Friday, October 4, 2013

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THE BROWN

vol. cxlviii, no. 83

Herald

since 1891

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

U. initiative to focus on environment and society Noise rock If approved, a second defies initiative would target ‘humanity-centered musical robotics’ convention

By MICHAEL DUBIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A proposal addressing environment and society has been chosen as one of the University’s two Signature Academic Initiatives to be supported under the strategic plan, serving as major hubs of scholarship and research, Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 wrote in an email to the faculty last month.

The Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative will likely become the second major initiative, pending a positive external review later this academic year.

The decisions on the Signature

Academic Initiatives are the result of a process that began last fall. The process was intended to identify interdisciplinary collaborations that would draw on existing University strengths and work on questions of broad significance.

The goal was to select two broad areas of scholarly inquiry in which consistent substantial investments over the course of the next decade could earn the University recognition for its leadership and contributions to those fields, Schlissel told The Herald.

Choosing initiatives As the strategic planning process launched last fall, Schlissel charged Sue Alcock, deputy vice president for research and professor of classics and archaeology, and Clyde Briant, professor of engineering and then-vice president for research, with leading the

Fort Thunder in Olyneyville was the incubator for the musical style’s upbringing

By EMMAJEAN HOLLEY

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

The proposal, based on a white paper by Amanda Lynch, includes views on water use and poilitical ecologies.

Signature Academic Initiatives process.

Alcock said she spent much of the fall speaking with faculty members across campus about what the

University was seeking and encouraging them to submit their best ideas in the form of a two-page “white paper” » See INITIATIVE, page 3

ResLife to remove Keeney gender-neutral bathroom signs The signs were mistakenly put up during renovations, said ResLife Dean Richard Bova

By KHIN SU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Office of Residential Life plans to remove gender-neutral signs outside restrooms in Keeney Quadrangle and reinstate gender-specific restrooms, a decision that has been met with pushback from some students.

Gender-neutral signs outside the restrooms were mistakenly put up during renovations this past summer, but ResLife plans to keep the facilities gender-specific, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life

Richard Bova wrote in an email to The Herald.

“There has been no change in the policy regarding restrooms in Keeney,” Bova wrote, adding that ResLife placed temporary genderspecific signs in the restrooms two weeks ago and will install permanent signs next week.

ResLife told Residential Peer Leaders in Keeney they could temporarily keep the restrooms genderneutral until gender-specific signs are installed, said Malikah Williams ’16, a Women Peer Counselor who lives in Keeney.

“No one has complained about the gender-neutral restrooms in my unit,” Williams said, adding that the gender-specific temporary signs put up in Keeney are easily removable, since they are laminated and taped

over the gender-neutral signs. “Students just rip them off,” she said.

ResLife’s decision to restore the restrooms’ gender-specific status “came out of the blue,” said Jordan Shaw ’15, a Keeney RPL. “I’m just really disappointed, and I think it’s a setback.”

Shaw said the residents of her first-year unit have not engaged in any inappropriate behavior in the gender-neutral restrooms and that the facilities have been a place of positive interaction. Gender-neutral restrooms are important for trans students and non-gender-conforming students, she said.

Shaw said students, including herself, have been removing the temporary signs because they do not oppose the restrooms’ temporary gender-neutral status.

Matthew Gill, a Community Director for Keeney, wrote in an email to The Herald that the gender-neutral signs were mistakenly placed and were not intended to signal a policy change.

Gender-neutral restrooms are a great way to facilitate a more inclusive environment among students, Williams said.

“You get to know who you’re really living with,” she said. “You’ll see them, you’ll be brushing your teeth with them, you can talk in the bathroom. That’s a source of community-building.”

Williams said she has worked to make sure her first-year residents are comfortable with the restrooms’ gender-neutral status and encourages them to share their concerns » See BATHROOMS, page 2

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The categorization of noise rock as a genre contradicts its most basic essence: to spill out of the bounds of musical theory and uproot everything it stands for. If tempo, tonality and scale comprise the skeletal structure of music, noise rock — a musical movement with a rich local history — jumps out of its own skin and celebrates the gutted and guttural mess left behind as what is ultimately real.

If this description seems overly violent, just listen to the music. A refined ear might describe it as a barrage of cacophonies, a Jackson Pollock of sound, dousing kerosene over tense, tuneless riffs and lighting the match with a splintered time signature. To the casual listener, it can resemble anything from the grinding screech of a multiple-car pileup to the earth rending apart at its core. And though Providence is no longer a dominant hub of noise rock, the genre’s influence remains.

The noise rock movement began with the Velvet Underground, wrote » See NOISE, page 3

ARTS & CULTURE

FOOTBALL

Bruno to host in-state rival URI under the lights

By CALEB MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

Brown Stadium will witness a clash of the two most storied programs in Rhode Island football history Saturday night when Bruno battles the University of Rhode Island for the 98th annual Governor’s Cup. Brown (1-1, Ivy 0-1) enters the state rivalry on the heels of a disappointing 41-23 loss to Ivy foe Harvard (2-0, 1-0).

Overcoming the Harvard loss was the dominant theme at practice this week,

said Head Coach Phil Estes.

“The biggest part of my job is to let that go and move on,” he said. “Trying to get the team to understand … that game is over and not to bring (Harvard) into this game.”

But an Ivy-opening loss against a rival like Harvard is particularly tough to swallow, said quarterback and co-captain Patrick Donnelly ’14.

“It was a little hard to get over that,” he said. “Sunday you watch the film, and you dwell on it. Monday we have off — so you’re dwelling on it too. Then, Tuesday you put the pads back on and say, ‘Okay, we’ve got a new opponent.’”

To help the team move forward, Estes placed the Governor’s Cup in the middle of the practice field Wednesday.

The scheduling could be a blessing in

disguise because the Governor’s Cup rivalry distracted the players’ attention from this past weekend’s loss, said defensive end and co-captain Michael Yules ’14.

“You do practice a little harder when you get to look at the trophy in the middle of the field,” he said, adding that the energy level at practice has been high. “It’s Rhody week, and we look forward to it.”

The game is the first of two night games at Brown Stadium this year. The Bears are 2-1 when hosting games under the lights, including a victory to capture the 96th Governor’s Cup in 2011.

“The last 10 meetings have split fivefive, so this is the rubber match,” said Governor Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17. » See FOOTBALL, page 4

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

With the Governor’s Cup on the line, quarterback Patrick Donnelly ‘14 leads a Bruno offensive attack, averaging 34 points per game.

Vision-ary

Ad men

Ivy’s on deck

Cognitive scientist Daniel Simmons discussed his research on perception

A film screened yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Chilean military coup

Men’s soccer team kicks off its Ivy League schedule with a trip to Columbia Saturday

SCIENCE & RESEARCH, 2

ARTS & CULTURE, 4

SPORTS, 5

weather

The Bears look to rebound from a conference loss to keep possession of the coveted Governor’s Cup

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2 science & research

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

calendar FRIDAY

OCTOBER 4

3 P.M.

SATURDAY

OCTOBER 5

1 P.M.

Balancing Friends and Family

Outdoor Volleyball Tournament

J. Walter Wilson 310 8 P.M.

Pembroke Field 8:30 P.M.

A Devised Piece of Nudity

Garba

TF Green Hall

Alumnae Hall

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

VERNEY-WOOLLEY

LUNCH Steak and Pepper Fajitas, Corn on the Cob, Gingered Turkey Salad, TriColored Pasta,Vegan Tex Mex Chili

Chicken Fingers, Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, Vegetarian Cream of Mushroom Soup, Curly Fries

DINNER Gnocci with Kalamata Sauce, Braised Fennel Rialto, Steamed Jasmine Rice, Snow Pea Pods, Baked Potatoes

Roast Turkey, Shells with Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes, Peas with Pearl Onions, Stuffing, Yogurt Bread

sudoku

ALAN SHAN / HERALD

Simons’ research focuses on the impact of trusting faulty intuition. In a well-known video, the viewer is told to concentrate on a ball being tossed while, midway through the video, a gorilla walks across the screen.

Lecture explores human perception Daniel Simons, creator of ‘The Invisible Gorilla’ video, spoke about his work in cognitive science

By LINDSAY GANTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

RELEASE DATE– Friday, October 4, 2013

Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Place for una familia 7 Xerox insert: Abbr.

11 Advanced math deg., in Canada 14 With 15-Across, verifies in advance, literally 15 See 14-Across 16 Suffix with Capri 17 Clubs with balls 18 Yellow butterflies, to Brits 20 Two-note keyboard effect 22 Most fit to serve 23 “Pinocchio” whale 26 With 32-Across, warm apparel, literally 28 Barcelona gold 29 Kiosk 32 See 26-Across 33 Fam. tree member 35 Old cutter 36 Sign of cold feet?

37 See 39-Across 39 With 37- and 40Across, nosh, literally 40 See 39-Across 42 Progressive Insurance spokeswoman 43 B.C. law group 45 Starr-struck one?

47 See 51-Across 48 __ music 50 Fire 51 With 47-Across, former “American Idol” winner, literally 53 Con artist 55 Years in Claudius’ reign 56 Certain cracker 59 Guides in the direction of 61 Jason of “Harry Potter” films 65 Fancy marble 66 See 67-Across 67 With 66-Across, 1975 Best Picture nominee, literally 68 People people: Abbr.

49 Attaches, in a 31 Prisoner’s way demand 51 Class 34 Pepsi One’s one 52 Pelé’s first name 38 California wine 54 Some grenades, town near DOWN briefly Stockton 1 Common HDTV 57 Bertie Wooster’s 41 Posh feature alma mater 2 Sushi-grade tuna 44 Ellington 58 Road crew item standard whose 3 These, in title is Spanish for 60 Genetic stuff Toulouse 62 Stand buy “lost” 4 Bank listing: Abbr.

63 Jazz lover 46 Nice view 5 Culottes kin 64 GPS part: Abbr.

47 Opening lines?

6 Declares 7 Overmuch ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 8 Fidel’s successor 9 Just starting to roll, perhaps 10 Econ. yardstick 11 Image on the Armenian coat of arms 12 Haight or Ashbury 13 “Dog Whisperer” Millan 19 Accepted, as a gift card 21 Bellyachers 23 Like platform shoes in the ’60s 24 Utah city on I-15 25 Journalist’s asset 27 SALT topic 30 Percolate 10/04/13 xwordeditor@aol.com 69 Celebrity chef Burrell 70 Initial stages

By David Poole (c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

10/04/13

When asked if they had seen “The Invisible Gorilla” video, a majority of hands shot up at last night’s visual perception lecture given by Daniel Simons, current head of the Visual Cognition Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Simons collaborated to create the gorilla video several years ago to expose the limits of human perception.

It has since gone viral.

Simons addressed an audience of over 100 yesterday afternoon describing his research in the field of visual cognitive science.

Visual cognitive science explores what is seen and how, but more importantly, it discusses what our intuitions are causing us to miss, Simons said.

“It’s one of the few areas of

» BATHROOMS, from page 1 with RPLs. “We definitely gave them an option, and they know that it’s a possibility if they feel the need to make them gendered,” she said.

First-years might face certain issues with gender-neutral restrooms, Williams said, adding that some residents may feel more comfortable sharing a “safe space” with other students of their gender.

“It’s always about how students feel, and if there were a point where any of my residents ever felt uncomfortable we would have a conversation and try to remedy that problem,” she said.

Any policy change regarding Keeney restrooms will have to be reviewed by the Residential Council before ResLife can proceed with such a change, Director of Residential Experience Natalie Basil wrote in an email to The Herald.

“This has been the first year that

research that you can put people in a gorilla suit for science,” he said.

The video commands the viewer to concentrate on the movement of a ball being tossed. Meanwhile, midway through the video, a gorilla walks nonchalantly across the screen. According to the results of the study, there is a 50 percent chance you will never perceive the gorilla passing by.

“It’s a really powerful demo because it is very counterintuitive and forces you to confront your mistaken beliefs,” said Simons. The gorilla video — the most publicly recognizable aspect of his research — demonstrates the inextricable relationship between expectation and perception.

Most visual cognitive science researchers study what can be seen and observed, but the focus of Simons’ research is what remains unseen as a result of trusting faulty intuition.

“We miss what we are missing,” Simons said.

Fraud and inaccuracy in published scientific studies are often overlooked when readers accept the data presented but fail to critically question what data is missing, Simons

said. To reach reliable claims, he said that results must be repeatable. By pre-registering and replicating studies, the scientific community will grow closer to producing research that more accurately represents the truth, he said.

“We don’t notice implausibility if it is consistent with our beliefs. We rely a little too heavily on our intuitions for what is plausible and what sounds right,” Simons said during the lecture.

“I find Dr. Simons’ work very important,” said audience member John McGeary, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior.

“I’ve observed how our attention can be so manipulated, and I can see it in my own patients,” said McGeary, who said he was familiar with Simons’ work before attending the lecture.

Betty Peng ’17 also said she found the talk to be extremely beneficial.

She is currently enrolled in a neurosystems class and attended the lecture to expand her knowledge of perception and visual science. “I’m not too sure what I was expecting, but I found that very interesting,” she said.

I’ve heard that students in a firstyear building are interested in having gender-neutral multi-use bathrooms at such a high level,” Basil wrote, adding that ResLife allows RPLs to share their concerns and advocate for their first-years’ needs.

Students’ removal of the temporary gender-specific signs has led many Keeney residents to use the restrooms on a gender-neutral basis, regardless of ResLife’s plans to reinstate gender-specific signs.

“It’s totally fine with me,” said Eliza Lukens-Day ’17. “It’s just different kinds of interactions you wouldn’t normally have.”

“Right now, all the bathrooms on my floor are completely gender-neutral,” said Christober Bey Music ’17.

“It doesn’t bother me in the least bit.”

Keeney RPLs emailed first-years to inform them that permanent gender-specific signs will soon be installed, Music said, adding that the email included a survey with a

question asking first-years whether they were comfortable with genderneutral restrooms.

“It was a little weird to all of us at first,” Music said. “But as we went along with it, we became more comfortable with it.”

Some first-years said their floors currently have both gender-neutral and gender-specific restrooms. Kali Wyatt ’17 said she uses both the women’s restroom and gender-neutral restroom on her floor, but she added that she only showers in the gender-specific facility.

Williams said she believes ResLife could respond to first-years’ support for gender-neutral restrooms by making some facilities gender-neutral as test cases. She added that as a Keeney WPC, she believes the gender-neutral designation has helped her connect with her first-years. “I enjoy having the gender-neutral restrooms because I do get to interact with my residents more.”

university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

» INITIATIVE, from page 1 in December.

The Academic Priorities Committee expected to receive no more than 30 white papers but received over 80, she said.

Over spring semester, the APC reviewed the proposals and a few thematic “clusters” emerged, Alcock said.

The APC encouraged groups dealing with overlapping issues to join forces, she said.

Six finalists were selected “for additional development,” and the faculty members who had worked on those white papers were asked to submit 20-page proposals early this summer, Schlissel wrote. Schlissel, Paxson and several other administrators closed in on two goals from those finalists.

Environment and Society The Environment and Society proposal arose from one of the groups that formed after the APC reviewed the initial white papers, Alcock said. Its core is the white paper submitted in December by Amanda Lynch, professor of geological sciences and director of the Environmental Change Institute, but it also incorporates aspects of proposals regarding water use and political ecologies, among others, Alcock said.

Environment and Society was chosen because it “cuts across a wide swath of the campus, involves faculty from many different departments — not just in the sciences but also in the social sciences and humanities — and addresses a set of issues of unarguable importance,” Schlissel said.

The Environmental Change Initiative, which is at the heart of the proposal, received “a spectacular review from

» NOISE, from page 1 Jeffrey Terich, founder of Treblezine and an assistant news editor for the San Diego Daily Transcript, in an email to The Herald. In the late 1960s, the band adopted a “confrontational approach” to music, incorporating elements of “free improvisation, feedback and loads of distortion where other bands wouldn’t have dreamed of doing anything of the sort,” he wrote, though he added that these innovations weren’t widely adopted by other musicians until the “aftermath of punk” over a decade later.

The overarching mission of noise was to disrupt the status quo, Terich wrote. “They existed to shake things up, to pull people out of their trances and to basically cause trouble on an artistic scale — in a positive way, of course.”

The French scholar Jacques Attali arrives at a similar conclusion in his book, “Noise: The Political Economy of Music.” He argues that music serves as a “subconscious” expression of society and interprets the breakdown of musical structure in noise as foreshadowing societal upheaval.

It is appropriate that an artistic vision driven by such an unruly undertow draws from some of the most iconoclastic movements of the 20th century­— most notably Dadaism and Futurism.

Reflective of these countercultural ideologies, noise inherits from Dadaism a politically charged antiaestheticism and from Futurism an aggressive manifestation of this pursuit. Noise rockers achieve this by wholly immersing their audiences in

some leading environmental scholars from around the country” two years ago, he said, so senior staff members felt confident it was an existing strength upon which the University could build.

Marty Downs, associate director of the ECI, said the institute has facilitated interdisciplinary research initiatives among geological sciences, the Center for Environmental Studies, ecology and evolutionary biology, economics and sociology.

But the ECI wanted to have an “even broader reach” by fostering collaborations with political science, anthropology and archaeology, among others departments, Downs said.

With the call for proposals for Signature Initiatives, “we were poised to make that pretty real,” she said.

Downs said the initiative will have five focus areas: the maximization of food production and minimization of environmental costs; sustainable and fair water use and distribution; historical lessons about the interactions between climate and ecosystems; human health and the impact of environmental stressors; and governance structures that facilitate sustainability.

She said the fifth theme is the farthest from the ECI’s current research projects and will be the product of collaboration with the Watson Institute for International Studies, the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions and the Department of Political Science.

The other focus areas are more grounded in the ECI’s existing strengths: land change science, conservation science and biogeochemistry, Downs said.

The most prevalent current model for cross-disciplinary collaborations is

to “pass data from one side to the other,” Downs said, but the Environment and Society initiative is “aspiring to a model where the questions that you ask are really shaped by the knowledge and the needs and what people think is important across that disciplinary divide.”

Downs said the interdisciplinary nature of the initiative would make faculty members more competitive in their applications for funding from the National Science Foundation and other organizations.

She also said she anticipates the initiative will be attractive to individual and foundation donors and that the initiative’s leaders would actively pursue those sources of funding.

The initiative “captures the vast majority” of the strategic plan’s “Sustaining Life on Earth” integrative theme, Schlissel said.

Placing the initiative under the heading of “Sustaining Life on Earth” will allow the University “to fold in support for campus sustainability efforts and possible other activities Brown might engage in to support sustainability in Providence and beyond,” Schlissel wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald.

to be kind of disassembled. We were quite surprised … that we were being considered for the external review process,” he said.

Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative The Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative was intriguing because, in addition to focusing on an area of growing importance, it approaches robotics from a less technical perspective than existing robotics programs, Schlissel said. It is novel in the way it views robotics through the lenses of human cognition and human need, he added.

Professor of Computer Science Michael Littman, one of the proposal’s

principal drafters, said the initiative grew out of Associate Professor of Computer Science Chad Jenkins’ research interests. Jenkins is teaching a seminar on human-robot interaction for the first time this fall.

Littman and Jenkins, together with Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Bertram Malle, covered the three main components of human-robot interaction: the hardware of the robot, the decision-making programs that govern the robot and the moral judgment and social component of how robots interact with people.

As robots become more integrated in daily life, it is important that academia take on an integral role in making sure they have a positive influence on society, Littman said.

“Unlike the rise of computing, which focused specifically on gains in productivity through new technological capability, the Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative at Brown aims to ensure science and technology innovations also enhance the quality of life for humanity across the global socioeconomic spectrum,” Jenkins wrote in an email to The Herald.

“Most universities take a purely technological approach to robotics,” Jenkins wrote. “By focusing on humanity-centered robotics, Brown will be able to take a pioneering lead in the area that will enhance our global visibility in research and offer new interdisciplinary opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate towards serving a major societal challenge.”

Littman said HCRI’s tentative selection came as a surprise to the team behind the proposal. “We had pretty much at that point assumed that it was a no-go and that we were going

the chaos they produce.

Providence was a hotspot for noise bands such as Lightning Bolt and Arab on Radar. Though Arab on Radar broke up in 2002 and then again after a brief reunion in 2010, Lightning Bolt is still actively, if sporadically, producing music.

Lightning Bolt formed in 1994, when Brian Chippendale teamed up with fellow Rhode Island School of Design student Brian Gibson, according to the band’s Last.fm biography.

In what began as an attempt to save money by combining studio space with living arrangements, Chippendale and several other RISD students transformed the second floor of an abandoned textile warehouse in Olneyville into a sanctuary for restless and artistic minds known as “Fort Thunder.” Eventually, over a dozen artists — largely cartoonists — called the fort home.

An online gallery of the venue shows it to be as chaotic and cluttered as the music its residents created. Its walls were plastered with clippings and collages, murals and memorabilia. Bicycles in various states of disrepair gouged out from the ceiling in a jungle of handlebars and spokes. Desk and shelf surfaces lurked somewhere under a lasagna of art supplies, Halloween decorations and empty alcohol bottles.

The fort was a haunt for members of the Providence art community and local bands because of its low-key, experimental atmosphere, according to a 2004 article in Comics Reporter.

Though it began as somewhat of an open secret in the avant-garde community, the fort steadily gained

more mainstream attention until it established itself as a highly influential art collective.

But in 2001, the fort began to face harassment from real estate developers who wanted to gentrify the city’s mill properties. These tensions rose and ultimately erupted with the residents’ eviction at the peak of a recordcold winter. The eviction was followed by the demolition of the creative space to make room for a shopping center.

Though Lightning Bolt and Arab on Radar developed sizeable cult followings, the Guardian review of the former noted that it “almost (seemed) designed to frustrate any kind of commercial success,” citing a sense of “wariness toward press and promotion.”

Gibson stressed this in a 2005 article in the Providence Phoenix.

“We don’t do too much press,” he told the Phoenix, adding that he was recently “upset” by an article that classified Lightning Bolt’s music as noise rock. “People see your name around a lot, you’re fitted into some category and suddenly that becomes the thing, more than the experience itself.”

“I think when people come to a show — and they forget this — but what they really want is to get lost,” Gibson said.

The unconventional theatrical strategies of many noise bands illustrate this emphasis on the music as a transcendental experience. Lightning Bolt performs on the floor — not the stage — of its venue, a spatial dynamic meant to “dissolve the space between band and audience,” according to a 2009 BBC review.

A 2009 review in the Guardian

described the results of this removed barrier, citing the thrashing swarms of fans that engulfed Chippendale and Gibson to the point where they seemed “in danger of being swept away.”

Arab on Radar further blended the boundaries between its interacting components. Band members adopted pseudonyms that transformed them from individuals to personified psychological disorders: Mr. Type A, Mr. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mr. Clinical Depression and Mr. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, according to the band biography on its record label’s website. The biography said this erasure of names took place because the band members “felt the focus was on the songs and the idea of Arab on Radar, as opposed to the people creating the music.”

Arab on Radar, like Lightning Bolt, infused its performances with offbeat theatrical tricks. A New York Times review cited band members’ “strange” habit of tuning their guitars between songs — a counterintuitive exercise in light of their music’s consistent atonality. But the review said these twanging tune-ups watered down the “density” of the set list, serving as ironic extensions of the songs themselves.

But despite the feverishness of their sound and the urgency of their social message, Terich wrote noise rock bands burned out as rapidly as they flared up. While he added that this was partially due to the limited financial prospects of attracting such a narrow fan base, it was also in the nature of the music itself to be shortlived.

“If you’re the kind of musician who starts a band to provoke or set fire to conventions, there’s also probably a high likelihood of losing interest in a sound once its flavor dulls,” he wrote. But he added that other bands such as Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers, working from a similar framework, steadily filtered out the noisier elements of their music — resulting in a broader commercial appeal and success.

Gradually, noise rock evolved.

Though the tamer genres of grunge and shoegazing music still contain remnants of their wilder roots, Terich wrote that by the early nineties, most of the original noise rock bands had either broken up or moved on to more lucrative projects.

Since its heyday in Providence, noise rock has diffused to other areas of the country, with bands such as Black Dice in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Wolf Eyes in Ann Arbor, Mich., gaining recognition. But according to a 2010 article in The Quietus, noise rock today is declining in intensity, progressively transitioning from “confrontational” to “comfortable.” Even in current bands that claim to pay homage to the genre, “there is little in them that could wantonly confuse, terrify or assault the listener” aside from sheer volume, according to the article.

“These days, society seems to be on this serious path,” Chippendale said in a 2011 interview with The Stranger. “I’ll settle for our music kind of being a ticket into something primal to remind you of that. It’s like stretching every day. We’re reminding people that they’re human.”

Up next Despite the administration’s excitement about the robotics initiative, it will undergo an external review later this academic year before it is definitively selected as a Signature Initiative to assess whether the area is as much of a strength as its proponents think it is, Schlissel said.

“A small group of outside experts” will meet with the faculty behind the idea, read the proposal and meet with Schlissel, the deans of the faculty and engineering and possibly Paxson “to discuss their impressions of how important and likely to be successful ... they think this effort will be at Brown,” Schlissel said.

Schlissel said the Signature Initiatives will be financed through both fundraising and allocating existing resources more efficiently, adding that the initiatives could be a strong driving force behind the next capital campaign.

Multiple administrators emphasized that the other four finalists will still play a role in the University’s future.

Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12 said the disappointment of faculty members who worked on proposals that did not get selected was tempered by the realization that their work would be incorporated into the strategic plan in other ways.

“It wasn’t just going to be labor lost,” he said.

Schlissel cited the strategic plan’s emphasis on enhancing data fluency as an example of a finalist that made it into the plan in another form.

4 arts & culture

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

Professor Picks: Arnold Weinstein Firn ’16: Exit Sandman Weinstein praises George Packer’s new historical text, which was a New York Times best seller

By EMILY PASSARELLI STAFF WRITER

Professor of Comparative Literature Arnold Weinstein, celebrated on College Hill for his insight into the seminal works of Faulkner and Proust, did not name a novel as his favorite book of 2013.

Instead, he praised political journalist George Packer’s “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America.” But he warned, “reading it is like catching a flu.”

Published in May, Packer’s work tells the story of America over the past three decades. The book, which became a New York Times best seller, is for sale at the Brown Bookstore. “The Unwinding” is written as a narrative history, a style Packer has employed before — in 2005, Packer wrote critically acclaimed “The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq,” which describes the war in Iraq and its aftermath.

Weinstein said he picked up the book not only because it was written

by Packer, but because of its compelling title and great reviews.

“Anybody who has half a brain knows we’re in trouble,” he said. “I happen to be just as disenchanted as (Packer) is about this country,” he added.

Packer begins his book somberly: “No one can say when the unwinding began — when the coil that held Americans together in its secure and sometimes stifling grip first gave way.”

In “The Unwinding,” Packer explains how America’s national fabric is unraveling through the undoing of the unspoken social contract between Americans. Using interweaving accounts of the opposing lifestyles of three Americans, he portrays America as a country in danger of self-destruction.

“Reading it wasn’t very pleasurable except that it was beautifully written,” Weinstein said, alluding to the disillusionment evident throughout the book.

Packer intersperses the stories of the three ordinary Americans with profiles of contemporary political and social icons and relevant news pieces

to provide a sense of the great forces, movers and shakers that shape society. The lives he chronicles speak for themselves about the financial, political and social culture of America, Weinstein said.

“Packer rarely comes out and says what he thinks,” the New York Times’ David Brooks wrote in his review of Packer’s book. “This is a book of nearly pure narrative, and his meanings are embedded in the way he portrays people, those he likes (outsiders) and those he doesn’t (bankers, the political class).”

“To the extent that Packer offers a framework, it is that the nation’s elites have failed,” Brooks wrote.

Overall, the book is partially an autopsy of American society, and partially a story of the resilient American, Weinstein said. What makes the book readable is that the common people “have a native sense of can-do-ism,” he added. In a landscape characterized by America’s massive failure, each comes to terms with reality in different ways and finds their own ways to be resilient.

“It was more compelling than reading new literature,” Weinstein said.

“History is what literature is all about.”

Screening marks coup’s anniversary The film centers on an advertiser who is asked to convince the public to vote against Pinochet’s rule

By ISABELLE THENOR-LOUIS STAFF WRITER

History has shown propaganda to be a powerful force — for one country, it even helped to bring down a dictator.

This power was explored in a screening of the film “NO” at Avon Cinema Thursday night, in honor of this year’s 40th anniversary of the military coup that took down Chilean President Salvador Allende and led to Augusto Pinochet’s rise to power. Organized by the Watson Institute for International Studies, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Botin Foundation, the screening is part of a month-long series intended to educate Brown students about the fight for democracy in Latin America during the 1970s and ’80s.

More than 600 tickets were reserved for the sold-out event. The film is “an

example of the way people organized to fight against a repressive regime and were successful,” said James Green, professor of history and Brazilian studies.

“We hope it informs, educates and inspires students.”

The film follows the fictional Rene Saavedra, a talented advertisement creator. Set during the 1988 Chilean national plebiscite, Saavedra is asked by the “No” committee to provide advice on the marketing strategies needed to convince the Chilean people to vote during the national referendum against eight more years of Pinochet’s rule.

“Between the 40th anniversary of the military coup, the 25th anniversary of the plebiscite and the release of this film in 2012, these three things just come together,” said Kate Goldman, outreach coordinator for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

At the end of the film, audience members were invited to remain within the theater to participate in a panel with Ricardo Lagos, former Chilean president and professor-at-large, and Genaro Arriagada, leader of the “NO” campaign and former Chilean ambassador to the

U.S. Moderated by Richard Snyder, director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the panel began with both panelists identifying similarities and differences between the movie and their experiences living the reality.

“I wish it could only be a question of finding a public relations agent,” Lagos said, adding that many other factors were involved in Pinochet’s fall. “It was a long history, and there were many people that used to say that it was impossible to defeat the dictatorship.”

Arriagada said the advertisements were effective because people, “needed a message of hope and non-violence.”

The screening serves as a lead into “Social Media and Political Change in Latin America and the Middle East: Comparative and Historical Perspectives,” a conference taking place Oct. 4, said Andrew Gammon, outreach and development manager for the Watson Institute.

“This movie shows that war is not the only way to fight for civilized rights, said Yao-Jen Chang GS. “Why can’t anybody do this now?”

MIKE FIRN sports columnist

As a kid growing up outside of Boston, I developed a love for the Red Sox equaled in intensity perhaps only by my hatred for the New York Yankees. Geography demanded that I dislike the Yankees from birth, but I got my first real taste of the rivalry when Aaron Boone hit a cruel walk-off home run versus the Red Sox in game seven of the 2003 ALCS. Every time my Sox squared off against the Yankees, it felt like a historic baseball moment was right around the corner. Often, it was.

From Pedro versus Zimmer to A-Rod versus Varitek, Boone to Big Papi, the rivalry was never short on drama.

At the center of Red Sox-Yankees lore was Mariano Rivera. This past week, Rivera threw his last competitive pitch after 19 years in the majors, all with the Yankees. Rivera is undoubtedly the greatest closer of all time. He is MLB’s all-time saves leader by a comfortable margin, both in the regular season and the playoffs. He has contributed heavily to five World Series championships and closed out four of them on his own. A 13-time All-Star and the 1999 World Series MVP, Rivera has defined what it means to be great in his position over the past two decades.

But more than that, Rivera has defined class. As a Red Sox fan, logic dictates that I should hate Mo, but I don’t. I detest the Yankees for countless reasons, not least of which is their penchant for buying wins with their seemingly endless cash reserves. Rivera, though, has been a homegrown staple of the Yankees for close to my entire life. The level of familiarity and history between Rivera and the Red Sox has given me a deep respect for his ability and his professionalism. Yes, I still rooted against Rivera because of the logo on his jersey. But Red Sox fans can hate someone like Alex Rodriguez on multiple levels. Rivera can be disliked only on one.

In an era marked by the prevalence of performance enhancing drugs, the integrity of many baseball stars has been called into question over the past 15 years. Rivera’s character track record, on the other hand, is squeaky clean. I’ve seen the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry incite some shameful moments — Pedro Martinez throwing 72-year-old Don Zimmer to the ground, Karim Garcia and Jeff Nelson provoking an attack on a Red Sox groundskeeper and countless barbs traded in the media. Through it all, Mo

SPORTS COLUMN

» FOOTBALL, from page 1 “It’s a good rivalry … and the fact that it’s under the lights is a recipe for an exciting evening here in Rhode Island.”

Though the last decade has been split, recent history favors the Bears, as they overpowered the Rams 17-7 last year and 35-21 in 2011. Bruno also leads the all-time series by a wide margin — 69 to 26.

“We’ve lost the last two, and the last time we were (at Brown Stadium) we got embarrassed,” said URI Head Coach Joe Trainer. “Our kids are excited about the opportunity to show how far we’ve come.”

has remained a man of professionalism, dignity and humility. He signed six extensions to remain with the Yankees his entire career, a display of team loyalty so rare in today’s age of free agency and mega-contracts. For a man who grew up using a milk carton as a baseball glove in Panama, it’s always just been about hard work and winning baseball games.

No disrespectful over-celebrations, no temper tantrums, no classless media stunts. Mo was always willing to tip his cap on the few occasions he was bested, his demeanor perpetually calm. Devoted to his fans and his community, Rivera epitomizes the athlete as a role model.

Unlike many of his teammates over the years, Mo has always shown respect for the Red Sox. Now, I show it back.

I’ve heard the argument that Rivera’s impact on the Yankees’ prolonged success has been overrated due to the nature of his position. No one questions Rivera’s ability, but some claim that his gaudy statistics are borne mostly through the work of his teammates to create a save situation. As a general rule, the argument has credence. But the full story of Rivera’s legacy resides in the intangibles. A leader in the Yankees’ clubhouse for 19 years, Rivera’s impact on team culture can’t be measured. Numbers aside, opposing players and fans have feared Rivera and his devastating cut fastball for two decades. His entrance in the late innings of a close game always felt like a heavy door slamming shut.

When Rivera tore his ACL in 2012 at 42 years old, many thought his age precluded a return to competitive baseball.

In hindsight, it was foolish to question his resolve. Equally as effective in his last season as in his first, Rivera never succumbed to the typical graceless decline of most stars. Through a 19-year career, Mo has exerted a powerful presence on his team, the league and the game of baseball. How fitting that Rivera was the last player ever allowed to represent Jackie Robinson’s number 42, retired by the league in 1997. How many other Yankees would receive a poignant commemorative tribute for their last appearance at Fenway Park? Mo was an integral part of an organization, a rivalry, that made me fall in love with baseball as an 8-year-old kid. Hearing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” (Rivera’s trademark entrance song) blaring on the public address system always brought mixed emotions. At times I’ve hated him, admired him, feared him and marveled at him. But above all, I’ve always respected him. Goodbye, Mo. Baseball is sad to see you depart.

Mike Firn ’16 knows a legend when he sees one. Contact him at michael_ firn@brown.edu

The Rams (2-3, CAA 1-2) enter the game carrying the momentum of a 42-7 rout of Central Connecticut State University last week. The experienced URI defense has powered the team early in the season while the youthful offense has been learning the ropes, Trainer said.

The URI defense will have its hands full with Bruno running back John Spooney ’14. Two 100-yard games to start the season have opponents taking notice of the game-changing speed back.

The Bears will look to Spooney early and often to boost the offense.

Adding to the Governor’s Cup festivities, a handful of Rhode Island sports legends will be honored at halftime.

sports friday 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

MEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S GOLF

Bears down Terriors, Bruno finishes last in Windy City nabbed her first prep for Ivy competitors Hsieh career hole-in-one as the Gorab, Pomeroy and Escalona combined forces to help Bruno to its second straight victory

By ALEXANDRA CONWAY SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The men’s soccer team topped Boston University 3-1 on the Terriers’ home turf Tuesday night. Three different players scored in the first half of the contest to propel the Bears to an early lead that the Terriers could not keep up with.

“Tuesday night the guys played with excellent intensity and focus,” said Head Coach Patrick Laughlin. “Anytime we score three goals in a game … let alone in the first half … it is very good for us.”

“BU is a strong attacking team who has a lot of quality players and they were a good out-of-conference test for us so we are happy to come out with a win,” said goalkeeper Josh Weiner ’14.

Jack Gorab ’16 put the Bears (3-4-1) on the board two minutes into the game, after he headed in a pass from midfielder Jack Kuntz ’14. BU (3-5-1) was quick to respond to Bruno’s rapid advance, as Dominique Badji had a breakaway down the left from midfield to even the score four minutes later.

The Bears regained the lead following a play in the box by Voltaire Escalona ’14 and Jose Salama ’14. Salama sent a smooth cross into the box and Escalona tapped in a one-timer to give Brown a 2-1 edge.

Nate Pomeroy ’17, who was recently named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, tacked on an insurance goal at the end of the half off of an assist from Tariq Akeel ’16 and Daniel Taylor ’15. At the start of the second half, Boston had the opportunity to net a goal after Badji was tripped in the box and granted a penalty kick.

Weiner deftly blocked the shot, keeping the score 3-1.

“Weiner’s penalty kick save was a big

momentum shift for us,” Laughlin said, adding that Akeel, midfielder Eduardo Martin ’16 and Weiner really stood out Tuesday night.

The victory extends the Bears’ winning streak to two games, giving them momentum as they kick off conference play Saturday in New York City against Columbia (5-2). Last season, the Bears pulled out a 2-1 home victory over the Lions after a scoreless first half.

“The past two games have been the best soccer we have played yet this season, so I’m excited going into the Ivy League play,” Akeel said.

Saturday will be a tough match for the Bears. Columbia is coming off its fifth straight victory — the team’s longest winning streak since 1995, when the Lions won their final five games of that season.

“Columbia is a strong team on a hot streak right now so we know we are going to have a tough opponent,” Akeel said. “But we really want to go to New York and get a result as we realize how important it is to start off our Ivy schedule with a win.”

The Lions have yielded just one goal over their last four contests. Sophomore goalie Kyle Jackson was named co-Ivy League Player of the Week. Jackson average 4.83 saves per game, ranking him 33rd nationally. Midfielder Peter Najem earned the same honor as Jackson and will be an integral part of the Lions’ offensive push with midfielder Antonio Matarazzo and striker Will Stamatis.

“The challenges will be finding a way to get a win at a tough away field and for a lot of the guys to step up to the pressure of the game,” Akeel said.

After two solid games the Bears are optimistic and focused on the start of conference play.

“We realize that the Ivy League is a completely new season and a large emphasis is put on every game,” Weiner said.

Laughlin added, “It’s when we have to be playing at or near or best in order to get results.”

team finished last at the national tournament

By ANDREW FLAX CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Women’s golf finished last among 15 teams in the Windy City Collegiate Championship, coming up short on a field that featured seven nationally ranked teams.

Bruno shot a composite 985 over three rounds, putting her 103 strokes above par and 52 strokes behind the 14th-place team, University of North Carolina-Wilmington. The University of Southern California, reigning national champions, won the tournament at a one-over 853.

“We were a little out of our league,” said Head Coach Danielle Griffiths.

Stephanie Hsieh ’15 echoed her coach’s sentiment, saying it was “the most competitive tournament going on this week.” But she and Griffiths said they were grateful for the opportunity.

Receiving the invitation “means a lot,” Griffiths said, noting that Brown was the only Ivy League team asked to participate in the tournament, which was hosted by Northwestern University.

“It was really awesome that we were invited,” Hsieh said, adding that it was “cool to be able to compete” against some of the top teams in the country.

“We didn’t play that great,” Hsieh said, but “we learned a lot, and it definitely helped us prepare for the rest of

comics A & B | MJ Esquivel

School Daze | Christina Tapiero

KATIE LIEBOWITZ / HERALD

No. 9 Jose Salama ‘14 and No. 23 Jack Gorab ‘16 each netted first-half goals to propel the men’s soccer team over Boston University 3-1.

our tournaments.”

“We hung in there and we didn’t give up … it was a very positive experience,” Griffiths said.

Hsieh was tied with Lauren Flynn ’16 as the team’s low scorer, shooting a 36-over 239, a step back from her topten finish at the year-opening Dartmouth Invitational tournament. Her scores by round were 81-77-81, while Flynn’s were 81-76-82. Juliette Garay ’16 was only three strokes back with a cumulative score of 242, and Cassandra Carothers ’15 rounded out the team score with a 265. Garay was only three strokes back with a cumulative score of 242, and Carothers rounded out the team score with a 265.

The Bears would normally have five competing golfers, but two of the team’s other members were unavailable to play.

Julie Lym ’17 could not travel due to academic commitments, and Rosanna Lederhausen ’17, who placed in the top 20 in her first career tournament at the Dartmouth Invitational, could not play due to a concussion.

“After the fact, there’s nothing you can really do,” Lederhausen said. She

said that she was most disappointed about “not being with the team.”

She said she is nearing full recovery and is anxious to get back on the links.

“I’ve been practicing really hard all summer and fall … I’m just taking it one day at a time,” Lederhausen said.

“We made the best of a tough situation,” Griffiths said. The tournament was “what I expected with carrying only four players.”

She said she knew facing high quality competition somewhat overwheled the team. “They were nervous the first round,” Griffiths said, but the players were able to overcome their jitters — Hsieh, Flynn and Garay all posted their lowest scores in the second round.

Despite its struggles, the team had one major bright spot in this tournament — “I had my first hole-in-one ever at the tournament,” Hsieh said.

“The hole-in-one put it in perspective for us,” Griffiths said. “We’re there to play a game, to have fun and be positive.”

Bruno will bring these lessons back to its Ivy League rivals in its next tournament, the Oct. 13-14 Harvard Invitational.

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

DIAMONDS & COAL Coal to the federal government for shutting down, which could have a severe impact on the University. We’d give you a diamond, but you’d probably just argue over how to spend it.

A diamond to Professor of Classics Susan Alcock, who said a highlight of her summer massive open online course was witnessing her students “explaining to other people what a Twinkie is.” The final exam: describing a ding-dong.

A diamond to the sophomore who said, “The force is strong with the fall traditions around here.” Fun with apple-picking you will have, young Padawan.

Coal to Provost Mark Schlissel P’15, who said in reference to class scheduling problems, “If we could get students to wake up an hour earlier in the morning (to attend) 9 a.m. classes, that would help.” Great — we’ll see you at 2 a.m. for help with our problem sets.

A diamond to Professor of Physics Chung-I Tan, who said the University is “too small even for the current student body.” We’re sure everyone living in converted residence hall kitchens would agree.

A diamond to Professor of Neuroscience David Sheinberg, who said of strengthening computational neuroscience at Brown, “We hope to engage the community as much as possible through these talks and also through hands-on activities.” You just described our ideal relationship.

A N G E L IA WA N G

Coal to Chief Investment Officer Joseph Dowling, who said of the University’s endowment, “We punch well ahead of our weight.” Great. We’re the Scrappy-Doo of the Ivy League.

A diamond to the sophomore who said the loss of Symposium Books is made up for by the new, closer location of Ben and Jerry’s. As Mark Twain once said, “I loves me some Chunky Monkey.”

A diamond to the senior who said, “Going on the flanks had been pretty successful for us, so we just kept trying to do it until it worked.” Mind if we join?

Coal to the first-year who said, “Some advisers are nice, and they’re trying their best, but they’re not necessarily equipped to deal with all of the challenges students face.” They’ll be fine once we arm them with Snapchat and Instagram.

Cubic zirconia to RISD professor Bryan Quinn, who said his course will, among other things, seek to answer the questions: “How does the duck see the world? How does the duck hear the world? How does the duck touch the world?” With eyes, ears and, we’re guessing, with either beak or feet. Talk about an easy A, dude.

A diamond to the junior who described reunions with his long-distance girlfriend as “warm … just so very warm.” You’re smooth. Just so very smooth.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“We’re reminding people that they’re human.” ­— Brian Chippendale See noise, page 1.

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

Earning the name

NICO ENRIQUEZ opinions columnist

Brown was founded by a family that accrued vast wealth by trading human beings. Directly and indirectly, the family killed thousands, uprooted tens of thousands and ruthlessly made money by doing so.

Should we remove their surname and ruin our school’s identity?

Absolutely not.

Why? Because, like it or not, our identity comes in large part from our name. It may have started off poorly, but too many incredibly good things have been produced by Brown. All that our

institution has achieved far outweighs our founding’s dark history and allows us to proudly say that we come from Brown.

The only reason to change a reasonable name is if you need a fresh start. In business, they call it rebranding. In the same way that Brown does not need to be rebranded, neither does the Third World Center.

According to the TWC website, its name “is not to be confused with the economic definition of the term used commonly in our society today, but understood as a term that celebrates diverse cultures.” Rather, the name is derived from a book by Creole-born Frantz Fanon, in which he implores nations outside the developed West or the U.S.S.R/Eastern Europe to create

their own “cultural model of empowerment and liberation” that would separate them from the oppression of imperialism.

Aside from the fact that the TWC’s explanation of the name is clearly not racist, this institution has done some incredibly good things for our community under the banner of the Third World Center. The TWC has a solid history of assisting minorities and providing them with a space to discuss race, life and school. Countless students have relied on this backing to progress through college. We should not insult them by saying that their past and all of their successes have not earned them the right to ownership and pride in the center’s name.

Sure, the name “Third World

Center” may bring to mind a condescending view of minorities and non-Western culture.

But just like everything else in life, it depends on how you frame it.

If you are paranoid, the most innocuous comment can always seem insulting. Even if you think someone is insulting you, the better man will always look more holistically at the other person and beyond the temporary slight. Is the person insulting you good in other areas of life? Is he or she respectful?

Does he or she strive for a better world?

If you don’t react with a kneejerk macho response, you end up liking people much more. I think our world would be an infinitely better place if we also did

this with our institutions. Just as we shouldn’t take Obama’s middle name and say he is an evil Muslim terrorist, we shouldn’t read the center’s name and say it reflects or promotes racist or elitist views. As a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States, I can tell you this: Many of the Mexicans I know do not care that the United States considers their home a “Third World” country. They would probably laugh and say Americans have too much time.

The name is fine. Keep it. The center has earned it.

Nico Enriquez ’16 is growing peckish as a result of his elitism.

He can be reached at nenriquez3@gmail.com

R O U N D TA B L E

Should the Third World Center be renamed?

Honor the history JUSTICE GAINES guest columnist

Before discussing whether the Third World Center’s name should change, it is important to understand where the name came from. Many students with opinions on the TWC’s name have not looked at the rich history that led to the center’s creation.

The term “Third World” comes from Frantz Fanon’s 1961 “The Wretched of the Earth.” Fanon describes a “Third Way” different from the capitalist powers of the First World and the Communist forces of the Second World.

This is put in perspective when you have an uncle — a black male — who was spared by a Viet Cong soldier who told him, “You don’t have a country to go back to.” This was a movement to empower those oppressed by racism and colonialism to take a stand against imperialist forces in the Cold War and define themselves as different, independent and proud. The TWC has adopted this legacy of empowerment and proud difference through its mission and guiding philosophy.

In recent decades, the “Third World” has assumed a negative connotation, becoming an economic and political label for developing countries. Often, the center’s name is considered outdated for this reason. Yet no one has challenged how or why this term — coined through a movement of empowerment — was corrupted over time.

This change has continually forced the TWC to explain its name, to clarify its purpose and to defend its history.

Criticisms have become more frequent and harsher in recent years, reaching the point where challenges to the name have distracted many students from recognizing or understanding the TWC’s work.

In this, they have begun to hinder the TWC from serving students of color on Brown’s campus. This should be the only

reason the center should consider changing its name.

The TWC is meant to serve as a physical space and establish a community where students of color can find comfort and support. Therefore, changing the name of the TWC is not an issue that needs to be addressed by the entire Brown community. The students who should decide if and how the name should change should be the same students the center is meant to serve — students of color.

Likewise, the name of the TWC, or whatever it becomes, was not designed and should not attempt to make the greater Brown community more comfortable. The goals of the Third World Center as demonstrated by the pre-orientation program Third World Transition Program and the Minority Peer Counselor “-ism” workshops, are not to make all students feel at ease. These goals were designed to push the boundaries of mainstream society on all-but-comfortable issues. Thus, a name change should not serve to placate voices on campus that are offended but not affected by the center.

If the TWC is renamed, it is of the utmost importance that the center’s history not be lost. The history of the TWC informs the future of the center and keeps it in line with its original purpose. A fear in renaming the TWC is losing the name’s significance. If the name is changed to something generic such as the Center for Diversity or the Multicultural Center, the space itself loses the core of its existence.

A new name should offer insight into the TWC’s past and provide a path that will carry on in the present. This year marks Brown’s 250th and the MPC program’s 40th anniversaries. If the TWC is to be renamed, this would be the year to honor its history and celebrate its future.

Justice Gaines ’16 is a member of The Brown Conversation. Contact him and other members of the group at brownconversation@gmail.com.

Third World What?

ANDREW FELDMAN opinions columnist

The Third World Center is in desperate need of a name change.

Created in 1976, it was named the Third World Center instead of something including the term “minority,” because the founders believed the word carried a negative connotation. Is the term “third world” actually better? Nowadays, most would argue the exact opposite.

A survey conducted last fall seems to agree with that idea by favoring a potential name change. Of the students surveyed, 46 percent believed the TWC should change its name, 16 percent said it should remain the same and the rest had no preference. But a plurality of support isn’t the only reason the name should change.

The problem with the TWC is that its name has relatively little to do with its actual mission.

When I first heard the Third World Center mentioned, I assumed it was some kind of advocacy or social action group with the goal of helping people in underprivileged countries.

I never would have thought it was meant to welcome different cultures to Brown and ingrain them into the community.

The name of the center should better reflect the students it actually serves. Wouldn’t it be much easier to help a target audience if that audience knew they were actually being addressed?

The term “third world” refers to developing countries with some compilation of low life expectancies, educations and personal incomes. African countries are usually associated with the term, but some Asian and Latin American countries also fit the mold.

Countries like India, Brazil and others with large economies and international significance, however, do not fall under the category of “third world.” While those countries may have extremely impoverished areas, the term looks more at countries as a whole.

Why would any group want to embody a derogatory connotation when the name

doesn’t even apply? Nowadays, it is better to refer to these countries as “developing” than “third world.” The TWC brings a lot of great speakers to campus, but the name distorts the perception of what they will actually discuss.

The TWC states that its name should not be confused with the socioeconomic label for a country. The name was based on Franz Fanon’s writing in the ’60s that argued for a third way of life, separate from the USSR and USA. The label was meant to bridge the gap between minority groups and serve as a symbol of liberation by escaping the shadow of the two world powers. The name was quite well intended.

But just because the center does not intend to evoke the current socioeconomic association does not mean people won’t assume that’s what it means. If someone has to research the TWC to find out it has nothing to do with developing countries, odds are that they are just going to assume it does.

A rebranding could strongly benefit the TWC. While changing the name would be inconvenient, it would also help students know what the center’s mission is and increase the likelihood of student involvement.

It doesn’t matter whether a student is put off by the name because he or she has roots in a developing country and believes the name is offensive or if a person is a tenth generation citizen and finds the term demeaning and ill-chosen. Students with both backgrounds have a valid argument — having a building on campus with such a questionable name reflects poorly on the entire university.

With the TWC’s current willingness to change its name, there isn’t a better time for action. No one is going to be completely happy with any name, whether it is the current name or a new one. The important thing is that the name adequately reflects the organization’s message so students can enjoy the TWC’s benefits. A name better reflective of the intended target would get more people involved.

Andrew Feldman ’15 loves name changes but is going to stick with this one so that he can be reached at andrew_feldman@brown.edu.

daily herald sports friday THE BROWN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Berg’s boot nets women’s soccer team first Ivy win The team is off to a fast start, looking to improve on last season’s seventhplace conference finish

By LAINIE ROWLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After going 1-5-1 in Ivy League play last fall, the women’s soccer team looked to make big improvements this year, and Sunday’s Ivy opener against Dartmouth presented an opportunity for the team to begin its redemption. Despite the Big Green’s 6-1 Ivy record from last year, the women managed to topple Dartmouth in a well-fought battle. Kiersten Berg ’14 scored the game’s only goal, and for her impressive effort, The Herald has named her Athlete of the Week.

The Herald: When did you start playing soccer?

Berg: I started in like third or fourth grade, which is really late on most people’s terms.

What makes soccer the “beautiful sport?”

The fact that anybody can play it.

Size doesn’t matter, speed doesn’t matter.

As long as you have something, you can play the beautiful game of soccer.

Why did you choose to play soccer at Brown?

I was playing with a team at a tournament and the (Brown) coach saw me play, and then I came out for camp and just loved it here.

How did it feel to score against Dartmouth?

I feel like we had just been so focused on this game for almost nine months. It was the first Ivy opener and so to score — it was just such a relief to finally do it.

Then there’s 13 minutes left in the game, so we had a good chance of keeping it.

HOME GAMES THIS WEEKEND FRIDAY

W. Volleyball vs. Dartmouth 7 p.m. @ Pizzitola

M. Water Polo vs. Conn Col. 7:30 p.m. @ Aquatic Center

Do you have any goals for your last season?

Win the Ivy championship. It’s been our goal ever since we got here, but senior year is definitely the time to do it.

What is your most memorable soccer moment at Brown?

That’s tough … There’s just so many.

All the little things add up. It’s all the bus rides, all the away trips and stuff like that.

It is the big games, but there are so many games that it’s just kinda the collection of all the memories.

What is your most memorable moment at Brown?

Our senior class is really close, and just the first day when we all met each other — I feel like I remember that moment so well. We were all sitting in the room and there were 10 of us wide-eyed and just a classic freshman moment. I’ll

SATURDAY

M. Tennis Brown Invitational M. Water Polo vs. MIT 12 p.m. @ Aquatic Center W. Volleyball vs. Harvard 5 p.m. @ Pizzitola COURTESY OF DAVE SILVERMAN

Kiersten Berg ’14 knocked in the game’s only goal in the Bears’ Ivy League opener against Dartmouth, improving the squad’s record to 6-2. always remember that room.

What is your favorite class at Brown?

I really liked (ENGL 0600L:) “The Simple Art of Murder” by (Associate) Professor (of English) Drayton Nabers.

He is just a genius and he taught all these

murder books. But he taught “The Great Gatsby” too, a complete range.

What are your plans for next year?

Hopefully, get a job. If not, I’d obviously love to go play in Europe or something. That might be ambitious but might as well try.

Football vs. URI 6 p.m. @ Brown Stadium M. Water Polo vs. St. Francis 7 p.m. @ Aquatic Center SUNDAY

M. Tennis Brown Invitational