Wednesday, October 21, 2015

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 89

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Steinfeld appointed Watson director Test essay scores optional

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Edward Steinfeld, professor of political science and China studies, was appointed director of Watson Institute after an international search.

Director of Brown China Initiative to succeed Richard Locke P’17 effective Jan. 1, 2016

By JACLYN TORRES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Edward Steinfeld, director of the Brown China Initiative and professor

of political science and China studies, has been named director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in a communitywide email Tuesday.

Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Steinfeld will take over as director, and Provost Richard Locke P’17 will cede the position, which he has held since 2013.

Locke was appointed provost in June

after Vicki Colvin’s resignation and is currently currently acting as both provost and director of the Watson Institute.

“As director of the Watson Institute, Professor Steinfeld will be responsible for shaping and directing the Institute’s ongoing research initiatives and educational programs and providing intellectual leadership for its multidisciplinary community of affiliated scholars and students,” Paxson wrote.

Steinfeld is “honored” to take on the role of director and work closely with the Brown community, according to a University press release.

“Brown today is an extraordinary place to be conducting engaged, multidisciplinary, policy-relevant research — exactly the type of scholarship needed to address urgent global concerns,” Steinfeld said in the press release.

Locke expressed confidence in Steinfeld’s ability to lead the Watson Institute through future endeavors.

“I am thrilled he is director. He is an incredibly gifted scholar and teacher,” Locke told The Herald, adding,“He has a strong vision for Watson and the future ... and students say great things about his teaching.”

Steinfeld came to Brown in 2013 after serving on the faculty of the » See STEINFELD, page 3

for class of 2021 onwards Office of Admission foresees increase in diversity of applicant pool due to test’s lower cost

By AGNES CHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Applicants hurrying to polish their early decision applications to Brown by the Nov. 1 deadline are among the last applicants who will be required to submit SAT or ACT essays.

The Office of Admission will no longer require applicants to submit the essay portions of the SAT or ACT, starting in fall 2016 with applicants to the class of 2021, according to its website.

The decision follows the College Board’s announcement that the essay section of the SAT will be optional from March 2016 onwards.

Admission officers believe that they have enough information to make “thoughtful and informed” decisions with the redesigned SAT and the Common Application, said Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73. “We know that tests are stressful and time consuming, and for some people they can be a significant expense. So we want to make sure we’re doing what is in the best interest of the

applicants,” he said.

The SAT currently costs $54.50, while the SAT without essay will cost $43, though SAT fee waivers will cover the entirety of either, according to the College Board website. The ACT, which has always had an optional essay, costs $56.50 with essay and $39.50 without.

Half of Ivy League universities require scores from the essay portion of either test. Penn, Columbia and Cornell will join Brown in waiving the requirement, while Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Dartmouth will still require applicants to submit essay scores.

While the reading and writing sections of the SAT are “deeply predictive of college success,” the essay is not as useful to many admission officers, the College Board wrote in a statement. The new SAT essay is adjusted to reflect collegestyle analytical writing. Whereas the old SAT essay portion required students to respond to a prompt, the new essay asks students to compose an analysis of a given passage. Students have 50 minutes — twice as long as they had for the old essay — to work.

Students who submit essay scores will not have an advantage over those who do not, Miller said. Similarly, though the writing section of the ACT is still » See ESSAYS, page 2

Film ‘EXPO’ experiments with alternative media From documentaries to animations, BMP and PREVIEW’s collaboration reveals breadth of media

By JACLYN TORRES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Brown Motion Pictures teamed up with PREVIEW to distort the social conventions of media at EXPO Volume II in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Friday night. The pieces ranged from experimental animations to audiovisual montages to documentaries.

EXPO featured 18 student works that aim to change the public’s perception of narrative, audiovisual and conceptual film. These works introduced the audience to the ways in which film can be manipulated to focus on particular elements, or lack thereof, through experimentation. EXPO was spearheaded by co-founders Maria Paz Almenara ’16 and Alif Ibrahim ’16, a technology director for BMP. Pom Bunsermvicha ’16, creator of the documentary “Grandma,” said she

INSIDE

developed the film as part of her senior thesis, and it is currently in the early stages of development. Bunsermvicha added that she has also shown the film to Thai producers, who have expressed interest in her work.

John Filmanowicz ’17, creator of the computer animation clip “Mouthful,” said, “This animation was actually an assignment for a computer science class I wanted to get into. It was an opportunity for me to learn animation and have some fun.”

This is the second time that EXPO has run on campus, so the collaboration is still getting off the ground. But EXPO is already seeing success. The theater was filled with students, parents and families supporting the artists and appreciating the multimedia work.

More than anything, the screen showcased truth, relationships and the human experience.

In the narrative documentary “Daytime Rider” by Rainey Zimmermann ’19, two young girls, Sylvi and Amy, develop their friendship through blind exploration and life’s journey to » See EXPO, page 3

MATTEO MOBILIO / HERALD

Students gather in the Petteruti Lounge for a Minority Peer Counselor workshop led by MPCs Angelica Johnsen ’18, Timmy Jeng ’18, Kylen Soriano ‘18, Justin Willis ‘18 and Amani Hayes-Messinger ’18.

MPCs discuss heterosexism in workshop Workshop examines marriage rights, discrimination, violence in LGBTQ communities

By MELISSA CRUZ STAFF WRITER

Though same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in June, LGBTQ in-

dividuals still face a multitude of challenges including discrimination and violence — the subject of a Minority Peer Counselor workshop on heterosexism Tuesday.

The interactive workshop was divided into three sections: marriage rights, discrimination and violence.

The facilitators of the event — MPCs Angelica Johnsen ’18, Timmy Jeng ’18, Kylen Soriano ’18, Justin Willis ’18 and

Amani Hayes-Messinger ’18 — began by outlining the structure of the workshop to attendees who were sprawled on the floor with provided ice cream in hand. The facilitators emphasized that attendants should prioritize self-care and exit when necessary.

The facilitators defined common words and terms in LGBTQ discourse and contextualized the LGBTQ » See WORKSHOP, page 2

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, OC TOBER 21, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE SciLi’s ‘Prototype’ exhibition examines design, brainstorming processes of artists

ARTS & CULTURE Food truck festival fundraises for cancer research, draws large crowd for Family Weekend

COMMENTARY Simon ’16: Selling admission spots could cover all tuition for students on financial aid

COMMENTARY Seoh ’14: Bad science can be a dangerous weapon deployed to perpetuate racism

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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

This Week in Higher Ed

BY DREW WILLIAMS, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

California passes ban on concealedcarry firearms on campuses California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into effect a law banning concealed-carry firearms at state schools and higher education institutions into effect Oct. 10. Senate Bill 707, the bill’s official title, passed through the legislature at the beginning of September. The vote occurred almost entirely along party lines, with Democrats for and Republicans against, the Sacremento Bee reported.

The bill waited on Brown’s desk for over a month, during which time the nation saw three more mass shootings occur on college campuses.

The deadliest of these took the lives of 10 people at Umpqua Community College in Oregon Oct. 1.

California is the first state to pass “a modern ban on people being able to carry a gun on college campuses,” John Lott, the head of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told the New York Times. Conversely, 10 states have passed laws explicitly permitting concealed carry on campuses. Five of those states passed their laws since 2007, a year notable for the mass shooting at Virginia Tech.

California Assemblywoman Shannon Grove voted against the measure in her state. “If you put up signs saying, ‘No guns allowed on campus,’ that’s not going to stop people who are going to do you harm,” she told the Times, adding that such a sign could inhibit qualified permitholders from defending themselves.

“The sentiment behind the law is our strong belief that law enforcement truly are the ones who need to be in control of arms on the campus,” California State Senator Lois Wolk, who sponsored the bill, told the Times. “And they are the only ones on campus that should be armed.”

Brown’s actions come amidst campus protests in Texas against a law passed in June supporting concealed carry. But with the majority of state legislatures out of session for the year, any indication that either side of the debate is gaining momentum will likely wait until 2016.

Famed UC astronomer resigns among sexual harassment scandal University of California at Berkeley astronomer Geoffrey Marcy — “considered the best planet finder in the world” — resigned Oct. 14 following an Oct. 9 Buzzfeed article detailing the results of a Title IX investigation levied against him for years of sexual harassment, the Los Angeles Times reported. Allegations come from four women, all former students of his, in “‘one of the biggest open secrets’ among astronomy professionals: The man regarded as one of astronomy’s brightest lights was a serial harasser,” the LA Times reported.

The University of California’s Office for Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination concluded its investigation in June, finding Marcy guilty of “inappropriate behavior,” but it did not take any substantial action against Marcy, the LA Times reported. As the investigation ended, the UC administration told Marcy to cease any behavior that could be construed as harassment or to expect consequences “that could include suspension or dismissal,” the LA Times reported.

The Buzzfeed article detailed the charges against Marcy, including one from a woman who cited Marcy’s behavior as her reason for leaving the field of astronomy. Marcy released a public apology two days prior to the publication of the Buzzfeed article. “While I do not agree with each complaint that was made,” he wrote, “it is clear that my behavior was unwelcomed by some women,” the LA Times reported. The letter did not stop 25 of Marcy’s colleagues from signing a petition demanding his resignation or release, the Washington Post reported.

UC Berkeley confirmed Marcy’s resignation through email but stated that university regulations “would have made it difficult to terminate Marcy” due to a three-year statute of limitations, the Washington Post reported.

Dept. of Ed restricts funding to forprofit college The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it will limit federal financial aid toward ITT Educational Services, a for-profit college group with more than 45,000 enrolled students, Business Insider reported. The announcement follows an Oct. 12 New York Times article, which found that the U.S. Department of Education paid millions of dollars per month to for-profit colleges accused of predatory behavior.

ITT has withheld information about its distribution of federal grants since 2009, the Department of Education wrote in a letter to ITT, adding that the for-profit chain will no longer be able to provide federal grants to students until it submits extensive documentation verifying students’ statuses at the school.

ITT does not foresee financial losses due to the new policy but simply “an increased administrative burden,” the company said in a statement.

This does not mark ITT’s first run-in with the federal government, as the group was previously investigated by both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

ROLAND HIGH / HERALD

» ESSAYS, from page 1 “strongly recommended” according to the Office of Admission’s website, students will not be disadvantaged if they do not take the ACT with writing, he said.

Juanda Tan ’19 said though he felt that the writing portion tested his ability to construct a coherent argument, he supports the University’s decision, because these are skills that admission officers can gauge with the Common Application essay and supplemental essays that vary by school. He added that “not every concentration requires argumentation anyway, so someone’s ability to argue shouldn’t necessarily be a deciding factor of his or her spot at Brown.”

» WORKSHOP, from page 1 movement by citing past movements that tended to focus on white gay males and exclude people of color. They also noted that gay people have often been stigmatized as sick.

Interactive strategies, such as “turnand-talks,” continued the discourse, allowing attendants to turn to their neighbors and have a small discussion about questions the facilitators posed throughout the workshop.

Workshop leaders began by outlining the different rights that people have in civil unions, domestic partnerships and marriage.

The legalization of same-sex marriage is important to the gay rights movement, but there are still a variety of issues that exist for the LGBTQ community, the facilitators said.

Participants joined an activity in which they read challenges and restrictions faced by hypothetical partnered couples, in order to draw attention to the lack of rights for couples in civil unions.

This section also included a discussion of the Human Rights Campaign and its critics, including the Pipeline Project. The Human Rights Campaign is a “civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans” while the Pipeline Project is an initiative striving for “people of color leadership, advancement and program development strategies for the LGBT movement,” according to their respective websites. The Pipeline Project criticized the Human Rights Campaign as “judgmental, exclusionary and homogeneous,” because it was mostly run by cisgender white males, facilitators said. Further, leaders of the group refused to use the proper

The change in the testing policy will also “level the socioeconomic playing field” for applicants, said Divya Santhanam ’19. “Conventional grammar rules aren’t always taught in schools. Someone who has an SAT coach could learn, say, 14 grammar rules,” but someone from a low-income background may not be able to afford that kind of training, she said. “I did well on the writing section because I had prep books to study from and a family that came from a very wellread background.”

Colleges that choose to make the essay portion optional will also likely see a broadening of their applicant pool because of the lower cost of taking the test, said Steve Goodman, education consultant and admission strategist at

Top Colleges. “The goal is to diversify the applicant pool and deepen it, and this is just one step towards that,” he said.

Students usually find the writing portion challenging and will take advantage of the changes made, Goodman said.

“This is like the strange uncle or aunt who comes into town for Thanksgiving and then moves away … and then all of a sudden we don’t have to deal with them any more,” he said. “Good riddance.”

But the current testing policy is subject to change. The Admission Office will evaluate the policy every few years based on what the new test reveals and whether or not the new system provides enough information for admission officers to make decisions, Miller said. “Nothing is chiseled in concrete forever.”

pronouns of transgender employees and did not often promote women within the organization, they added.

Facilitators then discussed the difficulties LGBTQ couples have as they “continue to face barriers with adoption and discrimination,” Soriano said.

They then opened the conversation up to the audience, asking what role they thought social norms played in same-sex couples’ difficulty to adopt.

There is a “myth in our society that male/female is the only way to have a family,” said an attendee named Mark.

These social norms are “portrayed in media and politics, and that would definitely affect how adoption agencies work,” Mark added.

AJ Ballard ’18 noted that “adoption agencies are usually run by religious organizations that then try to decide what families are legitimate or deserving of ” families.

Hayes-Messinger relayed her personal narrative of the difficulty one of her moms had in adopting her, emphasizing the many hurdles same-sex couples must endure.

The second section — discrimination — included stories of LGBTQ people facing discrimination immediately after the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States on June 27.

Discrimination is prevalent in the medical field as well, facilitators said, referring to an incident in which a bisexual woman’s gynecologist assumed she had slept with “20 or 30” partners.

An attendee who identified as Annie said the example “shows how queer people are hyper-sexualized.”

Facilitators then discussed discrimination in schools, citing statistics showing that the majority of LGBTQ students are harassed, feel unsafe and face discrimination in some form.

Sexual assault “should not be erased under the blanket term bullying,” Willis said.

Attendees learned about the “school-to-prison pipeline,” in which children are marginalized because of sexual orientation and pushed out into juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Chrys Tran ’17 pointed out that this is specific to class as well and that this trend usually occurs more in inner cities than in suburbs. “This is not a white, gay issue. This is very much a black/ brown problem,” Tran added.

The final section on violence discussed how hate crimes against LGBTQ individuals are not considered federal crimes, leaving cases to state and local jurisdiction, Willis said, calling that “particularly unnerving.” LGBTQ people of color are the victims of violent crime at significantly higher rates than white LGBTQ people, the facilitators noted.

At the end, a list of resources and organizations for LGBTQ issues was distributed. The facilitators said that heterosexual students should stand in solidarity with LGBTQ peers and should actively listen to and support them.

“MPC programs are significant venues for consciousness raising,” said Shane Lloyd, assistant director for firstyear and sophomore programs. “It’s not often that students have a facilitated opportunity in community with their peers,” he added.

“A more complex understanding of what queer people really face is what I hope” attendees gain, said Jieyi Cai ’17, a former MPC currently involved in mentoring current MPCs. The facilitators of the workshop declined to comment to The Herald about the event.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» STEINFELD, from page 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 17 years. While a professor of political science at MIT, he served in multiple administrative roles including director of the MIT-China program and co-director of the China Energy Group.

In 2014, Steinfeld launched the China Initiative with intentions to “convene a series of public service forums on China and China’s development,” Steinfeld said in a conversation on the Watson Institute’s website.

Locke discussed the most important challenges Steinfeld will have to face in the coming year. “The number one challenge is to consolidate the growth Watson has experienced in the last couple years,” he said. “Continuing strong ties to other parts of the Brown community, such as public health and engineering, is one of the most important issues.”

Steinfeld’s role as director will also extend beyond overseeing initiatives and continuing policy-relevant research. Paxson wrote in her email that Steinfeld will act as Watson’s principal liaison to the academic community and faculty of the University.

He will also oversee its day-to-day operations, including its budget and finances, fundraising and external relations.

Steinfeld will report jointly to Locke and Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P’12.

One of Steinfeld’s main focuses as director will continue to be the China Initiative he currently leads. “I think there are a number of policy challenges and social challenges that are global in nature that China certainly faces and the U.S. faces,” he wrote on

» BRUOG, from page 8 both popular on campus and that supported cancer research, Jack Shay said.

“Up until recently BrUOG has been largely unnoticed,” Jack Shay said, adding that one of BrUOG’s objectives for this year is to become a larger presence in the Brown community.

Tia Forsman ’19 MD’23, a PLME student who volunteered at the festival, said, “A lot of people were there and getting food from the food trucks, but they didn’t know what it was for.” She said her role was to hand

Watson’s website. “By studying issues comparatively, I think we can really learn a lot in the process.”

Paxson explained in her email that the selection process for a new director was international in scope.

“The search started in the summer,” Locke said, adding, “We advertised nationally and Paxson sent out a letter to the faculty, asking for suggestions of candidates and accepting internal applications.” The University received 40 to 50 applicants, and upon a rigorous interview process, narrowed the search down to four finalists, he said.

Steinfeld was ultimately selected for his scholarly expertise and wide influence in the world of political studies.

“Professor Steinfeld’s depth of experience and expertise — as well as the recognition he has earned as a scholar — will contribute directly to the Institute’s efforts to enhance its profile and impact locally, nationally and internationally,” Paxson wrote.

“The committee decided a week or so ago, and Steinfeld officially signed the letter on Friday,” Locke said.

The Watson Institute, which integrated with the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy last year, is home to a number of internationally focused centers and initiatives, including the China Initiative. It also houses undergraduate concentrations in international relations, development studies and public policy, as well as a one-year Master of Public Affairs program and a postdoctoral fellows program, Paxson wrote.

Steinfeld could not be reached for comment by press time because he is traveling internationally. brochures to festival-goers to spread awarness of BrUOG and the purpose of the festival.

BrUOG’s local focus is what makes the festival and the center’s other fundraisers compelling, Forsman said.

It was “easier for people to donate because they knew it was (for) a local community,” she added.

Jack Shay said that placing the festival on Family Weekend helped to maximize donations as well.

Forsman agreed that the timing of the event was “strategic.” “I was really surprised by how many people donated and how generous they were.

People were really receptive,” she said.

» EXPO, from page 1 understand the world. The plot centered around Sylvi’s journey to find her way back home after Amy dropped her off in the middle of woods. The film elicited a variety of emotions: uncertainty, worry, anxiety, peace and knowledge. As the credits appeared on the screen, the viewer gained a sense of closure, with clarity in the duo’s learning process.

Filmanowicz’s computer animation clip “Mouthful” showcased the power with which inanimate objects can connect the human experience. It centered on a simple visual: two disembodied hands reaching for popcorn and brushing up against each other while taking a mouthful. But the creation of the clip, which lasted a minute and a half, was far from simple. “It took me 12 hours to create,” Filmanowicz said, “It was longer than I’d like to admit, but it was fun to learn the program.” The tedious process proved successful — the audience chuckled at the awkward romantic touch and applauded at the end of the clip.

Bunsermvicha took a different approach with her documentary, “Grandma.” She chronicled the daily life of her friend’s Thai grandmother on camera and documented her addiction to illicit black market gambling.

“I captured everything I could in one day from 7 a.m. to sundown. It was no

COURTESY OF ADAM HERSKO-RONATAS

Brown Motion Pictures’ EXPO showcased multimedia student film work, including Adam Hersko-Ronatas’ ’16 “Cloudy Busey - Overcame the Sun.” problem getting (the grandmother) to act natural on camera, but there were so many problems getting her to do what I envisioned. Eighty percent of the time she just stared at the camera, which caused some editing issues,” Bunsermvicha said. “I’m excited to keep working on the documentary throughout the year and add more footage.”

With diverse interests, students can have autonomy in discovering passions

and pursuits. “The students involved have many majors and their work provides an opportunity to do something independent from their classes,” said Sarah Cheung ’16, managing director for BMP. In this way, BMP provides students a creative outlet for multimedia work.

“There is no other platform at Brown that allows people to show their independent media artwork,” Cheung said.

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Spotlight on the Statehouse

BY EMMA JERZYK, METRO EDITOR

History repeats itself Acelia Terrero, owner of Ada’s Creations on Broad Street, told the Providence Board of Licenses that she paid $29,000 in bribes, Turn to 10 reported Oct. 18. She did not specify to whom she paid the money or for what purpose.

Ada’s Creations — which has been a bakery, a restaurant and a nightclub — had “a history of violence” and required a police officer every night it was open while it was a nightclub. As a result, Terrero was charged $56,000 for police details.

Because Terrero could not meet the payment schedule, the board suspended the food and liquor license for Ada’s Creations, after which she explained that she paid someone $29,000. Since telling this to the board, Terrero filed for bankrupcy.

This comes after Gordon Fox, former vice chair of the board and former Rhode Island Speaker of the House, admitted to accepting $52,500 in bribes from the owners of Shark Bar and Grill on Thayer Street, The Herald previously reported.

Sen. Juan Pichardo, D-Providence, who chairs the board, told Turn to 10, “Look, the past is the past. Obviously, if we don’t learn from the past, we’re bound to repeat it.”

Hospital renovations Gov. Gina Raimondo and Lester Schindel, CEO of CharterCare Health Partners, announced that CharterCare would invest $17.5 million to renovate and expand Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, WPRO reported.

The renovations will include changes to the emergency departments and new lobbies and entrances. The renovations are expected to generate 235 jobs. The news comes not too long after the Lifespan health care system announced that budget cuts would eliminate 200 jobs at Rhode Island Hospital and close Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s early intervention program.

Software update Rhode Island received a $112.8 million federal grant for the Unified Health Infrastructure Project, the Providence Journal reported Oct. 19.

UHIP is a project that began in 2013 to build a computer system to verify eligibility for Medicaid, tax credits for HealthSource RI — the state’s health insurance exchange — and other public assistance programs.

The new system will replace the 25-year-old InRhodes system, which is run by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The addition of federal funds brings the total cost of the project to $380 million, including $80 million of state money. The additional funds were approved by the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sexual assault at clubs Three Johnson and Wales students — Mohammed Aljohani, Tareq Alharbi and Mohammed Alsaqer — were scheduled to appear in front of a judge Tuesday on charges of first-degree sexual assault, the Providence Journal reported.

Yazeed Alasiri, is charged with second-degree sexual assault in conjunction with the other three, but he was released Monday

by Rhode Island District Court Judge Anthony Capraro after surrendering his passport.

Alasiri is accused of groping a Johnson and Wales freshman. The other three students are accused of raping a different Johnson and Wales freshman at an apartment in Pawtucket. The men met the two female students at Colosseum nightclub in Providence Oct. 1.

Police detectives who searched the apartment where the alleged sexual assault occurred found prescription hydrocodone, “unidentified oval tablets engraved with H4, a clear plastic baggie containing a pale white rock type substance (and) disposable syringes,” the Journal reported.

COURTESY OF COLVIN KENJI ENDO

Curated by Colvin Kenji Endo ’18, Teri Minogue ’18 and Adele Ruppert ’16, the 12 pieces of “The Prototype” give insight into the inspiration and brainstorming behind the design process.

SciLi exhibit depicts the process of design Student exhibit ‘The Prototype’ displays squiggle-inspired artwork to color library’s walls

By REBECCA ELLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Many students avoid exploring the contents of the Sciences Library’s 14 floors. Though the basement, lobby and mezzanine are well-charted territory, levels three through 14 are less loved and favored by students seeking isolation amongst the stacks. But for the past three years, the Science Center has increased the third floor’s appeal with the addition of a new student-based art installation each year, said Jodie Gill, Science Center program coordinator.

This year’s exhibit, “The Prototype,” officially opened Friday. The exhibit explores the design process behind everyday objects and was curated by Colvin Kenji Endo ’18, Teri Minogue ’18 and Adele Ruppert ’16.

The project allows viewers to peek behind the scenes to “the inspiration, brainstorming, collaborations, revisions and dead ends” underneath everything from chairs and bowls to wearable guitars and “internet wands,” according to a pamphlet provided at the exhibit’s opening.

“The Prototype” features 12 pieces from 16 artists engaged in various design-based pursuits. “The design process is not limited to fine arts or graphic designers,” Minogue said.

The team opened their call for submissions to any discipline in any

medium on the Brown and Rhode Island School of Design campuses, ultimately displaying work from artists engaged in architecture, urban studies, engineering, visual arts and computer science.

To help cull the plethora of 3Dprinted models, prototypes and digital renderings that were sent in, the team referred back to a squiggle that stood as the primary inspiration for the exhibit. This particular squiggle — vaguely resembling a hectic heartbeat gone flat — was drawn by designer and artist Damien Newman to represent the erratic design process.

It’s “what the design process should be,” Endo said. At first, “it’s this crazy mass of random thoughts starting at the stage of research, and then that narrows down, as you begin prototyping, and then, with clarity and focus, you have your final design.

We want to show projects in all the different stages of the squiggle.”

The 12 pieces selected for “The Prototype” represent varied stages of completion. Symbolizing the beginning of the squiggle is “The Bathhouse,” by Andres Chang ’17 — a collection of beautifully illustrated maps, models and site plans for a suspended bathhouse.

Further along the squiggle lies Benjamin Basseches’ ’15 “Dynamic Seating,” which is in the prototype stage. The project includes a slanted wooden chair “that both encourage(s) movement and allows for a halfsitting, half-standing position,” according to the pamphlet, along with original sketches of the design.

Finally, the flat-lined end of the

squiggle — the finished product — is represented by the “Bookwheel Social Center,” created by RISD alum Stan Lichens, resembling a large wooden wheel with bookshelves rimming the edges.

These works are intended to give the SciLi a much-needed “Granoff feel,” Gill said, referring to the creative arts center. Gill spearheaded the idea of using the space for exhibits four years ago so that SciLi frequenters can take a break from the stacks and immerse themselves in candy-colored panels and meticulously crafted sculptures.

“We didn’t want (the Science Center) to feel like the sterile environment that the library usually holds,” Gill said. “Now I think people are pleased when they see it and (don’t) just walk by to use the restroom,” Gill said.

Roughly 30 students and faculty members ventured up to the third floor Friday to view the art in celebration of the exhibit’s opening.

Scattered within the crowd were the artists and administrators who helped make the exhibit happen.

“I think the intersection between science and design is great,” said Jokichi Matsubara ’18.

The exhibit will remain in the Science Center for the remainder of the academic year. And for those generally not drawn to art installations, the Science Center’s exhibition may, at the very least, be a worthwhile study spot.

“It’s nice to have something visually appealing instead of just concrete and white drywall,” Gill said.

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

construc tion ahead

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

Artichoke Pepper Calzone, Red Flannel Hash, Hot Roast Beef on French Bread, Sweet Potato Fries

Butternut Squash Formato, Bourbon BBQ Chicken, Bean and Potato Stew, Pumpkin Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Ham and Bean Soup, Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwich, Vegetarian Spinach Strudel

Chopped Sirloin with Mushroom Sauce, Pastito, Butternut Squash and Leek Risotto, Garlic Bread

sudoku

crossword

MATTEO MOBILIO / HERALD

Foot traffic on Brook Street’s East sidewalk has been limited in front of Barus and Holley due to construction.

To get to Barus and Holley from Brook Street, students must navigate Prince Engineering Laboratory.

comic “A Campus Fairytale” | Kimberly Saltz ’17

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Navigating the Federal Job Market 12:00 P.M. Taubman Center

How America Met the Jews 5:30 P.M. Petteruti Lounge

Super Heavy Petting 1:00 P.M. Wriston Quad

PASS Web Design 6:00 P.M. List Art, 315

TOMORROW Getting Started: An Alumni Film Showcase/ Workshop 10:30 A.M. Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum

CareerCon Satellite: Education 5:30 P.M. Faculty Club

New Directions in the History of U.S. Slavery 12:00 P.M. Brown-RISD Hillel

BUFF Presents: Rosemary’s Baby 9:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno Hall, 106

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Come back, Professor Ruth Simmons

The Herald should have supported Maier

This coming weekend, President Christina Paxson P’19 will unveil the University’s new comprehensive fundraising campaign that will fund her vision for Brown, as laid out in her 2013 strategic plan, “Building on Distinction,” and detailed in the operational plan released earlier this semester. Ten years ago this week, then-President Ruth Simmons unveiled her own campaign with the theme “Boldly Brown.” Over its five-year run, the campaign allowed Brown to expand the faculty substantially, fund a need-blind admission policy for domestic firstyear applicants and build a new medical school in the Jewelry District. These significant investments dramatically changed our university under Simmons’ leadership. As we kick off a new fundraising campaign and a new chapter for the University, we are also left asking — where exactly is Simmons?

Simmons — lovingly referred to by many in the Brown community simply as “Ruth” — left her post as Brown’s president at the end of the 2011-12 academic year. After serving as the first black president in the Ivy League and Brown’s first woman president, Simmons’ record is well-documented, and her list of accolades is long.

While the renaming of Lincoln Field as Ruth Simmons Quad is a lasting tribute to her, there are a number of commitments and commemorations that have yet to be realized. In a September 2011 letter to the Brown community, Simmons vowed to “continue at Brown as professor of comparative literature and Africana studies.” She further stated, “Following a leave, during which I will take up projects that have been on hold far too long, I will enthusiastically return to teaching, an endeavor that also gives me enormous satisfaction.” Understandably, leading Brown for more than a decade must be a taxing and time-consuming effort, and Simmons is entitled to rest and to give as much attention to other projects as she would like. But a large number of current students would benefit from her insight as an educated woman of color, a black leader, a first-generation college student and so much more. We are eager for Simmons to return to campus as a professor to mentor and support students further.

When one enters Sayles Hall, there are a number of portraits on the wall whose subjects are referred to as “Friends of the University.” The overwhelmingly white faces portrayed in these paintings belong to former Corporation members, donors, historic alums and University presidents. Brazenly missing is Simmons’ painting.

The nearly all-white faces in Sayles remind us all of the long history of black and brown marginalization in this country. While adding an additional portrait of a black woman does little to change this history, it does commemorate and celebrate change. As a leader of color at a primarily white institution, Simmons could not have been expected to single-handedly alter Brown’s policies and practices so that they are not institutionally classist or racist — and she certainly did not do so — but her portrait’s presence in that room will serve to remind us that change is possible, if slow. We understand that painting a high-quality portrait takes a significant amount of an artist’s time, but we urge the University and Simmons to expedite this process. Even though many may not notice it is missing, all will notice the additional presence of a person of color in such a hallowed hall.

In an age of increasingly visible racial stratification and mobilization, Simmons reminds us all that change is possible through both her personal story of social mobility and her trailblazing tenure at the helm of the University. She decisively helped make Brown what it is today and what Paxson will build on over the coming decade. As Brown enters a new phase — one that is admittedly more focused on faculty, scholarship and physical expansion — our campus looks forward to the possibility of Simmons’ return. And if that is still a long time coming, let’s at least have her painting.

To the Editor: I write to express my disappointment with The Herald’s unwillingness to support M. Dzhali Maier ’17, its embattled staff columnist, and publicly defend both its commitment to free speech and editorial independence.

Responses to Maier’s columns by students and administrators correctly emphasize The Herald’s salience and influence on this campus, if only to rebuke it. However, The Herald’s influence makes its commitment to the freedom of expression that much more vital. The seat of public debate and argument at Brown resides in its pages.

It has a responsibility to protect and defend that space against calls for “accountability” to activist student groups.

The Herald has also betrayed its obligation publicly to support its columnists, no matter how incendiary their views. A newspaper protects its writers publicly, even if it disagrees with them. It is unfair for a newspaper not

to share the risk of bad press with its columnist. Instead of defending Maier and its editorial judgment, this paper has discredited and embarrassed itself by equivocation and apology.

In March 2001, The Herald published a full-page advertisement by conservative activist David Horowitz opposing reparations for African-Americans. In response to the hue and cry of angered students, this newspaper asserted its right to print whatever it saw fit and even went so far as to reprint and redistribute the paper after protestors removed 4,000 copies of the Friday edition from campus newsstands. Now, it refuses even to speak in its own defense.

Once college newspapers cherished their editorial independence. Now they have become their own censors.

Nicholas Geiser GS PhD candidate in political science

CORRECTION An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Goodall spreads chimpanzee love to Brown,” Oct. 20) quoted Jane Goodall as saying, “That’s ‘this is me’ in monkey language.” In fact, she said, “That’s ‘this is me’ in chimpanzee language.” Another article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Q&A: Goodall reflects on memories from 55-year study,” Oct. 20) quoted Jane Goodall referring to Flo the chimpanzee’s “material behavior.” In fact, she was discussing Flo’s “maternal behavior.” The Herald regrets the errors.

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

“It’s nice to have something visually appealing instead of just concrete and white drywall.”

— Jodie Gill, Science Center Program Coordinator

See scili on page 4.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Manuel Contreras ’16 and Meghan Holloway ’16, and its members, Emma Axelrod ’18, Noah Fitzgerel ’17 and Aranshi Kumar ’17. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Pimp my university CHAD SIMON opinions editor

Like too many Brown students, I find myself critical of President Christina Paxson P’19 more for sport than because I actually have any reason to be. If I’m being honest, I hardly know anything about her save that she went to Swarthmore College, prefers vegetables to pepperonis on her pizza and now lives rent-free in a gated Georgian-style compound on Power Street.

But you see, no disposition on campus is more in vogue than publicly rebuking “the man.” Case in point: An embarrassing number of students demanded a presidential explanation last semester after Gawker published a leaked email correspondence among Paxson, Brown’s Senior Advisor for Leadership Philanthropy Ronald Margolin and Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, who generously cut a $1 million check to Brown with more strings attached than the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Anyone with a pulse can trace the probable outcome of this “philanthropy” — a prospective student connected to Lynton gets accepted to Brown!

But before this op-ed begins to sound like a steaming indictment, let it now and forever be known that I was never more enthralled with my president than after reading these emails. My only request is that the privileged be privileged even more.

And if you’re on financial aid, like me, you should be asking the same.

On Feb. 8, 2015, notably my birthday, Paxson emailed the entire student body an encyclopedia-sized summary of a recent Corporation meeting. In it, she wrote that, after much discussion, “the (University Resources Committee) recommended a 4.4 percent increase in tuition and fees, bringing total undergraduate charges for (the 2015-16) year to $62,046.” (I should note that the median household income in the United States in 2013 was $51,939).

Though it would be my hubris to suggest my birthday and this thermonuclear bomb of an email were anything but coincidental, a part of

mulated a solution to defray these costs under perhaps the most visionary proposal yet. You’ve heard of Brown’s initiative “Building on Distinction,” but please, leave room in the warm cockles of your heart for its nascent twin, “Building on Bribery.” (I waffled between “bribery” and “precedent.”)

Before I expand on that, though, let’s survey some preliminary facts and figures: 690, or 44 percent, of the 1,567 students of the Class of 2018 are on financial aid. Since the average need-based award is $44,268, it follows that the tuition still owed by the average need-based aid recipient

pop, a drop in the bucket for many.

Michael Lynton would say so. And $1 million is already a whole third of his annual salary! Just think of the whales gaming it up on Wall Street! $1 million to them is akin to a drunken bet on a Foxwoods’ blackjack table.

Now, I completely understand any reservations you may have with selling admission into Brown. Actually I don’t.

If selling just 12 auxiliary admission slots would mean a tuition-free school year for every student on financial aid, then I think I speak for all of my blue-collar-bred compatri-

We, the elite poor, are the indirect beneficiaries of bribery, hush money and the die-hard, masturbatory will of the Ivy League to jack up endowment numbers to foie gras proportions. my ego purrs at the notion that Paxson personally gifted me a birthday present that afternoon when she also wrote that there would be an “8 percent increase in next year’s financial aid.” I may not be so hot at math, but I’m proficient enough in the discipline to know an 8 percent increase in my $46,000 financial aid package is an angel’s kiss more than a 4.4% increase in $59,316 of tuition.

All things considered, I am grateful that $12,046 is all I owe, but I am still of the creed that it’s $12,046 more than I am interested in paying. So in deference to the working class community at Brown, I’ve for-

is $17,778, or the difference between $62,046 and $44,268. Multiply that difference by the 690 students and we get a total of $12,266,820.

Still with me?

Basically, $12.3 million per year is all that’s needed to send every student on financial aid to Brown for free. Just $12.3 million! That’s one Greenwich Village townhouse. Or two winter coats from Moncler’s Himalayan Hoodies collection!

The genius behind “Building on Bribery” is that it increases the class size by just a mere 12 students and then calls for those 12 spots to be sold for no less than $1 million a

ots when I say I’d happily welcome a gaggle of spoon-fed aristocrats to hopscotch around on my campus. I would even go so far as to shake the manicured hands of each of these unsung heroes and thank them obsequiously.

Isn’t it blaringly obvious? They are the unexploited vehicles for our financial salvation!

Let’s not forget that we, the poor elite, are the indirect beneficiaries of bribery, hush money and the diehard, masturbatory will of the Ivy League to jack up endowment numbers to foie gras proportions. If we want to afford Brown, we need to

continue to dance for our benefactors with a smile on our faces until the cows come home for milking.

And though I’ve never milked a cow, find me an udder stuffed with diamonds and you can rest assured I’d be great at it.

On another note, I was curious as to how much a parent would need to donate to get their kid into Brown assuming their kid is 100% unqualified, so I emailed Margolin and asked, “How much (would) a parent need to donate to get their kid into Brown assuming their kid is 100% unqualified?” (I’ve never been one for subtlety.) I received a response instead from an informative Cass Cliatt, vice president of communications, who had some clarifying words for me: “Brown’s admission process is absolutely separate from any development activity.”

But then I was curious as to what “development activity” actually meant. “Development” as in Brown buildings like the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the Rockefeller Library and the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences?

Or “development” as in buildings on campus named after immensely wealthy benefactors of the University, like the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the Rockefeller Library and the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences?

I guess the world will never know.

Chad Simon ’16 is free for brunch this Saturday and can be reached for appointment at chad_simon@brown.edu.

Not all free speech is created equal ALEX SEOH

op-ed contributor

Between 1839 and 1849, Samuel George Morton published results of an ongoing study on differences in brain size between races. His now widely discredited theory of craniometry asserted that different races had differing brain sizes that correlated directly with intelligence.

He concluded that because blacks had smaller brains than whites, they were intellectually inferior. Quide popular in his day, his now spectacularly falsified research was cited again and again to dehumanize blacks, thereby assuaging the white guilt involved in the practice of human beings owning other human beings as property and helping to justify the continuation of slavery in antebellum America.

Freedom of speech is important. Defending this freedom is defensible. It is true that exposure to opinions that we disagree with can force us to reconsider our positions or even reinforce them. But what Professor Kenneth Miller ’70 P’02 and his colleagues fail to mention is that giving blatantly false or harmful ideas an elevated platform — such as an endowed lecture or a place in the most-read campus newspaper, albeit one whose credibility is justifiably declining — can be detrimental to society and other freedoms and liberties. The uninformed will

take the platform itself as an indicator that an argument is legitimate, leading more people to adopt these false and harmful beliefs and slowing down our progress as a society. People will support an argument based on the prominence of its platform alone.

Regarding the op-ed “The white privilege of cows,” published two weeks ago, and why it is indefensible: It is a hallmark example of an au-

child as well as a heterosexual married couple.

Complicated economic metrics are flattened in order to feed Americans the facile argument that Mexican immigrants are taking away all of the country’s decent-paying jobs.

Last week, the tactic was strangely employed to invoke an old eugenics argument. What makes “The white privilege of cows” so unforgivable, so beneath even the work of Morton, is

The train of logic that says, “Science supports my argument, so I’m right,” is too easily exploited. It was used to justify slavery in Morton’s day, and it has repeatedly reared its ugly head throughout history. thor citing the ethos of science, its explanatory power, to support an unfounded harmful belief.

More importantly, the train of logic that says, “Science supports my argument, so I’m right,” is too easily exploited. It was used to justify slavery in Morton’s day, and it has repeatedly reared its ugly head throughout history. It was used to strengthen the Nazi movement in Germany, legitimizing its obsession with the concept of racial hygiene. Today, biased executions of the scientific method are used to convince the French that gay couples can’t raise a

that it cited science that has long been shown to be false at worst and dubious at best. Race has no biological basis. That very suggestion has no place in any form of journalism. The fact that Miller, a scientist himself, came to defend this malpractice is appalling.

We must recognize the consequences of giving a platform to harmful ideas. Think of all the people in this country who believe that women are biologically less suited to excel in science because of what former Harvard President Lawrence Summers infamously suggested 10

years ago, when he suggested that female brains may be less apt at spatial reasoning and math.

Think of how this has slowed progress toward a more equitable participation rate of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, as each young girl absorbs cultural beliefs that a weakness in or aversion to math and science is rooted in her second X chromosome.

When you defend harmful speech, you are not just a bystander. You are a barrier to social change. Whether you ultimately delay the realization of civil rights and gender equity by weeks, months or years, you are delaying our progress, and you will be on the wrong side of history. Freedom of speech should be valued but not when it infringes upon the freedom of others. It is clear how “The white privilege of cows” infringed upon the rights of people of color here at Brown. It’s impeding the progress of a more racially aware America. What’s also clear is the blatant lack of regard for others born to a color-based caste system in this community. Don’t equate the freedom of speech with the freedom to oppress.

Alex Seoh ’14 is a humble physics teacher in New York City and hopes none of his students will ever use biased science in the way described in this column. He can be reached at alex_seoh@alumni.brown.edu.

ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Eating for a cause: Oncology research group holds food truck fundraiser BrUOG invites Citizen Wing, Mijos to food truck festival to raise money for cancer research

By GWEN EVERETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF DEREK SHAY

Championship Melt, Ellie’s Bakery and Z Food Truck were among the vendors at this weekend’s second annual food truck festival, organized by the Brown University Oncology Research Group.

The Brown University Oncology Research Group held its second annual food truck festival outside the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts Saturday.

The event was designed to welcome parents and families onto campus for Family Weekend, as well as to raise funds for BrUOG. Founded in 1994, BrUOG focuses its research on innovative cancer treatment therapy and gears treatment specifically toward local patients. The center is a “grassroots, ground-level group that (the Brown community) should really be proud of,” said Kristen Mitchell, BrUOG’s clinical research coordinator.

The food trucks in attendance were Championship Melt, Citizen

Wing, Ellie’s Bakery, Mijos Tacos and Z Food Truck. The festival also featured live music from Brown student performers. A portion of all food truck sales went to BrUOG. The first food truck festival was last year, Mitchell said. Derek Shay ’16 initiated the festival to celebrate BrUOG’s 20th anniversary and to fundraise for its research, Mitchell added.

This year, Shay’s younger brother, Jack Shay ’18, organized the festival and made a few changes. First, he proposed having student musicians perform at the event. Jack Shay said that student performers helped make the festival-goers feel more connected to the event.

Oliver Hu ’18, one of the singers at the festival, said, “It was a pretty good way to draw a crowd. People were hanging out and chatting and watching. … Having the performances helped people stay.”

In addition, BrUOG focused this year on picking food trucks that were » See BRUOG, page 3