Friday, October 31st, 2014

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THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 100

since 1891

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2014

Year later, Kelly still fuels campus debates Sara

Overstreet ’16 dies

Community clashes persist on interpretation of events, how to move forward

Memorial service plans underway for international relations and English concentrator

By JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The shutdown of former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s guest lecture by student and community member protesters cemented the events of Oct. 29, 2013 in Brown’s collective memory. The discourse that followed shook the foundation of the campus, pushing many to reassess and verbally spar over what should define Brown’s character as a university. One year later, questions about how to remember the Kelly controversy, how it has changed conversation on campus and how the University will adapt in light of the issues it raised continue to divide the Brown community. Setting the tone What happened in List 120 that day is a well-documented part of the public record: Various messages shouted toward the stage, followed by a collective statement from the protesters, persisted long enough that the University declared the event over. Kelly had not said more than a couple of sentences. “The protest itself was a huge mix of emotions. It was angering; it was empowering; it was traumatizing; it was necessary,” recalled Justice Gaines

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HERALD FILE PHOTO, HERALD FILE PHOTO, COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The effects of the events of Oct. 29, 2013 still loom large one year later. Ray Kelly’s invitation to speak on campus and the subsequent protests ushered in a continuing dialogue on racial dynamics at the University. ’16, one of the protesters. “It was frustrating,” said Valerie Langberg ’14 GS, who attended the lecture. When the protesters yelled, “‘Who in the room would like to hear Ray Kelly speak?’” many people raised their hands, Langberg recalled. Later that evening, President Christina Paxson sent a letter to the Brown community condemning the protesters’ interruption of the lecture. “Protest is welcome, but protest that infringes on the rights of others is simply unacceptable,” she wrote. At the time, many others conveyed views similar to Paxson’s. A

Herald poll the next week found that 73.2 percent of undergraduates disapproved of the protests inside the auditorium that caused the lecture to be shut down. The Kelly lecture “was one of my worst experiences at Brown,” said Brandon Taub ’15, who attended the event. “Protesting is a good thing. … But it’s not within their right to force an event to be canceled because they don’t agree with it.” Others see Paxson’s first response differently. “It made a hostile environment for students who participated in the

protest,” said Dakotah Rice ’16, who initially rejected the lecture’s shutdown. Rice later became a member of the Committee on the Events of October 29, the group tasked with assessing the incident and offering recommendations for the future. For Gaines, the rest of the day after the protest was “a hell-hole.” On social media, he said, many people who interpreted the incident through the framing of Paxson’s email had a “complete misunderstanding of the reasons, the purpose or exactly what happened.” » See RAY KELLY, page 2

Sara Overstreet ’16 has died, President Christina Paxson announced in a community-wide email Thursday afternoon. Paxson’s email did not specificy a cause of death. A native of San Jose, California, Overstreet was an international relations and English double-concentrator. She was interested in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the human condition on a global scale, Paxson wrote. Overstreet was also focused on digital technology as a means of social innovation and problem-solving and planned to attend graduate school or work for an independent think tank or nonprofit after graduating from Brown. Plans for memorial services are still underway, Paxson wrote, offering her condolences to Overstreet’s friends and family. The offices of Counseling and Psychological Services, which can be reached at 401-863-3476, and Chaplains and Religious Life, which can be reached at 401-863-2344, are open to all members of the Brown community for support.

Michelle Obama rallies Food for thought: Sustainability on campus support for Raimondo Student, professor

By LINDSAY GANTZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Hundreds of eyes in the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex gymnasium in Providence turned toward the podium, where First Lady Michelle Obama spoke in support of gubernatorial Democratic nominee Gina Raimondo Thursday afternoon. With the race for governor entering the final sprint, the entire Rhode Island congressional delegation introduced Raimondo and Obama. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., U.S. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, DR.I., and U.S. Rep. James Langevin, DR.I., each delivered brief remarks before Raimondo and Obama spoke.

inside

METRO

“This election is not about the folks that are up here on this stage,” Obama began, referring to the state’s Democratic officials behind the podium. “We are fighting for the kind of work we want to leave for our kids and grandkids,” Obama said. Her speech, entitled “Rebuilding the Middle Class,” focused on the importance of providing better opportunities to middle-class families, with education reform and employment rates touted as critical initiatives. “We need to get Gina Raimondo in,” Obama said. Voters will go to the polls Tuesday to determine if Raimondo is elected the first female governor of Rhode Island. A Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions poll released Tuesday showed Raimondo and the Republican candidate, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, tied among voters, The Herald reported Wednesday. Raimondo “knows what it means to work for what you want in life,” Obama said. Raimondo, who introduced the first » See OBAMA, page 3

and BDS food-related initiatives reflect modern sustainability movement By EMILY PASSARELLI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Every Wednesday afternoon during the fall, there is a farmers market next to the Sciences Library and it’s the students who aren’t munching on a crisp, locally grown apple who stick out. On Thursday afternoons, students, faculty and staff alike walk down Brown Street, juggling both backpacks stacked with textbooks and bags brimming with fresh produce from Marketshares. And on Fridays, Morning Mail frequently features open invitations to the undergraduate community for free Shabbat dinners at the Brown/RISD Hillel. Posters that mention food color the campus — “Have pizza with…,”

ARTS & CULTURE

Arts & Culture

EMILY PASSARELLI / HERALD

Burnside Park played host to Providence’s Food Day festival, which celebrated local food producers like Narragansett Creamery on Sunday. “Food will be provided” or “Light refreshments to follow the event” plaster the walls outside Stephen Roberts ’62 Campus Center and academic department bulletins. But for many members of the community, thoughts about food extend

Sports

“Hype Hero” examines class discrepancies through a dramatic satire about a sinister lottery

Trinity’s “Hamlet” features interpretations of the lead characters as children

On the heels of a 1-0 win, men’s soccer faces a weak Penn defense Saturday

Football prepares for a fierce contest with the Quakers in the City of Brotherly Love

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weather

First lady emphasizes growing the middle class at campaign event for tight governor’s race

beyond thoughts of where to go to get it cheap — and, if they’re lucky, good. Phrases like “locally grown” and “food equality” are equally prevalent on campus and define initiatives in the University’s food sustainability » See FOOD, page 4 t o d ay

tomorrow

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Friday, October 31st, 2014 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu