improve course quality, we have to tell them what we want — even if it feels like a pain.
but likely far more useful to students. We as students all rely on the Critical Review as we dig through Courses @ Brown in search of classes to motivate us, challenge us and make us think. The Critical Review is a rock amidst the tumult of the Open Curriculum. Unfortunately, the Critical Review often has gaps in its data. Professors currently have to opt in to surveys for their courses.
classes, which are often smaller. Low response rates can privilege the voices of students with opinions at the extremes, who are more likely to want to write in. Students often make significant educational decisions based on the Critical Review — shouldn’t we all have an interest in ensuring it’s extremely reliable? This responsibility cuts both ways. The Critical Review should be opt-out for in-
structors. They may want to opt out from reviews because of documented biases in course evaluations against women and/ or people of color. It is important that this choice remains available. However, some professors may not feel strongly about opting in or out. If the default was for a course to be reviewed, then the Critical Review could see more participation from these indifferent professors. Thus, the number of courses reviewed would increase. At this point in the semester, the last thing any of us wants to do is to add another task to our to-do lists. But for our future selves and fellow students, take the time to reflect on your courses and voice your feedback. There’s always room for improvement. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board and aim to contribute informed opinions to campus debates while remaining mindful of the group’s past stances. The editorial page board and its views are separate from The Herald’s newsroom and the 133rd Editorial Board, which leads the paper. This editorial was written by the editorial page board’s editors Kate Waisel ’24 and Devan Paul ’24, as well as its members Alissa Simon ’25, Rachel Thomas ’25, Yael Wellisch ’26 and Paulie Malherbe ’26.
Gurjão Bonaparte ’26: A lack of transparency shouldn’t be the reason not to divest Each year, the Brown Investment Office invests hundreds of millions of dollars of donation money, directly into a handful of securities and indirectly through various external managers — hopefully in ways that donors trust align with the values of a free and forward-thinking institution. Much like our peer institutions, Brown’s Investment Office purports to embrace Environmental, Social and Governance principles as a guiding force for their operations. ESG principles typically call for investors to not invest in companies causing social harm. At Brown, the responsibility to identify these companies is in part assigned to the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management. However, the recent Undergraduate Council of Students town hall with the Investment Office, and the unanswered questions left from it, underscored the challenge of comprehending how Brown translates its professed ethical investment practices into action. ACURM serves as an external check on ethical standards and potentially harmful investment practices in Brown’s Investment Office. However, I question its internal ability to tackle this challenge. This matters because the Brown community must be able to trust that the University is taking the right measures to invest responsibly. The vast majority of the endowment is invested across various asset classes by external managers, not by the Investment Office itself. What does that mean for ESG practices? It’s not clear. The specifics of ESG adoption and its regulation — including how the office’s “points-based rubric” compares to international standards for ESG frameworks, or how the University’s asset managers measure up to it — remain elusive. All we know is that approximately 23% of the endowment is managed by ESG-conscious investors. Additionally, an important aspect of Brown’s ESG communications is the exclusion of certain sectors that external managers should abide by, included in the University’s “statement of philosophy.” These exclusions include the tobacco industry and companies involved in “genocidal actions and human rights violations in Darfur,” Sudan.
If any student or faculty member has concerns that companies that Brown invests in contribute to social harm, they can submit a request to ACURM. Notably, in 2020, the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies, which preceded ACURM, published a report recommending divestment from companies “facilitating human rights violations in Palestine.’’ The recommendation was denied by President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20, who has claimed that Brown’s endowment is not a “political instrument.” In her letter explaining the decision, Paxson added that “the recommendation did not adequately address the require-
does not directly invest in any weapons manufacturers. Aside from weapons manufacturers, the companies identified for divestment in the 2020 proposal are in a wide variety of sectors, operate globally and have many divisions — making it extremely difficult to track down their links with human rights abuses and the impact of divestment. But it is not impossible. Divestors from this sector include KLP, Norway’s largest pension fund, which did not wish to be invested in a handful of companies given the “risk that the excluded companies are contributing to the abuse of human rights in situations of war and conflict.” Norges Bank also divested over $21 million in 2021 from two Israeli
“
Brown students, many extremely concerned with the future of the citizens of Gaza, deserve to have a committee that has the capacity to fulfill the requirements needed to request divestment.
ments for rigorous analysis and research as laid out in ACCRIP’s charge, nor was there the requisite level of specificity in regard to divestment.” Barring discussion on the political nature of the endowment, I am mainly concerned with the latter argument, which ultimately suggests that ACURM might not be fully suited to draft proposals that can pass. Although ACCRIP prompted official divestment resolutions on companies involved with tobacco and Darfur, these are exclusions that have been widely adopted by institutions and were likely already common practice for managers. The issue of divestment from companies that facilitate the occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel is far trickier, especially given that Brown
companies, after its council on ethics ruled that Israeli settlements in the West Bank were built in violation of international law. A successful divestment proposal must be able to address both its impact on mitigation of social harm and the potential financial risks it could expose Brown to — as well as understand how asset managers would implement any recommendation. Taking apart this complicated matrix involving a variety of stakeholders was likely difficult for ACCRIP and could today be difficult for ACURM, a committee with diverse and talented membership, but without any full-time staff. Divestment is complicated — and the University might have legitimate reasons not to do it. But a lack of information available to ACURM should
not be what prevents it. And Brown’s Investment Office should organize a meeting that also includes members of the Corporation and ACURM, so that no question goes unanswered. While the UCS town hall was elucidating for many of the students present, the Investment Office itself was unable to answer most questions that regard divestment. I also hope that if Brown continues to deny divestment requests, it is not simply due to procedural concerns surrounding a single report. Brown students, many extremely concerned with the future of the citizens of Gaza, deserve to have a committee that has the capacity to fulfill the requirements needed to request divestment. Brown has access to a wide network of researchers: alums who work in the United Nations, analysts in investment banks and experts in corporate social responsibility. There are plenty of professionals within Brown’s reach who can assist ACURM in addressing the gaps Paxson identified in the 2020 divestment proposal, and Brown should take advantage of their expertise. Additionally, ACURM must strengthen its connections with other organizations that have successfully divested so that the committee can fully grasp what that entails — especially in the context of externally managed endowments — before submitting a divestment proposal. These concerted efforts will not only empower students to feel heard in their calls for divestment but will also contribute to a greater sense of democracy on campus. Moreover, directing resources to ACURM can advance an overarching mission of the Investment Office to increase the portion of endowment funds managed with a formal ESG policy — a mutually beneficial outcome for the Brown community. Maria Claudia Gurajão Bonaparte ’26 can be reached at maria_claudia_gurjao_bonaparte@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This article originally appeared online at www.browndailyherald.com on Dec. 7, 2023.
PAGE 16
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
UNIVERSITY NEWS
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LIFE
Performance groups express concerns over temporary removal of stage thrust
Student Activities Office cited damage as reason for removal from Alumnae Hall
just not a lot of space … the stage is kind of an odd size.” “I think one concern we had was
BY JENNIFER SHIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Aug. 31, the Student Activities Office proposed changes to the Alumnae Hall performance stage after announcing in an email to student performance groups that due to sustained damage of some of the portable thrust platforms, the thrust would be temporarily out of use. The stage is commonly used by student dance groups; a portable thrust, consisting of multiple platforms, serves to extend a stage further into an audience. “The decision was made to remove these platforms from service,” the email reads, but “using the stage as originally designed will be beneficial for all.” But students were invited to share their “thoughts on anything (SAO) might have missed in terms of removing the thrust.” Currently, the platforms are “set up for performances when needed” to expand the stage’s area, Joie Steele, senior associate dean and director of student activities, wrote in an email to The Herald. Steele added that the thrust is usually taken down after the spring semester. While taking down the thrust last spring, SAO deemed it unsafe for use. The Aug. 31 email caused some student groups to believe that the thrust would be removed permanently, but Steele wrote that SAO is still consulting
LILA QUINN / HERALD
The Student Activities Office cited concerns over the safety of the thrust as the primary reason for temporary removal. with student groups who use the space about future plans for the stage. Removing the thrust permanently “will only happen if we can’t determine a safe solution with students,” she wrote. According to the email, the thrust brings the stage to “approximately 26 (feet) of stage deck.” SAO explained that without the thrust, space could be reclaimed by moving the stage’s cyc — a backdrop curtain — and upstage curtains further back, creating a total of 24 feet of available stage deck.
The change would “improve options for lighting, sound and movement as well as presenting a much better visual experience for your audiences,” the email reads. Several student performance groups expressed concerns over the current removal of the platforms and the possibility of the stage’s reconfiguration to its original form. “With the cyc pushed further back, there’s going to be issues with people being able to cross backstage,” said Briannah Cook ’24, co-publicity director for Mezcla Latin Dance Company. Ac-
cording to Cook, dancers travel behind the cyc to move across the stage. “The stage is very small, even with the thrust,” she added. “We have a big troupe … so depending on the piece, it gets a little precarious dancing, because you don’t really have the room to fully spread out.” Ellie Morvatz ’25, co-director of Attitude Dance Company, said that getting used to a smaller stage would be difficult. “The Alumnae Hall stage is obviously not ideal,” Morvatz said. “If you’ve ever walked around backstage, there’s
(whether we are) going to have enough space to account for everyone safely,” said Kathryn Lee ’24, co-director of Impulse Dance Company. But Lee told The Herald that after talking to other company members who recently performed on the stage without the thrust, she became less concerned. “We got feedback from one of the members saying there was enough room to move around,” she said. “It was a little squished on stage, but relatively it didn’t seem too much of an issue.” “We are working to identify a vendor and exploring options and will continue to do that with students collaboratively with a goal of replacement over winter break if we can identify a safe solution that works for students,” Steele wrote. In a conversation with Mezcla, SAO representatives explained to students that they were “exploring solutions” to ensure student safety on stage, but could not promise such solutions would be implemented by their next performance, Cook wrote in a message to The Herald. “I hope we are able to come to some sort of solution over winter break,” Cook wrote. “Losing dance camp was already such a blow and losing the thrust would just throw another wrench into our show preparation.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2023.
ACADEMICS & ADVISING
‘Hope and light’: ’23.5ers celebrate at Midyear Completion Ceremony Graduating student speakers discuss adversity, community, belonging at ceremony BY SANAI RASHID STAFF WRITER On Saturday afternoon, more than 200 students filed into Salomon 101 for the University’s Midyear Completion Celebration. The annual ceremony recognizes undergraduate students who will complete their degree requirements in December, rather than May. The celebration “provides an opportunity to recognize the achievements and unique paths of Brown’s ’0.5ers,” according to the ceremony’s program. This year, students entered the auditorium alongside hundreds of family and friends as an instrumental rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Long Live (Taylor’s Version)” played on the speakers. The event opened with remarks from Dean of the College of the College Rashid Zia ’01, which were followed by a performance of the national anthem by the Chattertocks, the University’s longest-running a capella group. Reverend Janet Cooper-Nelson, the chaplain of the University, led the invocation, followed by speeches from graduating students Katie Haley ’23.5 and Arden Reynolds ’23.5. President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 concluded the ceremony with the University’s salu-
PETER SWOPE / HERALD
The University welcomes 0.5ers to walk through the Van Wickle Gates again in the spring once the University officially confers their degrees in May. tations to the graduates. “Midyear Completion Ceremony is one of the most joyous events of the entire year at Brown,” Zia said in his remarks. Midyear Completion graduates belong to two graduating classes, and Zia noted that the weekend ceremony is “not meant to replace (their) graduation.” The University welcomes 0.5ers to walk through the Van Wickle Gates again in the spring — even if they already did so with the previous graduating class — once the University officially confers their degrees in May. Throughout the night, speakers noted that despite the unique paths 0.5ers took — whether that meant transferring midyear, taking a leave of absence due to the pandemic or choosing to extend their studies — the students and their
classmates are now all in the same space, looking to celebrate one another and use their shared talents to embark on the new opportunities that lie ahead. The two student speakers told their stories and Brown experiences to highlight their respective journeys to becoming 0.5ers. Haley, a psychology concentrator, recounted her story of overcoming substance abuse and homelessness to become Bristol Community College’s valedictorian before entering Brown. In her speech, Haley said she first thought she had made a “huge mistake” coming to Brown because she had a different age and background than most of her classmates. But she began to find ownership in her story, becoming the founding chair of the nontraditional advisory board
at Brown and manager of the program house for the Bruce E. Donovan Program for Recovery and Substance-Free Initiatives, according to a University press release. She credited Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice Brad Brockmann for helping her discover her own “value in elite academic spaces.” “I am no longer afraid that you’re going to find out that I’m different,” Haley said. “Because I found out that you are also different. We are all different.” Reynolds, an English nonfiction concentrator, started her speech by recounting her fourth day at Brown, when she was hit by a car. She recalled her memories from those first months: the “cute guy from orientation game night” who played her Bach Cello Suites as she recovered in the hospital, the first-year English teacher who checked in with her each day after class and the Sharpe Refectory dining hall staff member who helped her carry her food — all of whom were in the audience tonight, she noted. “Let’s take a minute to think of someone who cared for us during our time here — someone we cared for,” Reynolds said. “As we move beyond our time at Brown, we will be left with the memories of the people who heard us, helped us, and held us.” After the speeches, the University presented the graduates as they walked the stage amid applause from friends
and family. “As you go out in the world, what I want to say to you is — come back,” Paxson said. “We love you. We want you here.” The Chattertocks concluded the event by singing the University’s alma mater. “I am so happy to have been at the ceremony,” said Canqi Li ’23.5, a former Herald senior staff writer. “Everyone is so dressed up and beautiful, and I’m so inspired by them all.” Emma Amselem Bensadon ’24 came to the Ceremony to celebrate her friend’s graduation. “I’m sad that they are leaving,” said Bensadon. “But I’m very excited to see them enter this new phase in their lives.” Zia shared a story of the Iranian winter solstice holiday — Shabe Yalda — with the audience. On this longest night of the year, young people “stay up all night to watch the sunrise over the horizon,” Zia said as he pointed to the emblem above his head, “much like the sun in the Brown seal overhead breaks through the clouds.” “We are here to celebrate you and your achievements — your hope and light that provides warmth and comfort to us all.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2023
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 17
UNIVERSITY NEWS
The magic behind the magic bars: A sweet peek inside the Brown Bakeshop Bakeshop staff share details behind creating all of dining’s baked goods BY HALEY SANDLOW SCIENCE & RESEARCH AND UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR Their day starts at 4 a.m. By the time students stumble into the Sharpe Refectory for breakfast, the Brown Bakeshop’s six bakers are already in the thick of their recipes, working on today’s brownies, tomorrow’s cookies and next week’s pie. One corner of the Bakeshop — found underneath the Ratty — smells like vanilla, another like bubbling butter. Sue Ennes is rolling pie crust while Dave Coite is baking off his latest bread creation. Bert Belle is scooping cookies with the Johnson & Wales University intern Cathy Ortega while Cassandra Rodrigues is shaping fondant for their next holiday display. Everyone’s aprons are covered in flour. “We’re very behind-the-scenes folks,” Bakeshop Production Manager Jeannie Travalini told The Herald. Students at the Ratty “see the cooks walking around … But the bakers, no one really sees because by the time most (students) are coming up here, we’ve left for the day.” “They work so very hard,” she added. A ‘well-oiled machine’ The Bakeshop produces almost all of the pastry and dessert products for the Ratty and the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall from scratch, Travalini
said. During the week, products are packed up and driven to the V-Dub and any other campus events catered by the bakers. But the bakers’ work doesn’t stop there. Besides day-to-day production, the team produces the occasional colorful, fondant-filled displays greeting students in the Ratty. For the start of the school year, it was a “Ratatouille”-themed cake display. For Halloween, a spooky witch’s display. This is a chance for the bakers to get creative, said Rodrigues, the Bakeshop’s lead baker. They “play around” and try different fondant and airbrush techniques. “We provide opportunities for our workers to do things that they like to do, so everyone has a little joy in their day,” Travalini said. Those opportunities have included fresh bread “popups” — challah, pumpernickel and cinnamon — for the Ratty, which are especially appreciated by bread-expert Coite. “It’s what I love,” Coite, who has been at the Bakeshop for 17 years, told The Herald. “Just the fact that you take ingredients and you’re creating something that’s actually alive. The starter’s right here, it’s alive.” And not only alive but named: “Billy V,” the fifth iteration of a sourdough starter kept at the Bakeshop in a large white tub, fed every day with flour and water. While the dining halls used to bake fresh bread every day for lunch and dinner — with the help of the student assistants the Bakeshop used to employ — the Bakeshop now has less time
for fresh bread, with so much work to do for catering. Commencement is one of the busiest times for the shop, Travalini said. So is Thanksgiving, when bakers start at midnight the day before to prepare pies and squash rolls, filling orders for their annual pie sale. Last year, the Bakeshop produced 1,872 orange-tinted dinner rolls. In a normal week, the Bakeshop might use close to 1,500 pounds of flour, Travalini said. The 50-pound bags are stacked at the back of the Bakeshop next to bins of sugar, massive cans of pumpkin puree and many assortments of mix-ins and toppings. Although leftovers are packed up and donated, there are usually no leftovers at all. According to Travalini, she is always thinking of ways to provide exciting and creative opportunities for bakers. Last year, for example, she asked the Bakeshop to develop a new recipe and thus was born Linda’s Chips & Chunks, the cookie creation of baker Linda Craven, who has been at the Bakeshop since 2017. But Craven’s cookies aren’t the only ones on the menu. Nick’s Best Chocolate Chip cookies are the creation of baker Nick Amesbury, who has been at the Bakeshop for almost 10 years. About five years ago, he tested half a dozen cookie recipes to find the best one — the secret was using sea salt and salted butter, he revealed. “I love when I come up (to the dining hall) during the day, just walk around and check things out, and I’ll listen to students and (hear) them say,
‘Oh! Nick’s Best today!’” Travalini said. “That’s why you get into the food industry, because you want people to be happy with what you’re making.” Travalini has also put her own spin on certain products, like adding butterscotch chips for a “Scottish” version of the infamous magic bars, typically made only using chocolate chips and coconut. There’s a magic to the Bakeshop too: Bakers described it as a “welloiled machine.” “It’s just by feel,” said Ennes, describing how tasks are divided among staff. “We come in, we all have a different spot — someone’s on catering, Bert’s always on the oven, me and Nick are in the middle.” ‘Making all the pastries and keeping us fed’ Yohanna Cuello ’26 raved about the Bakeshop’s occasional cheesecakes, especially the pumpkin cheesecake during Thanksgiving. According to Travalini, that’s one of the desserts that always runs out. “I eat a baked product every single day, I just can’t help myself,” Travalini said. “I love our cookies.” But which cookie in particular is a trickier question: “I never met a cookie I didn’t love,” she said. Bakers testified to The Herald that Belle never waits for the baked goods to cool down before eating them. “We wonder how he doesn’t burn himself,” Ennes said. Multiple students said they thought there were too many vegan desserts — “disproportionate to the amount of
vegans,” said Sasha Floru ’24. “It’s great that we have vegan options, but sometimes it impacts the texture of the dessert,” said Addie Poulson ’26. “Not everyone that eats a vegan diet is eating it because they’re vegan,” Travalini said. “What if you have a milk allergy? So you know if you grab that vegan cookie, you don’t have to worry about eating that and getting sick.” Travalini added that vegan desserts have greatly improved since “pastry people first started fooling around with vegan desserts.” She thought students might never realize the Ridiculously Good Stout Brownies were vegan. Mia-Nathalie Pridgen’26 said she enjoys the Bakeshop’s donuts, which were added to the breakfast rotation only six years ago, according to Amesbury. “I would just commend (the Bakeshop) for all their efforts,” Pridgen said. “I definitely appreciate them for … making all the pastries and keeping us fed.” Rodrigues — whose favorite pastry is the cranberry orange muffin — said that students typically don’t know who the bakers are, even though the team eats at the Ratty on their breaks. “The white shirts are the Bakeshop,” she said. “We care about what we put out, we feel our product is good and the kids tend to enjoy it.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2023.
COURTESY OF JEANNIE TRAVALINI
In addition to their normal production for dining and catering, The Bakeshop has created colorful, fondant-filled displays for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the start of the school year.
PAGE 18
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
ARTS & CULTURE
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Grace Chen ’24 builds bridge between traditional art forms, digital design
Chen shares various art practices, artistic processes, inspirations
tunity and a hobby. “On campus, a lot of the art that I do is painting, sound art and drawing, but I also do a lot of digital art and design,”
BY CAVAN AGATONE STAFF WRITER
Chen said. She added that she does more design work off campus, both for freelance projects and her own enjoyment. Chen was introduced to art from sketching lessons when she was five years old. As she got older, she began exploring more mediums and now considers painting her primary art form. “My interest in graphic design stemmed from taking art lessons, like color theory and composition,” she added. “I like being able to make physical, tangible things that exist outside of me,” Chen said. Although she enjoys seeing others’ reactions to her art, she maintains that her main goal is to create for
When Grace Chen ’24 is struck by artistic inspiration, she can envision the final product before she begins working. “I like to look at references,” Chen, known on Instagram as “Gravie,” said. “Then I’ll dive into how to craft (the piece) in terms of what the materials, colors and compositions will look like.” As a visual art and computer science double concentrator on the design track, Chen’s artistic talents range from oil painting to 3D animation. Art and design encompass a large part of Chen’s life, serving as both a professional oppor-
herself. “Mainly, it’s for myself to have this vision of what would look good, and being able to achieve that is very
(their) career has developed that.” Chen and Clark are currently collaborating on a short film for the class
foray into 3D modeling.” She also cited a painting she completed last year, which was “the largest painting (she) has ever
satisfying,” she explained. Across her various art forms, Chen has experience working both individually and collaboratively. “More of my group involvement comes from my animation,” she said. “Currently, I’m helping with art direction for this short film that around 12 of us are working on.” Chen added that she has contributed to many facets of the film, including storyboarding, animating, editing and sound design. “I think (Grace) is incredible at art direction, specifically from an animation point of view,” said Adelle Clark ’24, who has collaborated with Chen on animated short films. “There’s a whimsical, curated color palette and style that I can attribute to her. Not everyone at this point in
CSCI1950-T: “Advanced Animation Production.” “Initially, the story was submitted by Grace, and we took it and workshopped it,” Clark said. “She’s very good at storytelling and bringing that through the art.” Isabel Lukas ’24, Chen’s friend and roommate, feels that Chen’s work carries a unique atmosphere. “When I think of Gravie’s art, I think of asymmetrical stars, super cute doodles, warm colors and food,” Lukas wrote in a message to The Herald. “There is always both a playful and emo tone to her pieces that I love, love, love.” For Chen, her favorite projects include leading Hack@Brown’s branding design, which she described as her “first
worked on” and “captured a lot of the emotions (she) was feeling at the time.” Chen is also working on her senior show for the visual art concentration, which will be displayed at the end of the year. She added that she has begun working with silk screen printing for the first time and described it as “a good intersection of illustration and design.” Beyond Brown, Chen hopes to continue working in art. “Whether it’s professionally or just for myself, I hope I never stop making art,” she said. “Eventually, it would be great to be able to have my own studio.” This article originally apeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
ARTIST PROFILES
RISD students detail how they use art as a means of storytelling human.” Speaking about the design process, Okwu said that he dives straight into carving, “seeing what happens.” But because his work is predominantly in wood, he admitted that it is more efficient to have a “certain level of planning.” This can range from preparing detailed sketches or having laid out a theme that he can play off of. Having worked with wood, graphite, stone and glass, Okwu said that working on the same design in different materials allows for “experimentation to apply an array of skills.” Figuring out the design beforehand also allows him to better understand the materials he is working with. Okwu aims to produce “repetitive designs” that could be sold to an audience, and he is currently considering a master’s degree in furniture design or industrial design. He also wants to strike a balance between “commission-based art practice” and “having work in galleries.”
Five RISD student artists talk about design processes, themes explored in their work BY SAHIL BALANI STAFF WRITER Working across a diverse range of art mediums, students from the Rhode Island School of Design seek to craft narratives that reflect personal, cultural and sociopolitical experiences. The Herald spoke with RISD students Sofia Zhuk-Vasilyeva, Rozella Kim, Mia Wang, Florian Okwu and Paree Rohera about how they use their artwork to tell stories. Each has carved out unique spaces for themselves both on and off campus. Developing ‘Beetle Girl’: Sofia Zhuk-Vasilyeva While creating her apparel design thesis project, RISD senior Sofia Zhuk-Vasilyeva was inspired by her last name “Zhuk,” which is the Ukrainian word for “beetles.” In her project, Zhuk aims to develop a character named “beetle girl,” using “tailored jackets” to create a story and an “alternate universe” for the persona. “She’s like this fantastical hero embracing super fierce and dirty femininity,” Zhuk explained. Aside from the creation of “beetle girl,” Zhuk’s work has political connotations. Zhuk, who is of Mongolian and Ukrainian descent, felt it was her responsibility to use her work to educate people about the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. In honor of one of her favorite Ukrainian artists, Maria Prymachenko, Zhuk created a denim jacket that aimed to serve as a statement about the destruction of Prymachenko’s work by Russian missiles. “To hear that her work was being potentially destroyed and lost was heartbreaking,” Zhuk said. Another common theme in Zhuk’s works is her headwear. “It’s an accessory that I have to make because I feel it completes my work,” she said. First inspired by Mongolian headdresses worn at weddings, Zhuk wanted to “embrace my Mongolian heritage and my Asian identity.”
CLAIRE DIEPENBROCK / HERALD
From top to bottom and left to right: Florian Okwu, Paree Rehora, Mia Wang, Rozella Kim, Sofia Zhuk-Vasilyeva. Marketing herself in fashion: Rozella Kim Rozella Kim, also a senior, had her eyes set on RISD since childhood. Although Kim had applied intending to major in painting, it wasn’t until her freshman year that she found a passion for film, animation and video. When venturing into different forms of photography and videography, Kim said she found a balance between the two through her work as an art director in the fashion industry, which combined commercial and collaborative work. “That’s how I market myself in the industry,” she said. Kim, who is currently co-president of Fashion@Brown, noted the “relationship-driven” nature of the fashion world and said it provides a good home for “individual development in a collaborative” environment. “You get the strongest work when you bring all these visions together,” she said. Kim said that her “most memorable project” involved working on a video for Boyarovskaya, a womenswear brand, during Paris Fashion Week. On set, which she said involved models walking on a ramp and projections on a screen, Kim had the “ability to control how the clothes were shot.”
Having worked with multiple fashion brands to bring their stories to life, Kim wants to “create a story on (her) own terms” for her thesis project. Using archival footage from her mother’s camcorder, Kim’s goal is to present her “family’s narrative” and “reconnect with home.”Having worked with multiple fashion brands to bring their stories to life, Kim wants to “create a story on (her) own terms” for her thesis project. Using archival footage from her mother’s camcorder, Kim’s goal is to present her “family’s narrative” and “reconnect with home.” ‘Creating a domesticity’: Mia Wang Inspired by her lifelong love for books and comics, RISD senior Mia Wang initially planned on becoming an illustrator. But after taking a spatial dynamics class during her freshman year, Wang realized that she instead wanted to create narratives as a furniture designer. For her thesis project, Wang wants to explore “the story that the materials can carry.” Her work focuses on layering materials with different textures and dying them together with indigo to “create a domesticity that is the culmination of readings” she has done, including some about Chinese philosophy, Wang said.
Wang’s interest in indigo stems from Yunnan, China. She previously worked with an artist from the region to create a lounge chair combining hardwood and textiles dyed in indigo. This inspired her current work where she dyes wood and textiles to create a bench with “really beautiful printmaking on the wood.” Wang hopes to have a commercial job but also wants to pursue a private artistic practice where she can tell stories. Through her furniture, Wang embodies the Chinese philosophy of “appreciating materials the way they are” and aims to creatic domestic spaces “simulating nature.” Experimenting with materials: Florian Okwu Florian Okwu, another RISD senior, traces his journey to sculpture from a prior focus in creative management, architecture and industrial design. Okwu felt that sculpture allowed him to embrace his artistry more than industrial design did, adding that it builds confidence as a creative person and requires him “to trust myself to get what I need to get done.” “I love hand-tool carving,” Okwu said, adding that the process of making these tools makes him “feel the most
Playing with ‘nosiness’: Paree Rohera Paree Rohera, a RISD junior, explained that she first got into painting because as a shared experience with her father as a child. She also credited time spent with her grandmother, who she “used to love drawing” with. A prominent motif in Rohera’s work are side profiles of South Asian figures. Through these paintings, she aims to highlight “really ethnic features,” including “bodies with big noses.” She explained that her work is about getting comfortable with a nose that is usually seen as “ugly” from a Western beauty standard, as well as a play on the phrase “let’s get nosy” and South Asian culture’s inclination to “nosiness.” Rohera added that side profiles allow her to “focus on how the hair falls more” and help her focus on each strand. Rohera also aims to express her claustrophobia through her work. “It’s like a really big part of my life because it affects me, in all the ways possible,” she said. Talking about her process, Rohera said that her sketchbook is her “holy grail.” “I can quickly draw a sketch without thinking of the consequences,” she said, adding that keeping her sketchbook private allows her to “draw freely.” This article originally apeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 19
ARTS & CULTURE
The best movies of 2023
Top 5 pop culture moments of 2023
‘Past Lives’ (Celine Song) Celine Song made an immediate name for herself with the release of “Past Lives” earlier this year. At the center of the film is Nora, an émigré
“Olivia Rodrigo’s rebrand is not working.” BY RYA VALLABHANENI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Five moments that defined campus culture this year The Lindemann Performing Arts Center opens After almost five years of construction, the Lindemann Performing Arts Center officially opened its doors to the public Oct. 21, with a concert celebration featuring world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlamn. Classes have been held in the building since the beginning of the fall semester, as well as performances in Lindemann’s Main Hall — a reconfigurable space with five different layouts. Spring Weekend 2023 shines brighter than ever Last semester’s festival featured yet another star-studded line-up, with Alice Longyu Gao, Doechii and J.I.D. taking the stage on Saturday, and Ethel Cain, 070 Shake and Remi Wolf finishing out the weekend on Sunday. As one of the most highly anticipated events on campus each year, the two-day concert did not disappoint, filling a muddy Main Green with Brown students who love all kinds of music. Ross Gay comes to campus Writer Ross Gay visited campus as part of the English Departments’ Nonfiction@Brown lecture series Nov. 1. A poet, essayist, and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Gay is known for his study of joy — often arguing that it’s inseparable from sorrow — and read excerpts from his books “Inciting Joy,” “Bringing the Shovel Down” and “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitudes” to a packed auditorium of students and staff. U. hosts exhibition on Mumia Abu-Jamal “Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Portrait of Mass Incarceration” opened Sep. 28 on campus, showcasing a collection of writings and materials from Abu-Jamal — who is currently serving a life sentence — the exhibition seeks to illuminate the impact of prison on both the lives of incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. It will be on display until July 2024. Birbs at Brown takes campus by storm The anonymous Instagram account birbs@brown continues to send students flying across campus in search of “birbs,” petite crocheted bird plushies. Having developed a cult-like following among Brown students, the ongoing scavenger is increasingly creative in finding places to plant the coveted birbs — hiding them in library stacks, bushes, swimming pools and even refrigerators.
from South Korea who is now living in New York with her American husband. When her childhood sweetheart comes to visit America, Nora is placed in a position of deep emotional turmoil. The film’s strength is in its subtlety, with one of the strongest screenplays of the year composed mostly of conversations between two people. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (Martin Scorsese) A grand American epic about the systemic killings of the Osage people over oil money in the 1920s made by one of the few filmmakers who can handle such a story with the care and time it deserves. Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is a slow-burning, non-sensationalized tale about one of the darkest chapters in American history, sure to leave a lasting impact on the viewer well after its credits roll.
“‘Barbenheimer’ was the talk of the summer, but neither of the movies were very good.” BY FINN KIRKPATRICK ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR ‘Asteroid City’ (Wes Anderson) “Asteroid City” brought Wes Anderson’s form to another level. The film is told through the frame narrative of a 1950s television production of a play about a group trapped in a desert town during a stargazers convention in which the emotions expressed in the behind-the-scenes drama begin to mirror that of the play itself. It hits on an emotional level unlike anything Anderson has made and the narrative is his most compelling. ‘Monster’ (Hirokazu Kore-eda) A touching portrait of adolescence told through the subtle yet emotive lens of Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan’s greatest living filmmaker. The film follows a boy’s hardships at his school, playing out like a mystery which ultimately delivers a final emotionally devastating blow. Through a combination of clever narrative work and wonderful performances, “Monster” is the most moving film of the year and also the most expertly made.
Barbenheimer Barbie-Oppenheimer—also known as “Barbenheimer”—took social media by storm over the summer. July saw
“Saying that you knew an artist before they became popular is a flex and people shouldn’t be shamed for flaunting it.” BY DAPHNE DLUZNIEWSKI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The best shows of 2023 ‘The Last of Us’ “The Last of Us” kicked off the year with explosive success. Based on a video game, the series provides a fresh portrayal of the apocalypse, a topic often at risk of being overused. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s stellar performances and the show’s realistic special effects make it deserving of all of the praise it has received. One of the most unforgettable aspects of the show is the third episode, which took viewers on an unexpected and hard-hitting emotional rollercoaster. ‘Shrinking’ A year after the sudden death of his wife, therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) is still struggling to grapple with the loss. The show follows Laird as he attempts to put his life back together while simultaneously experimenting with unconventional methods to help his patients. Supported by actors Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, “Shrinking” is one of the most emotionally poignant shows of the year, striking an impeccable balance between being laugh-out-loud funny and tear-jerking. ‘Beef’ “Beef” follows the bizarre feud between Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) after the two get into a road rage incident. Produced by film company A24, the series is as bizarre as one might expect. Though the characters are quite honestly insufferable, this complexity is precisely what makes the show compelling. Dark and entertaining, “Beef’s” creativity has captured audiences’ attention. ‘Jury Duty’ One ordinary man, Ronald Gladden, became the star of one of 2023’s most memorable comedy series after he answered an ad requesting jurors for what he didn’t realize was a fictional court case. The show’s unique concept, combined with the hilarious improvisational skills of the cast, elevates its genius, and the heartwarming developments that arise from these unscripted moments make “Jury Duty” a gem to watch.
“Taylor Swift wrote the ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ vault tracks during the ‘Midnights’ era. ” ALEX NADIRASHVILI MANAGING EDITOR
the simultaneous release of two films that couldn’t be more different: Greta Gerwig’s bubblegum-pink “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s heady thriller “Oppenheimer.” The internet’s response was astounding: Why watch the two films separately when you could dress up and make it a double feature? Memes abounded but the joke’s on us, as both movies ended up shattering box-office records and generating a popular discourse that’ll keep them relevant for years to come. Bizarre Celebrity Couples Who would’ve thought that 2023 would witness Timothée Chalamet boo’d up with Kylie Jenner? Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater? How about Taylor Swift and Matty Healy — or Travis Kelce? Unexpected celebrity pairings came to litter tabloid covers across the world this year. It leaves us questioning: true love or PR stunt?
“Timothée Chalamet is not the artsy, sensitive guy that people think he is — he’s just a guy!” BY ISABEL HAHN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Accident It’s a hit-and-run like no other. Gweneth Paltrow’s ski crash trial received loads of publicity at the start of the year. Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow for $300,000, claiming that Paltrow’s reckless skiing caused her to crash into him on the
Top 5 books of 2023 BY LILIANA GREYF SENIOR STAFF WRITER ‘Book of (More) Delights’ by Ross Gay A sequel to the celebrated book of essays, this read is just as delightful as the first. Gay writes of small wonders, reminding readers of miniscule miracles and the gratitude we get to have for them. ‘The House of Love and Prayer’ by Tova Reich The eight stories in this collection manage to illuminate the modern Jewish diaspora in a remarkably original synthesis. Reich’s stories do not shy away from describing holiness or mapping intergenerational trauma. Simultaneously, her wry voice uncovers the inconsistencies of devout practice. ‘Big Swiss’ by Jen Beagin Beagin’s third novel follows Greta, a transcriber of a sex therapist’s sessions, and her affair with one of his clients. The book narrates the copulation and compartmentalization of the two women’s lives in upstate New York. The pages turned
slopes in 2016. The overblown trial, from which Paltrow emerged innocent (she got her $1), was chalk-full of meme worthy moments that give any scripted comedy a run for its money.
“Sure, Harry Styles’ looks are gender-bending, but that doesn’t make them fashionable.” BY NED KENNEDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER Eras & Renaissance Tour It was an unmatched year for live music, with Taylor Swift’s The Eras tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour attracting fans everywhere by storm. From surprise songs to album announcements, Swifties across the country were fed all summer. At the same time, Beyoncé continued to amaze audiences on her Renaissance tour with powerful performances and numerous guest appearances, even by her daughter Blue Ivy. Not only were both tours record-breaking in sheer scale and financial success, they also showcased the artists’ impressive legacies. Twitter becomes X With Elon Musk’s official Twitter takeover last year, devoted users lamented over their uncertain future on the app. Sure enough, Twitter unveiled its dramatic new makeover this summer — revealing the death of the beloved blue bird. While the app’s features remain mostly the same, it’s been difficult for people to become attached to X’s colorless, more intimidating look. But no matter how much users try to resist the change it seems clear that X is here to stay. themselves — it was crude and smart, literary but unserious. It had an unexpected, terrifying, terribly wonderful bite. ‘Dykette’ by Jenny Fran Davis With intoxicatingly strange, utterly revealing, highly erotic narration, Dykette tells the story of three lesbian couples on a ten-day vacation. These characters love nothing more than love, except hate. Their gossip morphs into theory, and their hurt becomes their play. The writing is almost inaccessible to anyone not young, not queer or not open to a narrative that pivots and shakes — which is precisely its power. ‘Biography of X’ by Catherine Lacey This book is mind-bending and genre-breaking, containing two copyright pages: one for the novel, published this March, and one for the fictional biography of the same name, fictitiously published 18 years prior. The story is narrated by the widow of the famous artist and cultural persona X, who recounts her wife’s previously uncovered personal history. The story takes place in an imagined, parallel America, with central questions that are unanswerable but spectacularly brilliant.
PAGE 20
METRO
CHINATOWN FROM PAGE 1 (and) demoralizing,” Eng-Wong said. “No surprise, they didn’t want to come.” In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act amid a wave of Chinese immigration, barring Chinese laborers from entering the country. But Chinese workers, who faced “turmoil, war and famine” at home continued to find ways to come to the United States — mer-
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
chants, teachers, students and diplomats were exempted from the act, Feng explained. According to Eng-Wong, most of Providence’s Chinese community in the early 20th century moved to the city in search of “a safer haven” from violent anti-Asian racism on the West Coast. In 1900, Rhode Island’s census reported 366 Chinese immigrants living in the state, a “sharp increase” in the
population and a record high until the 1950s, Feng said. In 1914, a project that widened Empire Street and tore down Chinese-occupied buildings forced the community to move to Summer Street, according to Yoo Warren. By 1977, the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association — a national organization for Chinese merchants that assisted immigrants and became a hub
for the Providence Chinatown community — had purchased a new building on Snow Street, bringing Chinatown back downtown until the 2000s. The move coincided with the U.S. relaxing immigration policies: The 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act abolished immigrant quotas, which previously barred immigrants from Asia, among other regions, from entering the country.
When they immigrated, they were able to purchase and possess properties, Feng explained — contributing to the later dispersion of Chinese residents throughout the rest of the state. In the 21st century, Providence’s Chinese community has dispersed through Rhode Island, with a large population moving to Cranston. “There’s no central place anymore,” Lee said.
Luke’s Chinese-American Restaurant In 1978, Hope was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year’s Eve at her family business, Luke’s Chinese-American Restaurant, when a snowstorm hit Southern New England. “Our tradition was that all of the help would invite their families and … gather together and have a
big meal,” Hope recalled. But as the storm raged on — with nearly three feet of snow falling across Providence — it quickly became apparent to Hope that the New Year’s festivities wouldn’t begin any time soon. Hope and her family didn’t get home until five days later.
Empire Street
As early as the 1880s, Chinese immigrants rented American-owned buildings in Chinatown, Feng said. First floors often housed businesses such as grocery and drug stores. Second floors hosted community gatherings and top floors were temporary lodging for single, male laborers. While the community moved away from Empire Street in later years, these floor configurations carried over to new places, Feng said. The two buildings alongside the alley that has remained throughout the phases of Chinatown — Citizens Bank and Cafe La France today — once hosted a grocery store and pharmacy, Yoo Warren told The Herald. A rented building across the street and nearby buildings hosted community members. Although the neighborhood was not big — “pretty much just one block,” according to Yoo Warren — “it really felt like a whole neighborhood that really coalesced.” According to Eng-Wong, the “nucleus” of the initial Providence Chinatown community, which began on Burrill Street in the 1880s, “fed into the restaurants that were founded on Weybosset and Westminster streets, Washington street (and) all downtown thoroughfares.” Eng-Wong said the Empire Street community was never particularly large, but its visibility grew during the weekends and Chinese New Year when hundreds would celebrate downtown. “For people who lived before World War II, they would have remembered that there was a dense population of Chinese on Empire Street,” as well as in the nearby neighborhood, Eng-Wong said. Anti-Chinese racism was prevalent in Providence as the Chinese community grew downtown. Local papers labeled the neighborhood a “colony” and described residents as immoral criminals — accusing them of “opium smoking” and excessive gambling. Police repeatedly raided community spaces. In one particularly large raid in 1913, U.S. Customs officials seized $12,000 worth of opium and arrested five Chinatown residents on Empire Street. The early 20th century saw the de-
cline of Chinatown on Empire Street. Traffic congestion made cross-town travel in Providence so difficult that city councilors proposed widening various streets downtown, including Empire Street. In 1912, the Providence Journal reported that while Empire Street had “blossomed” as a Chinatown, the widening of the street would “open it up to modern business.” The project meant that Providence’s Chinatown — including the Chinese rooming house, Chinese grocery, Merchants Association office and other landmarks — all had to relocate. Some restaurants on Westminster Street remained “because they (catered) to the larger public, not only the Chinese immigrants,” Feng said. “It’s not clear why Empire Street was chosen as the one to widen,” Eng-Wong said. “It could have been outright Chinese removal.” But “there were other populations” living on Empire Street at that time who were displaced as well, he added.
But they made good use of their stay at 59 Eddy St. With people stranded in downtown Providence without any other source of food, Luke’s became the place to be. “The only reason we closed (on Friday) is because we ran out of food,” Hope said. Luke’s was just one of many early Chinese eateries across Providence. According to Moy, it was typical for Chinese eateries to take turns hosting a party for Chinese New Year’s and invite everyone from the other restaurants. “Chinese community existed in these restaurants,” said Robert Yang, a former graduate student from the Rhode Island School of Design whose thesis “Remembering Chinatown” focused on Providence Chinatown’s culinary history. Hope’s father and brother, Tin Cheung Luke and Henry Luke, first opened the restaurant in 1951. Growing up, Hope and her three sisters all worked at the restaurant: manning the register, taking orders for takeout and everything in between. “The restaurant was the center of our lives,” Hope said. Located behind City Hall, Luke’s was a hotspot downtown, frequented by staff at the Providence Journal, City Hall, nearby department stores, hotels
membered “the Polynesian drinks were a bigger hit than anything else” at the restaurant. Hope described the Chinese restaurant scene downtown as competitive. Only three blocks away from Luke’s was Ming Garden on Westminster Street, and Mee Hong and Port Arthur restaurants were on Weybosset Street. Moy, who also worked at the coat check at Port Arthur, remembered the restaurant as the biggest Chinese eatery around. Decorated with an American diner aesthetic, the restaurant featured a “huge bar” and a dance floor. According to Moy, Port Arthur was known for its live entertainment, including floor shows, emcees, live bands, magicians, dancers and comedians. These restaurants all served staples such as chop suey, chow mein and fried rice, Hope said. Chinese restaurants would also often alter recipes to make the food more Americanized and incorporate American dishes — Hope’s favorite from Luke’s was the lobster — into their menus, according to Yang. Catering to “Western palates” was a means of surviving financially, he explained. According to Quinton Huang ’19, who conducted a project on the history of Chinese Americans in the state
only hurdles for Chinese restaurant owners. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, white Americans channeled a broader, nationwide sense of xenophobia into efforts to eliminate Chinese restaurants — with sensationalized media often depicting Chinese-owned businesses as drug dens. Chinese restaurants experienced a resurgence in the U.S. in the mid-20th century, eventually becoming a culinary staple in the United States. And as downtown Providence grew more international, Chinese restaurants found more opportunities to serve more authentic dishes, Huang said. According to Huang, the 1980s “seemed to be a particularly important point” in Providence’s Chinatown history. Before then, a Rhode Island law prohibited businesses from opening on Sunday, except for theaters and restaurants. Due to limited leisure options, many people frequented Chinese restaurants downtown, but once the ban was lifted, “Chinese restaurants began struggling to keep afloat,” facing competition from other businesses and big shopping malls. “Eventually, Chinese restaurants were mostly closed down in the downtown core and they moved to places like Cranston,“ Huang said.
and bus stations, Hope said. The restaurant was split across two levels of dining, with the lower level designated a luau theme and decorated extravagantly with bamboo and lit-up pictures of palm trees. Moy, who worked at Luke’s, re-
“through the lens of food businesses,” there was often a distinction “between (the) food that (Chinese restaurants) would make for (the) ‘American clientele’ … (and the) food they would make for themselves.” But American tastes were not the
Many of Huang’s sources described “the Chinese food culture in Providence as a ‘lost world’ due to gentrification,” he said. “How do you preserve the heritage of something that‘s lost, physically as well as generationally?”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 21
METRO
On Leong Chinese Merchants Association According to Feng, to find the On Leong’s Merchants Association, start by searching for a room with a golden shrine. Adorned with a statue of Guan Gong, the shrine was imported from Hong Kong and specially made for the association to provide “protection and prosperity” to Chinese businesses. Every time the association has had to move locations, “they dismantle (the shrine) and redo it,” Feng said. “This is one of (their) legacies.” The association’s Providence chapter opened in 1911. Throughout history, the association has had up to 30 chapters nationally with 13 still active today, Feng said. The organization served as a Chinese chamber of commerce in the country, Feng explained, helping merchants connect with local politicians as a means of getting support to establish or grow their businesses. Ed Moy, who grew up in Providence in the 1940s and ’50s, said his grandfather served a stint as the
association’s president. For Moy’s grandfather, the core of the Chinese community was the association, which at the time was in a “huge brick building” on Summer Street. Moy said the association worked to “make sure that there was equality and fairness in business.” This often meant ensuring that restaurants and laundries were spread out across the neighborhood. For example, laundries had to be 100 numbers apart before another could be opened, Moy said. Association presidents were “very influential,” Feng said, and were often called “the mayor of Chinatown.” The association helped immigrants learn English, navigate the legal system and start businesses — with members training migrants as “disciples” at existing restaurants and then encouraging them to open their own, Feng said. It also arranged funerals, Feng added. In the late 1900s, it purchased a section of the Pocasset Cemetery as a burial site for immigrants who could not return to
China, had no family in the U.S. or could not afford burial services. “There are more than 100” tombstones, Feng said. Feng described Ye Luo Gui Gen — returning to one’s roots after death — as a tenet of the cemetery. It allowed Chinese people to “still have a place to rest in the U.S.” after passing away far from home or when home no longer existed for them in China. The association hosted celebrations of the Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, according to Moy. Restaurant workers’ shifts ended late at night, Moy said, so parties usually began at midnight. Today, the association occupies a two-story building at 34 Pontiac Ave. — its first floor is used for business and the second as a senior community center where “people play cards, mahjong or ping pong,” Feng said. Although smaller in membership, the association continues to connect Chinese people across the state.
Beneficent Congregational Church
The Beneficent Congregational Church — one of the oldest churches in Providence — was open to a variety of marginalized groups in the city, most notably early Chinese migrants. Today, the church on Weybosset Street is “the most vital remnant” of Chinatown, EngWong said. Irene Luke Hope’s family was introduced to the Beneficent Church by chance. Hope’s father, Tin Cheung Luke, first encountered women from the church while working at one of the earliest Chinese eateries in Providence: Port Arthur Restaurant. The women, who had been looking for dinner before their work for the church, were “excited” when Luke told them about his wife and son, who were Christian and would come to Providence in the next few months. Hope was born in the U.S. after her mother and brother immigrated, and they joined the Beneficent Congregational Church. “That’s where we have been since we were little kids,” Hope said. Hope’s “story is a very … typ-
ical one,” Feng told The Herald. Between the 1940s and 1960s, “people like Irene were born in the U.S., right after (their) mom joined (their) father,” who was already working in the country. Hope said the church was largely attended by children of Chinese immigrants — who joined the choir and Sunday school — until Marion Dunham, a retired school teacher, began hosting English lessons for Chinese women at the church, who began regularly coming to Beneficent. “That’s how the Chinese got to Beneficent,” Hope explained. In the 1960s, Chinese residents in the state began to move into the suburbs and Chinese businesses scattered. The Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island was established in 1976, initially targeting college students in the state, according to Church Minister Wensong Pan. Feng said that later, the church became the means of serving the increasingly “complex” and “diverse” population. “That’s why the (Beneficent) church was no longer the center (of Chinatown),” she added. “It had fulfilled its role.”
Moy’s High Class Laundry When Moy was five, a fire damaged the laundromat where he and his family were living. Hope’s family took them in. “We kind of grew up together,” Moy said of his relationship with Hope. Years later, as the only Chi-
bly one of the largest laundries” in Providence: Moy’s High Class Laundry. The business cleaned customers’ shirts for 18 cents at 34 Broad St. The laundry had resources to wash suits and ties as well as priest collars and habits
nese-owned laundries, ref lecting a nationwide prevalence of Chinese-operated hand laundry businesses. As anti-Chinese racist sentiment grew, discrimination impacted the kinds of work nineteenth-century Chinese immigrants
the work was non-threatening. As more Chinese women and family members began to migrate to the U.S., laundry businesses became a distinctly familial affair. In 1955, Moy moved to North Providence, where his father opened
father after classes every day during high school. Hope recalled how Chinese families moved away from owning laundry businesses. “All the Chinese families that went to our church were in the restaurant business,
nese students in their school, Moy and Hope went to senior prom together. Moy’s family owned “proba-
from church members, who were frequent customers. Providence’s 1915 businesses directory listed over 35 Chi-
could take on. Laundry service was also viewed as “undesirable” by white Americans; Chinese migrants taking on
up a second laundry business separate from his grandfather’s. While Moy never worked in his grandfather’s laundry, he worked for his
none of them were in the laundry business anymore,” she explained. “The laundry business was fading out.”
Chinatown today Wednesday afternoon, Charlie Chin — current president of the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association of Rhode Island — stood at Asia Grille, in Cranston. He stood near collaged photographs of former downtown institutions — Mee Hong Restaurant, Ming Garden, Port Arthur and Luke’s Chinese American Restaurant. A framed description next to the collage titled “Rhode Island Chinese Restaurant Pioneers,” explains the history behind each location. “This is where we came from,” Chin said, leaning against one of the booths in front of the wall. Chin arrived in the United States in 1954 at four years old and grew up in Providence’s Chinatown. Chin’s described a childhood attending church with Moy and Hope. He worked at the neighborhood restaurants cutting onions and celery during the weekends and bribed bullies with food on school days. “Nobody was wealthy, but nobody told us we were poor,” Chin
said. According to Chin, children of Chinese immigrants were given two options: go to college for science or inherit the family’s business. But Chin did both, opening Asia Grille in 1982 and then expanding to Cranston in 2020 after attending Northwestern University. “We are busy!” Chin said, showing a bustling kitchen, filled with dumplings, fresh meat and warm aromas. While his staff continued to prepare for another busy night at Asia Grille serving a diverse and “intergenerational” clientele, Chin gave The Herald a tour of his community. Tucked away in a small parking lot is the Chinese American Mini Market, which opened in 1989. Inside the market, shelves nearly overflow with carefully curated produce, spices and household essentials. As soon as Chin walks through the door, workers and customers meet him with smiles and imme-
diate recognition. “I’m here every other day,” he said, often to stock his restaurant. The market is a place for the community to socialize, Chin said, pointing toward the customers chatting and helping cut fruits for the store. “Every day (you) get to meet a friendly face, a familiar face.” Next up, a tour of the On Leong Merchants Association, now located in Cranston, where older men gathered around an electric mahjong table. The iconic golden shrine of the association stood a few feet away. “This is irreplaceable,” said one of the men, pointing to the shrine. People come into the association at all hours of the day, Chin said, often on their days off or after finishing shifts at local restaurants. During the pandemic, the association helped distribute food to the local Chinese community and help them find medical assistance, he noted. The association has changed a lot throughout the years, Chin
explained. They have shifted their focus to supporting older members of the community, helping them enroll in programs such as Medicare and reach Chinese doctors. While Chin happily showed how the Chinese community persisted, he said it’s not centralized anymore. Different communities interact more now — allowing for those of different identities to coexist in the same spaces, he said. “We participate in the American experience as we are allowed to,” he said. Sarah Wong ’25 has lived in Cranston her whole life. She remembers visiting the mini market frequently growing up. Both of Wong’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from China when they were children. While Wong doesn’t think there’s much of a Chinese community in the area of Cranston she grew up in, there are several staple Chinese restaurants — Wai Wai House and King’s Garden —
that her family frequently visits. “Now that Good Fortune opened up a few years ago, we go there pretty often too,” she wrote in a message to The Herald. According to Wensong Pan, minister at the Chinese Christian Church, while there are “not a lot of connections” between Chinese people in the state, the church serves as a community for Chinese Americans or immigrants, “because there is no Chinatown in Rhode Island,” he said in Chinese, later translated into English by The Herald. “Many Chinese people come here, like a big family,” Pan told The Herald. While Wong hadn’t heard about Providence’s historic Chinatown community before speaking with The Herald, she thinks having more official information available about this history “would be interesting.” “Without a concrete acknowledgment,” she said, “a piece of history like that can easily be forgotten.”
PAGE 22
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Study reveals dementia patients may benefit from listening to personalized music Curated music selections lead to increased pleasure in dementia patients BY JAANU RAMESH CONTRIBUTING WRITER Music takes a myriad of forms, from lullabies to national anthems, each with a unique purpose. Researchers at the School of Public Health have discovered that listening to personalized music can temporarily decrease verbally agitated behaviors and increase observed pleasure in dementia patients in nursing homes. Where the standard alternatives for treatment would be antipsychotic medications, non-pharmacological interventions like personalized music could leave a lasting impact. Personalization may be the key to this intervention, according to Ellen McCreedy, assistant professor of health services, policy and practice. “Most people can understand music taking them back to a point in their lives,” she said. McCreedy explained that many people may have an intuitive understanding of a particular song or genre through which they can recall a distinct moment in their life. As a result, music can act as a kind of touchstone for dementia patients. According to McCreedy, staff at nursing homes and family members helped generate personalized recommendations for patients, adding music that was popular when patients were much younger. “How best to personalize music is an ongoing question,” said Anthony Sisti GS, a PhD candidate in biostatistics and the first author of the study. “Age, location and other factors were considered in trying to create a playlist that was the closest to
what the patient might have listened to.” Throughout the study, nursing home staff used individual iPods to play music for patients in response to signs of early agitation. Data collection centered around in-person observation in nursing homes over four months, Sisti said. “Anecdotally, many people talk about music therapy for dementia patients,” he explained. “We thought looking at this alternative measure of structured observations might be more sensitive to potential changes than” a traditional quantitative study. Funded by the National Institute for Health and the National Institute of Aging, the study focused on a control and experimental group of nursing home residents who listened to personalized music. Behavioral data was collected during morning, afternoon and evening sessions, according to Sisti. The research team led a geographically and characteristically diverse study, with a sample population of 54 nursing homes across the country and 976 residents with “Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.” Data collectors looked for signs of agitation in patients, Sisti explained. “Attention-seeking, repetition, complaining, screaming and groaning are some verbal signs,” he said. “Physical signs include hitting, kicking, pushing, scratching, tearing and cursing.” When these signs are observed, McCreedy and Sisti said that standard medical practice is to prescribe antipsychotic drugs. This study is impactful, Sisti said, because its objective is to determine whether musical interventions can replace the sweeping use of antipsychotics and sedatives in nursing
homes. According to Sisti, using the sophisticated Agitated Behavior Mapping Instrument to analyze results allowed the team to note the direct impacts of music on increasing pleasure in patients. Music itself, however, is not new as a method of caring for aging populations. “There’s a lot of music in nursing homes,” McCreedy said. “Nursing homes are aware that drugs used to manage behaviors are not good for their residents. They’re always looking for non-pharma-
cological approaches.” Finding evidence of musical interventions’ possible efficacy is a powerful motive for Sisti. He also noted that advanced dementia patients don’t have a say in whether or not they are prescribed medications. According to Gary Epstein-Lubow, associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior, medical science and health services, policy and practice, non-pharmacological treatments are growing in their importance, along with “comprehensive dementia care.” “There has been a lot of interest in music interventions and this study’s strength is that it care-
fully studies music in a large research sample,” Epstein-Lubow wrote in an email to The Herald. “Further study could investigate the benefits of preventing physical aggression or if the overall reduction in non-physical agitation has other benefits, including for other residents and staff.” McCreedy said that some staff have learned more about patients whose dementia has progressed to nonverbal stages from their responses to the music intervention. “Ninety percent of the time, in a nursing home, nursing home residents aren’t doing anything at all,” McCreedy said. “It matters, giving people moments of connectedness to their past of joy.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2023.
KATHARINE KNOWLES / HERALD
CAMPUS EVENTS
Alumn panel discusses challenges facing women in medicine panelists discuss balancing careers, parenthood, education, advocacy, future of field BY LILIANA CUNHA CONTRIBUTING WRITER Women are more likely to matriculate into medical education than men — yet they graduate at slightly lower rates. Women are also less likely to be represented in positions of leadership within the medical field. This discrepancy can be explained by multiple factors — but how effective is the current system at addressing gender disparities in the medical field? “Medicine is completely late to the game … when you talk about addressing bias and the ‘-isms,’” said Sabina Holland, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in a virtual panel discussion Monday about the adversities women face in medicine. The event, titled “The Breaking Point,” was hosted by the Pembroke Center. It invited three female physicians with ties to Brown to raise the question: “Why are women leaving the medical profession?” “There are some very basic things that I think medicine as a whole needs to really sink its teeth into,” Holland
said. Female matriculation into the field is higher than it has ever been and the graduation rate is also promising. But something changes between residency and when female physicians enter the workforce that skews female representation in the opposite direction: “Life happens,” Holland said. Physicians are constantly chasing the perfect work-life balance, and this is particularly hard for women balancing medicine and motherhood, according to the panelists. Although Holland “expertly planned” finding spouses and deciding if and when to have children, “even at that point, it felt like pure chaos,” she added. The panelists reflected on the changes they had seen throughout their careers. “People are much more aware of their mental health and the (work-life) balance that doesn’t exist,” said Wendy Wilcox ’88 P’23, NYC Health and Hospitals’ chief women’s health service officer. “The times in my career that I felt less fulfilled or more frantic was probably when my kids were young … it felt hard on the homefront,” said Valerie Parkas ’88 MD’92, P’20 ’22 senior associate dean of admissions and recruitment at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “You want to be there for the things in your life, whatever they
are,” Parkas said. “Allowing yourself the grace to do it your way is really important.” Still, the panelists emphasized how fulfilling it is to balance work and life. “If I do have to miss something because I’m at work and (my children) ask why, I love being able to tell them ‘because I love my job and it makes me happy,’ and that answer makes them happy,” said Holland. One obstacle to work-life balance, especially for women, is poor maternity leave policies. “Medicine is not unique in that position … it’s a societal and cultural problem that needs to be addressed across the board,” Wilcox said. “We need to respect the fact, like many other countries do, that you can lead the workforce and then take time off and still have a brain to think when you get back … and do a damn good job.” Throughout their careers, women in medicine earn less and achieve fewer leadership roles. “It’s 2023, and we’re still fighting for pay equity,” Holland said. “This isn’t a conversation we should be having.” Despite the challenges, the speakers emphasized the importance of remaining hopeful. “Despite the title of today’s webinar, we also have to stay a little bit optimistic,” Parkas said. “There’s a lot of places that we can fix this … that’s unconscious bias training,
that’s teaching everyone, that’s teaching yourself, that’s education — and we can do that.” “Fixing the issue will require more women in leadership positions,” Wilcox said. That doesn’t just mean in hospitals, but academia as well. While the roles of chairperson or dean are typically filled by men, there are more females in instructing or assistant professor positions, according to panelists. There tends to be fewer women further up the “title hierarchy.” Holland, who completed her fellowship at Brown and is currently an assistant professor of pediatrics at Warren Alpert Medical School, reflected on her unique situation in which her chair and many of her direct reports are women. “I’m still here at Brown because I recognize the unusual unicorn ecosystem that I am in,” Holland said. “I feel lucky, and I want to say that over and over again so that everyone listening can think about who they are promoting.” Surrounded by others who know what it’s like to be a woman in medicine, Holland said she can perform at her best. When asked what advice they’d like to pass on to young women entering the medical field, the panelists encouraged the act of seeking mentorship. Whether
it’s another physician with more experience, or another student or resident from a similar background, learning from others with shared experiences and seeing them as examples of the opportunities available can be reassuring. The panelists also stressed the importance of advocacy. “Change isn’t going to happen if no one’s listening to you or if you’re not in the meeting,” Holland said. Conversations such as Monday’s panel are imperative, according to Parkas, because poor policies that influence physicians have consequent effects on patient care, accessibility and public health. Advocating for equity in medicine is “the most moral imperative of any field in the world because it directly has to do with health care outcomes,” she added. The panel closed with reassuring sentiments from the three women and some hopeful words for the future. “For future generations of female physicians, maybe we won’t have it totally fixed, but hopefully the work that people like the three of us are doing now will have some impact,” Wilcox said. “If someone asked me, ‘Would I do it all again?’ my answer is wholeheartedly ‘yes,’” Holland said. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
CAMPUS PROJECTS
PAGE 23
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
How U. artists are repurposing decades-old film of the moon Multimedia Labs encourage students to create projects using film negatives
earth, environmental and planetary sciences and geological sciences, said the film is likely from Lunar Orbiter
Brown’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences. In June 2023, Brown DEEPS Communications
it’s painting, if it’s sewing, if it’s whatever,’ and we just kind of built it from there.” The next week, Selvaggio and Egan made the film negatives available to students and sent out a Today@Brown announcement about the challenge. Since then, the duo has made multiple trips back to CRC to pick up new films. “We’ve gotten a lot of people that have taken moon prints, but we have not seen a lot of results of the challenge yet,” Selvaggio said. “And we’re okay if we don’t see any.” “I think for some students, it might
Program missions. The Lunar Orbiter Program consisted of five missions between 1966 and 1967 to photograph various points on the moon. The objective of these missions was to identify smooth and level areas on the moon’s surface that could be used for the Apollo program’s landings. For each mission, NASA sent “unmanned spacecraft” to orbit the moon, taking photographs. He then noted the lines running across the film negative, which are remnants of the image-reconstruction process. Lunar orbiters, which were often referred to as “drugstore(s) in orbit,” featured a camera that, once it took a photo, developed a film picture, similar to a Polaroid. Then it would scan the photo in horizontal portions and “form that into a signal to send back” to Earth. Back on Earth, analysts organized the horizontal portions, reconstructing the photo. Since 1968, Head has been extensively involved with NASA, where he participated in the selection of Apollo landing sites, planned and evaluated moon experiments and provided preliminary analysis of lunar samples, among other tasks. Head has also contributed to a variety of international space projects. The moon’s features, according to Head, can tell scientists a lot about various aspects and timelines of the Earth’s development. “Not only can we look at them in
Specialist Mae Jackson emailed the Creative Reuse Center, organizing a donation of the film negatives, which were being decommissioned by the department. In an email to The Herald, Jackson confirmed that “most of the scans were from the NASA IV Lunar Mission.” The mission was launched in May 1967 and took 199 dual-frame exposures over 15 days. “They were once part of the Brown/ NASA Northeast Planetary Data Center, a repository of NASA materials and resources housed in Brown (DEEPS),” they added. Jackson noted that the film negatives were deaccessioned during the department’s “larger organizational and consolidation efforts” this year. According to Jackson, DEEPS hoped that via the CRC, “local educators and artists would use the material in their classrooms, science projects and other creative endeavors.” “We were surprised and delighted to see some of the scans turn up back at Brown,” Jackson wrote. “It’s about that principle of finding something to create in rubbish or in what was discarded,” said Mindi Schneider, lecturer in environment and society and a volunteer at the CRC. “Keeping things close to our hearts keeps them out of the landfill.” The moon Design Challenge “is our ideal scenario,” Ochs said. “Someone is inspired by a material, and they encourage others to become creative and they build community around that
just be about actually having the object — like touching something that is twice as old as them,” he added.
detail on the moon, because the record is still there,” Head said. “But we can also infer a lot about what was going
creativity.” “To me, there (are) huge intersections with art and science,” Head
Selvaggio participated in the moon Design Challenge himself, sewing together various film negatives into a collar meant to mimic ones worn by astronauts. He also noted other submissions that are highlighted on the MMLs’ Instagram page.
on in early planetary history and in the same vicinity as the Earth.” “How do we do that? We take pictures,” he said.
added. “The bottom line is that science is just simply the exploration of the unknown. That’s it.” “Art is an essential part of being human,” Ochs said. “It’s an act of creation, which we all do, whether we call ourselves artists or not.”
BY TOM LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Scrolling through his Instagram feed, Leo Selvaggio, a senior specialist in creative technologies for the Brown Arts Institute, came across a post by the Creative Reuse Center of Rhode Island — a local organization that upcycles arts and crafts materials. After looking across the room at a new sewing machine in Multimedia Labs @ Brown, he decided to take a quick field trip for fabric. That field trip turned out to be much more than a mid-afternoon recess. Selvaggio’s visit precipitated a chain of fortuitous discoveries, including several tubes of film with photos of the moon’s surface. Originally part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Lunar Orbiter 4 Mission, the film negatives are now being used by students to create unique projects of their choosing as part of the MMLs’ moon Design Challenge. On his trip to the CRC in East Providence, Selvaggio brought along Kelly Egan, BAI’s associate director of creative technologies. Upon reaching the CRC, the duo was over the moon with excitement as they sifted through boxes. “We kind of just went to explore,” Selvaggio said. “We didn’t really know what to expect.” The CRC officially opened late last year, continuing the spirit of Recycling for Rhode Island Education, which had previously provided Rhode Islanders with affordable materials and upcycled inventory.
COURTESY OF LEO SELVAGGIO
corner of the Center. Egan began unraveling rolls upon rolls of film negatives, all capturing the moon’s surface — craters, mountain ranges, valleys and all. Noting their backgrounds in photography, Selvaggio told The Herald, “We’re just sitting there like: ‘Oh, my god. This is a goldmine.’” Selvaggio and Egan eagerly purchased several rolls of the film. “We selfishly bought some for ourselves,” Selvaggio said, “We were going to hang them in our respective … homes.” But the duo also decided to buy an extra roll for the Multimedia Labs. “We bought it not really knowing what we
Striking gold — or moon rock Selvaggio noticed Egan in the back corner, standing by a “mountain” of tubes, or what Selvaggio thought was a pile of rolled-up prints. “‘What’s going on?’” Selvaggio recalled asking, walking over to Egan. “I think these are all giant prints taken from a lunar satellite,” Egan responded, pointing to the black tubes lined in the
were going to do with it,” Selvaggio said, noting that the MMLs have “many artists from … different backgrounds, not just in the arts itself, but biologists, doctors, engineers.” The question at hand was how to get people excited about the film. “We just thought, ‘What about a design challenge?’” Selvaggio said. “A prompt, like ‘Take this, do something cool, whatever your creative thing is — if
The film’s origins James Head, professor emeritus of
To the moon , DEEPS and back According to CRC Founder and Director Elizabeth Ochs ’07.5, the film negatives aren’t too far from home: For years, they were the property of
This article originally appeared online at www.browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
CLIMATE RESEARCH
Paper reviews importance of variability in marine climate change research Team says examining temperature fluctuations will lead to more accurate projections BY FRANCESCA GROSSBERG STAFF WRITER A new paper published in the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics emphasizes an unusual approach to researching climate change within marine ecosystems: focusing on variance in addition to trends in ocean temperatures to make more accurate climate change projections. According to Jon Witman, a professor of biology at the University and one of the paper’s authors, studying variability in ocean temperature is important because it is an “unrecognized area of marine climate change studies” and “has a huge influence” on the resiliency of ecosystems.
John Bruno PhD ’00, a professor of biology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and another author of the paper, noted that a particularly relevant example of this variability is “what are called marine heat waves: a temperature anomaly where it gets really warm in the ocean, just like when you have a heat wave on the land.” “One of the most interesting things to think about is how recurrent temperature extremes shape individuals, populations and communities,” Witman said. He explained that exposure to extreme temperatures can have varying effects on marine species. In one respect, “repeated past exposure to temperature swings may enable (a species) to acclimate to future ones,” a phenomenon known as the legacy effect or ecological memory. But marine heat waves may push
the temperature over the threshold for survival, resulting in death, he added. Coral is one such organism impacted by ecological memory. There have been instances of coral dying upon a second extreme temperature event after surviving the first. Conversely, sometimes the coral survives and establishes a legacy effect. Bruno said that this phenomenon does not only apply to marine organisms but that the approach could also be used in climate change studies on land environments. He also noted that on “land, it’s not just temperature change,” but that other factors, such as rain events, would factor into ecological climate change projections. Witman also proposed that other factors, such as habitat variability, should be considered in marine climate change research. For example,
the depth hypothesis, which proposes that species would move to deeper water to accommodate increasing temperatures, has limitations. If water temperatures become too high for rockfish, for instance, then some projections would predict the rockfish migrating to deeper water. In reality, the habitat in deeper water is not suitable for the species because it lacks rocks. The research group behind the paper consists of Witman, Bruno and Andrew Pershing ’95, the vice president for science at Climate Central. All have University affiliations — Witman as a professor and Bruno and Pershing as alumni — which, according to Witman, contributed to the “great collaboration” between the three. Bruno and Witman both expressed interest in incorporating temperature variability as a factor in their own research. Bruno described a poten-
tial experimental setup of exposing one group of organisms to a stable temperature and another to variable temperatures, and then testing how they would react to an extreme temperature event. Witman said that in further research he hopes to work with a geneticist, because “there’s a huge area of marine climate change research that is getting into the physiology and genetics of acclimation and adaptation” that would be relevant to these exposures. Witman said that he is a “cautious optimist” about the new research approach. But to make a change within marine ecosystems “we just have to act on the knowledge we’re getting from ecosystems about climate change effects,” he added. This article originally appeared online at www.browndailyherald.com on Dec. 6, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 24
UNIVERSITY NEWS UNIVERSITY HALL
U. to consider enhancing Title VI policies, release internet harassment guidance Brown to release doxxing guide, Paxson reflects on campus atmosphere BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced at Tuesday’s faculty meeting that the University will determine if it needs to “enhance” its Title VI policies. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,” according to the Department of Justice. This consideration comes after a letter to schools sent on Nov. 7 from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education Catherine Lhamon regarding Title VI and its policies. “It is your legal obligation under Title VI to address prohibited discrimination against students and others on your campus — including those who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab or Palestinian — in the ways described in this letter,” Lhamon wrote. Title VI encompasses “unwelcome conduct based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics that, based on the totality of circumstances, is subjectively and objectively offensive and is so severe or pervasive that it limits or denies a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from the recipient’s education program or activity,” she added. “Schools must take immediate and effective action to respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment.” “We have strong policies in place. Ha-
shared ancestry investigations over allegations of Islamophobia and antisemitism at higher education institutions, including Harvard, Penn, Columbia and Cornell. Paxson outlined multiple areas of focus for the University’s Title VI policies, including educating community members about Title VI and “how to address concerns about harassment and
bullying and online harassment Wednesday. Doxxing — the act of publicizing personal information, usually in an effort to cause harm — has arisen as a concern on other campuses across the country. Paxson considered how to address harassment that occurs over anonymous social media and how to support students who experience cyberbullying or doxxing on these platforms. She specifi-
when speech that would be protected by academic freedom is perceived to be harassing or discriminatory,” she said, noting that the Department of Education’s “Office for Civil Rights is not very clear on how universities need to navigate this.” “I think one of the lessons that we’re learning is we can develop remedies and responses to concerns that still preserve academic freedom,” she added.
Paxson said. “Frankly, I was disappointed that it didn’t have that end and then instead turned into a rally in support of divestment.” “It is what it is,” she added. Paxson noted that, since the vigil, she has engaged in “very productive discussions with many people” centered around questions concerning Brown’s values: “How can our students learn nuance and
rassment and discrimination is against Brown’s code of conduct,” Paxson said at the meeting. “We always look to enhance our policies, and given the Department of Education’s focus, we’re looking at our policies and practices to see if there is a need to enhance or augment any section of them.” In recent weeks, the Department of Education has opened multiple Title VI
discrimination.” Currently, the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity website has information on reporting various incidents. Going forward, the University will be developing a new webpage that houses support and reporting resources for Title VI. Additionally, the University is set to release a new guide on doxxing, cyber-
cally noted Sidechat, a widely used anonymous social media platform. “I’ve had students share some of what happens on that app,” she said. “It’s not good.” Additionally, she stated the University will continue to support academic freedom, reaffirming her statement that there is no “Palestine exception” to freedom of expression at November’s faculty meeting. “The difficult part is
Paxson also addressed tensions on campus and the University’s response after Hisham Awartani ’25 was shot in Vermont on Nov. 25 in what is being investigated as a hate crime. She specifically discussed the vigil held on Nov. 27, in which students shouted her off the microphone as she delivered a speech. “I thought it would be an opportunity for the community to come together,”
complexity in their analysis of issues? And how do we as educators model and facilitate constructive discourse?” “It’s important that we take these types of questions and other questions that people have really seriously and make some progress on them,” she added.
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,” according to the Department of Justice.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.
FACULTY & HIGHER EDUCATION
Doyle draws criticism for proposed changes to Provost Office New associate provost of faculty affairs could alter policies, procedures BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Provost Francis Doyle proposed new changes to the Office of the Provost to reorganize faculty affairs at Tuesday’s faculty meeting, including a new associate provost of faculty affairs position to serve as a campus-wide leader who implements a wide range of policies and procedures. “Our growth and evolution over roughly the last 20 years requires a different way of thinking about supporting our faculty across the University,” he said. He cited various reasons for reorganization, including the recent establishment of new schools, faculty growth and a “need for campus-wide consistency,” in accordance with recommendations by the Task Force on Anti-Black Racism and the Task Force on the Status of
Women Faculty. Doyle said that he aims to make “clear and consistent policies for handling misconduct” and improve training for department chairs and campus leaders. “There’s a need for leadership training to develop a diverse pool of potential faculty leaders,” he added. Specifically, he proposed that the faculty position would “handle reviews, reappointments, tenure and promotion of the faculty,” as well as “ensure the integrity of the review process for all faculty.” The associate provost of faculty affairs would serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of the Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee in place of the dean of faculty. The new associate provost would also oversee multiple responsibilities within the Offices of the Provost or Dean of the Faculty, including a new Director of Faculty Human Resources position, which was “recommended by the Task Force on the Status of Women Faculty,” according to Doyle. A new director of faculty human
resources would oversee a wide range of areas, ranging from Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations to sabbatical requests. “This person will serve as a central point of contact for faculty regarding work-life issues,” Doyle said. “They ensure equity in the application of policies across the schools consistently,” which Doyle cited as a reason for why they should operate in the Office of the Provost. Doyle noted that he is currently taking a “critical review” of all of the offices that directly report to the Office of the Provost. He is working with Marisa Quinn, a previous chief of staff in the Office who now runs an independent consulting firm. “She’s done a careful assessment of the responsibility and roles of the individuals (that report to the Provost), trying to help me think through what evolution might make sense to make the Office of the Provost even more effective,” he said. Doyle noted that he is being “careful about administrative creep” when sup-
porting faculty. But some faculty members expressed concerns over the proposed changes. Chair of Biostatistics Joseph Hogan noted that the dean of the faculty currently helps orchestrate cross-school appointments, leading Hogan to worry that the new associate provost position may lead to faculty “becoming more siloed rather than less.” The associate provost for faculty affairs “will have that opportunity to connect the relevant deans, or the kind of joint appointments that you’re envisioning, and I’m certainly envisioning,” Doyle responded. Professor of International and Public Affairs and Sociology Nitsan Chorev added that the dean of the faculty is often viewed as an autonomous and independent body that reports to the provost. Chorev expressed concern that the new position could erode that autonomy. Doyle noted that the position is not meant to “insulate faculty away from either the provost or their respective deans.” Rather, it is meant to assume a
“holistic role,” he said. Associate Professor of History Seth Rockman described this reorganization as “profoundly un-Brown.” “This seems like the kind of centralization that we find at another institution — but not this institution, where certain kinds of inefficiencies actually have served to protect faculty governance and allow for a relatively flat hierarchy in which faculty and the people who oversee them … have a lot of interactions,” he said. “I worry very much that this is sort of an imposition of a different kind of structure, and one that will not go down easily with a significant portion of this faculty,” Rockman added. “Nothing changes in the layers between you as a faculty member and your faculty-facing dean,” Doyle said, adding that he hopes that these changes help “free up bandwidth for the dean of the faculty to be even more effective in supporting their direct faculty.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 5, 2023.