Thursday, December 4, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 120

since 1891

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

Faculty whiteness complicates the classroom R.I. Medicaid limits supply of

EMMA JERZYK / HERALD

Differences in faculty, student backgrounds can affect advising and classroom dynamics

By EMMA HARRIS AND JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

PERVASIVE PREJUDICE The second in a three-part series exploring race and racism at Brown.

As leaders of classroom discussion, pedagogues and advisers, faculty members often must navigate their students’ beliefs and backgrounds, in many ways defining some students’ college experiences. But because white students and especially faculty members predominate at Brown, some

students of color find themselves at a disadvantage, struggling to find mentors who can fully relate to their experiences.

There are nearly 10 times as many white faculty members as underrepresented minority faculty members at Brown. White students also outnumber students who identify as underrepresented minorities, but at a less drastic rate of just over two to one.

And more than a decade after then-President Ruth Simmons laid out improving faculty diversity as a goal in her Plan for Academic Enrichment — with limited success — it has again emerged as an administrative priority. President Christina Paxson announced at a faculty meeting last month that she intends to double the proportion of underrepresented minority faculty members in the next decade.

Miscues in the classroom Students of color sometimes encounter difficulties in the classroom resulting from the differences between their experiences and those of white faculty members.

While Armani Madison ’16, president of Brown’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has not experienced outward racial bias from faculty members, he said, “race is dealt with quickly” in the classroom. When racial issues in the United States are brought up, they are frequently skirted by professors and summarized in the framework of the American people moving forward, he said.

White faculty members sometimes espouse views in class that should be questioned, said Emma, a junior whose name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.

“I would love to see more initiatives aimed at making faculty aware of microaggressions and biases and how those could affect students in class,” she said.

But being of color is not necessary for a faculty member to handle discussions on race deftly in the classroom, Emma added. “I have professors who are not of color who have to talk about race and other sensitive issues who handle it very well.”

Still, the dynamics in a predominantly white classroom may pose challenges for students of color.

Often Madison is the only student » See FACULTY, page 2

Hepatitis C drug due to cost Policy will only cover treatment for patients with late-stage liver failure who are drug-free

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Rhode Island’s Medicaid program decided in September to ration the delivery of Sovaldi, a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year to cure chronic Hepatitis C, due to the drug’s high cost and the relatively high prevalence of the virus among Medicaid enrollees in the state.

The state’s Medicaid policy stipulates that payment for treatment be approved only for patients with late-stage liver failure, as opposed to younger Hepatitis C patients who became infected as a result of drug use amidst the opioid addiction crisis in southern New England. Patients looking to have the treatment covered by Medicaid must be substance abuse-free for at least six months or actively involved in rehabilitation.

Hepatitis C is the “poster child for health disparities,” but treating all those infected by the virus would bankrupt the state, said Lynn Taylor, assistant professor of medicine,

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director of Miriam Hospital’s HIV/ Viral Hepatitis Coinfection Program and the recipient of a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation to develop a strategic plan to address Hepatitis C. Only discovered in 1989, Hepatitis C is a blood-borne illness that results in chronic inflammation of the liver. The United States did not begin screening blood transfusions for the virus until 1992, so anyone who had a blood transfusion before then could carry the virus, said Kristin Gourlay, a health reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio who has been working on a series this fall, “At the Crossroads: The Rise of Hepatitis C and the Fight to Stop It.” The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 3.2 million people in the United States are infected with the virus, though most are unaware they have it. The CDC estimates that there were 16,000 reported incidents of acute Hepatitis C, which is a shortterm illness that occurs within the first six months of infection, in the United States in 2009. Seventy-five to 85 percent of those who show symptoms of acute Hepatitis C end up with chronic Hepatitis C, according to the CDC. It can be difficult to track the disease because it can remain dormant with virtually no symptoms for decades. As a result, the consequences » See HEPATITIS, page 4

Student loan burden UCS reviews semester’s initiatives Committee chairs update grows heavier council on efforts to

By LINDSAY GANTZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

For the fifth consecutive year, Brown’s graduating class in 2013 had the highest student loan debt per borrower in the Ivy League.

Students in the class who borrowed money graduated with an average $24,382 in debt, according to a report published by the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit organization — a 3.7 percent increase over the previous year’s debt average.

Though below the national average of $28,400 and statewide average of $31,561, the University’s average debt per borrower exceeds that of its Ivy peers.

“I think financial aid is about resources,” said James Tilton, director of financial aid, citing Harvard, Princeton and Yale as schools able to fund no-loan financial aid packages for all students receiving aid. Penn also has a no-loan

financial aid program, according to its financial aid website.

Much of Brown’s financial aid is funded by revenue from tuition and fees and endowment funds, Tilton said.

Brown’s endowment was valued at $3.2 billion for the fiscal year that ended in June 2014 — a record high for the University, but the lowest in the Ivy League.

In the same year, Harvard’s endowment surpassed $36.4 billion, Princeton’s endowment was valued at $21 billion, and Yale’s endowment was $23.9 billion, according to the schools’ respective reports.

Dartmouth’s average loan debt per borrower has fallen every year since at least the class of 2008. Dartmouth piloted a no-loan program starting with 2012 graduates, said Virginia Hazen, the college’s director of financial aid.

But Dartmouth’s class of 2015 may see an increase in average debt per borrower.

Beginning with this year’s graduating class, the full no-loan program ended and only students with family incomes under $100,000 are guaranteed no loans in their financial aid packages, Hazen said.

Brown’s average debt per borrower » See DEBT, page 4

improve mental health, student-admin interaction

By CAROLINE KELLY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students reviewed the projects that members worked on this semester at the UCS general body meeting Wednesday night, including committee reports on improvements to faculty diversity, mental health and sexual assault policy.

UCS President Maahika Srinivasan ’15 briefed the council on her own efforts this semester, including serving on the search committee for a Title IX coordinator, facilitating communication between the Task Force on Sexual Assault and the student body and working with the organizers of the mental health group Let’s Erase the Stigma and the recently unveiled internship initiative BrownConnect.

She also emphasized the importance of the entire council’s collective contributions. “The work that we’ve gotten done, and the kind of work that we’ve gotten done, has been really awesome,” she said.

Sazzy Gourley ’16, UCS vice

ZEIN KHLEIF / HERALD

Maahika Srinivasan ’15, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, updates the council on her work related to sexual assault. president and chair of the UCS Outreach and Advocacy committee, said his committee brainstormed a lot this semester about “how Brown can move forward in showing diversity both in faculty commitment but also student resources and also post-grad resources.”

A major project next semester will be the expansion of focus groups featuring Corporation members and centered on issues such as dining, diversity and

Commentary

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UCS: Mental health services deserve more funds and more conversation

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R.I. Episcopal Diocese plans to open a slavery museum at site of Cathedral of St. John

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weather

Though debt average continues to drift upward, University boasts secondlowest average in state

mental health. These focus groups are opportunities “where members of (Corporation) committees can meet with a pool of students and discuss issues on an in-depth basis,” he said.

UCS Treasurer Malikah Williams ’16 said she and UCS Media Director Alana Bhatla ’16 successfully spearheaded an initiative to extend the hours of popular study spaces on campus during reading » See UCS, page 3 t o d ay

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2 university news » FACULTY, from page 1 of color in the room, he said. When subjects relating to race arise, he said, he is “looked to as the authority” on the subject by his peers.

Jamelle Watson-Daniels ’15, a double-concentrator in physics and Africana studies, also expressed frustration with the pressure of being one of few students of color in a classroom, especially in disciplines like physics and mathematics. If an underrepresented minority student fails a math exam, a professor might attribute the performance to the student’s racial identity, she said.

“If I don’t do well, then that’s just going to prove these people right,” Watson-Daniels said she often thinks while taking exams.

“It paralyzes you in a situation where you need to do well,” she added.

“Your situation becomes less about … (figuring) out how to think about this problem and more about what’s going to happen if I can’t solve this problem.”

The pressure to perform in a predominantly white class taught by a white faculty member is particularly intense for students of color who may not have had high school preparation

as strong as that of their peers, said Dolores Maldonado ’16, who came to Brown intending to concentrate in physics.

“If it’s a white professor, they expect me to be at the same level (as students with stronger high school preparation), so I need to prove that I don’t fit into stereotypes,” Maldonado said.

“I need to speak very intellectually or formally to portray an image that they would want.”

Seeing “deplorably low” numbers of faculty members of color in senior administrative positions makes him feel out of place at a predominantly white institution, Madison said. He will “never be comfortable” at Brown, he added, due to the overwhelming lack of diversity.

But the small number of faculty members of color affects students in different ways. Coming from a private school background, Jordan Ferguson ’17, president of the Black Student Union, said he was accustomed to mostly white teachers before attending Brown. This semester, Ferguson is taking his first course taught by a professor of color — Keisha-Khan Perry, associate professor of Africana studies.

For Ferguson, it has been an

“eye-opening experience.”

In Perry’s class, Ferguson feels more empowered and free to speak openly, he said. Perry has not shied away from racial issues but instead engages with them, creating a space in which they are deeply examined rather than briefly mentioned, he added.

Upon coming to College Hill, Ferguson was surprised by the paucity of faculty members of color because “Brown paints a picture of diversity,” he said, adding that the faculty should better reflect the diversity of the student body.

It is hard for students of color to find faculty members with whom to connect over shared experiences, he said.

Maahika Srinivasan ’15, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, said her experience as a student of color has been mixed. “There seems to be a lack of understanding of cultural backgrounds” in the classroom, she said.

“There’s a perception where students walk into (any large introductory class) and feel immediately disadvantaged in a sea of white students and usually a white professor,” Srinivasan said.

‘No one to turn to’ The lack of faculty diversity is particularly relevant to the strength of the advising system. Some students of color said they may encounter difficulties receiving mentorship from professors who do not have personal understanding of the experience of being a student of color in a predominantly white learning environment.

Students of color tend to go to faculty members of color as mentors, said Madison, a former Herald opinions columnist. Students “suffer” when there are so few mentors to look to, he said.

This difficulty in finding mentorship can cause students to question their prospects for success, he added.

After struggling in introductory physics classes for which her high school education did not prepare her well, Maldonado sought advice from faculty members, but she found that professors and deans, the vast majority of whom were white, did not understand the challenges someone of her race and class faces.

“There’s just no one to turn to as mentors,” Maldonado said. “When there’s someone who’s lived the complete opposite life of you or who can just not understand what your experience is being a minority, you just kind

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

of feel alone — in a different world.”

After a difficult first-semester advising experience, Ferguson switched to a new adviser, Yolanda Rome, assistant dean of the College for first-year and sophomore studies. As a person of color, Rome could relate to Ferguson’s student experiences by initiating questions beyond academics and “allowing (them) to establish a better relationship,” he said.

But despite numerous challenges, Ferguson said he has found certain white faculty members to be “that extra resource” and “very supportive” to students of color, regardless of their different backgrounds.

In other cases, the disparity sometimes manifests in the guidance advisers give to students with whose backgrounds they may be unfamiliar.

There are only eight underrepresented minority faculty members in physical sciences departments at Brown, making up just over 4 percent of the faculty in those areas, according to Office of Institutional Research data.

Watson-Daniels said she was looking for guidance from a faculty member of color, but was “very disappointed in the University” because she felt “there wasn’t anyone” available to give her advice she needed on pursuing a career in physics.

Problems with STEM But the difficulties that students of color concentrating in science, technology, engineering and math fields encounter extend beyond the relatively low proportions of faculty members and fellow students of color in those departments. Some students said there seems to be a way of thinking among some STEM students and professors that puts the burden of ameliorating a lack of diversity on the very groups that have historically been excluded from a white, male domain.

The general belief is that “women and minorities are the reason there aren’t a lot of women and minorities in STEM,” Watson-Daniels said, adding that white STEM students and professors have often chalked up their dominance in the field to greater interest in science.

“Science is thought of as something that is inherent and comes with an inherent passion that can’t really be taught,” Watson-Daniels said. The flip side, she added, is that those who perform poorly in STEM classes and later drop out of the field are led to believe they are simply not cut out for the discipline, instead of being encouraged and made aware of environmental factors or racial dynamics that may contribute to their difficulties.

This neglect of the influence of racial dynamics on students’ academic performance is particularly harmful in fields where a substantial number of students of color quit their intended concentrations for other departments outside of STEM, Watson-Daniels said.

Additionally, a lack of faculty diversity could weaken a facet of advising for white STEM concentrators who may not interact with racial issues in their personal lives or the classes they take. Because the open curriculum does not mandate that all students engage with issues of privilege and power, the burden lies with advisers to encourage students to look at courses dealing with racial issues, said Anthony Bogues, professor of Africana studies and director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

The Department of Physics has

yet to institutionalize efforts to educate its faculty and students about the way racial identity may affect students’ success, said Jim Valles, professor and chair of the department.

In fact, students led the first formal attempt to bring the conversation on race and gender to the department: This semester, Watson-Daniels and 11 other students created a Group Independent Study Project on race and gender in STEM, Valles said.

As part of the GISP, the students presented a lecture to an introductory physics course that aimed “to get folks to start thinking about how race and gender can affect the experience of students in a physics classroom and to recognize that these problems are everyone’s problems,” said Abigail Plummer ’15, a member of the GISP. Plummer said she received positive feedback from students who attended the lecture. She added that she hopes students participating in the GISP will lead a discussion with STEM faculty members about similar issues in the coming months.

Addressing the issues Though Paxson announced her goal of bolstering faculty diversity last month, the racial composition of the faculty will not change significantly in a year or two — for now, the University must try to put its white faculty members in the best position to communicate with students of color about race, and faculty members must seek out available resources, said Dean of the College Maud Mandel.

“If you’re a professor in the U.S. and you are teaching in 2014, you have to be sensitive to your students,” Bogues said. “You have to understand … as much as one can, how does race impact the students in your class.” Just as a faculty member would seek to improve any other area of weakness in his or her teaching, an inability to be sensitive to students’ backgrounds is a pedagogical weakness that must be addressed, he added.

Some faculty members recognize their own struggles talking about race in the classroom and utilize University resources such as the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning to make improvements in their teaching approaches, Bogues said.

Aside from pedagogy, faculty members can turn to resources like Team Enhanced Advising and Mentoring, a program that helps faculty members work on their ability to advise students from underrepresented minority groups, Mandel said.

But when faculty members do not pick up on their own flaws and students repeatedly recognize a problem, the University has a responsibility to address it, Bogues said.

To bolster the chance that the University will pick up on a faculty member’s racial insensitivity, the administration may consider adding questions about a professor’s treatment of race in the classroom to course evaluations, said Liza Cariaga-Lo, associate provost for academic development and diversity.

The Office of Institutional Diversity, which Cariaga-Lo leads, will release a Diversity Action Plan in the coming months that will outline strategies to diversify the faculty and hold faculty members accountable for the way they handle racial issues. The report will also address staff diversity and undergraduate and graduate student support, Cariaga-Lo added.

university news 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

» UCS, from page 1

LILY CRUZ / HERALD

David Makovsky, a former State Department adviser, said in a lecture Wednesday that a deal in the IsraeliPalestinian conflict was not reached this summer because diplomatic leaders wanted “a deal on their own terms.”

Diplomat reflects on Mideast peace efforts Makovsky shares experiences as adviser in negotiations between Israelis, Palestinians

By CASSANDRA COLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “when you can’t solve everything, that doesn’t mean you solve nothing,” said David Makovsky, director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, in a lecture Wednesday night. Makovsky served as an adviser to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry P’02 as part of a team that worked on drawing up a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians from November 2013 to September 2014.

Makovsky spoke to a small crowd in the Building for Environmental Research and Teaching about his perspective on the negotiations surrounding the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The team ultimately did not succeed this summer in its efforts to develop a formal peace agreement.

While the negotiations did not lead to a “satisfactory outcome,” Makovsky said, leaders of both sides have expressed support for a two-state solution. Though each side wanted a deal, they struggled to reach a satisfactory agreement because the “risk-averse” leaders participating in the discussions wanted “a deal on their own terms.”

Though the discussions were able to

ease points of contention but “couldn’t close them” entirely, this wasn’t due to a lack of effort and creativity by the U.S. diplomats involved, Makovsky said. He described the discussions as a “highdefinition effort by the United States” and an intense nine months.

Rather than being overly optimistic and hoping for a single immediate solution, Israelis and Palestinians should seek small improvements and “avoid deterioration,” Makovsky said, adding that “we shouldn’t make the perfect the alternative to the good.”

Makovsky took a hopeful tone, noting that in the time the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lasted, the quality of life in Israel has risen significantly and the economy has improved as money has been spent more in areas such as education and less on the military.

He concluded by urging audience members, “If you’re for dignity, if you’re for coexistence … you should hold your head high,” because “we need justice for both of these peoples.”

Yahel Murvitz Lahav ’17, who is from Israel, said it was “interesting to hear someone … who was actually there in the room where nobody could listen,” noting that the discussions Makovsky took part in were closed to the press. Murvitz Lahav added that he felt encouraged by

Makovsky’s hopeful belief that progress was made in the discussions, since it seemed at the time that very little had been achieved.

Jason Ginsberg ’16, president of Brown Students for Israel and one of the event’s organizers, said the lecture was important because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not as prominent in the media now as it was during the summer, so people don’t “feel the importance of that issue.”

“These two parties are going to have to talk to each other to make any progress,” Ginsberg said, adding that Makovsky presented a unique perspective because “he has the experience of how that talking will lead to progress on the ground.”

The talk, entitled “Seeking Justice: Strengthening the Prospects for Middle East Peace,” was co-sponsored by Brown/ RISD Hillel, Brown Students for Israel, J Street U Brown, the Watson Institute for International Studies, the International Relations Departmental Undergraduate Group and the Middle East Studies DUG. While the lecture was a standalone event, Brown Students for Israel and J Street U Brown — which both fall under the umbrella of Hillel — plan on bringing in several additional speakers throughout the year, Ginsberg said.

period, as announced in a campuswide email from Provost Vicki Colvin Wednesday morning.

Williams said she became involved early in generating the petition to have “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander be the text that incoming students in the fall of 2015 read as part of the First Readings program. Requiring incoming students to read the book would help them “have action and not just conversation” when discussing race on campus, she added.

As part of her presentation, Williams also said the council’s Initiatives Fund provided 14 student groups with funding this semester, adding that the council hopes to fund even more groups next semester using additional money.

Tim Ittner ’18, a member of the UCS Academic and Administrative Affairs committee, said, “Our biggest project has been compiling a list of preconcentration advisers so that students who are thinking about concentrations potentially can talk to them.” This academic year, the committee is aiming to “prioritize working on office hours, reaching out to the student body” and creating a program “to rent a dean” and “parade them around” Sharpe Refectory to facilitate student-administrator interactions, he added.

Ryan Lessing ’17, chair of the UCS Admissions and Student Services committee, said the committee plans on unveiling “an online feedback forum” to give individuals the opportunity to voice problems that need attention using the platform Uservoice at the start of next semester. The committee named the forum “WTF Brown,” or “What to Fix Brown.” The committee has also partnered with the Rhode Island School of Design student government to create guides outlining what RISD resources are offered to Brown students as well as what Brown resources are available to RISD students, he added.

The UCS Campus Life committee has worked on getting suggestion boxes at the Ratty and creating a student advisory dining council to improve student dining experiences, said committee member Christine Mullen ’16. On the topic of housing, the committee has looked into the dates of the off-campus housing lottery and “what a suite actually entails, especially when it’s accompanied by a suite fee,” Mullen said. Committee members walked around campus to assess the adequacy of lighting, are looking into the maintenance of gyms around campus and successfully requested for the Watson Center for Information Technology to remain open until 12 a.m. in an effort led by Mullen.

E-Soo Kim ’15, chair of the UCS Student Activities committee, said her committee has mostly worked on Bear Sync, the new online platform for student group social media that will replace the current platform MyGroups in January.

The council also discussed and approved an opinions column about mental health resources on campus published Thursday in The Herald that was written by the OAC. “We thought it was best for visibility to contextualize mental health for the greater Brown community,” Gourley said. “Conversations are only as good as the resources that we have to back it up.”

Lastly, the council categorized several student groups. Brown Sports Analytics Club, Gates Millennium Scholars, the Khmer Student Association, the PreVet association, the Brown University Impulse Club, Students for Life, Artbeat and the Metal were approved as Category 1 groups. Mariachi de Brown, currently a Category 1 group, applied to be a Category 3 group but was approved to be a Category 2 group. Camp Kesem, a summer camp for children whose parents have had cancer, and the Circle K club, a conglomerate group aiming to connect all service groups on campus, gained Category S, meaning they are now officially recognized as service groups.

@the_herald

4 metro » DEBT, from page 1 has increased a total of 11.5 percent over the past five years, according to TICAS reports. There have been no changes to Brown’s financial aid policies since 2008, when the University started a noloan program for students with family incomes below $100,000, Tilton said.

Tilton said he did not envision “any major changes” going forward, though he added that the overall administration decides all financial aid policy changes.

Rhode Island graduates in the class of 2013 had the fourth-highest average loan debt per borrower in the United States, according to the TICAS report.

“Generally speaking, the cost of college is going to have the greatest effect on the debt levels on students,” said Ben Miller ’07, a senior policy analyst at New America, a nonprofit liberal think tank.

“In general, Rhode Island and the entire New England is a higher cost area because there is a higher percentage of private institutions,” said Noel Simpson, deputy director and chief financial and compliance officer at the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, a nonprofit state organization.

Though Brown’s tuition is the highest in the state, the University had the second-lowest debt per borrower.

Rhode Island College has the lowest debt per borrower in the state at $23,538, according to the TICAS report. 2013 graduates from Bryant University left

school with the highest average debt statewide, at an average of $41,613 per borrower.

Kim Hart, director of college communications and marketing at RIC, said “affordability has been a priority” at the school, and the Learning for Life program provides peer-to-peer guidance for students who need academic, financial and social support.

At Brown, the Financial Aid Office holds a series of financial literacy seminars and workshops throughout the year.

Tilton said he wishes “they were better attended,” adding that more students seem to know about the financial aid programs.

Comparing the debt averages of different schools is not perfect. Factors such as tuition cost, availability of grant aid and student demographics vary across different states and sectors, said Matthew Reed, program director at TICAS. “You would see more financial aid at an institution like Brown as compared to other institutions in the state,” Simpson said. This is because among private institutions in the state, Brown has “more resources available to be distributed,” he said, citing the University’s relatively larger endowment.

“Brown is among the small number of colleges and universities that have high tuition and cost of attendance but also have considerable need-based grant aid funded by resources from endowment and in some cases by annual giving and alumni,” Reed said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

» HEPATITIS, from page 1 of Hepatitis C infections are only coming to the surface now. Due to the length of time it takes for the disease to have a noticeable effect on the liver, patients infected prior to 1992 are presenting symptoms now, Taylor said.

More recently, there has also been a second wave of diagnosed infections from younger populations infected, who largely have a history of injection drug use, Gourlay said.

Opioid addiction has become a problem for Rhode Island in recent years — drug overdose is now the most common cause of accidental death in the state. Many addicted to prescription painkillers such as oxycontin and fentanyl turn to heroin because it is more widely available and less expensive, The Herald previously reported.

Hepatitis C disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including seniors, veterans, injection drug users and prisoners, Gourlay said. The elderly are at greater risk of carrying the virus because they are more likely to have received a blood transfusion before the Hepatitis C screening began in 1992, she said.

And veterans are more likely than civilians to have received a blood transfusion, which increases the likelihood they were infected with Hepatitis C, she added.

Injection drug users face increased risk of becoming infected with Hepatitis C through used, contaminated needles.

This also fuels the high rates of Hepatitis C infection in the prison population. Many prisoners have a past or present history of drug use, but because of socioeconomic factors frequently lack the resources to seek rehabilitation for addiction.

“The most common denominator for prisoners is poverty,” Gourlay said.

Most people with chronic Hepatitis C develop chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Between 1 and 5 percent of people

infected with Hepatitis C will die of liver cancer or liver failure. Hepatitis C now kills more people than does HIV in the United States.

But the discovery and approval of a new drug to treat chronic Hepatitis C by the FDA last year promised better outcomes for patients. Sovaldi, the first drug approved by the FDA to cure chronic Hepatitis C, is a daily pill taken for 12 or 24 weeks. Studies show that it cures between 84 and 96 percent of those who take the drug.

In October, the FDA also approved a different daily pill, Harvoni, as a cure for a specific type of Hepatitis C. The current standard of care for Hepatitis C patients is a year-long regimen of weekly injections of interferon, a drug also used to treat certain types of cancer. But interferon has a cure rate of less than 50 percent. A daily pill, such as Sovaldi, which is taken with another drug called Ribavarin, has fewer and less severe side effects than interferon injections and a shorter protocol, RIPR reported.

But these new treatments come with a hefty price tag compared to previous treatments. Sovaldi costs $84,000 for a 12-week course and Harvoni costs $94,000 for a full course, as compared to an annual supply of interferon, which costs about $30,000, RIPR reported.

Sovaldi “is projected to be among the best-selling drugs of all time,” Bloomberg News reported.

Sovaldi’s costs are a problem because much of the population affected by the disease — many of whom are Medicaid beneficiaries — cannot pay for the treatments out-of-pocket and is unable to receive the medications because of Medicaid’s policy.

“These are public dollars that we’re going to have to pay for treatments.

But the pockets aren’t very deep here.

That’s especially true here in Rhode Island,” Gourlay said.

It is much less expensive to cure the disease now than it is to pay for the later consequences of chronic Hepatitis C, such as a liver transplant, which can cost upwards of $500,000,

Taylor said.

The number of services Medicaid is mandated to provide increased under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, as did the number of enrollees. As a result, state officials projected that Medicaid costs would exceed the original budget by $52 million, WPRI reported.

Taylor said she thinks Medicaid is “wasting money,” by refusing to provide Sovaldi to people abusing substances. “I think the Medicaid policy should eliminate any reference to substance abuse,” she said. “It’s insulting and it’s shaming people and it’s not medically relevant.”

Deidre Gifford, director of Rhode Island’s Medicaid agency, told RIPR that treating everyone insured by Medicaid with Hepatitis C would cost an estimated $220 million.

Rhode Island’s Medicaid policy is similar to those being implemented in other states. Among the states that followed suit, Illinois and Oregon were the first to start putting restrictions on which patients are approved to have the costs of the drugs covered

by Medicaid.

Taylor said she understands that Medicaid doesn’t have the money to treat everyone infected by Hepatitis C, but “on the other hand, we have an infectious epidemic, and … treating is prevention.”

Treating those who are more likely to spread the disease — the second wave of those infected by the virus — would be more effective in curbing the spread of Hepatitis C, she added, noting that much of the policy is not based on evidence. “Sometimes people who are not experts are making decisions about policies and algorithms.”

“I think we need to be creative with this crisis,” she said, proposing that the Veterans’ Health Administration champion the issue and use its drug-negotiating abilities to cure all veterans of the virus.

Rhode Island’s Medicaid program did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

bird’s eye from the scili

menu SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauces BLUE ROOM Mediterranean Pocket Soups: Chicken Artichoke Florentine, Fire Roasted Vegetable, Turkey Chili ANDREWS COMMONS Pizza: Na’cho Pizza, Okie Dokie Artichokie, Pepperoni and Sausage Special: Korean BBQ Night with guest chef Mai Pham

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Broccoli with Mushrooms and Red Onion, Spinach Pie Calzone LUNCH

Sweet and Sour Pork, Broccoli Noodle Polanaise, Roasted Vegetable Melange

VERNEY-WOOLLEY

BBQ Beef on Bun, Cheese Tortellini, Vegan Garden Chili, Peanut Butter Sandwich Bar

DINNER

Swiss Steak, Stuffed Spinach Squash, Mashed Red Bliss Potatoes with Garlic

sudoku

ASHLEY SO / HERALD

Windows on upper floors of the Sciences Library offer bird’s eye views of Thayer Street and local rooftops. The street surface was repaved this past summer, and some corner curb modifications were also made at the time.

comic Comic Sans | Neille-Ann Tan ’18

RELEASE DATE– Thursday, December 4, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Barge, for one 5 Go up to one’s ankles 9 Saw to a seat 14 Launder 15 Obi-Wan portrayer 16 Maine college town 17 Oft-pickled fish 20 Kit for Mr. Fixit 21 Bygone 22 London facilities 23 Otologist’s concern 24 Cartoon still 25 Studious-looking dwarf 26 Strikes out 29 Educational stage 33 Part of a Latin trio 34 Subatomic particle 35 Colleague of Sonia and Clarence 36 Musical dir.

37 Feature shared by the women vocalists concealed in 17-, 29-, 45- and 59Across 40 P&L column 41 Not from around here 43 Word in a dramatic warning 44 Shout for the picador 45 Keep out 48 Bargains 49 Blvd. cousin 50 Bargain bin abbr.

51 Big __ 53 “So that’s your game!”

54 Had a little lamb 55 “Just walk away” 59 Comes to terms 62 Razz 63 Ordering aid 64 Sea birds 65 “Waiting for Lefty” playwright 66 Cad’s comeuppance 67 Fries, say

DOWN 1 Rescue acronym 2 Roman statesman 3 Capital once called Christiania 4 They have very big calves 5 Super Soaker, e.g.

6 Ended a flight 7 Cal. page 8 Bounced off the walls 9 “Downton Abbey” title 10 Drop the ball 11 1964 Ronettes hit 12 How an embarrassing question may be asked 13 “Mission aborted” 18 Org. chronicled in “The Puzzle Palace” 19 Glamour rival 24 More crafty 25 Sci-fi author Lester __ Rey 26 Capacitance unit 27 Well in the lead 28 Passé 30 Wade’s opponent 31 Jeans choice

32 Stows, as cargo 34 “__ Lisa” 38 Much of 19- and 48-Down 39 Really drops the ball 42 Potato spot 46 Credit card issuer 47 Beats badly 48 Magazine with many white dresses 52 Actress Hagen

53 Aware of 54 Court figures: Abbr.

55 Horne on stage 56 Garr on screen 57 Wedding choice 58 “What __ could it be?”

60 Prov. where the CN Tower is located 61 Bus. card number

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

calendar TODAY 12 P.M. MEET THE ICERS: AN INDEPENDENT

12 P.M. ON DEVISING ‘HEIST PLAY’: A PIZZA LUNCH

CONCENTRATION INFO SESSION

CONVERSATION WITH THE CAST AND CREW

Independent concentrators will discuss the process of designing and writing an independent concentration proposal at this information session. Faunce 228

The unique process of casting actors and writing a script for this play will be discussed by the cast and crew over pizza and soda. Lyman Hall, Becker Library

8 P.M. ‘HEIST PLAY’

4 P.M. EXTREME

The lives of the people who make heist films are examined in this play written and directed by Skylar Fox ’15. The play costs $7 for students, $12 for seniors and $15 for everyone xwordeditor@aol.com

12/04/14

else. Leeds Theater 9 P.M. CASABLANCA SCREENING

The Brown University Film Forum presents a free screening of the classic movie “Casablanca.” Deak Nabers, professor of English, will give a special introduction to the film.

Smith-Buonanno 106

By Jeffrey Wechsler ©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

12/04/14

TOMORROW

GINGERBREAD

HOUSE

COMPETITION

Teams of three to five students and professors can enter this competition to build an earthquake-resistant gingerbread house that will be judged by engineering professors. The price of a team to enter is $5. Barus and Holley Lobby 10 P.M. IMPROVIDENCE PRESENTS: BABY BIG HORN

New members of the improvisational comedy troupe IMPROVidence make their debut in this show.

MacMillan 117

6 commentary

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

EDITORIAL

Cap the value of exams In their first jobs and internships, students realize that the real world operates on a vastly different schedule than college. Work is done at the same time every day, and one cannot simply pull an all-nighter and then sleep through the next day’s lectures. Success is decided not by one all-encompassing test but rather by high-quality output each day, for years. Many Brown students would describe their work schedule over a 13-week semester as 10 weeks of manageable demand and three weeks of stressful all-nighters in the Sciences Library basement. But this trend does not reflect the work cycle of the real world. Certainly there are points of high stress for which students should be prepared, but in few careers will bosses base 50 percent of their quarterly review on a two-hour examination.

The skewed grading system and uneven workload can be seen across most departments but is more apparent in science courses, as final exams in the humanities are less common and count for less when assigned. Results in a typical Brown science course might be broken down as follows: 15 percent based on problem sets, 20 percent for labs, 20 percent for a midterm and 45 percent for a final exam. This distribution places little value on weekly work and far more focus on two high-stakes tests.

Courses should be designed to encourage students to develop more consistent work habits and minimize the importance of isolated weeks. As Anton Chekhov put it, “any idiot can face a crisis — it’s day-to-day living that wears you out.”

Chekhov may have never taken an organic chemistry final, but he understood the importance of stamina in most careers, especially writing.

With problem sets, regardless of aptitude, one holds the opportunity to put in the hours and find the right answers, even if it means spending twice as many hours as a more gifted student. This type of assignment teaches students that regardless of their natural ability, they can succeed through hard work.

Within the current system, students give very little attention to problem sets.

Many courses even drop the lowest set, further instilling the lesson that weekly work is not critical. Grade distribution on sets (or class participation for courses with reading) is typically narrow, with most marks concentrated toward the higher end. As a result, exams, with their wider range of grades — often as much as 80 points — play an even larger role on report cards.

The way these courses are graded, students may work hard throughout the semester but still not get an A — or even fail — because they struggled to retain all the information or froze under the pressure of a two-hour exam. Outside variables, such as spacing of exams, also put some students at a disadvantage.

Final exams test important skills, including synthesizing material from throughout the semester and working through challenging problems in a limited amount of time, but in most careers, those skills are far less important than the willingness to work hard the other 10 weeks. To appropriately reflect the values of the real world, the University should set a cap on the value of final exams and a target grade distribution.

Bringing down the value of final exams would reduce unnecessary stress during finals and force course instructors to put more weight on weekly work or assign multiple short tests. Hard-working students should never be in a position where one assignment could take them from an A to an NC. Concentrating the grade distribution would also force instructors to make exams easier (or alternatively, incredibly difficult). If they want the same range of final grades, weekly work would need to be more difficult.

A biology course would still be able to assign an all-encompassing test to make sure students understood the core concepts of the semester. But final grades should undoubtedly reflect the student’s work throughout the semester, not just the last two hours.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Alexander Kaplan ’15 and James Rattner ’15, and its members, Natasha Bluth ’15, Manuel Contreras ’16, Baxter DiFabrizio ’15, Manuel Monti-Nussbaum ’15, Katherine Pollock ’16 and Himani Sood ’15. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

CORRECTION An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Amidst campus dialogue, students confront racial perceptions,” Dec. 3) incorrectly stated that a male student who Aanchal Saraf ’16 said harassed her at a fraternity party was a member of the frat and continued to pursue her after that night. In fact, he was not a brother, and it was an isolated incident. The Herald regrets the error.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Incident warrants long-term frat suspension To the Editor: The Nov. 10 Herald article confirming that a Brown student was given a “date-rape” drug at a fraternity party (“Student tests positive for GHB in spiked drink”) and the subsequent Janus Forum debate and Professor Lindsay Orchowski presentation on rape culture research create an unprecedented opportunity for the University to act decisively and intelligently to reduce sexual assault.

The University’s initial response to suspend the fraternity should be applauded. But it is an interim action. The University should suspend from campus the fraternity at which the date-rape drug-spiked alcohol was allegedly consumed until each of its current members has graduated — that is, for four years. Only when each member of a community is held responsible for the actions of the whole is there any hope that we will see the change we need on campus.

The University is struggling to implement criminal or quasi-criminal punishments against those students who engage in sexual assaults. But it would be simple for it to implement ethical standards of conduct that enhance the safety of its students. At a faculty and staff meeting with the Task Force on Sexual Assault, we were told that the University holds itself to a “higher standard” than the (mere) criminal law. In that spirit, a fraternity should not

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be permitted to look the other way when anyone allegedly takes advantage of one of its parties to disable a woman to engage in non-consensual sex. To end such conduct, we should hold each member of this group responsible.

Multi-year suspension of a fraternity is a serious penalty. But rape is serious and endemic on this and other campuses. Until we implement the simple principle of holding everyone to be his brother’s keeper, we cannot expect change. Fraternities know or should know what is happening at their sponsored events. Fraternities and the University should monitor conduct to ensure that minors are not drinking or serving alcohol and that no one is coming to prey on young women with date-rape drugs or alcohol.

Women are told that they should walk in pairs, go together to parties to look after each other. It’s time to impose the same principle on men. When an alleged assault grows out of apparent misconduct at a fraternity party, that fraternity should not remain a specially privileged member of the community. A multi-year suspension is a reasonable first step in ending the assaults on women on our campus.

Pamela Foa Senior Fellow, Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

A call for mental health reform THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL OF STUDENTS guest columnists

Brown boasts a reputation as one of the happiest colleges in the country.

This perception stigmatizes students navigating mental health concerns and minimizes healthy conversation around such topics. National trends in mental health reflect this concern. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill reports that one in four young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 has a diagnosable mental illness, that 40 percent of students with diagnosable mental health conditions do not seek help and that concern about stigma is the top reason for not doing so.

We see these issues perpetuated on campus. For example, Counseling and Psychological Services reports that 25 percent of students have previously been medicated for a mental health condition before entering campus and 40 percent have previously sought counseling. But only 17 percent of the student body utilizes its services each year, according to data provided to the Undergraduate Council of Students by CAPS Director Sherri Nelson.

Clearly, there is a gap between the students who report experiencing mental health issues before coming to Brown and those who utilize the available resources on campus. This disconnect doesn’t even account for the number of students unable to access mental

health care prior to college.

Even those who do utilize mental health resources find them insufficient.

For example, Brown students are only allotted up to seven sessions at CAPS per year. When contacting CAPS to make an appointment, students are required to self-report the urgency of their situation to a receptionist over the phone. Students who do not report urgency in this initial call wait an average of two and a half weeks for an appointment. These inadequate services are directly correlated to the limited number of clinicians staffing CAPS,

the College and Student and Employee Accessibility Services.

Administrators consistently respond to student concerns about these limitations by citing the lack of available resources. We are told that there is not enough funding to improve what is already offered, but that excuse doesn’t address the issue holistically. In addition to increasing its financial commitments to CAPS, the University must engage in more proactive conversations about mental health to dispel the stigma across campus. If the University facilitates little to no conversa-

of communication surrounding this topic perpetuates further silence within the student body, which increases stigma around mental health and prevents students from accessing the limited resources available to them in the first place.

Students need to be aware of available campus resources and how to navigate them. Only through fostering this open dialogue can students be expected to feel comfortable seeking help.

One clear starting point for this is during orientation, since beginning college life is one of the largest transitions

In addition to increasing its financial commitments to CAPS, the University must engage in more proactive conversations about mental health to dispel the stigma across campus. which can only be improved with additional financial support from the University. Aside from the unacceptable wait time and the lack of an effective triage system, a host of other concerns exist surrounding mental health support services on campus. These include CAPS’ limited staff diversity, poor communication with students on medical leave policies and with those applying for readmission, issues in accessing long-term care — particularly in the referral process for external providers — and the confusing relationship between the Office of Student Life, CAPS, the Office of the Dean of

tion around mental health, then how can students be expected to deal with such experiences in the larger context of their lives at Brown?

Despite the limited nature of campus conversations surrounding mental health, students crave spaces for discussion and have taken it upon themselves to create them. For example, events sponsored by Active Minds and Students for Samaritans, in addition to the establishment of a Let’s Erase the Stigma chapter this semester, highlight the need for direct engagement with administrators on these issues. Ultimately, the University’s lack

many students face. But the conversation should not end there. Through panel discussions, speakers and workshops facilitated by CAPS throughout the year, the University could actively engage the entire campus in this conversation.

That being said, dialogue and communication can only be as effective as the resources that exist to back them up. It is crucial that Brown make a stronger financial commitment to bolstering mental health resources on campus. Though CAPS should be recognized for making significant improvements this semester, including

the creation of a case manager position — to be filled by the end of the academic year — two of the three new hires merely replaced staff members who left. Feedback forms also still cannot be accessed online, and the office’s website lacks information explaining the clinicians’ areas of expertise.

While some changes are more long-term, others can be enacted now: An expansion of peer support groups would provide resources for a large number of students with little financial burden for CAPS, a volunteer-based student intervention team would help students navigate the variety of existing support services, and a student worker position within CAPS would develop more accessible online information.

Students are pushing for many of these changes already. It’s time for the University to get creative with the resources we do have and start taking action on concrete ways to build the capacity of mental health services at Brown.

Anyone who would like to further engage with this conversation should feel free to contact Sazzy Gourley ’16, UCS vice president, and Dolma Ombadykow ’17, a Mental Health Community Council representative and a LETS founding member.

They can be reached at alexander_gourley@brown.edu and dolma_ombadykow@brown.edu.

Big hits, bigger consequences GABRIELLA CORVESE opinions editor

On Sunday, the body of missing Ohio State University football player Kosta Karageorge was found in a dumpster. Officials believe the cause of death is suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot. Shortly before his disappearance a few days prior, he texted his mother, “I am sorry if I am an embarrassment but these concussions have my head all f***ed up.” According to his sister, he experienced multiple concussions over the course of his life.

As officials investigate his death, it will be some time before we know what precisely in his brain could have caused this — that is, if we can be certain at all. But it would be wholly ignorant to pretend that his death is an isolated incident. Since 2002, a disturbing number of NFL players who had concussions have killed themselves at young ages, including Mike Webster at the age of 50, Terry Long at 45 and Junior Seau at 43. Concussions are more than injuries that take a week of rest to resolve — they’re a national public health problem.

When the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain fails to protect it from a severe impact to the head, one can experience a concussion — a form of traumatic brain injury, or TBI. After all, our brains weren’t designed to be violently rocked that way. Initial concussion symptoms often include headache and loss of consciousness, but headaches and cognitive difficulties can persist. Additional concussions over time only create more cumulative brain damage. Recommended treatment

often includes avoiding physical activity and resting one’s mind from rigorous mental exertion.

Does the recovery period allow athletes to eventually gear up again? Yes. Are they then at risk for further brain damage caused by more concussions down the road? Absolutely.

One of the most devastating effects of multiple concussions comes with a foreboding title: chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Over many years, this degenerative brain condition can cause symptoms ranging from memory loss to depression. The NCAA recently allocated $70 million for a medical monitoring fund

covering but ultimately took a medical leave of absence. Tumbleson was one of 70 Brown athletes who experienced concussions in the 2012-13 school year and one of 1.7 million estimated to experience a TBI each year. This doesn’t factor in concussions that aren’t reported — ones that go unnoticed, as athletes are told they “just got the wind knocked out of them” and run back onto the field.

Pom Bunsermvicha ’16 has experienced two concussions during her time at Brown. After each one, she told me, neither she nor those with her when the injury occurred realized something was wrong until she expressed her

Concussions are more than injuries that take a week of rest to resolve — they’re a national public health problem.

after recognizing that college football players have three times the risk of those who don’t play football of having CTE-related symptoms.

What did Webster, Long and Seau have in common? All were confirmed after their deaths to suffer from CTE. I’m not suggesting that Karageorge definitely had CTE, nor am I proposing that student athletes throw in the towels. Instead, health professionals, athletes and students must all acknowledge the potentially grim results of concussions immediately in order to prevent the undesirable.

In spring 2013, The Herald reported on Vince Tumbleson ’13.5, who was initially told

by Health Services to spend two weeks re-

discomfort hours later. Doctors ordered her to undergo cognitive rest after both incidents, though she recalled that she did not feel fully recovered from the second concussion until another week after her designated rest period.

Now, she notices more mistakes in her writing that were not present prior to the injuries.

Short-term care is important for relieving symptoms and resuming everyday activities, but to prevent secondary symptoms like Bunsermvicha’s and tragedies like Karageorge’s death, athletic associations must recognize the need for extensive, consistent support.

University health care providers and athletic coaches should follow up with players with

concussions over time to examine lasting effects. Concussion awareness information must communicate long-term effects just as seriously as the immediate headache. With proactive efforts, doctors can make the proper interventions to diagnose and treat post-concussion symptoms before their effects are dire.

One of the biggest sources of potential support for those at risk? Teammates, both on and off the field. We all must work to reduce the stigma of depression, especially among student athletes. Pain and discomfort — be it physical or mental — are not feelings to be shielded with helmets and shoulder pads.

Athletes with suspected concussions from in-game injuries are evaluated either by a physician present at sports events or by a certified athletic trainer, according to Russell Fiore, Brown’s head athletic trainer, in a University news release from October. But as cases such as Bunsermvicha’s demonstrate, these professionals aren’t always available. Athletes or not, students should recognize potential causes and symptoms of concussions to ensure their peers receive timely treatment.

Even with technological advances designed to make players’ equipment more safe and secure, the human head is not immune to injury. If we cannot prevent concussions, we must work to treat them efficiently and effectively, no matter how devastating or seemingly small.

In an email, Bunsermvicha wrote her biggest recommendation for potential concussion sufferers: “Get proper treatment, right away!”

Gabriella Corvese ’15 studies public health and can be reached at gabriella_corvese@brown.edu.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD Museum to examine role of church in slavery Episcopal Diocese approves proposal to construct museum at Cathedral of St. John

By FRANCES CHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island recently approved a plan to open the nation’s first museum devoted to examining the Episcopal Church’s historical role in slavery in northern states, including Rhode Island. The new museum would be built inside a renovated Cathedral of St. John, located on North Main Street.

The cathedral’s services were suspended in 2012 due to the high maintenance costs of the historic building, said Ben Sibielski, director of communications for the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.

Organizers expect fundraising and planning for the slavery museum to take two years and said it is too early to determine the timeline for construction.

After the cathedral’s services were suspended, people asked Bishop Nicholas Knisely to determine what to do with the building. Knisely “called for a task force to consider the matter and to create a process for the diocese as whole to discern a way forward,” according to

an informational document provided

by Sibielski.

Knisely “wanted to make sure whatever happened came organically out of the voices of the people of Rhode Island,” Sibielski said.

Clergy and former members of the cathedral’s congregation decided after a period of discussion that the space would be used as a national center for reconciliation, Sibielski said.

The new museum would explore “how the church has supported the institution of slavery and also how it helped abolish it,” according to a press release by the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.

“We aren’t so comfortable looking at how we supported slavery … but we have to tell the truth about both sides,” said Linda Grenz, canon to the ordinary of the Diocese of Rhode Island. She said she hopes the museum will be a center for reconciliation that is part of a larger plan to bring people together in dialogue about issues of race and community.

Other parts of the initiative will include starting conversations and programs that will help “to bridge the divide between races,” she added.

The diocese plans to fund the project through grants and fundraising efforts

that engage the larger community, Sibielski said.

The building will be refurbished during its transformation into the museum, Sibielski said. “The outside will probably get the most mirrored look of how it is today.”

Organizers chose the location because “it’s in the heart of downtown Providence,” Grenz said. The museum’s proximity to Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design would be important for its role as a community center, she said. The cathedral’s location is also close to where the actual slave trade in Providence happened in past centuries, she added.

“It’s more than just a museum,” Grenz said, adding that the space will also serve as a performance center for theater, dance, poetry, lectures and other events. Brown students will hopefully be involved in such performances, she added.

Anthony Bogues, professor of Africana studies and director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, said he enthusiastically supports the diocese’s plan. He said he hopes to have discussions with students as the plans for the museum progress, adding that he believes that students will be involved in shaping the museum.

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