Thursday, October 22, 2015

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 90

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UCS, Corporation members discuss dorm renovations Council members also provide feedback on BrownConnect to trustee, young alumni trustee

By MATTHEW JARRELL STAFF WRITER

Physical campus priorities, including the addition of study spaces and renovation of dormitories, dominated discussion at the Undergraduate Council of Students general body meeting Wednesday night featuring two Corporation members.

Corporation Trustee Nancy Hyde ’80 and Corporation Young Alumni Trustee Kayla Rosen ’14 sought feedback from the council regarding the results of the UCS Fall Poll, which was released Monday.

UCS President Sazzy Gourley ’16 said the meeting marked a way “to engage with how the Corporation is perceived on campus.”

“For many students, it’s a mysterious body that makes changes in a room behind closed doors,” Gourley said. “In reality, it’s much more of an advisory board for Brown.”

Proposed renovations to dormitories and common campus spaces sparked a long exchange between the Corporation members and the council.

In response to a question on the UCS Fall Poll about which physical campus spaces had a pressing need for renovation or expansion, 36.9 percent of respondents cited dorms and residential spaces.

Several council members voiced concern over the conditions of certain residence halls.

Perkins Hall and Graduate Center “are not being prioritized,” said Justice Gaines ’16, a UCS general body member.

“As other spaces get better, those spaces appear worse and worse,” said Ryan Lessing ’17, UCS community and business relations liaison, referencing extensive renovations to improve Wriston Quadrangle dorms completed last summer.

The nature of study spaces — which 57.2 percent of UCS Fall Poll respondents believed were in need of renovation or expansion — also emerged as an area of concern.

“The problem is that libraries are more for individual study, and residence hall lounges aren’t focused and quiet spaces,” said Minoshka Narayan ’18, adding that the University currently lacks areas for serious group study.

“Multipurposing rooms is very important,” Hyde said in response. Study spaces must “have furnishings that » See UCS, page 3

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Two local liquor stores ­— Spiritus Fermenti and Darwin Liquors — have purchased ID scanners to verify customers’ identification. “I’m just trying to cover my bases,” said Charles Nikolov, manager of Spiritus.

Police crack down on underage drinking Undercover local cops wait outside Darwin, Spiritus, Madeira for underaged customers

By ISABELLE DOYLE STAFF WRITER

Undercover Providence Police officers have started waiting outside local liquor stores to apprehend un-

deraged customers, several sources reported. Two local liquor stores — Darwin Liquors and Spiritus Fermenti — have subsequently purchased ID scanners to verify customers’ identification.

Charles Nikolov, manager of Spiritus, said he bought a new ID scanner Oct. 15 after consulting with the owner of Darwin Liquors. The store is not required to use an ID

METRO

scanner, Nikolov said, adding that the purchase of the scanner was of his own “free will.”

“I’m just trying to cover my bases,” Nikolov said.

Owner of Darwin Liquors George Darwin said he bought an ID scanner last December after Providence Police officers who were parked across the street from the store apprehended several customers with » See DRINKING, page 2

Pet therapy program provides furry support Running out of business,

City Sports store to close

Student founders of program hope to add second service dog, expand to other animals

As chain faces bankruptcy, store to see fate of four other vacant Thayer Street properties

By REBECCA ELLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Students seeking to relieve stress and participate in a more intimate version of Heavy Petting can now take advantage of a new program. The Animal Assisted Therapy Program, launched by Peter Herrera ’16 and Lena Bohman ’18, allows students to sign up for 10-minute slots to pet and play with trained service dogs.

The program kicked off Friday afternoon in the basement of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. Baxter, a small furry canine of unknown pedigree, is the program’s only current therapy dog and had the responsibility of entertaining the 12 students who attended the launch.

The students had to sign up online quickly to secure their spots in the program. They spent their 10 minutes scratching Baxter’s back, making small » See THERAPY, page 2

INSIDE

By ISABELA KARIBJANIAN STAFF WRITER

METRO

JULIANNA LEE MARINO / HERALD

A new program that resembles a personalized version of Heavy Petting lets students sign up for 10-minute slots to play with trained service dogs.

WEATHER

THURSDAY, OC TOBER 22, 2015

SCIENCE & RESEARCH U. researchers find that therapy program for pregnant women may reduce postpartum depression PAGE 4

The City Sports store on Thayer Street will close its doors by the end of October as part of the company’s Delaware Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization strategy, wrote Eve Bould, director of marketing for City Sports, in an email to The Herald.

As part of its filing for bankruptcy, City Sports, a Boston-based athletic apparel chain, is in the process of securing a new financial partner and is closing eight of its “underperforming retail locations,” Bould wrote. The exact date of closing for the chain’s Providence location depends on how quickly remaining merchandise sells, she added.

The store reduced prices by 30 to

POST- MAGAZINE

60 percent this week to liquidate the stock as quickly as possible. Signs on the shop’s windows also indicate that the store is in its final 10 days of business.

Once City Sports shuts its doors, it will join two other empty storefronts on the block, including the recently closed ZuZu’s Petals and a second-floor property above Berks Shoes and Clothing Store. Two more properties on Thayer adjacent to campus are also unoccupied, one of which has a for-lease sign.

City Sports’s current location was formerly home to the Gap, a national clothing retailer. The Gap closed its store on Thayer in late 2004, The Herald reported at the time.

Since then, City Sports has emerged as a staple of Thayer Street. The store provided students and the larger Providence community with both its athletic gear and retail employment opportunities.

Mya Roberson ’16, a former employee of City Sports, worked at the store part-time during her freshman and sophomore years, she wrote in an » See SPORTS, page 2

COMMENTARY Mitra ’18: “The Daily Show” not the same without Jon Stewart, but Trevor Noah has potential

COMMENTARY Montoya ’16: Students should make time to read for pleasure, not just for homework

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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» DRINKING, from page 1

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

The City Sports store at 271 Thayer St. is slated to close its doors at the end of October, following in the footsteps of seven other City Sports retail locations. Prices are currently reduced 30 to 60 percent.

» SPORTS, from page 1 email to The Herald. City Sports accommodated her student schedule, including University breaks, and paid her above minimum wage, she wrote, adding that the store truly valued customer service.

“They were a great company to work for. … I’m quite saddened to hear about the closing of the Providence location and many other stores in the chain,” Roberson wrote.

While the store was a popular shopping location for students, some students are only now taking a greater interest in the store because of its recently posted price reductions, said

Britton Edelen ’19.

City Sports does not plan to open another Rhode Island location in the near future, Bould wrote, adding that its other 18 locations across the country — including nine in the Boston area — will remain open.

With the closing of stores also comes the displacement of employees. But Marty Hanaka, chief executive officer of City Sports, told the Boston Business Journal Oct. 5 that he hopes to lessen that burden.

The company is making efforts to offer displaced employees positions at other locations where possible, Hanaka said.

According to its Chapter 11

bankruptcy forms filed Oct. 5, City Sports owes its top five creditors — Nike, Under Armour, Asics, Patagonia and the North Face — a total of over $5.3 million.

Despite the store closings and significant debt, both Bould and Hanaka expressed optimism for the company’s future.

“We hope to emerge from the process healthier than ever, and wellpositioned for the future,” Bould wrote.

The fate of the 271 Thayer St. storefront and the other nearby vacant locations remains undetermined.

The Thayer Street District Management Authority could not be reached for comment by press time.

fake IDs, resulting in a $7,500 fine for the store.

One of the two students apprehended outside of Spiritus in September, a first-year who asked to remain anonymous due to confidentiality concerns, purchased a bottle of wine from the store. She and her friend were stopped by two undercover cops, who asked to see their IDs. The two students’ fake IDs didn’t pass the “bend test” — meaning that they creased when bent — and the cops “threatened to run them through the system unless we came clean, so we told them the truth,” she said. The cops refrained from arresting the two because they had told the truth, but they did require them to pay a fine and go to court, she said. “It wasn’t a big deal, but it was annoying,” she added.

Students have reported seeing

» THERAPY, from page 1 talk with Baxter’s handler, Bohman, and generally de-stressing.

The seeds for the program were planted last winter, when Herrera realized the dog he had always used as his “emotional support animal” was capable of doing therapeutic work for others.

“I was like, ‘I can make this good for everyone,’” Herrera said.

Herrera spent the summer meeting with dog certification organizations and several administrators to make his idea a reality. Catherine Axe, director of Student and Employee Accessibility Services, reacted with enthusiasm and found a home for the program in Faunce. She has also advertised the program to students registered with SEAS via email.

The program stands out as “one of the many ways to holistically support students,” Axe said. “We thought this would be a more popular indoor option (to Heavy Petting), and you could get one-on-one time with the animal, which could be beneficial.”

The benefits of this solo time with animals has medical backing. Petting animals is proven to decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety and lower blood pressure, Herrera said. “It’s weird because most people know they feel better when there’s a dog around, but they’ve done tons of studies proving it,” he added.

Maria Martinez ’18, one of the 12 students who participated on Friday, echoed this sentiment after finishing her 10 minutes with Baxter. “You sort of get

Providence Police cars parked outside of Spiritus, Madeira Liquors and Darwin Liquors this fall. Unlike Darwin Liquors, neither Spiritus nor Madeira has faced fines or penalties regarding fake IDs or underage drinking.

Diane Ascencao, manager of Madeira, said she does not plan to buy an ID scanner because she believes they are too expensive and not always accurate. “We have the book that has all the pictures of the IDs from every state. I look at updates online. You just have to educate yourself on what to look for,” Ascencao said.

Though the scanners acquired by Darwin and Spiritus are not police mandated, Darwin and Nikolov said they were necessary investments to protect the integrity of their businesses. “We do our job the best way we can,” Nikolov said.

The Providence Police and the Department of Public Safety did not respond to requests for comment. energy from a dog. I feel like dogs are always excited about life and they just sort of rub that off on you,” she said.

Martinez said she left the session excited about the number of Baxter kisses she had received and pleased at the program’s departure from Heavy Petting, where “you barely get to see the dogs because they’re usually running away from the students.”

But Simon Jones ’16, another attendee of Friday’s session, was slightly less enthused. “It’s a small dog, and I think it was a little afraid because I’m 6-foot-5,” he said.

Looking ahead, Herrera plans to have his greyhound Squid join the ranks of Brown’s therapy dogs in November.

Herrera has no doubts that Squid will pass the exam to become certified, as he believes greyhounds have the perfect composition for therapy dogs. “They’re not aloof — they just sort of exist and will let you do whatever,” Herrera said.

Once Herrera adds Squid and expands to two dogs and two rooms, he hopes to make the program a daily fixture of Brown with a two-hour session every day. “We have 6,000 students, and it would be nice if every student had a chance,” he said.

Further down the road, Herrera aims to capitalize on the other animals that can be certified, including cats, guinea pigs, miniature horses, pigs and llamas.

Though Herrera recognizes the logistical and administrative difficulties, he sees a future for pet therapy that features a plethora of different animals. “I just need to find out where the University draws the line between species,” he said.

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» UCS, from page 1 accommodate both” work and leisure activities, she said.

Council members were in agreement that the Sharpe Refectory is in need of a substantial overhaul and should possibly be razed altogether.

The Ratty is slated to undergo a $30 million renovation that would update its plumbing and HVAC systems, though administrators do not expect construction to begin within the next year.

“My opinion is that we need something new,” Hyde said. “It has finally come to the forefront (of the Corporation’s agenda) to do something about it,” she said, adding that the potential costs of renovation and new construction must be evaluated to determine the best option.

The UCS Fall Poll included a section for student feedback on BrownConnect, the internship search and networking site introduced last year. The Center for Careers and Life After Brown plans on unveiling a new version of the initiative, called BrownConnect 2.0, this fall.

Rosen said a focus of BrownConnect is “relief of the stress of trying to find postgrad opportunities,” she said.

Council members expressed favorable sentiments about their experiences with BrownConnect.

“The website was really accessible, and if people were able to find opportunities, the responses were generally positive,” said UCS Admissions and Student Services Committee Chair Peter Dutton ’18.

Rakel Galeano ’18, a UCS general body member, said the service could

LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD

Members of the Undergraduate Council of Students shared feedback with Corporation Trustee Nancy Hyde ’80 and Corporation Young Alumni Trustee Kayla Rosen ’14 at the UCS general body meeting Wednesday night, with many questions and comments touching on dormitory renovations. improve its visibility on campus. “Some students just don’t know about the resources that are available,” she said.

Rosen asked about the nature of this communication breakdown, inquiring as to whether the problem lies in content, access to content or communication.

“Access is the issue,” UCS general

body member Austin Lessin ’19 said in response. “You have to be the one reaching out and scheduling meetings” with alums, he added.

The diversity of the fields in which internship and job opportunities are available also received attention. “Not everyone wants to work at the same big firm,” said UCS Treasurer John Brewer

’17. “Some smaller, unique places don’t have the resources to come” to campus, he added.

This problem can be solved by expanding connections with alums, who love engaging with current students who share their qualities or interests, Hyde said. For example, alums who were first-generation students may

enjoy meeting their counterparts in the current student body, she said.

Students of color and LGBTQ students face unique obstacles when it comes to the internship and job search, Gaines said. BrownConnect would improve as a resource if it allowed students to gain mentorship based on aspects of their identity, Gaines added.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Interpersonal therapy program may reduce postpartum depression U. researchers examine effect of therapy on 205 pregnant women six and 12 months after giving birth

By ELENA RENKEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A team of University researchers recently found that interpersonal therapy — therapy that focuses on communicating with others — reduced the onset of postpartum depression among women during a six-month period after giving birth. The study detailing these findings was published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders Sept. 29.

Caron Zlotnick, professor of psychiatry and human behavior, obstetrics and gynecology and medicine, lead author of the study, has researched interpersonal therapy as a means of preventing postpartum depression for 15 years.

Zlotnick said she was inspired to conduct her latest research by her experience working at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, where she encountered many lowincome mothers. In 2001 and 2006,

she led pilot studies before starting to collect data in 2006 for the latest study.

The most recent study included 205 women who met the criteria of receiving public assistance and speaking English. To be included in the study, subjects also had to score 27 or higher on the Cooper Survey Questionnaire, which indicates high risk for postpartum depression, according to the study. The women were randomly assigned to either participate in interpersonal therapy or undergo usual treatment.

Six months after giving birth, the

women in the two groups showed significant differences, with 31 percent of the women in the control group and 16 percent of the women in intervention group experiencing postpartum depression. But 12 months postpartum, there was only a “marginally significant” difference between the two groups, Zlotnick said.

The interpersonal therapy used in the study was known as the “Reach Out, Stand strong, Essentials for new mothers program” or ROSE program, and it included four 90-minute group sessions during pregnancy and one 50-minute individual session after delivery, according to the study. The women participated in role-playing exercises and learned communication skills in small groups, Zlotnick said.

Implementing prevention on a large scale can raise the issue of practicality, said Charles Debattista,

professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University Medical Center, who was not involved with the study. Performing this kind of intervention requires skilled therapists to meet with the women, he said.

When postpartum depression does occur, psychotherapy or medications are effective treatments, he added.

“Postpartum blues can include symptoms many women experience,” Debattista said, adding that doctors can miss diagnoses because only some women with symptoms suffer from postpartum depression. “Anticipating it and identifying it when it comes up” are important steps, he said.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health recently approached Zlotnick to expand the program in that city. The intervention is already in use at three sites in New York state, Zlotnick said.

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TODAY

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015 • PAGE 5

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Students exploring the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts can view “Infinite Space” by James Weingrod, an intricate installation piece part of the public mural project currently on display.

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TRI-Lab Info Session: Prisoner Health

Careers in Medicine Series

Concentration Fair

BUFF Presents “Rosemary’s Baby”

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7:00 P.M. Sayles Hall Auditorium

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TOMORROW Conference: Democracy in Africa

Jewishly Inspired Meditation

Life with OCD: Workshop/ Panel

Romeo and Juliet

8:45 A.M. Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum

6:30 P.M. Wilson Hall, Room 204

12:00 P.M. Brown/RISD Hillel

7:30 P.M. Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St.

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL

A sensible Mailroom makeover When Brown students received an email this summer letting them know that Mail Services was undergoing a dramatic restructuring, many of us were nervous. In an effort to make the postal system at Brown more efficient, the University was eliminating students’ physical mailboxes and instead treating all mail like packages. To obtain their mail, students would go to a counter and receive it from a Mail Services staff member.

Many thought this change was a horrible idea. In the past, retrieving a package at Brown had often been a time-consuming process. The lines had been legendary, and the inefficiency of the system had been a common complaint amongst students. The change proposed doubling down on a system that was inherently inefficient — to many it seemed like a recipe for only more frustration and inefficiency.

Yet these doomsday fears have yet to come true. While the student body is still split on its satisfaction with Mail Services, few would say the system has taken a nosedive in quality and efficiency. Lines are still a problem, especially during peak hours, and Mail Services still takes a long time to process packages. But in an era when letters are becoming less popular and packages are increasingly being mailed across the country, eliminating our physical mailboxes and repurposing the space made sense.

A 2010 Boston Consulting Group evaluation of the U.S. Postal Service found that “the U.S. Postal Service will experience profound declines in its volumes of mail. … Massive structural changes are required to avoid this outcome.” Unsurprisingly, Mail Services is also experiencing these changes in the type of mail that is sent. As Site Manager Richard Morello told The Herald in September, the renovation aimed “to address the ever increasing volume of packages and service the students out of one location,” in addition to addressing the increasing size of the student body.

Furthermore, conditions for Mail Service employees were unsafe.

Staff members who managed package pickup in the Graduate Center E basement during high-volume times of the year worked in unsuitable conditions. Electricity shortages occurred, and operations temporarily moved to Alumnae Hall to correct the problem while the plans for the renovation were confirmed. The expansion of the package pickup center in J. Walter Wilson has eliminated the need to use that unfit space — a change students should support. While Mail Services still hires workers on a temporary basis and outsources its services to Ricoh USA — a policy many in the Brown community protested in summer 2014 — losing physical mailboxes seems to be a small price to pay for improving worker conditions.

Despite the concerns many students had upon learning that the physical mailboxes would be eliminated so that the package pickup service could be expanded, it appears that the change has led to no great inconvenience on the aggregate. Though there are still many ways Mail Services could be improved, the efficiency of the system has not dramatically worsened. As fewer and fewer pieces of letter mail are sent and the number of packages grows, the elimination of our physical boxes ultimately made a lot of sense.

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 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015 • PAGE 7

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Why I still miss Jon Stewart MILI MITRA opinions columnist

Like many members of my generation, I learned to love modern political satire by watching “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” I discovered “The Daily Show” very late — I was a senior in high school when I finally started watching Stewart’s monologues on a regular basis. But I quickly became hooked on his easy humor, hilarious range of expressions and, I’ll admit, scathing attacks on Fox News. I raced through his videos like an addict; within months, I had caught up on almost a decade’s worth of speeches and interviews.

I was looking forward to watching the chaos of the 2016 elections unfold through the lens of “The Daily Show” when Stewart announced his retirement in February. Needless to say, I was devastated — as was a large section of the global population. Hours after Stewart’s announcement, Bill Clinton tweeted, “Where will I get my news each night?” He took the words right out of my mouth.

In retrospect, it’s embarrassing to admit that I relied on “The Daily Show” for news about national politics. Stewart never claimed to be unbiased, and I was well aware that his perspective was anything but objective. But he achieved something that

no other comedian or cultural commentator had managed at the time: He made politics accessible and engaging for millennials. His monologues were compelling and provocative. Above all, they forced viewers to discuss and reflect on current events.

I can safely say I learned a lot about American politics from

pany.

Of course, Stewart is not without critics. Like all satirists, he was a polarizing figure who was as notorious as he was appreciated. He has been accused of misinforming the public and propagating a skewed, partisan perspective on American politics.

Critics have pointed out that Stewart has disproportionately targeted con-

tionizing the way in which we absorb news and view politics. So it’s safe to say that his successor has enormous shoes to fill. Trevor Noah now faces the daunting task of replacing Stewart and taking “The Daily Show” to new heights — and his critics have already begun to pounce.

It’s still too early to judge Noah’s tenure as host of the show that

Jon Stewart has left an indelible mark on pop culture and society, revolutionizing the way in which we absorb news and view politics.

watching Stewart. And I’m not alone. A 2014 Pew Research Center Poll found that 12 percent of Americans watched “The Daily Show” for political news. Another study, conducted in 2012, suggests that viewers of “The Daily Show” are among the best-informed in the country.

Among Stewart’s regular viewers are Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., David Axelrod, Mindy Kaling and J.K. Rowling, so I’m in great com-

servatives due to his own political leanings, and that may well be true.

Nevertheless, Stewart was an insightful host who amassed a cult following. He was a critical watchdog for the media, bringing to light the gaffes and posturing of news channels and politicians (I’m looking at you, Donald Trump!). For that alone, he will be sorely missed.

Stewart has left an indelible mark on pop culture and society, revolu-

helped define a generation. We need to give him a few months to adjust to his responsibilities and acclimate to a new culture. But his first fortnight as a host has been curious, to say the least. While some of Noah’s jokes were reminiscent of “The Daily Show” at its best, many others were in poor taste. Still, viewers need to give Noah time to explore his own set of key issues and find his comedic voice.

In handing the reigns of its flagship show to an untested comedian, Comedy Central took a risky gamble. The South African Noah brings with him a diverse perspective that can truly benefit the show. He seems too mired in Stewart’s legacy, however, to craft his own voice or play to his strengths.

Noah’s best jokes came during segments about Africa and criminal justice reform. It’s obvious that these are topics that speak to him on a personal level. The real test is to see if he can inject his own brand of humor into the structure of the long-running “Daily Show.” If he succeeds, he could accomplish what Stewart did 16 years ago. He has the chance to transform the industry and offer a different outlook.

And if he fails, at least he risked it all to chase after his own legacy. But if his only goal is to follow in Stewart’s footsteps, he’ll always be second best.

In the coming months, “The Daily Show” might acquire a more youthful voice and evolve into the archetypal show of the next generation. Or it could lose its edge and become a loose cannon. Either way, it’s safe to say the era of Jon Stewart has come to an end. Welcome to a whole new world.

Mili Mitra ’18 is still suffering from Jon Stewart withdrawal symptoms. She can be reached at mili_mitra@brown.edu.

The importance of bibliophiles RACHEL MONTOYA opinions editor

Students have no shortage of works to read.

From our very first days of kindergarten we are led through exercises that shape our understandings of letters, words and sounds, with the ultimate goal of teaching us to read. But with reading presented as a school-related task, many students come to dislike it and see it as a chore. Within this context, we do not view reading as something pleasurable, which is a terrible view to hold. Even for students who do love to read, a culture of fatigue and burnout surrounds the activity — we are so busy reading for classes that we have neither the time nor the mental energy to read books of our own choosing. It is vital to fight against this mentality and make sure that we take time to read for pleasure in order to feed our curiosities and maintain a positive relationship with words.

It is understandable why college students especially have little time to read for pleasure — hours are filled with coursework, job and internship searches and extracurricular activities, leaving little time for much else. It is far easier to re-read that textbook page and then try to get some precious sleep than to open an entirely new book on top of all the others you have been assigned.

I acknowledge that we don’t all have time to

read novels every day, but that does not mean there is no room for literature in our lives. A poem, a short story or even just an eloquent quote can all serve to give us a mental break from academia and inspire us. When I am

help it.” Outside of Brown, no one cares how many dense textbooks we have read. We are far more than what we study, and reading purely out of enjoyment allows us to explore the different facets of our personalities and interests.

It is vital that we take time for read for pleasure in order to feed our curiosities and maintain a positive relationship with words.

bogged down with midterms and stress, there is no greater escape than revisiting a favorite book or poem from my childhood. In these moments, my worries leave me as I travel back to a time when my world consisted of the magic contained in a book’s pages.

Cliched as it may sound, reading for pleasure nourishes whatever soul or spirit we have within us. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t

Through reading, we nurture our creativity and grow as individuals beyond the tangible jobs we may hold and conventional subjects we may study.

Beyond these individual benefits, reading for enjoyment can also have effects within the larger social world. A 2002 study by England’s Department for Education found that enjoyment from reading is more important for children’s educational success than their parents’ socioeconomic status. Furthermore, a longi-

tudinal study published by the Department for Education in 2010 stated that having books available at home is equally as predictive of children’s educational attainment as their parents’ educational level. With literature so readily accessible through libraries and the Internet, leisure reading could be a productive tool in increasing equality among students from diverse and underprivileged backgrounds.

Admittedly, there are those for whom any kind of reading is a struggle. Perhaps these individuals would enjoy exploring non-written art forms rather than reading for pleasure. They could aim to make art that probed their personal interests and inspired them to expand their personal creativity. While literature is traditionally in written form, it is ultimately itself an art form that is merely expressed in a lettered format rather than a more abstract, visual one.

Anna Quindlen had it right when she stated that “Books are the plane and the train and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home.” We should eagerly accept the journeys that books offer us and seek them out whenever possible. In reading for pleasure, we learn more about the world, and ultimately about ourselves — experiences that all should ardently pursue.

Rachel Montoya ’16 is probably curled up somewhere with a blanket and a book. She can be reached at rachel_montoya@brown.edu.

METRO THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015

Task force to tackle learning deficits incurred over summer Summer Learning Task Force seeks to curb socioeconomic achievement gap among local students

By ROSE SHEEHAN STAFF WRITER

Mayor Jorge Elorza announced the creation of a Summer Learning Task Force earlier this month, charged with developing recommendations to help students retain material learned during the academic year over the summer.

This effect, commonly referred to as learning loss, disproportionately affects low-income families living in urban areas, said Jennie Johnson, cochair of the task force and executive director and vice president of City Year Rhode Island, the state chapter of a nonprofit AmeriCorps program dedicated to keeping students in school.

The task force comprises 30 school officials, policy leaders and community members, including Dilania Inoa ’99, program manager for elementary and middle school programs at the Swearer Center for Public Service.

Summer learning loss is responsible for more than half of the academic achievement gap between higher- and lower-income youth, as students of more limited means often cannot pay for expensive summer programs, wrote Lily Gutterman ’14.5, a policy associate in Elorza’s office, in an email to The Herald.

The Summer Learning Task Force will face the challenge of making sure that the city has “enough of these programs to be accessible and affordable to low-income families,” said Kenneth Wong, professor of education policy and chair of the education department.

Currently, Providence students spend six to eight weeks, or 20 percent

of the school year, reviewing material covered in the previous grade level, Wong said, adding that Elorza’s task force should strive to reduce the time spent re-learning previously taught concepts.

“Any amount of hours or time that our children are losing in terms of learning time and engaging time … is too much time,” Johnson said. Learning loss not only causes students to fall behind academically but also to lose opportunities engaging with peers and working in teams, she added.

A variety of summer learning programs already exist in Providence. City Year endeavors to meet the needs of students in urban classrooms that do not provide individualized attention.

The organization hopes to launch a summer academy in Providence this coming year based on a successful model in place at other City Year locations throughout the country, Johnson said.

The University’s education department also organizes the Brown Summer High School, a program which annually serves about 200 students from urban school districts for five weeks, Wong said. BSHS requires a $180 tuition fee and places students into classes that correspond with their academic interests and strengths in order to create an environment conducive to learning, he added.

“There are great programs being implemented in Providence to address summer learning loss, but there is a gap in city-wide opportunities that are accessible to all,” Gutterman wrote.

The Summer Learning Task Force will seek to bridge this gap through

CHRISTINE KIM / HERALD

Because summer learning loss affects children from low-income families in urban areas at higher rates, the task force will focus on creating programs at urban schools like Hope High School, located on the East Side. recommendations that will be submitted to the mayor in early 2016.

To meet this goal, the task force will study the summer learning practices that have worked both locally and nationally and then decide what can be accomplished with the resources available in Providence, Johnson said.

Gutterman added that the task force is consulting a report on effective summer learning programs produced by the Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy group.

The limits on financial capital and other resources will have to be taken into account as the task force formulates plans to improve and expand existing summer programs and possibly pioneer new ones.

But “It is our job as the adult

stakeholders to make sure (limited funding) is not a barrier … and when it is, to remove it,” Johnson said. Gutterman said the task force will focus on ensuring that safe transportation and meals are available to students, while still maintaining affordable tuition.

The task force will also need to consider how to best balance academics and other forms of enrichment in summer programs. The flexibility of these programs allows them to include “non-traditional modes and sites of learning,” Gutterman said.

“Anything we’ll provide to our students needs to be well-rounded and address all of the ways in which they can learn about … the world around them,” Johnson said.

These sorts of multi-faceted

programs are a way to help students from low-income backgrounds stay healthy, active and engaged during the summer by providing balanced meals and offering children opportunities to explore academic areas that interest and excite them, Gutterman said.

Though Johnson said she recognizes the importance of summer learning opportunities in Providence, chronic absenteeism during the school year is just as serious a problem as summer learning loss. Approximately 35 percent of Providence public school students were “chronically absent” last year, meaning they missed at keast 10 percent of the school year, Johnson said, adding she hopes that her work on the task force will enable her to begin addressing chronic absence as well.

B.U.S. deploys new technology Brown shuttle system collecting, learning from ridership data with TransLoc equipment

By ALEXANDER BLUM METRO EDITOR

The Brown University Shuttle system equipped its vehicles in July with technology from TransLoc, a public transportation technology company. Since then, the buses have featured accurate real-time tracking and have begun collecting data about when riders board and depart the buses.

Not enough data has been gathered to make route or schedule changes, said Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president of financial and administrative services.

“We’ve been tracking ridership patterns for 13 years,” Gentry said, but prior to this semester, drivers only noted where people got on the bus, not where they departed. “To know where folks are getting off is equally important,” she added.

“There’s no identification process — they’re counting bodies on and off at different stops,” said Carleia Lighty,

UNIVERSITY NEWS

director of transportation and card services.

Use of the shuttle services only requires showing, not swiping, a University identification card. The data collected only offers insights into the number of people getting on and off at each stop, Lighty said. The information is gathered manually by the shuttle operators with an electronic tablet.

“Collecting statistics to try to optimize how the shuttle performs makes sense to me,” said Isabel Newton ’17.

The University began using the public transit company First Transit instead of U Shuttle to manage its transportation services about three years ago, Gentry said. “U Shuttle was a small local vendor, and Brown was getting larger and needed more flexibility,” she said.

The TransLoc technology installed in July replaced equipment provided by the transportation technology company Ride Systems but is only “slightly more expensive,” Gentry said.

“The real difference is the realtime tracking,” Lighty said, adding that since installing the TransLoc technology, riders with smartphones who have downloaded the TransLoc Rider application can find out exactly where the shuttle is on its route.

There are also “certain perks” for

riders who can use the application to set up various alerts and to set favorite locations that are common to their routes, she said.

Of students interviewed, only Apurva Durugkar GS said she knew about the real-time tracking offered through TransLoc’s application.

Durugkar said she rides the shuttle almost daily, often waiting only five to 10 minutes during the week for a bus. But wait times can increase to 40 minutes on the weekend, Durugkar said, adding that she thinks more shuttles should be made available on weekends.

Newton said she thinks it might be beneficial to publicize the shuttle’s services and routes more widely to help improve accessibility.

“I had no idea that (the Brown Daytime Shuttle) even stopped down there,” said Ayenna Cagaanan ’18, of her recent visit to Alpert Medical School.

Services to the Jewelry District, where the Med School is located, will likely increase in the future, especially when the South Street Power Station project is completed in spring 2017, as some administrative offices will be moved there, Gentry said. The University recently hired the transportation firm Nelson\Nygaard as a consultant to help address these changing needs.

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