SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019
VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 51
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Dear Blueno page attracts mixed reception ACCRIP reviews investment Herald poll finds that policies, advises Corporation more first-years view page positively compared to seniors
Brown Divest presents divestment targets during monthly ACCRIP meeting Tuesday
By ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
When the unmistakable sculpture Untitled (Lamp/Bear), also known as “Blueno,” arrived on campus three years ago, it divided the student body into pro- and anti-Blueno factions. Now, a Facebook page carrying the statue’s namesake sits at the center of campus discourse. “Dear Blueno,” a student-run Facebook page that solicits and posts anonymous submissions, began in 2018 and has attracted 1,941 followers. The page has garnered attention as a platform for controversial conversations this semester on topics such as Brown Divest, the Granoff dinners and campus institutions like sororities and fraternities. The pages’ supporters argue that it provides a useful space for discussion, while critics say it gives a voice to hateful messages. The Herald’s spring 2019 poll found that 43.7 percent of students feel positively or somewhat positively about the page’s contribution to campus, while 31.5 percent see the page as a negative or very negative addition. The Herald’s poll also found that perception of the page may be related to class year. Fiftyseven percent of first-years reported that Dear Blueno was a positive contribution to campus life, while only
By SPENCER SCHULTZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER
SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD
33.5 percent of seniors felt the same. First-years cited the platform as a useful space for discussion. While Elli Lee ’22 does not follow the page, the posts that are the most popular in terms of Facebook “reactions” appear on her timeline. She cited some of the benefits of the page for first-years and marginalized communities. “The page puts everybody on an equal ground because it’s all anonymous,” she said. “It gives a way for minorities and marginalized voices to express frustrations in ways that might not be as well-heard on campus or in person.” But both Michael Lahiff ’22 and Lee noted that the page had detrimental elements. “If your main coping mechanism is to post anonymously on a website, that can also be destructive,” Lahiff said. Lee believes the page overall is used more negatively than positively, with controversial posts “overshadowing” the good aspects of the page. Speaking
on the Granoff dinners, Lee said that as a low-income student, seeing some of the posts on Dear Blueno “felt very isolating and diminished a lot of lowincome student problems.” Beyond controversial topics, Dear Blueno serves other important purposes for underclassmen. First-years often turn to the page when they have questions about professors, dorms or other aspects of campus life. “I feel like a lot of the time, when it comes to questions, it’s underclassmen asking and upperclassmen answering,” Lahiff said. Seniors — most of whom do not rely on the page as a resource — are more frustrated with the role the page has begun to play on campus. For Clare Steinman ’19, former opinions editor for The Herald, Dear Blueno introduced a new outlet for negative rhetoric within the Brown community. “It’s frustrating when we see it kind of devolve into this negative » See BLUENO, page 8
Tuesday afternoon, three members of the student coalition, Brown Divest, shared a presentation before the University’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policy, which explained their desire for the University to divest from companies allegedly contributing to human rights violations in Palestine. Amid campus calls for greater transparency around the University’s finances and more clarity on the logistics of targeted divestment, the significance and purpose of ACCRIP has been subjected to greater scrutiny among students and faculty members. ACCRIP is responsible for considering issues of “moral responsibility in the investment policies” of the University, according to their official charter, which was officially enacted in 2007. ACCRIP ACCRIP, which is comprised of faculty, staff, students and alums, discusses issues of social harm in the context of the University’s investment portfolio. The committee receives insight from non-voting representatives of the Investment Office who attend the committee’s
meetings, said Chi-Ming Hai, chair of ACCRIP and professor of medical science. The committee’s responsibilities include assessing proxy resolutions — which the University might issue as a shareholder in a company — that address issues of social responsibility. In addition, ACCRIP considers requests from Brown community members to “examine issues of alleged social harm” committed by corporations in which the University may be an investor. ACCRIP defines social harm as “the harmful impact that the activities of a company or corporation have on consumers, employees, or other persons, or on the human or natural environment,” according to its charter. It is within ACCRIP’s power to recommend divestment from a company if an issue raises significant concern of social harm and divestment would “likely have a positive impact toward correcting the specified social harm,” according to the charter. The committee can also recommend divestment if a company contributes to “social harm so grave that it would be inconsistent with the goals and principles of the University to accept funds from that source.” However, in both cases, a member of the Brown community must first raise the issue of harm to the committee for consideration. To determine whether the University should divest from a corporation, ACCRIP seeks to balance the maintenance » See ACCRIP, page 6
Watson starts military New location to fulfill doughnut Kneads Local operation expands fellowship program into collaborative kitchen Partnering with Carnegie Corporation, U. plans to offer fellowships to midlevel military officers By BEN KOBLINER STAFF WRITER
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs is establishing a program to bring mid-level U.S. military officers to campus for one-year fellowships after receiving a $1 million grant from The Carnegie Corporation of New York earlier this month. The funding will cover up to four fellowships each year for the next two years, according to a University press release. During their time at the University, the fellows will pursue opportunities such as auditing classes at the Graduate School and
INSIDE
writing a paper on a policy topic of their choice. “The idea is to expand the (officers’) understanding of economic, political, cultural and governance aspects of global security, because peace and security issues are so complex and interdependent,” said Deana Arsenian, vice president of the International Program at Carnegie. The military is an important part of society, government and public service, said Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute. “Because we are focused on international and public affairs, we think it’s important to have voices from the military present in our community,” he said. Jason Schultz, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, is a PhD candidate in political science. He was given the opportunity to study at Brown » See MILITARY, page 2
space, has room for popups, possible market By HENRY DAWSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On a starry, May night in Providence’s West End, fresh-out-the-frier brioche doughnuts are glazed on the spot and devoured with local craft beers brewed right next door. This will be the scene at Knead Doughnuts’ new location, a collaborative kitchen space at 55 Cromwell St. that the doughnut company shares with Long Live Beerworks and caterer Brown Paper Bounty, when it opens for retail services in mid-May. At the moment, the space is operational for doughnut baking, but will eventually be open to the public on weekends and for special events. The expansion into a
LEON JIANG / HERALD
With additional space for kneading, frying, and glazing, Knead Doughnuts’ new location will allow for an increase in doughnut production. 5,000-square-foot kitchen will allow Adam Lastrina. Knead to ramp up doughnut producThe retail end of the operation feation to meet higher demand, with mix- tures exposed brick painted in pastel ers that are more powerful, specific colors, a lofty ceiling with hanging rooms for glazing and mixing and two wicker chairs and a “stainless steel, more friers, said Knead Co-founder » See KNEAD, page 4
WEATHER
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019
METRO Congressman Cicilline proposes bill to increase local news power over corporations
NEWS Former Facebook CFO discusses career path after Brown, stresses learning, passion
COMMENTARY Miller’ 19: Student activists should not use prospective students as bargaining chips
COMMENTARY Schmidt ’21: Classes should have the goal to enrich, support students, not weed-out dreams
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Proposed bill seeks to protect local news from tech giants Congressman Cicilline introduces bill to antitrust House Subcommittee after taking helm By JACKSON TRUESDALE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On April 3, U.S. Congressman David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I. proposed the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act for the second year in a row, which would allow online publishers and small newspapers to collectively negotiate with companies like Facebook and Google over the terms that regulate how these dominant online platforms distribute the publishers’ content. “Right now, these two large platforms basically dictate the terms,” Cicilline told The Herald. To grant ‘News Content Creators’ more power in negotiations with ‘Online Content Distributors,’ the bill presents “a market-based solution. It’s not breaking up the platforms.” Instead, the act exempts publishers from antitrust laws that would otherwise prevent them from banding together during negotiations. Cicilline introduced the bill last year in a GOP-majority House and found no Republican support, preventing the bill’s progress, The Hill reported. With the highest ranking Judiciary Republican Rep. Chris Collins, R-NY, now onboard, the bill stands a greater chance of moving forward. President and CEO of News Media Alliance and the American Press Institute David Chavern emphasized the significance of the act. “The current antitrust laws protect Google and Facebook from news publishers. … We’re asking for the government to leave us alone” by limiting the liability of news content creators under the antitrust laws. Currently, newspapers have little to no
collective negotiating power with large online platforms, which can prevent publishers from profiting when their own content is distributed. “More money has to flow back to publishers,” Chavern said Four months before introducing this bill, Cicilline became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. He told The Herald that the subcommittee would focus on big technology companies and healthcare sector issues, like hospital consolidations and prescription drug prices. “It is well past time that we update and modernize our antitrust standards,” Cicilline told Bloomberg Opinion in January. On March 19, Cicilline wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to investigate Facebook for using its position as a monopoly to unlawfully undermine competition. The FTC has not issued a public response. But on March 26, the Commission initiated an investigation into the practices and policies of internet service providers under a law that allows them to “enforce against unfair and deceptive practices,” according to an FTC press release. Outside of large technology companies and internet privacy, the subcommittee’s efforts have also targeted the healthcare industry. In February 2019, the subcommittee introduced the bipartisan CREATES Act “to promote competition in the market for drugs and biological products by facilitating the timely entry of lower-cost generic and biosimilar versions of those drugs and biological products,” according to the legislation. According to the subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, R-WI, Cicilline “has been a key ally on efforts to combat the rising costs of prescription drugs,” Sensenbrenner wrote in an email to The Herald. The CREATES Act “would expand access to
COURTESY OF CONGRESSMAN DAVID CICILLINE
The bill aims to increase the bargaining power of local news organizations in negotiations with tech giants. These companies, primarily Google and Facebook, are criticized for using local news content without loyalties. markets for generics, making prescription drugs more affordable and saving taxpayers billions of dollars,” Sensenbrenner wrote. “We need to promote policies that promote competition and choice. It
should be bipartisan because Republicans have always been good on this issue,” Cicilline said. Cicilline believes that further change is on its way. “We just haven’t had good enforcement of competition policy at the
federal regulatory level,” Cicilline said, adding, “We didn’t have a Congress that made it a priority. We’re going to make it one now.” Facebook did not respond to request for comment.
» MILITARY, from page 1 through the U.S. Army’s Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program, which provides officers with a civilian graduate education. The presence of members of the military on campus is mutually beneficial to the military and the University, Schultz said. “This is where you build the bridge so to speak between academia and practice.” Military personnel are able to develop research and analysis skills at the University, Schultz said. He has gained “not only academic exposure, but exposure to ideas that are diverse and different from what we would normally be exposed to,” he said. At the same time, students have the opportunity to learn from military members’ practical knowledge. “Students that would otherwise never get exposure to folks that are in the military have a chance to actually interact with us,” and this helps to break stereotypes and misconceptions, Schultz said. “We’re not all cut from the same mold.” Schultz advised incoming military fellows to take advantage of the numerous opportunities to learn outside the classroom in their time at the University. “The whole point is to be broadened when you’re here, the point is not to just enforce pre-existing notions,”
HUAYU OUYANG / HERALD
Through a $1 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, the University will bring mid-level military officers to campus for one-year fellowships. Schultz said. Though “we tend to be kind of mission-focused,” engaging in opportunities that might seem “ancillary to the mission … is absolutely beneficial.” In their time on campus, military fellows will “be playing a role as active
voices in the community,” Steinfeld said. “We’re just thrilled that Carnegie saw this as a valuable endeavor.” The Carnegie Corporation awards grants to institutions with programs that align with their objectives and priorities, Arsenian said. The Watson
grant “is very consistent with our legacy as well as our current priorities.” The Watson Institute and Carnegie Corporation have a relationship that dates back to the 1980s, when both institutions had an academic focus on U.S.-Soviet affairs, Arsenian said.
“The corporation has been supporting various programs at the Watson Institute for over 30 years,” she said. Former University president Vartan Gregorian has been president of the Carnegie Corporation since 1997, she added.
NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Ebersman ’91 discusses path from Facebook to mental health startup
TIFFANY DING / HERALD
David Ebersman ’91 discussed the challenges of running his startup Lyre Health, a mental health company that aims to “help people quickly (find) high-quality health care.”
From biotechnology to Facebook, David Ebersman ’91 emphasizes learning, passion By TRISHA THACKER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
For former CFO of Facebook David Ebersman ’91, the most important takeaway from his time at Brown was “the idea that learning was interesting for the sake of learning.” In a conversation on Wednesday with Danny Warshay ’87, executive director of the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, Ebersman spoke about how that takeaway influenced his career path that has spanned multiple fields, from technology to mental health care. He also touched on his journey to founding a mental health startup and the challenges within that field. After leaving Facebook, Ebersman founded Lyra Health, a mental health
startup that aims to “help people quickly (find) high-quality health care.” One reason he decided to start Lyra was because he wanted to learn more about mental health. “As I was doing research and learning more about the challenges and opportunities in mental health care, I wanted to read more. … I really wanted to dive deeper and this was a sign that it’s a problem that would sustain me.” Ebersman described that he evaluates his passion for a subject based on if he wants to continue reading about and researching it. Ebersman also found the large scope of the problem particularly compelling, since mental health issues affect 20 percent of American adults. Entering the field would give him the opportunity to help millions of people. Even though Lyra has the potential to make a large impact, Ebersman outlined some of the challenges he faced going into the field of mental health. One such challenge is the stigma surrounding the
use of mental health resources, which Lyra attempts to address. “What we try to do is find language to talk about the issues that doesn’t feel judgmental.” For example, instead of using clinical terms such as “depression” and “anxiety,” Ebersman suggested using more commonplace terms such as “stress.” Another challenge of the health care industry is its multifaceted and complicated structure, which requires many stakeholders, partners and experts to navigate, he said. “The quality of care is quite variable in mental health. There isn’t some sort of overriding one way to approach these problems,” Ebersman said. He contrasted the lack of structure in mental health care with the structured process of drug development he had experienced while working at Genentech, a biotechnology company. Ebersman worked at Genentech for 15 years before moving to Facebook,
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a journey he described as “filled with serendipity.” Ebersman lost his job following an acquisition of Genetech on the same day that Facebook let go of its CFO. The social media giant later asked Ebersman to take the role. With previous professional experience in different fields, Ebersman emphasized the breadth of his skill set as compared to the depth of it. “I had four different jobs in 15 years, in different groups,” he said. Ebersman said working at Facebook gave him the courage and motivation to start Lyra. The ideology at Facebook that “if you apply enough good intent, software and data, you can solve any problem in the world,” encouraged Ebersman to use those tools to solve challenges in mental health. In addition to the value of working across different industries, Ebersman also stressed the importance of working with different types of individuals. “Half of work is solving problems and the other half is getting along with the people
you work with,” he said. At Facebook, Ebersman gained experience in large scale collaboration, since the company gained thousands of employees during his time as CFO. Erica Jones ’21, a concentrator in cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences who had previously studied the research, diagnosis and symptoms of various mental illnesses in class, was curious about how startups use technology to solve challenges in the mental health field. Ebersman’s “broad background … opened my eyes to the power of collaboration between diverse people in industries and nonprofits to help society,” Jones said. “It encouraged me to not limit myself to careers and internships focused squarely on psychology.” Nishanth Kumar ’21 said the talk taught him about how successful people may have nonlinear and diverse career paths but still share fundamental characteristics such as curiosity and hard work.
NEWS
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» KNEAD, from page 1 industrial look,” Lastrina said. He hopes to use the extra space afforded by the new location to host pop-up events in the future. “It’s a really cool place, … certainly a destination,” Lastrina said, comparing the new location to the company’s two other stores in the well-trodden Downtown and East Side areas. Lastrina hopes to collaborate with the nearby craft brewery, Long Live Beerworks, and other companies in the Providence Kitchen Collaborative to set up co-sponsored events. “The vision is … once a month, do sort of meet-your-maker type markets where … you can eat a doughnut and eat a burrito, pound a beer and eat some ice cream,” Lastrina said. “You almost don’t even have to leave.” Long Live Beerworks’ taproom has been open next door for about two weeks, said Beerworks’ General Manager Jessica deBry. Beerworks is housed under high rafters, with the space split in half between the industrial, chic wood taproom and the twenty-foot high metal tanks used to brew the beer. Similar to Knead, the company moved to the
Cromwell location to allow for greater production capability; the new facility lets them increase production by five times, deBry said. “We really love this complex and want to build this community,” she said. Beerworks also hopes to plan pop-up events for the summer. In general, Providence offers accessibility for those looking to start small companies, deBry said. “With Brown and (the Rhode Island School of Design), there’s such a wonderful creative hub, and then with Johnson and Wales, too. For such a small city, we have an amazing amount of really good restaurants,” she said, also citing the city’s affordability in comparison to Boston or New York. University students also appreciate the local companies. Lastrina cited graduation weekends as some of the busiest times for the company, adding that Knead doughnuts are available around Brown’s campus. “I went vegan when I was twelve … so I think when I started eating (Knead’s vegan doughnuts), they were very nostalgic for me and reminded me of other doughnuts I grew up eating,” said Rachel Souza ’21. “They just taste really good.”
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LEON JIANG / HERALD
TODAY
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
menu
marcus aurelius flexes equestrian skills
SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pho Bar, Barbecue Bam Bam Pizza, Baked Pasta, Cous Cous Entree, Make Your Own Pasta, Make Your Own Salad JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Taco Thursday, Southwestern Bean Burger, Quesadilla Station
Minestrone Soup, Focaccia Sandwich, Kadahi Paneer
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Chicken Gumbo Soup, Baked Sesame Chicken, Ratatouille, Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Cottage Pie, Glazed Carrots, Kaiser Rolls, Turkey Pot Pie, Mexican Ribbon Cake
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Pasta Bar, Sliced American Cheese, Cavatelli with Romagna Bolognese, Oatmeal Cookies
Chicken Marsala, Antipasto Special, Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, Hummus
sudoku
REBECCA HO / HERALD
Marcus Aurelius, honorary member of the Brown Equestrian team, leads Brunonians into spring. At nearly 14 feet, this statue is a replica of the original ancient Roman statue in Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 1, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich
ACROSS 1 Bouncing toy 5 What waiters wait for 9 Finishes making, as a black-andwhite cookie 13 __ vera lotion 14 Length times width 15 Arm of a sea 16 *Evangelist honored with a basilica in Venice 18 Resell at a big profit 19 Flatter the boss for personal gain 20 English class assignment 22 Huck Finn’s ride 25 Astrological edges 27 Pyromaniac’s crime 31 Lock horns (with) 33 Figs. well above 100 in Mensa 35 Marsh grasses 36 BBC nickname, with “the” 37 Juan’s water 38 Spawned 39 Ice show site 40 “Hud” Best Actress Patricia 41 Yours and mine 42 Dean’s __ 43 Inelegant laugh 44 ICU personnel 45 Campaign sticker, e.g. 46 Cold hard cash 47 Cubes in a bowl 49 Folk icon Seeger 51 Spiteful, as gossip 53 Antitheft noisemakers 58 Bracelet site 60 Cry heard today, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues 63 Deep trepidation 64 Not hypothetical 65 “Not only that ...” 66 Mayo holders 67 Beaver-built barriers 68 Conserve energy
“There is a lack of information about investments but accepting that on face value is not good enough.” — Chi-Ming Hai, ACCRIP Chair
DOWN 55 Actor’s cameo, 30 Betting info 1 Soak up the sun e.g. 32 Soft-hearted 2 Jai __ 56 Forest-floor plant 34 Thirst-inducing, 3 Superman’s Lane 57 One-armed like potato chips 4 Binoculars part bandit 37 Year, on 5 __ Bay Rays 58 Descriptive wd. monuments 6 Composer 59 Org. that created 39 Vigilant Gershwin American Hunter 43 Aroma 7 Pay-__-view magazine 45 Passé 8 Sushi bar cupful 61 Potpie veggie 48 Grand parties 9 Machu Picchu 62 Chrysler truck that 50 Coin toss choice builders sounds hard52 Scotland __ 10 *Trapshooter’s hitting 54 Quite a distance target ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 11 Snakelike swimmer 12 Longtime auto racing sponsor 15 Newsletter edition 17 Spins in board games, say 21 Reef explorer’s gear 23 Seamstress’s purchase 24 *Tapped maple fluid 26 Unhip type 27 Ann __, Michigan 28 “Seinfeld” episodes, now 29 *Lightweight, crinkled material 04/01/13 xwordeditor@aol.com used for suits
See ACCRIP on page 1.
STUDENT RESEARCHERS SOUGHT
Alum author seeks research assistants for book about Brown. Should be sociable and outgoing.
Pay approximately $40/hour Send resume to: Richard Montauk rmontauk@aol.com calendar TODAY
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‘Bread and Butter’ Community Buffet 11:30 A.M. Faculty Club
CS Ethics Lunch Series: Ethics of Education 12:00 P.M. CIT
Python Programming from Absolute Zero 12:00 P.M. Rockefeller Library, Digital Lab
Fulbright Getting Started Workshop #1 4:00 P.M. Friedman Hall, 202
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Critical Discussions, American Sign Language 12:00 P.M. 101 Thayer Street, 116A
Latinx Youth Identity and Caribbean Pop Music 12:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Hall
Campus Yard Swap 12:00 P.M. Wriston Quad
Brown University Folk Festival 7:00 P.M. Kasper Multipurpose Room
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» ACCRIP, from page 1 of sound financial policy and the Corporation’s legal responsibility to sustain the University’s endowment with divestment’s potential to mitigate a social harm. If a company “is definitely doing harm, if Brown’s going to have lower (financial) performance, so be it,” Hai said. “But at the same time, you do have to worry about returns, because ultimately (the endowment) is running the University, to a large extent,” he added. Corporation and Investment Office But as an advisory committee, ACCRIP is limited in the scope of its divestment recommendations. The Corporation has ultimate authority over whether the University actually proceeds with divestment from a company or industry. After the committee issues a recommendation for divestment from a company, the Corporation votes upon the committee’s proposal. The vote determines whether the University would remove existing investments in that company or prevent future ones from being made, according to previous reporting by The Herald. After the Corporation’s vote, the Investment Office would change the University’s financial holdings in accordance with the specifications of the divestment decision, said Jane Dietze, the University’s chief investment officer. The structure of divestment depends on the precise wording of the final decision, she added. The Investment Office follows directions from the Corporation and “theoretically (the Corporation is) listening to this community and to (ACCRIP) to help guide how we should be investing,” Dietze said. But when divestment restrictions are imposed, “that complexity layered on would impair returns,” she added. Because only 5 percent of the University’s endowment is comprised of direct investments, which the Investment Office oversees, ensuring divestment from the 95 percent of investments run by external account managers is very
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complicated, Dietze said. The equity funds, hedge funds and private funds managed by these separate investors are not under the direct control of the Investment Office. The Investment Office regularly communicates with the managers of private funds, so they “know a lot about the portfolio as it’s built over time, but you can’t really sell an individual company or fund,” Dietze said. For instance, if the University wanted to divest from Caterpillar, which is included in the S&P500, the University would have to leave the entire fund. In addition, since separate account managers can claim intellectual property over their investment portfolios, there is not complete transparency with the Investment Office. The University could file a Form 13F, which would reveal a manager’s investments from 90 days earlier, Dietze said. But because of the rapidly changing nature of some investors’ holdings, the Form 13F still wouldn’t give a completely accurate picture of the University’s investments. To Dietze, divestment “impairs our returns, which impairs our ability to support the University, which impairs our ability to give scholarships, research grants or salaries for professors,” she added. The University cannot feasibly withdraw stock in a company controlled by a separate account manager without exiting a portfolio entirely, said Peter Levine ’95, director of the Investment Office. “It’s not an à la carte menu,” he said. Although the Investment Office is barred from full disclosure of University investments, this should not stop the Brown community from examining issues raised by groups like Brown Divest, Hai said. “There is a lack of detailed information about investments but accepting that on face value is not good enough,” he added. Obtaining a numerical measure of the social harm that companies might be committing is important in deciding if divestment is appropriate, Hai said. In order to quantify this social harm, the Investment Office could calculate the
HERALD FILE PHOTO
The Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policy considers the “moral responsibility in the investment policies” of the University. Brown Divest presented at Tuesday’s monthly ACCRIP meeting. percentage of University investments compliant with the Environmental, Social and Governance criteria, a set of socially-conscious investment guidelines, he added. Brown Divest During the Tuesday meeting, Brown Divest members shared five criteria of social harm, which might warrant divestment from a company facilitating human rights abuses in Palestine. The group recommended divestment from companies that provide products or services that contribute to the “maintenance of the Israeli military occupation,” facilitate the “construction of illegal settlements” in the West Bank, aid the “destruction of existing Palestinian homes” or “maintenance and construction of the separation wall,” they said. Additionally, the group suggested divesting from companies providing products or services that “contribute to violent acts against either Israeli or Palestinian civilians.” Companies whose practices fall under their criteria include Boeing, Airbus, AB Volvo and RE/MAX. These five criteria are based upon international human rights law, including statutes from the United Nations and the Geneva Convention, the group said. The coalition’s presentation follows the passage of a referendum featured on
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the Undergraduate Council of Students and Undergraduate Finance Board ballot that asked whether the University should “divest all stocks, funds, endowment and other monetary instruments from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine” and also “establish a means of implementing financial transparency and student oversight of the University’s investments,” as The Herald previously reported. Of the 2,810 students who voted, 69 percent voted yes on the referendum. ACCRIP has previously examined divestment from companies allegedly complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians. In 2013, ACCRIP evaluated a petition submitted by Brown Students for Justice in Palestine to “consider divestment from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” according to BSJP’s Facebook page. At that time, ACCRIP did not reach a definitive conclusion on divestment from corporations in which the University may have held investments and instead wished “to facilitate further campus dialogue on this issue before making a recommendation,” ACCRIP wrote in a 2013 letter to President Paxson. Though there was previously no consensus in ACCRIP regarding the social harm of Brown’s investments in
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companies involved with the occupied territories, revisiting a topic already examined by ACCRIP would allow ACCRIP to make a more informed decision on the issue, Hai said. “It’s important to look at the new issue that the students have presented because it’s a dynamic scenario,” he added. “But we shouldn’t ignore what has been addressed in the past, because it’s history, and it gives (us) a better understanding of the past as well as the present to help us make a better decision.” Should Brown Divest choose to submit a request to investigate companies contributing to social harm against Palestinians, Hai hopes that ACCRIP could make a recommendation by the end of the fall 2019 semester. While recommendations on proxy voting are often decided within one ACCRIP meeting, the issue of divestment would take much longer, he said. “With divestment, it takes more time to think about it carefully to make the best judgment for making the recommendation.” Paxson has voiced her opposition to divestment from companies that conduct business in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, The Herald previously reported. But in a Q&A with The Herald, Paxson said she also told Brown Divest organizers that ACCRIP is “a valid way forward” for the divestment debate.
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COMMENTARY THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Prospective students should not be a bargaining chip EMILY MILLER opinions editor Peaceful on-campus protests were once deemed radical, and today many are still hailed for forcing the mainstream to wake up and challenge its beliefs. Having our voices heard is one of the most important facets of our democracy and thus a valued freedom on Brown’s campus — the ability to stand up for your beliefs and voice your concerns against the status quo to encourage necessary change. Even so, the Brown campus is not the wild, wild west, and I am sure we can agree that there is still a measure of propriety to which even the most important or just demonstrations should adhere. I do not believe Brown students always recognize a point of demarcation: the moment or tactic at which their conduct is counterproductive to their own cause or harmful to the broader interests of the University. Students who protest represent the University as well as their own specific agendas. This does not mean that the students displaying concern should be in lockstep with the school, but, at the same time, they cannot ignore the impact of their protests. Yes, school protests have become almost a rite of passage. But this is not to say that our passion plays should be on display to all audiences at all times. Specifically, I think it is misguided and wrong for movements on campus to target prospective students and their families before these members
have a chance to understand or acclimate themselves to Brown and its qualities — especially when the protest does not directly involve the undergraduate environment, its faculty, curricula, treatment of students or other features of Brown life. I was shocked and abashed when the Brown Divest movement chose to protest during an “A Day on College Hill” welcome meeting. I do not think it is necessary or appropriate to voice my beliefs about the movement itself but rather want to discuss the way in which this protest and others have directed its efforts at prospective stu-
that it was important to hold the administration to this image.” There are progressive students on all sides of this issue — conflating the movement with progressive ideals is not accurate or productive. Really now, should a pledge in support of one position serve as a litmus test for Brown students? And again, if the problem is with University administrators, why do ADOCH students need to serve as witnesses? I recognize that the prospective students who do choose Brown can enter campus with a greater understanding of the movement and
tive students thought interrupting the welcome meeting was disrespectful. These students might choose a different college as a result. And prospective Jewish or other students, unfamiliar with the particulars of Brown’s Divest movement, could have conflated it with the national BDS movement — which has called for Israel’s economic crippling, which would probably lead to the end of the state — and felt uncomfortable or even unwanted at Brown. Protesters need to consider the consequences of only showing one side of a multi-faceted issue to burgeoning Brown students.
I was shocked and abashed when the Brown Divest movement chose to protest during an “A Day on College Hill” welcome meeting. dents who are making up their minds about the next four years of their lives. To start, these high school students, unless they were particularly well-researched, most likely did not know about the Brown Divest movement or referendum. This makes it appear as if the protesters’ strategy was not targeted at ADOCH students but rather the University administrators who conducted the meeting. Why then involve prospective students at all? Are they just collateral damage? The Brown Divest group said in a statement to The Herald that they intended to show these students the campus climate: “Brown tends to lean heavily on its reputation as the ‘progressive Ivy’ during ADOCH to attract progressive students. We felt
Brown’s campus culture; they could immediately join the cause and add pressure to the University. However, forcing them to confront these issues before they even enter any college does not give them context and time to interact with others or to gain the maturity to develop their own guiding principles. These students have not been exposed to the rigorous and challenging ideas that we find in college; it is unfair to drop them in the middle of a contentious debate without such preparation. It is also possible that some prospective students who are not as familiar with the movement could have seen it as unpalatable conduct or even an attack against specific groups. The Herald reported that some prospec-
The protesters highlighted what some think are Brown’s shortcomings to those who have not yet seen Brown’s strengths. Some may say that if these students were uncomfortable with protest they should not enter this University at all. I agree that students at Brown should understand our traditions of protest and activism, but there is a time and a place. We should respect their right to engage with University welcome events free from interruption. This is not the only time Brown students have focused their efforts on prospective students. In the summer of 2017, Brown students protested during Summer@Brown information sessions, demanding that Residential Life increase the pay of summer em-
ployees and confront their alleged racial bias. These students may have believed that targeting those who had not yet entered the University would have the most impact, since the University likely wants to preserve its image to those who they are courting, instead of students who already attend. But using these prospective students as essentially a bargaining chip to force the hand of the administration is ill-conceived and can have adverse consequences for the University as a whole, as well as the image of groups involved in the resolution of the issue. While protests can lead to some of the best changes on campus, Brown students need to carefully choose to whom and when they direct their grievances. Prospective students should not be used as a weapon to gain attention from the administration or to increase the traction of a cause. They should be allowed a fair chance to acclimate themselves to the University, collegiate inquiry and analysis before they are called upon for corroboration and collaboration. It makes little sense to tarnish our invitation to them.
This is Emily Miller ’19’s last column, and she recognizes she is going out with a bang. She can be reached at emily_miller@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
Uproot weed-out classes RACHAEL SCHMIDT staff columnist Financial Accounting. Organic Chemistry. Introductory Calculus. No matter the concentration, there will always be that one class that grinds your gears. They are coined “weed-out” classes. Weed-out economics classes filter out the hopeful Goldman Sachs interns. Weed-out chemistry classes filter out the pre-meds. Weedout calculus classes filter out the aspiring engineers. While it’s not an ingrained, institutional establishment, it is sort of an unspoken, widelyunderstood idea. Despite the lower course number on Courses@Brown, weed-out classes can take more time and effort than some upper-level courses, filtering out those who are supposedly “not fit” to continue toward a career involving the concepts covered in lecture. Courses that leave students discouraged from pursuing a career path based on their academic performance in one class alone are simply unfair. Students’ performance can be due to a variety of factors, including exposure in high school, innate ability to grasp the material quickly and most chiefly, college-level support. What is it about these weed-out classes that makes them so difficult? Is it the heavy amounts of homework or the blisteringly fast pace of the course? Most would argue that these classes are so hard because of a combination of both, while
many studies find that a lack of learning support for students without previous exposure also contributes to their difficulty. But why should a single class determine whether someone is destined to succeed as a stock broker, doctor or engineer? Even more frighteningly, this almost Darwinian approach to undergraduate specialty has the potential to stifle not only the dreams of the most ambitious learners but also to widen the gender gap in STEM fields. A study conducted for the Characteristics of Successful Programs in College
in a specific area. The same study from CSPCC found that roughly 50 percent of people who expressed interest in pursuing a STEM degree as a first-year actually obtained that STEM degree. This is to be expected, as many students will take advantage of their academic freedom — especially that offered by Brown’s Open Curriculum — to explore career options. Say a student takes an introductory computer science class because they want to pursue a career in coding but later realizes they prefer comparative literature. They are finding the path
Courses that leave students discouraged from pursuing a career path based on their academic performance in one class alone are simply unfair.
Calculus found that women are 1.5 times more likely than men to stop their pursuit of STEM studies after taking Calculus I, not due to a lack of strength, but to a lack of confidence in their mathematical abilities. It is also important to note that there is a difference between a course trying to filter students out and a person who decides by themselves that they no longer want to concentrate
that is most suited for them, which is not nearly as devastating as a student passionate about becoming a software engineer only to be discouraged and lose confidence in their ability to succeed because of an unsatisfactory grade in an introductory coding class. While weed-out classes are known to take a more sink-or-swim approach to education, there are some courses at Brown that actually
have support systems built into their structure. The group problem solving sessions of CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure” immediately come to mind as one of the class’ highlights and an opportunity for students to interact with each other outside of lab, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie, despite the grueling nature of the course. This is a good example of extensive support for students in rigorous weed-out classes. There need to be more examples like this within Brown’s hardest introductory classes, not only to combat the gender discrepancy in STEM and other fields of study, but also to instill more confidence and foster the strong skill sets needed for tomorrow’s workforce. It is true that some careers are not for everyone — mainly those not passionate in the field. Why should classes deter people who are passionate and willing to dedicate time and energy from a course in which they are not naturally gifted? With more support for students struggling in these classes, we could see vast improvements in equality of demographics across multiple industries.
Rachael Schmidt ’21 can be reached at rachael_schmidt@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019
UCS discusses financial aid, inclusion initiatives Dean of Financial Aid, Associate Provost present to general body, Council elects treasurer By KAYLA GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Undergraduate Council of Students heard updates about disability study spaces, gender-inclusive restrooms and financial aid initiatives at its general body meeting Wednesday evening. The Council also elected Lijin Dai ’22 as its treasurer. At the meeting, UCS President Shanzé Tahir ’19 presented alongside Associate Provost for Academic Space Leah VanWey on the development of a disability study space, which the University plans to open by the fall semester. The study space will be in Room A10 in the Rockefeller Library, and will follow criteria to ensure features such as accessible seating and natural light. After meetings between UCS leadership and University administrators, Tahir organized a focus group that began meeting in December and included students with disabilities from UCS and student group Disability Justice at Brown to discuss criteria for the study space. VanWey said $50,000 in funding has been secured for the space. The Office of the Provost sees the study space as a pilot, VanWey said. “If this is something that’s really successful, we’re going to figure out what’s most successful about it and replicate it in different places on campus.” VanWey also updated the Council on the expanded number of genderinclusive restrooms in academic, administrative and dining buildings. The University’s goal is to have gender-inclusive restrooms in 100 percent of buildings not including residential halls, VanWey said. The Office of Residential Life has a separate initiative for genderinclusive restrooms in residential halls. By the end of this summer, all but three buildings on campus — 96 percent — will have gender-inclusive bathrooms, VanWey said. The three without such restrooms — MacMillan Hall, Pembroke Hall and Sidney E. Frank Hall — require additional construction and funding. Nonetheless, VanWey said she is “optimistic that we will be able to do this during the next academic year.” This summer, gender-inclusive restrooms will be added to Alumnae Hall, Lincoln Field Building and the Sharpe Refectory, whose restroom will also be made Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. All single-user restrooms will be relabeled as gender-inclusive this summer, and signs that show a male or female symbol will be updated to simply indicate a restroom. Signs providing
» BLUENO, from page 1 atmosphere,” Steinman said. Steinman wrote an op-ed in The Herald criticizing Dear Blueno earlier this year. While many of the posts are innocuous, there are also “very critical, often baseless claims and accusations about student groups and about individuals” that do not contribute to productive conversation, she said. For example, she noticed an anonymous
JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD
Dean of Financial Aid Jim Tilton presented to the Undergraduate Council of Students about financial aid initiatives at the Council’s weekly meeting. directions to gender-inclusive restrooms will also be implemented, as will signage providing instructions on reporting bias incidents, VanWey said. This signage comes as a response to increases in bias incidents around some gender-inclusive restrooms on campus, she added. Increasing the number of genderinclusive restrooms “is something that the LGBTQ Center here has been advocating for for a long time,” VanWey said. Dean of Financial Aid Jim Tilton also attended the meeting to discuss initiatives including the Brown Promise, the $0 Parent Contribution Direct Cost-Scholarship, which covers the full cost of tuition, room and board for students with demonstrated need and the Middle/Moderate Family Income Initiative, which works to decrease parent contribution and increase scholarships. “The most important thing, I think, is the commitment that we have from Brown and from the institution and the Corporation to fund financial aid,” Tilton said. A total of $135.4 million was budgeted for financial aid in fiscal
year 2019, according to a slide in his presentation. In recent years, the Office of Financial Aid has worked to “even out the socioeconomic distribution of students on campus,” Tilton said. “This year we were able to do a pretty good job” as a result of scholarship initiatives, in addition to other kinds of support students on financial aid receive. Tilton added that he hopes improved financial aid will reduce student borrowing. UCS also held an internal election for next year’s treasurer. Dai, a member of the Campus Life committee, defeated UCS historian and Communications committee member Sam Caplan ’22 in the election. In her speech, Dai highlighted her experience working on the Campus Life committee and the funding obstacles the committee encountered while trying to carry out certain initiatives. “My goal for next year would be for each committee to have the ability to carry out their projects” by working with
the Undergraduate Finance Board to increase project funding, she said. Dai also proposed “establishing individual budgets for the chairs of the committees” while also permitting them to apply for additional funding throughout the semester. In his speech, Caplan proposed allocating part of the treasurer’s discretionary fund to create “campaigns to increase involvement in UCS,” including a pre-orientation program for incoming first-years to familiarize them with the Council. After the general body meeting, the Council held a reflection and brainstorming session on what went well in UCS this year and how the Council could improve. Broad goals for the Council included expanding inclusion of general body members in committee projects, increasing general body engagement and ownership of work and addressing the Council’s low general body retention. Chair of Academic Affairs Sofia Jimenez ’21 recommended that the
Council increase the general body’s involvement with Council initiatives. Further, Chair of Student Activities Alex Song ’20 suggested creating opportunities for general body members to launch their own projects. The Council members still present also discussed how to best increase general body retention. Chair of Campus Life Melissa Lee ’20 raised the idea of lengthening the general body meeting time by half an hour to 90 minutes. Setting this precedent “gives (UCS) an increased legitimacy when it is a further time commitment (and) you are constantly accomplishing things,” she said. The Council debated the effectiveness of its current attendance policy, which bars general body members who have missed two or more meetings from voting. “The idea of representative government as a whole is to get as many as voices as possible,” Caplan said. UCS “should try to be as accommodating as possible.”
post that degraded her sorority’s pledge class on the basis of appearances. “It’s not actually criticism ... of Greek life or the recruitment process, it’s just cyberbullying,” she said. Other upperclassmen felt the page largely consisted of gossip, which is part of the reason first-years are attracted to its content. Robbie Felton ’21, Class Coordinating Board president for the sophomore class, said that as students move through their time at
the University, that type of discussion becomes less interesting. Emily Tunkel ’19 also echoed the idea that first-years are most interested in the type of posts found on Dear Blueno. “They just came to Brown and it’s really exciting to have a place to hear all these different opinions,” Tunkel said. While upperclassmen view the page less positively, many acknowledge it plays a previously nonexistent role in campus discourse. “It’s good that we
have an open forum on campus for people to speak, and honestly I wish there was a university-facilitated one,” Felton said. Steinman felt similarly, saying that there is a “market” for a platform at Brown allowing people to express their views anonymously. Institutional leaders and randomly approached students alike were hesitant to comment on The Herald’s poll findings. Heads of sororities Kappa Delta, Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Gamma
declined to comment, as well as the CCB presidents of the first-year and senior class. Alpha Chi Omega and the junior class representative from CCB did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment. Organizations such as Counseling and Psychological Services and the Sexual Assault Peer Education program, as well as multiple deans of student affairs, said they did not keep up enough with the page and also declined to comment.