SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
VOLUME CL, ISSUE 80
Provost proposes initiative to bring refugees to Brown Scholars and students displaced in Middle East conflicts may join faculty, student body By EMMA HARRIS UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Working with the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund, the University is launching an initiative to potentially bring four or five scholars displaced by conflicts in the Middle East to Brown, said Provost Richard Locke P’17 at a faculty meeting Tuesday. Locke chaired the meeting, as President Christina Paxson P’19 was traveling. “Brown has a long tradition of responding to crises,” he said. A short list of refugees who are scholars interested in coming to Brown has been
sent to various departments for evaluation of their research interests and fit. “This is not a PR thing,” Locke said. “We actually want to make a difference.” The Scholar Rescue Fund offers a $25,000 grant for each scholar, which has to be matched by the University. Locke, who is spearheading the initiative, said he has reached out to provosts of other institutions, and they have since begun a similar process to bring refugee scholars to their own universities and colleges. The University is also talking with the State Department about the possibility of bringing displaced students to Brown, Locke said. “Maybe we can really make a difference” by relaunching the scholars’ and students’ careers and studies, he said. L o cke als o dis cuss ed the » See FACULTY, page 3
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SUNLIT SKYLINE
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Hurricane Joaquin did not hit Rhode Island directly, but the state still saw a rainy weekend. The sun finally emerged from the clouds early this week to provide light and some warmth.
Brown to unveil new course registration site New mobile-friendly system to ease process of registration with improved navigation By JAX INGRASSIA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
HERALD FILE PHOTO
As the University seeks a replacement for Mary Grace Almandrez, former Assistant Director of Co-curricular Activities Joshua Segui is serving as interim director of the Brown Center for Students of Color.
Segui leads BCSC as interim director As admins seek Klawunn’s successor, BCSC director Almandrez acts as coassistant VP By GWEN EVERETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Brown Center for Students of Color is operating under new leadership this semester at the midway point of its fiveyear restructuring plan. Joshua Segui assumed the role of interim director of the BCSC Aug. 1. The leadership change resulted from administrative reshuffling this summer. Former Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn stepped down in August, and Interim Assistant Vice President
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for Campus Life and Student Services Mary Grace Almandrez left her post as BCSC director to help fill the role while the University conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Segui served as assistant director of co-curricular initiatives prior to his appointment. He will carry on those duties in addition to his responsibilities as director, which include making financial decisions, supervising staff members and representing the BCSC in University committee meetings. The change comes in the second year of the BCSC’s five-year plan, which laid out the center’s advising, outreach and activism objectives through the 201819 school year. The BCSC is also in a period of reduced staffing, operating with four instead of its usual five fulltime members.
The center still has “a very strong team,” Segui said, adding that he is confident the center will continue to meet its objectives. The choice of Segui as interim director was “made in consultation with other leaders,” such as members of the BCSC Student Advisory Board, Almandrez said. Segui has “been working with the center for a while — I’ve known him, and I knew he would be really great for our center,” said Sana Teramoto ’16, a coordinator for the Third World Transition Program. TWTP this fall “went really smoothly with this new leadership structure,” she said. Segui said he worked with Almandrez to prepare for the directorship, but “a lot of it wasn’t new.” Under Almandrez’s » See BCSC, page 3
The University is creating a new website for scheduling courses that will replace the current online course scheduler tool. The new system will be ready by summer 2016 and will make it easier to search and register for courses, have a mobile design and feature a modern, user-friendly interface, said Robert Fitzgerald, University registrar. A non-functional prototype of the new site, “Courses @ Brown” can be found at: https://courses-brown.courseleaf.com/. Students cannot register for classes yet but can explore the site. One of the main features of the tool is “sliding decks,” which make navigation and viewing courses easier and more functional on mobile devices. Another prominent feature is modeled after sites like Netflix and Amazon: The site includes recommended classes and a “students like you also took” viewing option, Fitzgerald said. The University hopes that the featured courses component will make the breadth of the open curriculum more accessible to students, said Dean of the College Maud Mandel. The project is being developed in conjunction with the Registrar’s Office and the Office of
the Dean of College. The Registrar is incorporating student feedback they have received since 2008 and is currently testing the tool with a student focus group. Fitzgerald, who is the lead designer for the project, said that he has received a lot of positive feedback from students. The Office of the Dean of the College is bringing in feedback from students, faculty and advisors. Mandel said the most exciting aspect of the tool is its ability to mimic the old course booklet the University printed and distributed in past years, which many advisors miss. The new website can be like an electronic version of flipping through the book and randomly landing on a course, she said. The tool makes searching for courses much easier, Fitzgerald added. Students can filter searches by “courses I can take,” by concentration requirements or by “courses not in my cart.” Conversely, a new keyword search box allows for broader searches beyond the department, title, instructor and course number searches featured on the current scheduler. The new design also streamlines registration. When a student adds a course to the cart, they can immediately enter an override code, rather than having to navigate to a different area of the site. Further, students can select which particular courses from their cart to register for, as opposed to registering for all classes in the cart. Courses will also » See BANNER, page 3
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, OC TOBER 7, 2015
ARTS & CULTURE Friday evening’s Night Market expands students’ palettes without having to leave campus
ARTS & CULTURE Documentary explores vibrant history of ‘Black Panthers’ social movement
EDITORS’ NOTE A note from the editorial board regarding two opinions columns published earlier this week
COMMENTARY Horowitz ’16: Following AEPi’s vegan week, many questions are left to address about veganism
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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
This Week in Higher Ed BY EMMA HARRIS AND DREW WILLIAMS, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Nine killed in Oregon community college shooting Eight Oregon community college students and one teacher were killed, and nine were wounded Oct. 1 after a 26-year-old male gunman opened fire on classrooms at Umpqua Community College, the New York Times reported. Students were evacuated to Douglas County Fairgrounds, eight miles south of the school, where friends and family gathered anxiously as details from the shooting slowly came out. The shooter is believed to have killed himself while in contact with police officers who converged on the college, and the FBI is currently engaged with local law enforcement in an investigation on the shooter’s firearm cache and “hateful” motivations. At the initial press conference, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin refused to disclose the gunman’s name. “I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act,” he said. The carrying of a concealed weapon at UCC is legal, as Oregon is one of seven states that permits firearms at postsecondary schools. Students sat in a public speaking class when the gunman burst into the classroom. In nearby rooms, shots were audible, and students attempted to barricade themselves in or flee via the hallways. President Barack Obama responded with a press conference later that day, in which he expressed anger at the continuous occurrence of mass shootings — particularly at schools. He lamented the lack of “modest regulation of how we use a deadly weapon,” asking Americans to put aside partisan ties and come together to stop “this cause of continuing death for innocent people,” NBC News reported. Obama will visit Roseburg, Oregon, this upcoming Friday. UCC reopened Monday, offering counseling to faculty, staff and students before classes resume next week, WGN reported.
NCAA non-compensation rule for student athletes upheld Collegiate athletes do not have the right to be paid for their work, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday, the New York Times reported. According to the ruling, the NCAA “may restrict colleges from compensating athletes beyond the cost of attendance,” the Times reported. The court ruled that under antitrust law, the exchange of students’ playing time, ad revenue and merchandise sales in return for reduced or completely covered tuition is legal. The ruling upheld a decision from last year, in which a federal judge warned the NCAA that it was “not above the antitrust laws,” the Times reported. The ruling also eliminates the possibility that student athletes be paid up to $5,000 in “deferred compensation.”
Secretary of Education to step down U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will step down from his post in December, ending a tenure of almost seven years that saw sweeping changes controversial to both sides of the aisle, the New York Times reported. Duncan cited family as the motivating factor for his departure, as his wife and two children moved back to their home city of Chicago this past summer. “Arne’s done more to bring our educational system, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the 21st century than anyone else,” Obama said at a press conference Oct. 2. “It’s a record that I truly believe no other education secretary can match,” he added. But Obama will attempt to allot that job to John King, Jr., current deputy education secretary, the Times reported. Duncan’s most noted achievement remains the Race to the Top program, which offered financial prizes to school districts that innovated their educational standards through improved teacher evaluations, increased charter school utilization and lowered standards for teacher dismissal. He also prioritized the implementation of the Common Core and national testing procedures. The reforms to teacher evaluations angered Democratsupported teachers unions, while the Common Core implementation and testing reforms disrupted the Republicanpushed No Child Left Behind program. King is seen as ideologically similar to Duncan but may not have access to the billions of dollars available to the current Secretary, as Congress will discuss cutting some of the Department of Education’s funding.
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Shireen Akram-Boshar ’16, Tim Ittner ’18, JoVaun Holmes ’17, Isabella Kres-Nash ’18, Sabiya Ahamed ’17 and Nico Sedivy ’17 visited the historically black Tougaloo College in Mississippi through Brown’s exchange program.
Tougaloo student exchange connects campuses In ‘mini-exchange’ trip, students may share in culture of Mississippi historically black college By JESSICA MURPHY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The partnership between Brown and Tougaloo College, a historically black college located near Jackson, Mississippi, continues to advance exchange programs and research opportunities for undergraduate students and faculty and staff members, said Maitrayee Bhattacharyya ’91, associate dean of the College for diversity programs and director of the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership. The deadline for applying to the spring 2016 Student Semester Exchange Program — in which Brown students spend a semester at Tougaloo — passed on Thursday. The Student Semester Exchange, while still relatively small, has grown from one or two students each semester to six or seven students each semester over the last few years, Bhattacharyya said, adding that “there has been very much increased participation” over the course of her eight years at Brown. Established in 1964, the partnership fosters “a lot of activity” when all of its components are considered,
Bhattacharyya said. According to its website, the program “is designed to enrich both campuses through student and faculty academic and cultural exchanges, collaborative research ventures and administrative level engagements.” As the director, Bhattacharyya coordinates all aspects of the partnership, including an advisory council at both Tougaloo and the University. Each year, as part of the Semester Exchange Program, students from each school swap places and experience a different environment for a semester. In order to raise awareness about the partnership and the exchange, the Civil Rights trip was created. The Civil Rights trip is a “mini-exchange” led by Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies Francoise Hamlin. In the program, a group of Brown students spend a week each spring at Tougaloo to study the history of the Civil Rights Movement, Bhattacharyya said. Nico Sedivy ’17, a double-concentrator in Africana studies and music, participated in the Civil Rights trip last year and plans to study at Tougaloo next semester as part of the Student Semester Exchange. “The students there were really interesting and very different from students at Brown,” Sedivy said. “At the end of the trip, I wanted to stay
even longer.” The Civil Rights trip to Tougaloo College largely attracts students concentrating in Africana studies, while the Student Semester Exchange includes a wide range of students, Bhattacharyya said. Shireen Akram-Boshar ’16, an Africana studies concentrator, praised her experience in the Civil Rights trip last year. “It was my first time in that part of the country,” Akram-Boshar said. “We did archival research projects at the Mississippi State Archives for two to three days. We each did a research project about historical and contemporary racial injustice.” But the program suffers from a lack of awareness among the student body, Akram-Boshar said. “I don’t think enough people know about it,” she said. The program “spreads by word of mouth, which takes a lot of time,” Bhattacharyya said. Last semester, Akram-Boshar had students from Tougaloo in one of her classes and appreciated engaging with their perspectives. “It was valuable to have them in our classes here,” she said. Several Tougaloo students who participated in the exchange as undergraduates are currently studying at the Alpert Medical School, Bhattacharyya said.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
» BANNER, from page 1
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
The redesigned course scheduler site will feature new sliding decks that will make it easier for students to view courses. Additionally, using a model similar to Netflix and Amazon, the site will recommend courses for students based on previous selections.
» BCSC, from page 1 leadership, he had been progressively taking on additional responsbilities at the BCSC for some time, he said. Almandrez’s “supervision style has always been thinking about not just the needs of the center, but my professional development,” Segui said. “There was always this thought of my career trajectory.” The BCSC prepared last spring for the 2015-16 school year by putting various mechanisms in place “to springboard for the fall,” Almandrez said. Despite leadership change, there remains “consistency in the priorities” at the center, she said, adding that “students are still getting the same level of support,
if not more.” In her role as interim assisstant vice president, Almandrez continues to oversee the BCSC from her office in University Hall. She also attends BCSC events and holds office hours at the BCSC because she “felt it was important” that a dean have a presence at the center. “One of the important aspects of a leader is to make sure the organization can run even if you’re not present,” she said. “It’s not like (Almandrez) is gone” because she continues to hold office hours at the center, Teramoto said. Looking ahead, Segui said his next main initiative will be preparing for the center’s 40th anniversary, which will occur in 2016.
» FACULTY, from page 1 recently-released operational plan, explaining that it is “simply a plan that’s going to guide our fundraising” in people, programs and places — three large categories in which fundraising and investments have been organized. With the launch of the comprehensive campaign fast approaching, Locke said $845 million has already be raised — $269 million for people investments, $259 million for program investments, $100 million for campus investments, $72 million for “opportunity” — another category of initiatives — and $145 million in undesignated funds. Locke spoke about how the results of the AAU Campus Climate Survey indicate a “strong sense of peer support” but also “lack of trust in University process and administration.” As for the prevalence of sexual assault and misconduct on campus, “as educators and many of us as parents, this is just alarming,” Locke said. He continued to explain that faculty advisers and department chairs are “responsible employees,” meaning they are legally required to report any student accounts of sexual assault or misconduct to the Title IX Office. In the survey, 29 percent of graduate students who reported sexual misconduct identified a faculty member as their offender, a statistic that Locke called “particularly disturbing.” “These are the kinds of things no one wants to read about or engage with, but we have to,” he said. Dean of the College Maud Mandel spoke to the faculty about the possibility of instituting a winter session. Mandel, who is co-chair of the Winter Term Working Group, began by addressing the largest cause of community anxiety: The winter
session will not necessitate a change to Brown’s regular fall and spring calendar. The group proposed that the pilot term not align with the Rhode Island School of Design’s winter term in order to preserve Brown’s spring semester timeline. After bi-monthly meetings and four forums last semester, the group proposed a four-week-long pilot winter session, in which “innovative” courses not available during the regular semester will be taught, Mandel said. Mandel listed several possible ideas for winter term courses. For example, some professors of the practice who are unable to take an entire semester off from their jobs may be able to take a month off to teach during the winter term — like a theater course taught by an acclaimed director. Other ideas include courses that teach how to use a specific, sophisticated engineering tool, those that allow for intense language immersion or those that are recipients of a Global Experiential Learning and Teaching grant, which provides funds for “destination courses.” Like regular semester courses, 48 “contact hours” will be required of faculty members, Mandel said. But unlike regular semester courses, professors would have the freedom to set when and how these hours would be conducted, with the possibilities of evening classes, Saturday classes and “blended” online and in-class meetings all on the table, she added. The 48 hours must fall between the last week of December and the third week of January, but at the professors’ discretion, she said. The courses may not require students to be on campus for the full four weeks. Students would only be able to take one course per session, and Mandel
have warning icons to denote whether or not a student qualifies for them. The new tool also better integrates ASK Advising Sidekick and the University Bulletin, allowing students to directly import courses selected through ASK into their cart and more easily view course requirements for a concentration. Some students noted shortcomings about the current scheduling system. Michelle Lin ’17 said one aspect of the current system that bothers her is the inactivity sensor, “You’ll be searching for a course and flip departments, and it will kick you out.” “There are a lot of things in the schedule that I have but aren’t showing up in Banner, like my sections. … It would be better to have everything in one place,” said Lauren Shin ’19. Rebecca Townsend ’19 said, “What I don’t like is how it reacts to having like two classes in the same slot.” A common issue with the legibility of overlapping courses is also addressed on the new website. Courses appearing at the same time will be displayed like topographical maps, Fitzgerald said. With more classes overlapping, the classes appear more red, and students will have the ability to scroll over the courses and see the descriptions below. said there is a potential for students to use those credits to petition for accelerated graduation. The working group’s recommendations also include financial aid being extended to cover the winter session, Mandel said. One way of designating the pilot “successful” would be if the proposed winter session does not increase the University’s operating budget, Mandel said. “Brown is not going to make any money from this program,” Mandel said, adding that the money brought in by the program will be used to provide student resources, such as Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Student and Employee Accessibility Services and housing and dining. “Because we’re Brown,” the proposed winter session is unlike other institutions’, Mandel said. The closest existing model is at Cornell, where the winter term consists of onlineonly courses. Four new members were welcomed to the Faculty Executive Committee: Peter Heywood, professor of biology, Johanna Hanink, assistant professor of humanities, Govind Menon, professor of applied mathematics, and Lynne DeBenedette, senior lecturer in slavic studies. The meeting also included a memorial minute for Adjunct Professor Emeritus of Urban Studies Melvin Feldman ’47, who died in June. Well known for his plaid shirts and white suspenders, he is also remembered for frequently giving students and colleagues tours of the Providence waterfront in his motorboat, said Dietrich Neumann, director of urban studies and professor of history of art and architecture. Feldman was 91 and taught at Brown from 1970–1991.
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ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Taiwanese Night Market showcases cultural performances, Asian cuisine Hosted by Brown Taiwan Society, market offers festival fare from BanhMi’s to Impulse Dance By KASTURI PANANJADY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Sayles Hall was packed Friday night as students flocked to Night Market, an annual event hosted by the Brown Taiwan Society. Walking in, an excited hum greeted visitors, with people sharing food and stories. Featuring student-run cultural organizations, performance groups and authentic homemade food, the 11th annual Night Market received a “tremendous” response, said Claire Su ’17, president of BTS. The origin of a Night Market — a place for socializing, snacking and cultural immersion — is very Taiwanese, Su said, adding that Brown’s version is less traditional and more of a place to laugh and enjoy oneself. Justin Liang ’18, social chair at BTS, said that some alums come back to Brown for the market after they graduate. This year, culinary options ranged from Vietnamese Banh-Mi to Korean Kimchi Fried Rice, catering to a variety of tastes and spice tolerances. Christina Chu ’18 of the Brown Vietnamese Students Association said that Night Market was successful because it was not what people expected. “It’s not like Andrews (Commons
food) at all,” Chu said. “It tastes so much better.” The amount of work involved for the participating student organizations can be stressful, said Michelle Zabat ’18 of the Filipino Alliance. “We have to make 250 portions of each dish,” Zabat said. Michelle Ng ’18, treasurer of the Hong Kong Students Association, said she sees her participation in the Night Market as an extension of her duty as an international student to represent her country. “Even in a cosmopolitan school like Brown, there is scope for making people aware of our culture. And with food you don’t need a language.” With an atmosphere of adventure, Night Market attracts students with varying degrees of exposure to Asian culture, with the vibrant colors and smells of Asian foods drawing in the casual passerby. While Liang said it is hard to represent cultures solely through food or performance, he believes that they serve as a good “starting point“ for cultural appreciation. During the market, a variety of performances including Lion Dance, Impulse and Daebak accompanied the array of food. This year, Night Market raised over $4,800, which will be distributed amongst the participant groups depending on their food sales. But, Liu said, “it’s not a competitive atmosphere at all.” “We strongly believe that it’s the
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Sayles Hall was packed with students lined up for Night Market’s offerings including Vietnamese Banh-Mi’s and bubble tea. The event also featured performances by Impulse, Daebak, Lion Dance and others. spirit of the event and not the money that matters,” Su added. Liang said almost all of the stalls sell out of food.
While they could not cite exact figures, Su and Liu said they would use the money raised by BTS to subsidize cultural events and gatherings.
These may include workshops on how to make dumplings, scallion pancakes and mochi — a kind of Asian rice cake.
TODAY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
BEFORE THE FLAMES
menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Stir Fry and Curries, Po’Boy Sandwiches Pizzas: Honey Boo Boo, Pizza Bianco, Polynesian Teriyaki JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Soups: Baked Potato, Hearty Country Vegetable
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Polynesian Chicken Wings, Organic Red Rice with Papaya and Pineapple, Sweet Potato Fries
BBQ Bourbon Chicken, Vegan Quinoa with Kale and Olives, Baked Stuffed Pollock
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Sloppy Joes, Falafel, Steak Fries, Malibu Blend Vegetables, Make Your Own Mac n’ Cheese Bar
Grilled Chicken Cilantro, Mexican Cornbread Casserole, Herb Rice, Caeser Salad
sudoku
crossword SAM BERUBE / HERALD
Boats remain tied up at the edges of the Providence River in preparation for WaterFire. Saturday’s WaterFire was sponsored by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Research Foundation as part of its Flames of Hope programming.
comics P-Branes and Bosons | Ricky Oliver ’17
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WELLNESS AT BROWN 12:00 P.M. Hillel Social Hall
PASS FINAL CUT PRO 1 5:00 P.M. List Art Building, Room 315
NINA ARRIBA (NGO) TALK 4:00 P.M. Watson Institute, Kim Koo Library
5 STEPS TO CONQUERING PROBLEM SETS 7:00 P.M. Salomon Center, Room 003
TOMORROW SEVENTY YEARS AFTER HIROSHIMA 4:00 PM Hillel, Winnick Chapel
HARRIET TUBMAN NATIONAL PARK 4:00 PM Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice
ESCRIBIR EN CUBA HOY 4:00 PM Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum
VISIONS/AASA OPEN MIC NIGHT 8:00 PM The Underground
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORS’ NOTE
CORRECTION
Earlier this week, The Herald published two opinions columns that were not only controversial but also deeply hurtful. Errors in the editing process aside, we understand that these columns contained racist content that has no place in our paper or community. The first (“The white privilege of cows,” Oct. 5) was built on eugenics and invoked the notion of biological differences between races — a concept that has been repeatedly disproven. The second (“Columbian Exchange Day,” Oct. 6) made the racist argument that Native Americans should be thankful for colonialism (despite the massacres and erasure of peoples and histories). We are also cognizant of the continued confusion and hurt our actions created in the immediate aftermath of the columns’ publication, and we apologize for our role in that. On Monday night, we made a decision not to publish the second column after the paper had been sent to our publisher and the article had been posted online. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop its printing. As soon as we made that decision, we removed the column from our website. We recognize why these actions seemed designed to brush over our mistake. We as The Herald are part of a history of Brown that is founded on inequality and that is too often slow to change. Brown itself is built on land that belonged to the Narragansett and Wampanoag nations, and yet the University has no formal relationships with them. As the composition of our campus community becomes more inclusive and diverse, this shift calls existing practices into question, including those of The Herald. Newspapers have a sacred responsibility to promote the free exchange of ideas, but that responsibility is designed to protect both those with controversial opinions and those whose voices are frequently excluded. The Herald’s opinions section has too infrequently been a platform for the latter. By failing to be more inclusive of marginalized voices, The Herald does not fully live up to its potential or our community’s expectations. We must continue to make active efforts to recruit and retain a diverse staff. Without this, we will continue to fall short and repeat our mistakes. To those who have been most deeply hurt, we ask you to share your voice with us and with the Brown community at large. Understandably, this is an unequal burden, but we cannot progress without help. This is not the first time The Herald has published racist material, and while we hope it will be the last, a promise is not enough. Over the next three weeks, the organization’s editorial board will reexamine the editorial processes that allowed these mistakes and previous ones to happen. Because people’s opinions are messy and often controversial, we will rethink the standards by which we evaluate columns. We will also revisit our existing editing process, including its structure and timeline, and seek the advice of professional journalists and the community, particularly centers that deal with dimensions of social identity. Incidents like this week’s force us to interrogate our existing policies and practices — a challenging yet desperately important process. We regret the hurt that we have caused. The Herald’s blind spots are not lost on us. The publication of these columns reminds us how far we still have to go.
An article in Monday’s Herald (“Unique dual-degree Med School program launches, Oct. 5”) misstated that there were 16 students accepted into the new MD-ScM program. In fact, 16 students enrolled in the program. It also stated that 10 medical schools received the American Medical Association $1 million grant, but in fact, there were 11. The Herald regrets the errors.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“With food, you don’t need a language.” — Michelle Ng ’18
See night market on back.
Editors’ notes are written by the 125th Editorial Board: Michael Dubin ’16, Maxine Joselow ’16, Kiki Barnes ’16, Jillian Lanney ’16, Isobel Heck ’16 and Molly Schulson ’16.
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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
The FAQs of veganism ADAM HOROWITZ guest columnist
Last week, AEPi went vegan. Along with members’ significant others, independents living in Marcy House and representatives from four other Greek organizations, the members of the house feasted on food donated by several companies focused on creating nutritious and satisfying plant-based products (such as Beyond Meat, Hampton Creek and Daiya Foods), and a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals employee flew in to cook the food. Having been the only vegan in a fraternity for almost three years, I assure you that I have been asked whatever questions you may have for me multiple times. Let’s go over some of the most popular ones (for the umpteenth time). Question one: Why are you vegan? Answer: There are three main reasons why one chooses to go vegan. The first point is the ethical impetus. Almost all farmed animals are kept in “factory farms,” which are large industrial complexes designed to produce large quantities of livestock as quickly and efficiently as possible. Therefore, the welfare of the animals is never taken into account and they are kept in terrible conditions. These animals are beaten, mutilated and starved by
the millions before painfully being slaughtered. Question two: (interrupting) Okay, but what about dairy and eggs? Answer: Dairy cows and henlaying chickens are treated just as badly as other factory farmed animals. When they stop producing milk and eggs, they too are sent to slaughter. Vegetarianism is a great start (I was vegetarian for four years before I went vegan), but the only way to fully boycott industrialized cruelty is to switch to a completely plant-based diet.
pounds of farmland used for growing feed for livestock instead of food for people. There is also the enormous amount of waste produced by livestock, the rainforests that are being destroyed to make room for cattle grazing in the developing world, and the estimate that by 2048 we may have fishless oceans due to farmed fishing. The documentary “Cowspiracy” elaborates on these points, and it’s on Netflix! The bottom line is that you cannot consider yourself an environmentalist without being vegan. Question four: Don’t organic
Question five: I only care about my own well-being. What’s in it for me? Answer: The third reason for switching to a plant-based diet is for health reasons. Most people have heard that red meat has adverse health effects, but many of these ailments have been found to extend to other meats as well. Moreover, scientists have discovered that there isn’t really any evidence that milk builds strong bones, only that it leads to higher rates of diabetes. Plant-based sources of protein and calcium are just as effective, if not
Having been the only vegan in a fraternity for almost three years, I assure you that I have been asked whatever questions you may have for me multiple times. Question three: I don’t care about animal welfare. Why else should I go vegan? Answer: What most people don’t realize is that veganism is not just about the animals; for instance, a diet consisting mainly of animal products is terrible for the environment. A recent Worldwatch report demonstrated that animal agriculture alone is responsible for more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one gallon of beef. Using this water on beef is wholly inefficient, along with the millions of
farms provide a happy environment for the animals and foster more sustainable agriculture? Answer: The truth is that animals are still mistreated even on “cage-free” and “free-range” farms. A cage-free farm, for example, is supposed to offer chickens space to roam, but the reality is they are put in one large, cramped pen rather than individual cages. As for the issue of sustainability, it is environmentally inefficient to breed livestock for food no matter how they are raised. “Cowspiracy” addresses this, too.
more so, and are lead to reduced rates of heart disease and obesity. “Forks Over Knives,” another Netflix documentary, discusses the scientific and medical evidence related to the health of a plant-based diet. Question six: So why did you go vegan? Answer: My entire family went vegan four years ago due to animal welfare issues (we have four rescue dogs), and in recent years I have taken a great interest in the health issue, mainly due to the fact that I am in the process of applying to medical school.
Question seven: Let’s say I want to go vegan. What can I eat on campus? Answer: Despite what you might think, Brown dining halls are not nearly where they should be in terms of providing a diverse array of vegan options to students. Progress has been made, however, and the Sharpe Refectory now often serves substitute meats and cheeses, with more exciting recipes on the way. Plus, as more students express interests in having plant-based options, it will become easier to pressure Dining Services to provide them. On the other hand, the city of Providence has an amazing assortment of restaurants that produce vegan meals. Nice Slice serves vegan pizza, and Like No Udder, a food truck, offers vegan ice cream. The Brown Veg Society is also working on a guide to being vegan at Brown which will soon be made available to the student body. Question eight: Where can I find out more? Answer: Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. You can try to stump me, but I promise you I’ve heard it all. Plus, if there are enough inquiries, maybe I’ll get to write a second column.
Adam Horowitz ’16 does not spend his days eating only tofu and wearing Birkenstocks.
In pain? Go to Spain. CHAD SIMON opinions editor
I studied abroad in Granada, Spain, a city so unrivaled by any I have ever visited that I can definitively claim it will remain unrivaled for as long as I have breath in my body. I have also decided in earnest that I will retire (provided retirement is still feasible in 40 years) to a casa tucked away in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where every morning will begin not a lark’s crowing earlier than 3 p.m., and any meal not paired with several glasses of cabernet sauvignon and a chain of hand-rolled cigarettes will be deemed constitutionally defective and an affront to Spanish culture. Don’t bother joining me. Seriously, don’t. Now, at the risk of sounding basic, I am compelled by duty to say: Study abroad was totally life-changing, and culture and memories and scenic waterfalls and such! My semester in Granada taught me more about myself than any semester had at Brown. It was vastly formative, therapeutic, endlessly thrilling and did marvels to restore my waning faith in the goodwill that, rest assured, still exists in the world. But if you’re not charmed by any of that cushiony nonsense, let me leave you with perhaps the most valuable takeaway: It was necessary. And now, amigos, I’m going to open up a bit as to why. But just a bit! And just this once! From the beginning of my freshman fall to the end of my junior fall, I languished heavily in
what the edgier students would call dire straits. I was overwrought with stress, in a state of perpetual self-doubt about everything and lying to everyone I met that I was a vegan. Life seemed, by and large, unfair and irreversibly bleak. Was I depressed? Yes, Sherlock. Out of options? So I thought. I knew Counseling and Psychological Services was going to do about as much good as a stale joke, and I knew making the administration privy to whatever it was that ailed me would’ve surely been met with their lording hand strong-arming me into taking a “voluntarily” leave, as is their wont. Allegedly, of
Accordingly, I bid Providence adieu, or better, adios, and flew to southern Spain, recovered, matured, lived and thrived. I moved into the fourth-floor apartment of my host mother who didn’t speak a lick of English, but boy dickens could that woman cook! I spent many an afternoon sunbathing and reading by the river; I happily wined and dined in cafe patios for the mere price of six euros; I learned how to dance well enough to have made my Puerto Rican grandmother kvell; I forged lasting friendships with locals, learned Spanish and lived a very “me, me and more me” lifestyle. It was wonderful. It was rehabilitating. In fact, the only differ-
I experienced my own “Eat Pray Love,” except this was the unproduced sequel, “Eat Drink Dance Smoke Lust Repeat.” Hollywood, are you listening? course. What I needed was a break. A reprieve? No, too short. I needed something of sabbatical proportions. I needed a proper expanse of me-time that would have zero strings attached to my academic record. Most of all, I needed to feel human again. I needed to be young and stupid, also again. In the words of my fictional grandfather whom I just now created to lend credence to the following idiom, I needed to “sow my wild oats,” preferably in a place that was above ground level and didn’t reek of a particular herb.
ence between my time abroad and one of those resort-style celebrity rehab clinics in Malibu would have been a severe absence of plastic handle sangria in the latter. Everything I was advised against, I did. Everything I was advised to do, I didn’t. And though both of those statements may be extremely exaggerated for rhetorical purposes, I will say that many of the self-imposed (and not so self-imposed) constraints I had amassed in both my lifetime and from inheriting 5,000 years of Jewish history were loosened if not entirely kicked to the wayside. One might say
I adopted a particular rebel-with-a-cause attitude, but if we’re honest, that behavior really only tends to afflict emotionally tormented teens. I like to think I developed a rebel-witha-pause attitude because the big guy up in the clouds finally granted me the time and freedom to indulge every single hedonic inclination that had been teeming in my conscience since the onset of puberty. In kind, I experienced my own “Eat Pray Love,” except this was the unproduced sequel, “Eat Drink Dance Smoke Lust Repeat.” Hollywood, are you listening? Mom and Dad, I hope you aren’t! I’m not going to pretend that I know the best medicine for relieving whatever it is that may be dampening your dumps. I’m not a doctor. And even if I was, by reason of even suggesting I know what’s best for your mental health is enough for me to still prescribe that you flip me a predominantly central finger and then proceed to tell me exactly what it is I should shove up a very southern orifice of mine. But what I can tell you, and with complete impunity, is that Europe is on the whole better than America, Spain is on the whole better than the rest of Europe, and “study” and “abroad” are befittingly the finest pairing of words in the English language since “open” and “bar.” And if that final sentence failed to leaven your tortillas, then by George find me a hat to side with my host mother’s Sunday paella, and I’ll eat it graciously.
Chad Simon demands you reach him immediately at chad_simon@brown.edu.
ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015
‘Black Panthers’ synthesizes narratives of nostalgia, fervence Documentary explores historical movement’s vibrant past, examines its complex leaders By SHIRA BARTOV CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Many viewers of “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” a documentary by Stanley Nelson, may be hardpressed to decide if its contents are more shocking or familiar. Like every historical documentary, “The Black Panthers” is about the past — more precisely, about remembering the past. Though Nelson interviews a medley of journalists, historians and police officers, he mostly focuses on the Blank Panther Party’s former members. Their memories — fervent, funny, nostalgic and angry — are threaded throughout with a subdued ruefulness. Propelled constantly between
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reflective testimonies and historical footage, the viewer is confronted by the juxtaposition between the Black Panthers’ hope of infinite possibilities and realizations of the group’s eventual collapse. Nelson meditates and sometimes mourns the end of that limitless horizon. For if some of us work toward a more just world today, no significant movement dares conceive of the Black Panthers’ vision: a cross-racial socialist revolution to overturn the U.S. order. The film shows that some of the Black Panthers’ efforts triumphed, but others did not. Some lives and narratives were saved, but others were not. We live in a different world now, but still one ravaged with black poverty and police brutality. Perhaps the film’s greatest achievement is its evocation of the Black Panther Party as a vibrant, contradictory and explosive social movement. It comes to life through compelling and flawed leaders — Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver — and their interpersonal relationships.
The Panthers coined an urban sexiness in their uniforms of leather jackets, berets and indomitable hair. With breathtaking boldness, they entered the California Statehouse with loaded guns, claiming their right to self-defense and human dignity, declaring that they would no longer bear violence and injustice. The film also conveys the movement’s multiplicity of meanings for its members: “The Revolution” signified to Panthers a black nationalist uprising, a Marxist struggle, a paramilitary effort, a social service project or any combination thereof. Through all the chaotic yet persistently urgent scenes that Nelson retrieves from this movement’s fabric, the most enduring statement is a sense of its power. Formally, “The Black Panthers” is a relatively conventional documentary. Like the voices of its aging Panthers, the film’s shape is quiet and restrained. It does not draw attention to itself, teaching a lesson or explicitly indicating parallels with the present time. It does not even try to make full
SAM BERUBE / HERALD
Cable Car Cinema’s latest film, “Black Panthers,” tells the history of the revolutionary movement through fragmented memories of its members. sense of what the Black Panther Party really was. It merely gives us shards of the irrecoverable past, through the
lens of contemporary memory. The film runs at Cable Car Cinema until Thursday.