Thursday, February 13, 2020

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

VOLUME CLV, ISSUE XX

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Theresa May to deliver Ogden Lecture Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom to speak on global economy March 4

METRO

Anthony Santurri runs for Ward 1 City Council Owner of Colosseum Night Club, JDA member, to appear on ballots March 3

BY ROSE HOUGLET SENIOR STAFF WRITER

KATIE CHEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Theresa May, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, will present the 100th Ogden Memorial Lecture March 4, according to a Today @ Brown announcement.

President Christina Paxson P’19 will moderate a question-and-answer session with the audience following May’s speech, which is titled “Politics, Populism and Polarization: Perspectives on the Global Economy,” wrote Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost, in an email to The Herald.

Leading the British Conservative Party, May served as prime minister from 2016 to 2019, the second woman in British history to hold the position.

As prime minister, May navigated decisions on the Brexit referendum, expanded services for mental health and proposed legislation for environmental protection. May stepped down in 2019

SEE MAY PAGE 3

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

May’s speech, “Politics, Pupulism and Polarization: Perspectives on the Global Economy,” marks the 100th Ogden Memorial Lecture.

On a rainy Thursday evening, most of downtown Providence was a ghost town, with shop doors locked up and lights dimmed. But, one door remained open at the Campaign Headquarters for Anthony Santurri’s bid for Ward 1 City Council.

Anthony Santurri is the owner of Freeplay Bar and Arcade and the Colosseum Night Club, both located within Ward 1, which includes the Jewelry District, Downtown and Fox Point. He is also the Chair of Nightlife for the Board of Directors for the Jewelry District Association and a member of Rhode Island Pride.

Santurri says he is used to being “on the other side of the aisle, as the person in the audience asking the questions to city officials.”

As a candidate, Santurri is fo-

cused on prioritizing small business over large-scale development, being available to constituents and addressing the management of neighborhood services.

Santurri emphasized the importance of building partnerships and communication within communities. As a part of the board for Rhode Island Pride, Santurri found that the transgender community and communities of color felt underrepresented. In response, he started holding listening sessions, even when others told him it was a lost cause. “I said, it doesn’t matter.

I’m so sick of no one doing anything … and it was a monumental success with 35 people the first (and second) time,” Santurri said.

As a small business owner himself, Santurri is attuned to the issue of large-scale developments in Ward 1, such as Fane Tower. “This one kind of blew the top off with it.

There were some unanswered questions with how much it was going to cost to live there (and) who was going to live there,” Santurri said. He

SEE SANTURRI PAGE 6

METRO

UNIVERSITY NEWS

RI law requires blue card records to be destroyed

U. reaffirms dedication to inclusion

Blue cards, which are required to buy a gun, are destroyed after 30 days

BY SARAH WANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER In order to purchase a pistol or revolver in Rhode Island, residents must show the seller a “blue card:” a certificate that shows the applicant has passed the state’s requisite gun safety exam. But current state laws require that all records of blue card applications be destroyed after 30 days by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, which distributes the cards — making it potentially more difficult to authenticate the cards when they are used to purchase weapons.

While RIDEM does not foresee changing the way blue cards are distributed to qualified applicants, the department is evaluating its current policy on record-keeping, according to Chief Public Affairs Officer of RIDEM Michael Healey. He also noted that the statute that the cur-

rent policy is based upon does not explicitly require RIDEM to destroy the lists of names after 30 days.

“For several years, we have relied on an internal legal opinion interpreting the law as requiring us to do that,” Healey said, adding that it is “reasonable to infer” that the attorney who wrote this interpretation was mindful of state and federal laws that prohibit government agencies from keeping a registry of privately owned firearms.

While RIDEM does not foresee changing the way blue cards are distributed to qualified applicants, the department is evaluating its current policy on record-keeping, Healey said.

Although the statute, RIGL 1147-35, states that residents can be administered a blue card after passing the safety exam or completing a safety course offered by RIDEM, no such gun safety course is currently provided by RIDEM. Healey said the department lacks the funding and staff to initiate a program for handgun safety. Most firearm-related funding available to the department

SEE BLUE PAGE 3

Community members acknowledge Coronavirus, US/Iran tensions, hate incidents

BY SAMANTHA MOLINA SENIOR STAFF WRITER In recognition of many local, national and international issues impacting the Brown community, many gathered on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center to assert the University’s support and dedication to intersectionality.

At the event, community members discussed the incidents of homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti in Hegeman Hall, the international Coronavirus outbreak, tensions between Iran and the United States and changing immigration policies.

The gathering, which was organized by the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, featured speakers from several prominent offices across campus.

President Christina Paxson P’19, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Shontay Delalue and Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes also attended the gathering.

“For me, it’s nice that we’re gath-

SAMANTHA MOLINA / HERALD

Responding to campus, national and international tensions, the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life hosted a community gathering. ered here, in this Green, near these steps, because this is where we oftentimes gather together, and (it’s) a place that marks our campus community,” said Dean of the College Rashid Zia ’01. “I don’t want to underestimate the challenges that we face — as individuals, as a community, as a campus, as a nation, around the world — but I also don’t want us all to underestimate the power of our community and of our shared values.”

In her speech, Associate Dean of the Graduate School Vanessa Ryan noted that she has been struck by the way graduate students care for one another, for undergraduates and for

News

News

Commentary

Commentary

U. works to reconcile decrease in language course enrollment since 2009 Page 2

UCS to release statement denouncing recent hate incident in Hegeman Hall Page 3

Thomas ’21: Bilingualism can bring personal, professional benefits Page 7

Fernandez ’21: Puerto Ricans should keep protesting negligent government Page 7

all members of the University community. “Our graduate students are real tremendous forces of strength on this campus and in our community,” Ryan said.

On behalf of the Undergraduate Council of Students and as a student himself, UCS President William Zhou ’20 expressed solidarity with all individuals and communities been impacted by recent international events and hate incidents on campus. “It’s important to have moments like these where we can celebrate the diversity of experiences and the diversity of

SEE GATHERING PAGE 6

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

UNIVERSITY NEWS

University plans to increase ‘language footprint’ on campus After language enrollment analysis, University reviews language initiatives

BY LIVIA GIMENES SENIOR STAFF WRITER Following a finding last year that enrollment in language courses has seen a 20 percent decrease over the last 10 years, the University has made strides toward addressing the decline.

At a February 2019 faculty meeting, Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin stated that the University planned to create a more robust center for language study, develop Ph.D.-level programs and increase focus on non-European language departments. In response to the issue, the “Center for Language Studies is trying to make languages have bigger footprint on campus,” said Jane Sokolosky, distinguished senior lecturer in German Studies and Language Studies and director of the Center for Language Studies.

The data presented at that meeting originated from a cycle of external evaluations, McLaughlin said. At the time, all six departments of modern languages as well as the Center for Language Studies were under review. Nationally, language departments were seeing a decline: Between 2009 and 2016, enrollment in languages other than English dropped 15.3 percent, according to the Modern Language Association.

Considering these data, the Univer-

sity decided to take “a step back (to) look at our data internally and look at the data the language association provided” to see what steps the University could take, McLaughlin said.

According Sokolosky, the initial data provided at the faculty meeting initiated important conversations about “the role of languages at Brown.” In the 2018-19 academic year, 2,937 students enrolled in language classes.

Enrollment has hovered around this number for the last five years, with 3,101 students enrolled in language classes during the 2013-14 academic year. Sokolosky noted that there has only been a five percent decrease overall in undergraduate enrollment in modern languages. While enrollment in some languages has decreased, other languages like Korean and American Sign Language have actually seen increased enrollment in the last few years, Sokolosky said.

“Now we are digging deeper into that data, and seeing that we were at a good position, but we need to be in a better position,” she added.

Investments made into the Center for Language Studies include hiring a new assistant of technology, inviting students to run open hours as language ambassadors and implementing student-run language tables across campus. Sokolosky also stated that the CLS is working on offering new language courses in order to “represent all geographical parts of the world.”

In addition, the Center for Language Studies intends to improve Ph.D.-level language programs. Thus far, it has

Decline in Student Enrollment in Modern Language Courses

There has been approximately a 20% decline in language studies over the past ten years at Brown.

3750

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: enrollment data

not provided

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Source: Office of Institutional Research USHA BHALLA / HERALD

hired personnel to assist graduate students with professionalization, Sokoloksy said. McLaughlin added that professors on the lecturer track also play a key role in enhancing language instruction in general.

McLaughlin said that the University plans to take a special look at the language departments besides European languages — especially East Asian Studies, as it has seen an increase in student interest. The focus will be on hiring new faculty and lecturers as well as offering other languages, such as Vietnamese.

Looking forward, McLaughlin and Sokolosky both stressed the importance of faculty advising students about the

benefits to studying a language. While he knows that students are responsible for the classes that they take, McLaughlin hopes advisors will encourage students to consider taking a language during their time at Brown. “Learning languages is one of the most valuable things that you can (do) as a undergraduate,” he said.

Sokolosky highlighted that language scholarship is not only a part of the University’s intention to create global citizens, but that students gain a lot professionally from studying languages. Studying a language allows students to develop key soft skills, as in class “they learn to excel in difficult situations, ... learn to think

on their feet, ... speak deliberately ... (and) to be very humble about making mistakes,” she said.

Sokolosky also stressed that learning a language is key for those who want to enter the global job market: Just as an engineer must learn calculus in order to excel, a student should learn a language if they “want to go in International Business, work in Diplomacy, work in Public Health or Global Health,” Sokolosky said.

Michael Chen ’22, an economics and international relations concentrator, has taken multiple language courses.

For him, studying a new language is not just a learning opportunity, “it’s more about opening doors.”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

3

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UCS finalizes anti-hate statement, votes on elections changes Council denounces recent hate act, finalizes new equity and inclusion position

BY JACK BORRIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Undergraduate Council of Students finalized its statement in response to the recent anti-Semitic graffiti found in Hegeman Hall and discussed possible changes to its elections process at its general body meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12.

The Council also confirmed the details of its new equity and inclusion chair position.

Feb. 4, a student reported a swastika drawn on a wall in Hegeman Hall, The Herald previously reported. This most recent occurence follows several incidents of homophobic graffiti in Hegeman Hall this fall.

In the statement, the Council denounced these acts of hate against the student body. Offering support to individuals and student groups affected

BLUE FROM PAGE 1 is earmarked specifically for recreational hunters, and a general gun safety course “would be outside the scope of eligible funding for hunter safety education.”

In October 2018, a 43-member working group formed by Governor Gina Raimondo noted that the blue card test is often administered by gun dealers themselves and not by a government agency. Consequently, the report stated that there is “often no way to verify whether the test was properly administered.”

The working group recommended that in order to streamline gun licensing rules, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office should serve as the central agency for issuing permits rather than RIDEM. Additionally, it called for a revamped firearms safety test that could potentially reduce the flow of guns to criminals.

According to State Attorney General Public Information Officer Kristy dosReis, the office also agrees that the current licensing system should be strengthened.

“Rhode Island’s blue card program,

MAY FROM PAGE 1 after failing to deliver on Brexit.

While May was prime minister, “the U.K.’s national debt fell, there were more people in work than ever before and taxes were cut for 32 million people,” according to the Ogden website.

In 1997, May was elected to represent her constituency, Maidenhead, in Parliament and has continued to occupy that role for over two decades.

Early in her political career, May worked at her local Conservative Association and as a councilor in the London Borough of Merton, according to the Ogden website. May then served as home secretary of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2016, the longest term of any Conservative home secretary in the past 100 years. She also co-founded Women2Win, a group that promotes electing more Conservative female members of parliament and “increased involvement of Conservative women in public life,” according

by the incidents, the statement also encouraged the University to work to prevent similar occurrences in the future. UCS plans to release the statement today.

“Myself and the others up here have been working on how to best support students during this time,” UCS Vice President Jason Carroll ’21 said. Carroll and other Council members met with the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, Brown-RISD Hillel and the LGBTQ Center prior to drafting the statement.

After incorporating revisions from the general body, the statement was finalized and passed with a simple majority vote.

A community gathering in response to recent incidents was held on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center earlier Wednesday evening, with President William Zhou ’20 delivering remarks on behalf of the Council in solidarity with those affected by local and international tensions.

Also at the UCS meeting, Student Activities Chair Alex Song ’20 present-

ed possible reforms to the Council’s elections process that were raised at an elections working group discussion late January.

UCS members expressed differing opinions on modifying the number of student signatures required for candidates to run for Council executive positions. In last year’s elections, candidates running for UCS president had to garner 200 signatures, and candidates for the vice presidency and committee chair positions needed 100.

First-Year Representative Zane Ruzicka ’23 advocated for a greater signature requirement, highlighting the benefit he gained from speaking to members of the student body when gathering his own signatures for UCS. Chair of Student Wellness Shivani Nishar ’20 and Leona Hariharan ’23 both voiced their belief that the signature requirement should be reduced, as the number currently required disadvantages students who are socially anxious when running.

Song added that “there have been times in the past where the high signature requirements have been an obstacle

as currently instituted, does little to ensure that handgun purchasers are adequately familiar with state gun laws and the safe handling and operation of firearms,” wrote dosReis in an email to The Herald.

The R.I. Attorney General’s office also recommended similar improvements to those suggested by the working group. DosReis wrote that more comprehensive safety courses and tests would ensure the exams are administered by neutral parties such as the government, instead of by gun stores. Additionally, like the working group, dosReis wrote that the office believes RIDEM should not administer the program and that a public safety entity like the State Police should instead.

Gabe Mernoff ’22, leader of the University student group Thoughts, Prayers, Action, said the current blue card policy makes little sense and that TPA believes it is the government’s responsibility to implement stronger gun safety laws to safeguard communities.

“The analogy that I often draw is with driver’s licenses. We make sure that people have to go through lots of education, training, testing and time to

make sure they can drive these hunks of metal at 60 miles per hour,” he said.

“I don’t see why it shouldn’t be the exact same way with a weapon.”

Although Mernoff would like to see the current blue card system change, he said it is not often discussed in his gun control advocacy work.

“In advocacy work a lot of times, it isn’t necessarily the most potentially effective or difference-making laws that get to the top of the campaign’s agenda,” Mernoff said. “It’s often the politics of what is most likely to get people’s attention or what’s likely to get passed under the circumstances.”

Changing the current system to preserve blue card applicant records would come close to establishing a gun owner registry. Mernoff said that TPA has discussed advocating for gun owner registries, but it has never gotten to the top of their agenda because of its potential “big government” connotation and lack of “ring and attractiveness” compared to other gun control and safety measures.

The Rhode Island 2nd Amendment Coalition wrote in an email to The Herald that they “decline to comment to anyone from Brown.”

to the organization’s website.

May’s speech marks the 100th lecture in the Ogden Lecture Series since it started 55 years ago, Quinn wrote.

She added that these milestones are “a tribute to the Ogden Family, who sought to make a difference in our community by providing an enduring and meaningful way to remember the life of Stephen A. Ogden Jr. (’60),” a student who died due to injuries from a car accident during his junior year.

Prior Ogden lecturers include New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger, former President of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush.

President of SPEAK Coalition Greer Brigham ’20 noted that May joins other conservative speakers that have visited the University, including Bush and former Governor of Ohio John Kasich. The SPEAK Coalition’s most recent report on the ideological diversity of University speakers found that, of the speakers invited to campus that demonstrate an

explicit political leaning, 94.4 percent leaned left. “I see the invitation of …

May as a welcome sign of the administration’s interest in inviting more ideologically diverse speakers to campus,” Brigham wrote in an email to The Herald. “To be clear, these speakers only represent the more establishment/ moderate side of conservatism, and more needs to be done to bring all types of ideologically diverse perspectives to campus. Nonetheless, I am impressed with the changes we are seeing.”

“Over the years, the lecture series has enabled the University to bring an array of current and former global leaders to campus to offer a variety of viewpoints from this distinct leadership perspective,” Quinn wrote.

“Bringing … May to campus continues this tradition. As a recent former head of state engaged in matters of global importance, and given her depth of experience in international affairs during a period of significant change, she can offer distinct insights.”

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

UCS also discussed proposed changes to its election process and finalized the details of its new equity and inclusion position. for those who are otherwise qualified.”

When put to a vote, the Council decided not to modify the current signature requirements. Song, however, encouraged further conversation on the issue.

Nishar and Chief of Staff Melissa Lee ’20 also presented an updated version of the Council’s new Chair of Equity and Inclusion position. “We feel like this role encompasses a really important niche that isn’t being filled right

now,” Lee said. The name of the role was confirmed, with the Council voting to change the proposed name of “Chair of Diversity and Inclusion” to “Chair of Equity and Inclusion.”

Minor changes were made to the scope of the role, clarifying the position’s relationship with the University’s admissions and financial aid offices and the chair’s conflict mediation responsibility. The position will be filled in the upcoming elections.

ANNA SEMIZHONOVA / HERALD

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

ARTS & CULTURE

Okay Kaya bends genre to explore melancholic humor Singer-songwriter uses vulnerability to purge personal trauma, explore natural world NICHOLAS MICHAEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER Okay Kaya’s second studio-length album is a cathartic recollection and release of intimate memory. “Watch This Liquid Pour Itself,” released Jan. 24, pushes Kaya’s genre-bending sound further than past experiments; here, she oscillates between moments of wistful, folkish R&B and bullish disco.

Kaya Wilkins, better known by the moniker “Okay Kaya,” found artistic inspiration in Hippocrates’ theory of the four humors for her newest project. In an interview with Garage, she revealed that she focused on the black bile that the Greek physician associated with feelings of melancholy. Through “Watch This Liquid Pour Itself,” Kaya seeks to perform a metaphorical exorcism of this parasitic mucus-like substance.

The 30-year-old Norwegian singer divulges an emotionally candid personal history in her newest project, which can only be characterized as capricious and whimsical. The recollection of memory serves as a sort of multivalent look into Kaya’s psyche — a catalog that doesn’t shy away from historical wounds and their residual tenderness.

Despite its many directions, the artist’s project is assured in its auto-

biographical meditation. It is a pointed attempt to rid the body of these fleeting memories through musical documentation. “Every time I write a song it feels like I threw up,” the artist explained of her purgative writing process.

Kaya’s soft, airy voice sits over a hypnotic guitar strum in the album’s second song, “Ascend and Try Again.”

Verse and chorus flow effortlessly into one another, following the guidance of Kaya’s melodic speak-singing: “If there’s too much pressure / You need to stop and / Ascend and try again,” she sings. The folky tune ostensibly delineates the album’s aims: Kaya’s haunting voice ascends over past trauma so that she can too.

She reflects more blatantly on her past experiences of hurt in “Psych Ward.” “You can peel an orange however you please / In the psych ward (In the psych ward) / Throw away the cup, better swallow the pill / In the psych ward (In the psych ward)” she hums in this sardonic yet playful reflection on her hospitalization.

Here, too, Kaya extends beyond the muted tradition of bedroom pop with more conviction than ever before. As she sings, her idiosyncratic soft sound is supported by an electric guitar reminiscent of Courtney Love’s band, Hole. In her juxtaposition of fruit and pills, Kaya conjures facetious images of lightness and trauma.

In these moments of genre experimentation, Kaya seems to find strength in her unapologetic personal purge. The album’s stand-out interlude, “Mother

Nature’s Bitch,” falls at the halfway point. As Kaya reflects on her subservience to the natural world in the dancey minute-and-a-half tune, her production adopts a sort of neo-disco optimism that diversifies the doleful tone established in earlier tracks.

She continues to explore the natural world in “Symbiosis,” which employs scientific motifs as a vessel for understanding human romance. Over dreamy and raw percussion and strings, the singer professes to her lover the type of “symbiosis” that their love could instill. The relationship becomes an Eden-like landscape for Kaya: “There’ll be no more deficiencies / We’ll have sugars, minerals / Everything we need / We’ll be lush, delicious,” she sings.

It is only when Kaya falls out of this experimental practice that her lyrics feel less resonant. The bedroom pop style, characteristic for its underproduced casual sound, doesn’t seem to serve the album well. The digestibility of tracks like “Insert Generic Name,” where Kaya lists names of ex-lovers in a lovestruck teenage spirit, feel adolescent among Kaya’s more profound moments of raw, punky incantation.

Though the homemade gestures of some tracks feel pedantic, “Watch This Liquid Pour Itself” most often employs that folk-like, DIY quality to its advantage. Kaya’s bravery in genre and lyricism lend to an exciting, discursive project that works to redefine modern notions of pop and intimacy.

COURTESY OF COCO CAPITÁN

Folk-pop artist Okay Kaya explores personal trauma in her second studio album, “Watch This Liquid Pour Itself.”

The Brown Budget: Get Informed!

Get Involved!

The University Resources Committee (URC) needs your input.

Plan to attend the open forum to learn about the process and share your ideas and insights.

Monday, at 4pm 3pm Thursday, February November17 17 at Stephen Robert’62 ‘62Campus Campus Center Stephen Robert Center Petteruti Lounge,2nd 2nd Floor Petteruti Lounge, Floor Provost Richard M. Locke will discuss the process for developing the University’s budget, sharing primary sources of revenue and spending, and outlining key decisions that need to be made to advance the University mission.

Community input is essential to the process.

For more information about the URC see the following link: http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/provost/universityhttp://brown.edu/go/urc resources-committee-urc

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

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Info Session: The Swedish Program 12:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

A Conversation from Space with Jessica Meir ’99 2:30 P.M. Salomon Center 101

Reading: Poet & Sound Artist Tracie Morris 5:30 P.M. McCormack Family Theater

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Valentine’s Day Brunch Community Buffet 11:30 A.M. Faculty Club

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TOMORROW Conversations in Latinx Art 11:00 A.M. Pembroke 305

Un/Valentines Day Social 2:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Studio Ghibli Movie Night 7:00 P.M. Goddard House

Orchestra Winter Ball!

8:00 P.M. Sayles Hall

Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

S U D O KU

“We must come together to support one another (and) to love one another.”

—UCS President William Zhou ’20 SEE INCLUSION PAGE 3

C ORRECTI ON S

RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Los Angeles Times Puzzle CR O SDaily SWOCrossword RD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Superfluous thing 6 Copy room unit 10 Good-sized building site 14 __, meenie ...

15 Best way to make a mistake 16 Like a fly ball that hits the foul pole, ironically 17 *Classic little red wagon 19 Thomas __ Edison 20 Old AT&T rival 21 Dockworker’s gp.

22 Sign of the Ram 23 Tchotchke stand 26 O’er and o’er 28 VW forerunners?

29 Fifth canonical hour 30 *Memorable, as a day 33 Part of DOT: Abbr.

34 Marvin or Majors 35 Bern’s river 36 They’re not in the in-crowd ... and read differently, what each starred answer has two of 40 Humorist Bombeck 43 Snitch 44 Video game pioneer 48 *One seeding clouds 51 Animal toxin 52 Berlin conjunction 53 Tarzan raiser 54 Comes out of hiding 56 Wooden peg 58 Yoko from Tokyo 59 Tokyo, before 1868 60 Currier’s partner 61 *Knee-slapper 65 Experiment 66 Soothing additive 67 Doting aunt, perhaps 68 Art Deco master 69 Heckle 70 More than reasonable interest

DOWN 1 Turn to wine, as grape juice 2 *Nuclear plant sight 3 Home to Purdue 4 Full deck at Caesar’s palace?

5 “Seinfeld” uncle 6 *Suitcase lugger’s aid 7 “Shepherd Moons” Grammy winner 8 Unreturnable serve 9 Sea, in Paris 10 Out yonder 11 Actress Flockhart 12 *Rosie’s role 13 Puzzle solver’s smudge 18 Commonly decorated tree 22 Consumed 24 Columbus, by birth 25 “Mi casa __ casa” 26 Scarfed down too much, with “on” 27 Run for the hills 31 In-crowd 32 Busy employee of a paranoid king

37 Snare 38 “Oh, for pity’s __!”

39 “Must-see” review 40 Scholarly 41 *Broke up late, as a meeting 42 3-Down’s region 45 “And Still I Rise” poet 46 *Short-antlered animal 47 “Forgive me”

49 Practice opening?

50 *One paying a flat fee?

55 Pierre, to Pierre 57 Tequila sunrise direction 58 Bassoon kin 61 Indian rule from 1858 to 1947 62 __ de la Cité 63 Hosp. heart ward 64 Ring victories, briefly

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

A previous version of the Feb. 11 article, “Elorza’s State of the City describes ‘New Providence’” referred to infractural issues instead of infrastructural issues. The article also previously stated that the 3-1-1 app had been used 500,000 times when in fact Mayor Elorza said it has been used to complete over 55,000 cases. The article also quoted Mayor Elorza as saying burglaries had been reduced by 85 percent, when he said they have declined by 55 percent. The Herald regrets the errors.

A previous version of the Feb. 11 article, “‘Miss Americana’ sparks empathy for Taylor Swift,” stated that “Miss Americana” was available on Netflix on Jan. 23. In fact, it was released to Netflix on Jan. 31. The Herald regrets the error.

A previous version of the Feb 12. article, “Brown Corporation extends Paxson’s term as president,” stated that the Corporation’s Committee on Senior Administration first made a recommendation to lengthen Paxson’s term at it’s winter meeting. In fact, the recommendation was first made before the winter meeting.

The Herald regrets the error.

CAFE AU H ERAL D

02/15/12

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

By Kurt Krauss (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

02/15/12

What’s your favorite Thursday morning activity? This pensive Brown student loves to start the day with a hard copy of The Herald and an energizing Blue Room coffee.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

SANTURRI FROM PAGE 1 believes that instead, the city should tap into small businesses, which can be equally effective compared to some of the large-scale development projects.

“If you have 20 small businesses out there and they all employ 10 employees, which is not a lot, that’s 200 jobs, right? Nobody gets any help for that … but if (a large-scale development) opens and is expecting 200 jobs, we’d be all over them trying to succeed,” Santurri said. “So I want to make sure we understand that we already have business owners here … big development has a place here, but we are under-utilizing the job creators, the people who are already here and the businesses we have,” Santurri added.

Sharon Steele, president of the JDA, pointed to rapid development in Ward 1 as an issue for residents.

“Many of the neighborhoods right now are sort of feeling like we are under siege,” Steele said, “because the city is forcing … aggressive developments on many of the neighborhoods because they see it as a way to literally raise revenue.”

Lewis Dana, secretary of the JDA and Jewelry District resident, said that “Our core concern … is reasonable development. Let’s not get out of control and (let’s) also watch out for the large-scale buildings going up on narrow streets where traffic is already

GATHERING FROM PAGE 1 backgrounds that really make this community so special,” he said. “We must come together to support one another (and) to love one another.”

In a Feb. 6 Today @ Brown announcement, Delalue and Estes wrote that “in times of such importance, the Brown community has also gathered as a whole to demonstrate our shared commitment to supporting one another and honoring each other’s humanity.”

Chaplain of the University Janet Cooper Nelson said that the gathering was not meant to be an occasion of somberness, but rather an artic-

a problem.” Dana said residents want a council member who pays attention.

“Ward 1 is a real mixed bag. … Most council members have blinders on what goes on here,” he said.

Santurri hopes to change that. For him, one of previous councilman Seth Yurdin’s strengths was that he “was available to me whenever I needed to speak to him. … what I admire most about an elected official is when they make themselves accessible and available to you,” Santurri added. As his own boss, Santurri said he takes pride in his ability to set his own hours and meet with constituents at any time.

Due to his experience on the JDA and the Downtown District Association, Santurri says he is also well acquainted with the different neighborhoods in the ward.

According to Santurri, another concern facing residents of Ward 1 is the efficient and timely management of constituent services: snow plows, road repairs, sidewalks and noise issues. “The solution is not me charging in and saying I am going to fix everything … but understanding it, finding out where and which (services) are not being addressed and finding ways that we can work with the city together but also having community meetings that discuss it,” Santurri said.

Polls will open for the seat of Ward 1 City Council March 3.

COURTESY OF JOSEPH LAZZERINI

Colosseum owner Anthony Santurri, who is running for a city council seat in Providence’s Ward 1, is currently Chair of Nightlife for the Board of Directors for the Jewelry District. ulation of hope. She referenced Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s discussion of racial psychology at the Feb. 11 Martin Luther King Jr. lecture , reiterating Tatum’s allusion to the Bryan Stevenson quote: “Injustice persists where hopelessness prevails.”

“There is no place at Brown for any lack of compassion, for any failure on our part to assert the decency of all humanity,” Nelson said. She emphasized that when someone is afraid, we should open our hearts to them as a University community and say, “We will go with you towards justice (and) in hope.”

Dean of Students Koren Bakkegard said that in difficult times of trial and

tribulation, she turns to poetry — specifically, Marge Piercy. She read stanzas from Piercy’s “The Art of Blessing the Day” at the event: “What we want to change we curse and then pick up a tool. Bless whatever you can with eyes and hands and tongue. If you can’t bless it, get ready to make it new.”

Regarding the homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti in Hegeman Hall, Director of the LGBTQ Center Kelly Garrett said, “These are serious incidents that foster an environment of uncertainty and fear, not only within that space but across campus.”

“Beyond the graffiti, I recognize that there are many national and global events that may be causing a lot

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of stress and distractions right now,” she added. “This is a good time to remember that none of us can deal with everything on our own.”

Garrett encouraged all students to reach out to campus resources with any worries or concerns. “I’m available for all students to help guide you,” she said, noting that, while she is the “primary contact person” for LGBTQ+ issues, “anybody can come up and find me. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, I would really like to support you.”

In honor of Black History Month, Garrett also highlighted Bayard Rustin as a leader to look towards. “If I do not fight bigotry wherever it is, bigotry is thereby strengthened,” she quoted

from Rustin near the end of her speech.

Associate Chaplain and Rabbi at Hillel Rabbi Michelle Dardashti shared a favorite teaching of hers by Hasidic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: “The entire world is a narrow bridge, but the most important thing is never to be afraid.”

Dardashti also invited all community members to the Brown/RISD Hillel for Friday night dinner regardless of religious identification.

Following her speech, several students joined Dardshati in song.

Nelson concluded the gathering saying that the community must stand together. “It is important for people not to feel separated.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Resistance must continue in Puerto Rico

BY MARYSOL FERNANDEZ STAFF COLUMNIST

Puerto Ricans made headlines around the world in the summer of 2019, when massive protests succeeded in forcing former governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign. Coverage died down after this so-called resolution, and Puerto Rico once again was left in the shadows as the United States’ forgotten colony. But the conditions that caused those first protests haven’t improved on the island itself. On Jan. 7th, Puerto Rico was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that took down the fragile power grid, leaving the entire island without power for a couple of days and causing massive destruction to the infrastructure, especially in the most affected areas in the South. People lost their homes and their cars; schools were destroyed; roads were cracked open and there was one reported death.

The Puerto Rican government has failed to adequately address its people’s needs. In the face of such incompetence, Puerto Ricans from the less affected areas of the island have undertaken a massive effort to support those most in need. In the weeks following the earthquakes, hundreds of Puerto Ricans sat in traffic for hours in order to reach those in the south of the island, bringing with them food, water, medical supplies and sanitary products, as well as their own expertise. The refugee stations, in which people continue to live today, were set up and are managed by civilian volunteers.

Americans and Puerto Ricans alike, especially politicans, celebrate this as a demonstration of the resilience of the Puerto Rican people. But the truth about resilience is that it manifests

in the face of injustice, and Puerto Rico has had to be resilient for far too long. The series of affronts to the dignity of the Puerto Rican people demand the reignition of the Puerto Rican political revolution.

The earthquakes once again revealed the island’s lack of preparation for these natural disasters, which are expected to become more frequent with the rising threats of climate

cane or earthquake. As Puerto Ricans from all over the island struggled to get aid to affected areas, residents discovered a warehouse in the southern city of Ponce filled with abandoned supplies left from Hurricane María. In an effort to control the widespread indignation this news produced, Gov. Wanda Vázquez fired Carlos Acevedo, head of the island’s emergency management agency, and promised to launch

“However, the people of Puerto Rico know that it isn’t the fault of any single official, but of an entire infrastructure of governance that has consistently been violently neglectful.”

change. A month after the large earthquake, there are still thousands of people living in tents on the streets, too afraid to go back into their homes as the ground continues to shake.

Only around 20 percent of the schools in Puerto Rico have been able to reopen with full functionality, as inspections mandated after the earthquake reveal that many schools do not meet the standards of construction codes.

Puerto Ricans have been thrust back into a state of emergency, as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder fresh from Hurricane María floods into the collective Puerto Rican psyche.

Puerto Ricans continue to find the manmade disasters of neglect, corruption and colonialism much more destructive than any hurri-

an investigation. However, the people of Puerto Rico know that it isn’t the fault of any single official, but of an entire infrastructure that has consistently been violently neglectful.

As tensions rise, we also are reminded that the U.S. Federal Government has actively practiced the same neglect. On Feb. 5th, the White House threatened to veto the $4.7 billion aid package intended for earthquake relief in Puerto Rico. Let us not forget, too, that the island is still waiting to receive billions of dollars in aid approved by Congress over two years ago for Hurricane María relief.

Puerto Ricans have organized protests once again in the last few weeks calling for the resignation of Gov. Vázquez. The island has wit-

nessed an outcry of frustration and anger at the lack of responsibility that both the local and the federal government have exhibited in their treatment of the island’s people. And yet, we continue to see a rhetoric that dismisses Puerto Rican protest movements as radical, violent and divisive. Media coverage has focused more on the cost of the protest graffiti drawn on the walls of Old San Juan than on the cost of all the lives lost as a result of the government’s neglect. This coverage has gone out of its way to create a narrative of violent protestors while ignoring the legacy of state repression that exists in Puerto Rico — a legacy that today manifests itself in the use of tear gas against protestors and police infiltration of demonstrations.

I cannot take seriously condemnation of protests in Puerto Rico when I cannot help but feel that the injustices inflicted on the island’s people not only justify, but in fact demand action of this sort. We have not forgotten the lessons we learned last summer about the power of collective action — and I celebrate the Puerto Ricans who continue to exert that power in the hopes of one day achieving a government that is accountable to its people. We must remember that we will not achieve this objective even if we manage to force the resignation of every single subsequent governor. Our collective action must seek to tear down the institution of colonialism and disaster capitalism, not just its political agents. What will these power structures do when Puerto Rican resilience is matched with Puerto Rican resistance?

Marysol Fernandez ’21 can be reached at marysol_fernandez@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

The case for learning a second language

BY QUENTIN THOMAS STAFF COLUMNIST

A lifelong goal of mine is to become bilingual.

Since coming to Brown, and especially since exploring more of the world and spending a semester abroad, I’ve come to see the value of knowing more than one language. In fact, I would argue that everyone should learn a second language. Learning a second language can provide us with a host of professional and personal benefits. But in the United States, which prides itself on global leadership and wields immense cultural influence, we are especially obliged to make the effort to communicate with others in their own languages.

First, learning a foreign language can provide us with particular benefits to our professional lives. Forbes Magazine lays out three specific corporate benefits of learning a foreign language. Those who are bilingual experience fewer barriers to communicating with others, so they are able to create larger personal networks.

In some studies, bilingual people have demonstrated stronger decision-making skills and are thus able to draw conclusions more effectively.

And finally, bilingual people have been shown to improve their memory, which is invaluable in the workplace.

On a more personal level, learning a foreign language can open up the world to us and allow us to create connections which would otherwise be impossible. As I wrote in my last column, studying abroad last semester was a transformative experience for me. This experience was so powerful for me largely because knowing even a little bit of French allowed me to engage with many different communities in Cameroon.

Extending this idea even further, studies have

shown that people who decide to learn a foreign language can develop more positive attitudes toward that language, and — perhaps even more significantly ­— toward the speakers of that language. This is especially important given that non-English speakers are so often marginalized in English-speaking countries. Learning a language can foster cross-cultural connection and understanding — to the benefit of everyone

To bring this conversation even closer to home, The Herald reported early last year that the University’s student enrollment in modern language courses between 2009 and 2018 decreased by 20 percent. Nationally, 651 university language programs closed from 2013 to 2016.

The United States clearly does not prioritize language-learning as other countries do, and the data suggest that we are not likely to give

“In the United States, which prides itself on global leadership and wields immense cultural influence, we are especially obliged to make the effort to communicate with others in their own languages.”

involved.

The United States currently lags far behind other developed countries in teaching foreign languages in public schools. For example, in 2016, 100 percent of Norwegian primary and secondary school students were taught a foreign language in class. That same year, Europe’s median percentage of primary and secondary school students learning a foreign language was an astonishing 92 percent. In the United States, however, only 20 percent of primary and secondary school students were taught a foreign language in class; in most states, less than 25 percent of students took foreign language classes.

language-learning the priority it deserves anytime soon.

The U.S. deficiency in foreign languages is particularly noteworthy, given its role on the global stage. If the United States is to be the global leader it seeks to be, it comes as a bit of a surprise that a very useful step in taking up this charge — learning another language — is not as emphasized as it could or should be. Global leadership does not entail expecting everyone else to speak English; rather, it entails effectively collaborating across borders for the sake of global prosperity. This scale of collaboration requires proficiency in different languages.

To be fair, the United States is not entirely

at fault for lagging behind other countries in teaching foreign languages. European countries have an advantage, for example, because they tend to border neighbors who speak different languages; in that context, picking up another language can be both easier and more immediately applicable.

But we must also remember that the United States is not a solely English-speaking country.

In fact, it does not even have an official language. Spanish maintains a significant presence across the country. As of 2015, the United States has the second-highest number of Spanish speakers in the world, behind our neighbor Mexico. In New Mexico, Spanish speakers make up 47 percent of the population, while in California and Texas, they comprise 38 percent.

In light of the widespread presence of Spanish speakers in the United States, we have reason to place greater emphasis on teaching and learning the language. This emphasis would allow us to communicate not just with many of our fellow citizens, but also with the 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide, thereby making the country a more effective global leader.

Learning a new language has many benefits. The ability to speak multiple languages can open doors for each of us professionally, but it can also allow us to communicate more effectively with one another in an increasingly globalized world. We — in particular, English-speaking monolingual Americans — would be well-served by learning another language, which would allow us to engage more meaningfully with the world.

Quentin Thomas ’21 can be reached at quentin_thomas@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Opinions pieces published in The Herald — which include columns, op-eds , letters to the editor and editorials — are written independently of news coverage.

8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020

A Conversation from Space with Jessica Meir ’99 Thursday, February 13 2:30 p.m.

Salomon Center for Teaching, De Ciccio Auditorium Time and date are subject to change.

Watch the livestream: brow.nu/meir-livestream

Tickets Required

For tickets and more information, visit

jessicameir2020.eventbrite.com

A live stream will be available for those unable to attend.

This event is part of Brown’s yearlong celebration of the Open Curriculum.