Friday, December 4, 2015

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 117

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

A dynamic provost, paving the way for Brown From MIT to Brown, Locke impresses with commitment, caring approach

By BAYLOR KNOBLOCH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Students of color gathered to present a list of demands to the University, which included changes to the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Admission, among other proposals.

Students of color release diversity demands After confrontation, Paxson extends deadline for community feedback on inclusion plan to Jan. 8

By EMMA JERZYK METRO EDITOR

Students of color gathered outside President Christina Paxson’s P’19 office Thursday to serve as “diversity consultants” for the University after the release of a draft of the diversity and

inclusion action plan Nov. 19.

As part of the “Day of Reclamation,” they developed a list of demands in response to the University’s action plan throughout the day before reading the demands aloud in the Leung Family Gallery in the late afternoon. Demands included disarming Department of Public Safety officers, making a Diverse Perspectives in Liberal Learning course a curricular requirement, adding $50 million each to the endowments of the ethnic studies program and the Department of Africana Studies during the

BrownTogether fundraising campaign and creating several new concentrations that focus on traditionally marginalized identities.

When the draft of the University’s diversity plan was released, administrators opened an online form, initially slated to close Dec. 4, for students to provide feedback on the plan. But in response to the students’ demands, Paxson announced in a communitywide email Thursday night that she would extend the deadline to submit » See DEMANDS, page 2

If the buck stops with President Christina Paxson P’19, it’s Provost Richard Locke ’17 who hands it off to her.

The first thing you notice when meeting Locke is his firm handshake.

That vice-like grip is representative of his no-nonsense personality but belies his warmth. As a leader, Locke is characterized both by his tireless work ethic and his sensitivity.

He wakes at 6 a.m. each day to work out at the Nelson Fitness Center.

From there, his day is packed with meetings, and he responds to emails well into the night.

With a self-proclaimed “frenetic energy,” he begins each meeting by asking people how they are doing, how their families are and what is going on in their lives, several faculty members said.

As the University’s second-incommand, the provost is charged with overseeing Brown’s academic and budgetary functions. After stepping

into the role July 1, Locke is now closing in on the end of his first semester as provost, touting an impressive list of accomplishments in such a short time, including tackling the budget deficit and leading the charge in crafting the operational plan.

But this semester has also been a challenging one for the administration amidst controversies over institutional racism, and Locke’s office is currently compiling the comments submitted in response to the working draft of the diversity and inclusion action plan released Nov. 19, which has come under heavy criticism from student activists.

The concerns raised this semester pertain to Locke’s own research, which examines the nexus of business and social justice, focusing on labor equity and industrial practices in global supply chains.

“A lot of my work has tried to understand how you reconcile what’s going on with markets and economic pressures with norms of fairness,” he said.

Finding a passion From a young age, Locke was interested in issues of fairness and social justice. In ninth grade, after » See PROVOST, page 3

Sanders’ supporters nearly double Clinton’s U. lacks resources, cite foreign faculty in African studies Students policy, economic issues as Students, faculty disappointed with lack of courses focused on African continent

By LAUREN ARATANI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While many European and Asian countries take space in the University’s academic spotlight, a gap remains in students’ academic access to the world’s second largest continent: Africa.

With the revamping of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the University is looking to become home to one of the country’s leading centers for international studies, Provost Richard Locke P’17 previously told The Herald.

But students interested in the countries and cultures of Africa are often left wanting more when it comes to resources and courses offered, as well as the number of faculty members who focus on the continent.

INSIDE

Increasing interest Only a handful of courses are offered each semester that focus directly on Africa. DEVL 1550: “The Political Economy of Development in Africa,” taught by Patricia Agupusi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Watson Institute, is one of these courses.

“It’s sad when you see a lot of students very interested in Africa, and they will not get enough knowledge about Africa because there are not enough courses on Africa,” she said, adding that it is a “big issue” on campus.

At Watson, successful programs such as the China Initiative and the Brown-India Initiative have allowed students to hone their interests on certain areas around the globe, Agupusi said. While Watson has improved its Africa Initiative over the years by hosting events that center on Africa, it has yet to become as formalized as peer initiatives, she added.

By increasing faculty and resources, such as funding for students who want to conduct research in Africa, » See AFRICA, page 4

significant in upcoming presidential election

By MEI NOVAK STAFF WRITER

As candidates for the 2016 presidential election debate and campaign for the nominations in their respective parties, Brown students remain strong supporters of both Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according a poll conducted

by The Herald last month.

About 45 percent of Brown undergraduates plan to vote for Sanders on election day next fall, whereas half as many students, about 23 percent, plan to vote for Clinton. The results “reflect Bernie Sanders’ strength among young voters,” wrote Richard Arenberg, adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs, in an email to The Herald.

In The Herald’s spring 2015 undergraduate poll, the majority of respondents — 58.5 percent — reported they have either somewhat or very liberal » See ELECTION, page 8

JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

WEATHER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

UNIVERSITY NEWS The Herald’s Fall Poll revealed higher rates of drug dealing among students in Greek life, men

UNIVERSITY NEWS New advisory board formed to increase transparency and help students navigate financial aid

COMMENTARY Girish ’17: The privilege of an education does not erase the discrimination POC students face

COMMENTARY Esemplare ’18: Many criticize a tech-focused generation, failing to consider role of transience

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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

» DEMANDS, from page 1 feedback on the plan to Jan. 8.

Developing the demands During Paxson’s office hours from 1:30 to 3 p.m., the students occupied the rotunda outside her office. They attempting to “reclaim” the space to conduct their work: drafting and sharing their demands.

A statement on the Facebook event page reads: “The diversity action and inclusion plan is illegitimate and insufficient. As a result of the arbitrary deadline of the feedback forum for (the plan) closing on Dec. 4, 2015, the administration has not acknowledged our countless and persistent demands to this institution.”

Students also gathered in the Leung Gallery to allow students who did not want to work in University Hall to contribute to the development of the demands. “We also aim to make our work visible to our peers that are so often afforded the ability to ignore this work,” according to the Facebook event page.

The students confronted Paxson when she declined to speak with them during her office hours because other students had signed up beforehand.

Citing another obligation, Paxson said she would have another administrator go to Leung at 4:30 p.m. to hear the demands. When a student pressed her to specify what the obligation was, she said it was “none of (their) business.”

“I don’t know how I can persuade you that I really want to work with you and the faculty, and I do value our black students,” Paxson said.

“Just do it,” a student responded.

A number of students then brought up that Paxson has not agreed to disarm DPS officers.

“Valuing people and agreeing with them are not the same thing,” Paxson responded. When asked whether she thinks DPS officers should be armed, she said, “Absolutely, I do.”

A student noted that many students and faculty members objected to the

arming of DPS officers in the early 2000s, but former President Ruth Simmons decided to arm the force anyway.

When Provost Richard Locke P’17 asked if he could make a suggestion, several students responded, “No.” When one said that heterosexual white males always dominate the conversation, Locke clarified that he is not heterosexual. But the student said it didn’t matter, adding, “Cisgender white males are at the top of the hierarchy.”

“What percent of 3 billion is 100 million?” a student asked Paxson, referring to the proposed $100 million in diversity and inclusion investments compared to the BrownTogether campaign’s overall goal of $3 billion. When she didn’t respond, a student said, “It’s 3.33 percent, and it’s not enough.”

Students asked whether, once they assembled their demands, the administration would actually use them, rather than just reading them. They also demanded that students not be subject to disciplinary action for their activism.

Paxson said, “You have amnesty for this action. You are doing nothing wrong.”

Sharing the demands Chrysanthemum Tran ’17, one of the organizers of the event, asked all administrators in the audience to identify themselves. Though several top administrators were in attendance, students pointed out that both Paxson and Locke were not present.

Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 said, “The provost is going to be here in just a few moments,” prompting laughter from the audience.

Locke arrived a few minutes later.

“With Provost Locke finally in the room, let’s begin with the demands from people of color,” Tran said.

The demands, recorded in a 14page document, were compiled by Asian American/Pacific Islander, black, Southwest Asian and North African and Latinx students, students with disabilities and members of Students Against the Prison-Industrial Complex.

The demands were sweeping and

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD included changes to the administration, faculty, staff, curriculum, financial aid, admission, the Office of Residential Life, DPS, Title IX, student health and the University’s relationship with the Providence community. Many of the demands entailed disaggregating and publicly sharing data regarding racial and ethnic diversity, adding excluded groups to the diversity and inclusion plan, making departmental action plans more transparent, adding intersectionality for issues related to LGBTQ identity, womanhood, class and disability to the plan, and boycotting companies and countries with objectionable records.

Collecting and disaggregating data The students demanded more transparency regarding diversity at the University through more detailed collection and reporting of data.

With regard to the diversity action plan, students demanded that the designation “historically underrepresented groups” include SWANA students; Asian American faculty members in the humanities, social sciences and arts; and South Asian, Southeast Asian and SWANA faculty members. Students also called for the University to disaggregate its data regarding HUGs within the student body and faculty.

Students asked the University to break down the categories of black, Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander and Native American students in the data it reports.

The University should release data on faculty wages and advancement rates disaggregated by race and ethnicity and address any gaps evident in the data, students said.

Students recommended tracking and increasing the number of students from various backgrounds — including Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Cape Verdean and Narragansett students ­— to better reflect the population of the United States and Providence.

They also proposed increasing the black student population to 15.2 percent and the population of low-income

students to 20 percent.

But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the use of quotas in college admission unconstitutional in its landmark 1978 decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

Students also demanded that the University report more demographic information about DPS, endorse Providence’s Community Safety Act and work with community organizations to assess the relationship between DPS and the Providence community.

Many of the demands also discussed gender identities with regard to University bureaucracy, including allowing an open-text option on University forms requiring gender identification, using the term “legal sex” on government forms and allowing students to input their preferred pronouns into Banner.

Curricular inclusivity Students proposed creating several new departments, centers and programs focused on Native American and Indigenous studies, U.S. Latinx studies, Asian American studies, disability studies and African studies.

They demanded the University endow several positions and create “hiring lines” in these and related areas, totaling at least 12.

Students also proposed hiring faculty to study intersectionality in political science, sociology, economics, international relations, philosophy and urban studies.

Students demanded more people of color in “predominantly white programs and centers.”

All concentrations — ­ particularly those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — should require at least one course that engages with class, gender, sexuality and ability, said the students, who also called for a DPLL requirement for graduation.

Courses with “gender” in their title should include transgender identities and experiences, students said.

The diversity action plan currently calls on departments to submit their own action plans to address inclusivity.

MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD

Students of color worked in the Leung Gallery throughout Thursday afternoon to develop and compile their demands. They called for new concentrations in Native American and Indigenous studies, U.S. Latinx studies, Asian American studies, disability studies and African studies.

Students demanded that each department’s action plan be made public and that the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion create a system to approve them.

In addition to new courses and programs, students also demanded more resources — financial and physical — for existing centers: a $15,000 per year commitment to the Brown Center for Students of Color to establish a SWANA Heritage Series and a new home for the Center of the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, which is currently housed in Brown/RISD Hillel.

University training, policies and governance Students demanded mandatory training for all members of the administration on “an intersectional framework that recognizes various forms of diversity and identity … and the ways that trauma can manifest for people who hold one or more of these identities.”

The tenure review process should take participation in training on identity and inclusion into account, students said.

Students also demanded the ability to approve the organizations conducting faculty training on identity and inclusion and be involved in hiring faculty of color.

The University should also create ways in which students can report discrimination and oppression by administrators, the students said.

Because of significant racial disparities in incarceration rates by race, students said the University should eliminate the section of applications requiring prospective employees and students to indicate whether they have been convicted of or charged with crimes. President Obama directed federal agencies to “ban the box” on federal government job applications in November.

Several other demands also related to making the University a better workplace for staff members, including providing information and training in workers’ preferred languages and including staff members in the plan’s proposed campus climate survey.

Students also demanded the University make a greater variety of child care, prenatal care and maternity leave options available to graduate students and faculty members.

Students called on the University to revamp its governance structures as well.

The students recommended creating an office to manage issues related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as a paid student position on the Corporation.

The University’s plan also creates a Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee, and students wanted undergraduates and graduate students serving on the committee to have voting power.

While the diversity action plan suggests adding a position to the OIDI, students said it should be expanded by multiple positions.

With regard to Title IX, students demanded the University “stop chalking up sexual assault to alcohol consumption” and improve the orientation program regarding sexual assault. Students also demanded that the Title IX complaint process be changed to better accommodate students of color, so they do not have to file multiple complaints » See DEMANDS, page 4

UNIVERSITY NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» PROVOST, from page 1 reading John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and learning about the conditions of farm workers, he marched in a picket at his local supermarket.

Locke was born the second of four children to a working-class family in Brookline, Massachusetts. He played little league baseball and walked to school from his house on Fuller Street in a family-oriented neighborhood.

“At one point, I think there were 100 kids on that street,” he said.

In seventh grade, interested in science and driven by a desire to help people, he decided he wanted to be a doctor. In high school, he took rigorous science courses, ran track and worked part-time as a bus boy.

“I always had a part-time job,” he said. “I came from a family where … the view was that it was important to work and save money and contribute to going to college.”

Locke’s mother, originally from Rome, worked in the travel industry, and his father was an accountant.

Neither held bachelor’s degrees, and Locke’s mother insisted that her children work hard in school, read books and play instruments. Locke learned to play the piano. (He now has one in his house on College Hill but no time to play it.)

When the time came, Locke chose to attend Wesleyan University for its pre-med program. He ambitiously intended to fulfill the pre-med requirements while majoring in the school’s College of Letters, a program that combines literature, history and philosophy. But his passion for social justice slowly eclipsed his interest in medicine.

Abandoning his plans to be a doctor, Locke briefly considered a career as a labor lawyer before deciding to be a teacher. In the summers, he worked at programs for public school students hosted by prestigious boarding schools in New England and fell in love with teaching.

After graduating from Wesleyan, he landed a job teaching seventhgrade history at the Francis Parker School in Chicago. He worked there for two years while taking courses at the University of Chicago, eventually earning his master’s in education.

Entering academia Realizing he wanted to conduct research in addition to teaching, Locke began applying to doctoral programs in political science with the ultimate goal of earning a professorship. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At MIT, Locke worked toward his PhD for five-and-a-half years, also spending time in Italy conducting research on political economy and industrial practices.

After defending his dissertation, Locke accepted an offer to stay at MIT, teaching political science and international management at the Sloan School of Management, where he would spend the next 25 years. He eventually became chair of the political science department and deputy dean of Sloan.

Thomas Kochan, professor of management at Sloan, first met Locke when Locke was a student in his graduate-level course.

At the time, Locke was “intrigued by labor management relations and how one could go from political

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Richard Locke P’17 assumed the role of provost after just two years of serving as director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

In both positions, his colleagues describe him as a visionary leader and a motivating co-worker. theory to understand how workplaces actually function” and was in “the early stages of developing a deeper interest in labor conditions,” Kochan said.

“I remember vividly when he started teaching, he was just so worried that he didn’t have the real-world experience that our students would demand in a business school,” Kochan said. “I said, ‘Rick, just tell them what you know, and do what you do.’”

Despite his initial concerns, Locke “became one of the best teachers and most innovative teachers at the Sloan School,” Kochan said. “His mark on the Sloan School’s curriculum is profound.”

Locke was a creator of the Sloan School’s Action Learning Labs, which combine traditional business scholarship with opportunities for practical application. He helped launch the G-Lab, a pioneering global entrepreneurial learning laboratory. Now, there are over a dozen different labs offered at Sloan.

He also established the school’s master of business administration program with his knack for “figuring out how to do things that would have perhaps initially seemed impossible,” said David Schmittlein ’77, dean of the Sloan School.

When Schmittlein appointed Locke deputy dean, he was a “standout among the faculty as a leader,” he said. “Intellectual play is one of the things that is very characteristic of Rick, and it’s rare to see that together with the ability to implement,” he added.

Locke’s ability to implement new educational initiatives goes hand in hand with a remarkable ability to fundraise.

“He was an unbelievable fundraiser,” said Maria DiMauro, administrative officer of MIT’s political science department. “Every time you turned around, there was money coming in.”

Locke reminds DiMauro of the comic book hero “The Flash,” “moving at super speed, leaving sonic booms in his wake,” she said. “He had a huge agenda and intended to accomplish it in a relatively short period of time.”

Despite his ambitious plans, “no matter what was on his calendar, if

you needed a few minutes with him, he fit you in,” DiMauro said.

Among all of Locke’s administrative innovations and academic successes, his sensitivity and ability to form human connections stand out to his current and former colleagues.

“The thing that people most remember about him is his warmth and his thoughtful supportiveness as a friend,” Schmittlein said. “We would sometimes be together in a very difficult meeting, and he would know who the person was that needed a virtual hug after the meeting. It’s an instinct.”

Locke never thought he would leave MIT, receiving offers from other institutions but turning them all down — until Brown.

Coming to College Hill In October 2012, the University offered Locke the directorship of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

“It seemed like, with the kinds of skills that I had, maybe I could make a difference here, and that’s why I jumped,” Locke said. “Everyone was surprised.”

When Paxson first met Locke, she thought, “This guy is just terrific,” she said. “He has the energy and vision to be a builder.”

In just three years, Locke raised over $80 million for Watson, added 13 new faculty positions, established postdoctoral and faculty fellows programs and created a new master’s in public affairs.

Every single hiring offer that the institute made under his directorship was accepted.

“Rick took over Watson at a time when it was at a low ebb, and he really charged in there with a huge amount of energy and, like a whirlwind, started rebuilding very effectively,” said David Weil ’82, professor of economics and chair of the department.

Perhaps most notable has been Locke’s ability to rebuild morale within Watson and gain the trust of faculty members. When Locke arrived, the institute had seen six different directors over the course of eight years and was struggling to secure its identity.

“We were enormously lucky to get Rick,” said Stephen Kinzer, senior

fellow in international and public affairs. “He gave us all the sense that we’re on a great journey of transformation here.”

In spring 2014, Kinzer went to Locke with a proposal for a new course in international journalism that would include a travel component. Locke was immediately on board and worked to find the financial resources to make it happen.

Last spring break, Kinzer traveled with the 10 students in the course to Nicaragua, where each student conducted research and interviews to produce an original piece of journalism.

“Not all international studies centers would give students an opportunity to do that,” Kinzer said.

“Saying that something is not traditional academics does not rule it out in Rick’s book. On the contrary, it’s when he raises his eyebrows and says, ‘Yes, tell me more.’”

Locke’s openness to new ideas is coupled with a conscientious mindset. “He remembers every detail,” said Shankar Prasad MA’03 PhD’06, associate director of Watson.

Locke recruited Prasad to Watson in the summer of 2014, convincing him to leave his post as the director of undergraduate studies at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Taken by Locke’s leadership style and vision, Prasad moved his family to Providence, newborn infant and all.

“I look back, and I still can’t believe we left New York to be here,” Prasad said. “I hadn’t even considered moving from New York City, but it was something about Rick’s energy that I just found infectious,” he said.

Faculty members said Locke has the ability to create a work environment of genuine passion for the tasks at hand.

“The happiest I’ve been in my career are the two-plus years that I’ve been here,” said Edward Steinfeld, professor of political science and director of the China Initiative at Watson.

Steinfeld and Locke share a similar history: They both officially started at Brown in July 2013, leaving MIT appointments in the Sloan School

and the political science department.

They have known each other for almost 20 years.

In the 2012-13 academic year, while on sabbatical in Beijing and considering a hiring offer from Brown, Steinfeld caught wind that Locke had committed to Watson.

“When I heard Rick Locke was also coming here, that added confirmation for me,” he said.

Locke “has this combination of a moral compass that’s focused on great scholarship tied to solving realworld problems and this high-energy impatience, and I felt that that came together really beautifully here at Watson,” Steinfeld said.

A swift ascent Locke’s transformative success as director of the Watson Institute did not go unnoticed by his superiors.

Last May, Paxson sent a community-wide email announcing that Vicki Colvin, professor of chemistry and engineering, would step down as provost after just one year. The following month, Paxson announced Locke as Colvin’s successor.

Locke currently serves as provost and Watson director and will manage both roles through the end of this month, at which point Steinfeld will take over as the institute’s director.

Locke said at the time of his appointment that he was “incredibly excited” and “a little anxious” about his new position, adding that though he was relatively new to Brown, “It’s a really good time to be here.”

On July 1, he sent a letter to faculty and staff members asking for their support in executing his proposed priorities in three areas: academic excellence, community and financial strength.

He spent the summer meeting with every department chair to understand the work, goals and concerns of each department, translating Paxson’s strategic plan into an operational plan of concrete initiatives, examining the University’s finances with a fine-toothed comb to develop a plan for sustainability and working with fellow senior administrators to prepare for the launch of the University’s $3 billion comprehensive » See JUMP GOES HERE, page 5

UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

» AFRICA, from page 1 the University can both meet and grow student interest in Africa, Agupusi said.

“You have to have people teaching (about) Africa for people to become interested,” she said.

It seems the University is trying to address its lack of African studies with events held through Watson’s Africa Initiative, but there is still work to be done in the long term to increase student access to the subject, said Wilson Cusack ’16, a student in Agupusi’s developmental studies course.

In the courses that do focus on Africa, the continent’s countries also often “get lumped together,” whereas in the study of other continents, the countries tend to be studied individually, he said.

For example, one course focuses on sub-Saharan African history from the 1940s to the present, but courses about other continents would not be offered in such sweeping terms, he added.

As a “first step” to offer students who are interested in African studies more resources, the University should create a list of professors who focus on Africa across different departments, said Sara Weschler ’10, who was frustrated by the lack of African studies courses available as an undergraduate.

Faculty members who focus on Africa are available, but because they are so widespread across disciplines, it can be difficult for students to find them on their own, she added.

With Africa containing nations that are some of the world’s fastest growing economies, such as Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the University should be dedicating more resources to the study of “the last frontier,” Agupusi said.

“If Brown wants to make itself a global university, as it is, you can’t leave out the entire region of Africa,” Agupusi said. “Africa is a region that is rising.”

Interrelated departments Africana studies is often confused with African studies, but the two are distinct, Agupusi said.

Africana studies focuses on the African diaspora — the culture and connections of Africans who were forced into slavery or who migrated to other continents. Comparatively, African studies focuses on the continent and the countries within it.

The University has a Department of

» DEMANDS, from page 2 — one for Title IX and one for Title VI. Student life and services The diversity action plan proposes creating a center for first-generation students and hiring a dean to oversee the center. Students reiterated the need for this center, in addition to recommending that the University create a board of first-generation alums to oversee the center and devote part of the BrownTogether campaign funds to it.

Students demanded that the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice participate in orientation programming, including by delivering a presentation on structural

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Africana Studies that contains faculty members who specialize in and teach about the African diaspora, focusing on areas such as African-American and Afro-Brazilian studies.

But while many courses offered by the department allow students to study the culture and history of Africa, these studies are often designed to connect the cultures of people with African ancestry to Africa, said Brian Meeks, professor of Africana studies and chair of the department.

One of the department’s major weaknesses is its lack of faculty members whose research and teaching focus directly on Africa, Meeks said.

The department is also small compared to those of peer institutions, with just seven available positions, he said.

Universities such as Harvard and Yale have more than triple the number of positions within their departments, he added.

Many of the courses offered in the department are cross-listed in other departments, such as the Departments of English and History, Meeks said. Hiring faculty members who focus on Africa would benefit not only Africana studies, but also the departments in which courses are cross-listed, he added.

Olakunle George, associate professor of English and Africana studies, teaches courses on African texts and literature that are often cross-listed in the English, comparative literature and Africana studies departments.

“I don’t think of (Africana studies and African studies) as separate in the sense of addressing different issues, but rather as interrelated,” George said, adding that Africanists can approach African culture from their varied fields.

George emphasized that faculty who focus on Africa already exist throughout departments at the University, but “Brown can always do better in terms of having more people in their pertinent departments whose focus is on Africa.”

JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

Falling short Over five years have passed since Weschler, now a master’s student in the Institute of African Studies at Columbia, was an undergraduate. But little has changed in terms of the University’s focus on Africa, she said.

The relationship between “Brown and Africa is a massive disappointment,” she said, adding that she took

three courses with Professor of History Nancy Jacobs, one of the few faculty members who focuses on the continent.

“There was almost nothing without her,” she said.

Because of the lack of African studies courses, Weschler instead took courses that did not focus on the continent but had some component, such as a final paper, that let her explore her interest in Africa.

Chimezie Udozorh ’16 said she finds herself confronting the same frustrations today, adding that the nonexistence of African languages at Brown is especially taxing.

“There are a lot of students here who are African students, and many have been raised abroad,” Udozorh said. “As a result, they have a hard time speaking their heritage language or don’t know the language of their father or mother.”

Many of these students come to Brown with “hope and excitement” that

courses on these languages and cultures will be offered, but these desires are met with disappointment, she said. “There are so many languages and so many rich cultures to choose from. To say that there are zero (courses offered) is so exhaustingly frustrating.”

In an attempt to fill this gap, Udozorh, along with a few other students, attempted to create a Group Independent Study Project on Igbo, a native Nigerian language. The first time they submitted the GISP proposal, it was rejected, as the students were having difficulty creating a syllabus that was appropriate for a language course, she said.

“It was kind of irritating because we’re suddenly expected to be able to make a language course syllabus for a language that we’re struggling with, and that was the only way we could get it approved,” Udozorh said. Eventually, the group got the GISP approved not

as a language course, but as one that focuses on the culture of Igbo people, including their language.

Weschler said it is “shameful” that Brown still does not offer any African languages.

Because there were no classes for her to practice her Swahili while she was at Brown, she joined Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment, which paired her with a Swahili-speaking family.

“I found all these different ways to work Africa into my life, but I really had to do all these contortions to fit it in because there were no academic sources,” Weschler said.

The lack of African studies at Brown makes Weschler “genuinely sad,” she said. “I really love Brown so much, and I feel like this lack is a massive intellectual and kind of moral failing of the University, that it has just forgotten, almost, this entire continent.”

racism and Brown’s legacy of slavery and oppression.

The expansion and diversification of Student and Employee Accessibility Services were also central to the students’ demands, which included that the office be elevated to a center. They also noted that faculty members can ignore requests for accommodations granted by SEAS and demanded that faculty be required to respect these accommodations.

Other demands focused on reforming health resources available to students, particularly Counseling and Psychological Services and Health Services. Students proposed lifting the limit of seven CAPS appointments per academic year, as well as increasing the diversity of CAPS clinical staff,

sharing data regarding the diversity of the CAPS staff and creating an intersectional diversity training for all CAPS and Health Services staff members.

The University’s health insurance plan should include counseling and health care for transgender people, students said, supplementing their call for a physical and staff expansion of the LGBTQ Center.

Students demanded the presence of at least one Minority Peer Counselor and one Women Peer Counselor in each first-year residential unit, in addition to the University funding the MPC program “in perpetuity.” Students also recommended increasing the number of people of color working as WPCs, Residential Peer Leaders and community directors.

Financial aid and admission Students made several demands regarding University financial aid packages and how they are calculated, specifically demanding that the financial aid process take disability into account, eliminate summer contributions and include the University health insurance plan, graduation expenses and yearly travel allowances for international students.

Students also recommended that the University create a timeline to achieve need-blind admission for international, transfer and Resumed Undergraduate Education students.

Linking Internships and Knowledge awards should be available to low-income students for all summers, students said.

Students proposed establishing a scholarship fund for students with refugee status, as well as one for Rhode Island high school students of color, particularly first-generation or undocumented students.

Students demanded the University hire more financial aid and admission officers, including a financial aid officer specifically focused on undocumented students, an admission officer to recruit low-income and first-generation students and an admission officer to recruit undocumented students.

Students also proposed hiring staff translators to better communicate with families who prefer not to use English, as well as a legal counselor to aid undocumented students.

www.browndailyherald.com

UNIVERSITY NEWS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Herald poll reveals 4.1 percent of students have sold illegal drugs Nearly one in 10 members of Greek organizations report having sold illegal drugs for profit

By ANYA HONG AND MARIAH KENNEDY-CUOMO STAFF WRITERS

“I like smoking and got into drug dealing that way,” Michael said, adding that he sells half a pound of marijuana in an average week.

Like Michael, whose name has been changed due to fear of disciplinary repercussions, approximately 4.1 percent of undergraduates have sold illegal drugs for profit, according to a poll conducted

by The Herald last month.

“I don’t pay attention to the profit — I just am trying to make people happy,” Michael said.

He said he has sold to professors and administrators in addition to students.

“They probably smell it on a student, or know the student smokes, and so they asked for my number,” he said.

Michael said he also sells drugs to students at nearby institutions, including the University of Rhode Island, Johnson and Wales University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

“I don’t think of it as a big deal,” he said. “It’s like taking a shower — everybody smokes.”

Poll results showed that 9.6 percent of members of Greek organizations have sold illegal drugs for profit compared to 3.5 percent of non-Greek students.

“I feel like part of the Greek life aura is more conducive to selling drugs,” said one student. All students requested anonymity for this story due to confidentiality concerns.

“I feel like they are more pressured to do it since they’re in a group,” another student said.

Kirsten Wolfe, assistant dean of student conduct, expressed surprise that nearly one out of 10 members of a fraternity or sorority have sold illegal drugs for profit.

“That’s surprising because I don’t know anyone in Greek life that sells drugs for profit,” said a sophomore fraternity member. “I don’t think that niche exists in Greek life,” he said.

» PROVOST, from page 3 fundraising campaign.

Locke did not take a single vacation day.

“I put in long hours,” Locke said.

“If you have to get the work done, you have to put in the hours. And I’m very, very lucky because I work on things that I am passionate about.”

Patricia Ybarra, associate professor of theatre arts and performance studies and chair of the department, first met Locke in a one-on-one meeting this summer.

“Rick Locke is actually the best manager I have ever seen,” Ybarra said.

In their conversation this summer, Ybarra expressed concerns to Locke about the increasing need for physical space for the arts on campus. The operational plan, released in September, outlines plans for an 80,000-square-foot performing arts building.

“He is incredibly effective in moving ideas into action,” Ybarra said.

Locke stepped into the role of

The poll results also revealed a correlation between race and drug dealing, with 5.7 percent of white students indicating they had sold illegal drugs for profit compared to 2.2 percent of nonwhite students.

“The media and common society actually associate selling drugs with people of color,” a student said.

The poll “shows how the media is hiding the truth,” another student said.

Several students mentioned “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander, the required First Readings book for the class of 2019. “Because of reading that, I understand that it’s not just non-white people who are involved with selling drugs,” one first-year said.

Gender also emerged as a correlated factor, with 5.9 percent of male students

reporting they had sold illegal drugs for profit compared to 2.4 percent of female students.

“You don’t picture girls selling drugs — you picture guys selling drugs,” a student said, adding that this perception is due to “every movie, every TV show.”

There were 76 disciplinary referrals for drugs in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, according to the Department of Public Safety’s annual security report.

From January 2014 to December 2014, 60 students went through the student conduct system for drug-related charges, almost all of which were related to marijuana, Wolfe said.

Wolfe said she believes marijuana is overwhelmingly the most common drug used on campus, noting that she has seen

some cases of heroin and cocaine and one case of anabolic steroids.

“We do approach marijuana violations the exact same way as other drug violations,” Wolfe said. “Even if it were to be fully legal in the state of Rhode Island, it would still remain against our policy” due to federal law, she said. “You can’t allow that on your campus or you are risking your federal funding.”

Over her two years at the University, Wolfe said she has seen no reports of student drug dealers or related investigations or punishments. Cracking down on student drug dealers is not high on the Office of Student Conduct’s list of items to investigate, Wolfe said, adding that sexual assault investigations have taken priority.

Investigations into students who have

sold drugs begin with a triage, in which multiple people review the reported information for accuracy, Wolfe said. If they deem the information accurate, the student is pulled into a meeting and given five business days to issue an optional response. During these five business days, the student can create a witness list of people who will be interviewed and included in the final submission of case materials.

All cases of drug dealing have a minimum sentence of suspension, and the substance and amount sold impact the punishment, Wolfe said.

“Was this a one-time, small-scale kind of thing? Or was this a big-time operation with lots of people involved in it? All of those things would factor into that,” she said.

“Have you ever sold illegal drugs for profit?”

Overall

Percent “Yes” GREEK

9.6%

96%

NOT GREEK

No

3.5% WHITE

5.7% NOT WHITE

4% Yes

2.2% MALE

5.9% FEMALE

2.4% LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD

provost in the thick of the push to convert Paxson’s broad, ambitious goals for the University — expressed in her strategic plan — into a more defined set of actions.

While working on the operational plan, Locke also collaborated with Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Barbara Chernow ’79 to identify steps to reduce the University’s $8.7 million structural budget deficit.

Chernow and the provost spent the summer carefully reviewing the Deficit Reduction Working Group’s recommendations and the 650 community comments submitted in response.

In September, Locke released a financial plan to eliminate the deficit in three years.

“He’s very good at keeping many balls in the air,” said Dean of the College Maud Mandel.

In meetings with Mandel, Locke said he has learned more about the needs of first-generation and lowincome students.

“Supporting first-gen students

and our lowest-income students has been something that we really, really ramped up, starting after he came, and a lot of that came because of his vision,” Mandel said.

Locke, a first-generation college student himself, is committed to working within the budget so that all students have the resources they need to succeed, he said.

“I would describe him as a problem solver,” Mandel said. “He really works to get the barriers out of the way.”

Teaching and learning In addition to serving as both Watson director and provost, Locke is co-teaching a course this semester titled POLS 1490: “Building a Better World: Film and Social Change” with Keith Brown, adjunct professor of international and public affairs and a Watson faculty fellow.

The course’s curriculum includes Locke’s own research on global supply chains.

From the first day of class, Locke was “really trying to de-emphasize

his role as the provost and trying to bring forward his role as a teacher instead,” said Katherine Doherty ’16, who is enrolled in the course.

Locke said he is not only a teacher but also a student in the class, learning about elements of filmmaking.

“Any time Professor Locke is with us, it feels like he’s learning with us,” Doherty said. “He is very curious.”

Locke’s natural curiosity “makes him well suited for the job” of provost, said Kevin McLaughlin P’12, dean of the faculty.

“When you’re in a position where you’re responsible for a lot of different kinds of academic departments, a level of curiosity about what faculty are doing in those departments is important,” McLaughlin said.

Locke said this constant learning makes him feel “like being a freshman again.”

While people see becoming a university president “as the natural next step” for Locke, he said he is just getting started as a provost. “I just feel like I have so much to learn still in this job, so right now I’m very

focused on trying to be the very best provost I can be.”

While steering academic departments and initiatives with one hand and University finances with the other, Locke knows that to be successful in his goal of ensuring academic excellence, building strong community morale is crucial.

He and his partner frequently host colleagues at their home on College Hill, ranging from holiday parties for Watson staff members to more intimate dinner gatherings.

“I come from a working-class family where people had to work hard to do what they wanted to do, and I think that that ethic was not only an intellectual thing but … a personal thing,” Locke said, listing “fairness, treating people well and listening to them” as his core values.

“It may sound trite, but he’s a really good person,” said Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost.

And after meeting his firm handshake, entering his office and sitting down with him, you begin to see what she means.

UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Over 10 percent of students have been cheated on, poll reveals Poll also finds that “Which of the following best describes your 17.8 percent of varsity athletes have cheated on a relationship history to the best of your significant other knowledge? (Check all that apply)”

By JULIA CHOI STAFF WRITER

Approximately 8 percent of undergraduates have cheated on a significant other, and about 13 percent have been cheated on by a significant other, according to a poll conducted by The Herald last month.

Keiner Oliveira ’19, who has been cheated on, said he believes students who cheat on their significant others “disregard the feelings of others in exchange for self-gain or pleasure.”

“Cheating has the power to affect more than just the two people involved — it changes the environment for everyone around them,” Oliveira said. Social media platforms such as Facebook “foster a sense of emotional apathy,” which “makes relationships less personal,” he added.

The poll results revealed a correlation between class year and the likelihood of ever cheating or being cheated on. Approximately 6.2 percent of first-years, 7.7 percent of sophomores, 9.6 percent of juniors and 10.8 percent of seniors indicated they had cheated on a significant other. About 9.8 percent of first-years, 11.6 percent of sophomores, 14 percent of juniors and 17.2 percent of seniors reported

I have cheated on a I have been cheated I have been in at I have never been in significant other on by a significant least one exclusive an exclusive other relationship, and I relationship have neither cheated Selected: 8.2% nor been cheated on 12.7%

Not selected: 91.8%

87.3%

45.1%

54.9%

30.3% 69.7%

JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD

they had been cheated on by a significant other.

Benjamin Wesner ’18 said he thinks the data may have been influenced by the wording of the question, which asked, “Which of the following describes your relationship history to the best of your knowledge?”

As students become older, they usually have “had more relationships by that time, so (they’ve) had more opportunities to cheat,” said Wesner, who is a Herald collections manager.

If poll respondents had been asked whether they had cheated or been cheated on within the past few years, the percentages may have been reversed, he said.

Hannah Blakely ’19 echoed this sentiment. “Over time, naturally more people will cheat because it’s cumulative,” she said.

The data also indicated a correlation between cheating and belonging to a varsity sports team. Approximately

17.8 percent of varsity athletes reported they had cheated, compared to 8.2 percent of students overall.

Jill Glasser ’19, a varsity diver, said athletes “have very little time to develop a committed relationship” given the large amount of time they must devote to their sports. “It is easier and socially acceptable to opt for just a hook-up,” she said.

Despite the incidence of cheating among students, many voiced positive perceptions of campus culture regarding relationships.

Wesner said the dating culture at Brown feels laidback. “People do whatever they want. There’s an emphasis on

being true to yourself,” he said.

“The Brown community is a very accepting place for relationships and friendships,” Glasser said. “The student body is very open-minded.”

Sabrina Saeed ’19 said she has noticed that first-semester students in serious relationships usually met their significant other before college.

“Brown doesn’t foster an environment that encourages cheating,” said Ushani Jayasinghe ’19. But it “doesn’t emphasize relationships” either, she said, adding that a great deal of conversations about relationships center instead around consent and mutual respect.

Board seeks to clarify financial aid process Undergraduate Council of Students creates board as part of efforts to combat socioeconomic barriers

By MATTHEW JARRELL STAFF WRITER

The newly-commissioned Financial Aid Advisory Board will begin meeting next semester with the goal of increasing transparency in the process of receiving aid and enhancing communication between the Financial Aid Office and aid recipients, said leaders of the Undergraduate Council of Students.

Staffed by eight undergraduates appointed earlier this fall, the board will serve as a platform to amplify student voices in the process of applying for and receiving aid, said UCS President Sazzy Gourley ’16.

“The board will generate recommendations and strategies for ways that students can more easily navigate the financial aid process,” Gourley said.

The idea for a student advisory board dealing with financial aid arose from a Corporation focus group on the topic last May, said UCS Vice President Alana Bhatla ’16. “This is

meant to be a space where students can bring up the things they feel are most important,” she said.

Applying for and being awarded aid can be a confusing process, and the new board could help clarify certain information, Gourley said.

Students can find it challenging to understand the duties of the Financial Aid Office, the Bursar’s Office and the Payroll Office, as they are often communicated poorly, he added.

Integrating loan options from outside the University presents an additional problem, Gourley said.

“Borrowing federal loans is difficult and confusing. There’s a lot of stigma,” he said.

Gray Brakke ’18, one of the eight students appointed to the board, said he hopes to “see more transparency of financial aid policies and procedures.”

For first-years especially, the process is “opaque” and needs additional clarification, Brakke said. It would be helpful to assist first-years in their understanding of how loans and grants are calculated, as well as how work-study fits into the equation to make up the financial aid package, he added.

As a sophomore reapplying for financial aid, Brakke found it unclear how the package changed between

years, and he saw significant alterations to his award without receiving any explanation. “It feels like there’s a disconnect between the (Financial Aid Office) and students,” he said.

UCS Chief of Staff Elena Saltzman ’16 served on the committee that interviewed applicants to the board.

She said many candidates cited the problem of communication with the Financial Aid Office and demonstrated a desire to develop strategies to eliminate it.

During the application process, the committee sought students who had personal experience interacting with the Financial Aid Office, Bhatla said. “We wanted students who were able to shed light on various aspects of the process that need to be improved and highlight multiple avenues for doing so,” she said.

The new board will serve as part of a wider initiative to address socioeconomic barriers to success — a central component of the council’s plan heading into this semester, Gourley said.

“There are more areas where the University can do more to support low-income and first-generation students,” he said, adding that the Financial Aid Advisory Board “is just one piece of that.”

ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Class highlights Ghanaian culture through drumming Class’ performance fuses musical traditions, incorporates audience in performance

By ANDREW FRIEDMAN STAFF WRITER

Western and Ghanaian rhythms exploded together on stage at the Grant Recital Hall during the Ghanaian Drumming Concert Wednesday night. The performance was the culmination of the course MUSC 0640: “Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing Ensemble” and incorporates both student and faculty work.

Over the course of the semester, students in the class learned about Ghanaian culture in addition to drumming techniques and traditional rhythms. Students wore traditional Ghanaian costumes and ate a Ghanaian meal prepared by a Ghanaian family before the performance.

Among the night’s selection was a collaborative tap-dance and drumming piece performed by five students enrolled in the class and a duet rendition of Beethoven’s “Für Elise” performed by University Organist Mark Steinbach and Teaching Associate for African Drums Martin Obeng, who teaches the course.

After the duet, Obeng said the song was part of a wider attempt to close the gap between Western and African music.“Hopefully there will be thousands of Africans drumming with piano players one day — I mean what’s wrong with that?” he said.

At the end of the last ensemble performance, audience members were escorted one-by-one from their seats; eventually, the entire audience was invited down to the stage. The music crescendoed as audience members arrived to participate in curated line dances led by students and two guest musicians.

“I didn’t expect it to be this interactive,” said Isaac Lima ’16, adding that the audience participation “seemed very natural and very interesting.”

The course provides students with an understanding of African tradition, Obeng said.“It’s not just about drumming at all; it’s about culture,” he said.

“Students learn foreign texts, rhythm and foreign language,” he said, adding that he sees Ghanaian drumming as a way to fully immerse oneself in a part of African culture.

“This is one of the few classes where students can actually dive into the traditional ways of practicing the culture,” he added. “Any students who are taking classes about Africa — this is the essential part of what they’ve read.”

Students enrolled in the class said they appreciated Obeng’s adherence to Ghanaian tradition and authenticity.

“Mr. Obeng had us name drums by the right name out of respect for that instrument,” said Hool Johnson, a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design. “You would know the rhythm if you went to Ghana tomorrow, really.”

Students also said they appreciated the class’ theory-free, intuitive approach to music.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Students enrolled in MUSC 0640: “Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing Ensemble” sport traditional Ghanaian dress in the course’s culminating performance. In the hands-on course, students learn about not only drumming but also African tradition and culture.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Students in the Ghanaian drumming and dancing class show off their skills. “This is one of the few classes where students can actually dive into the traditional ways of practicing the culture,” said Martin Obeng, teaching associate for African drums, who teaches the course.

“It’s a really cool way of learning music differently, as opposed to reading notes and playing them,” said Sam Frolichstein-Appel ’19. “It’s all about learning by passing down; we hear it and we play it. There is no written music, and we kind of decide on the forms and the arrangements of what we’re playing.”

Obeng said he aims to make the class accessible to students who lack musical backgrounds.

“The philosophy behind it is that I teach it to everyone,” he said.

“It’s more for students to come in and find themselves. … You come in with nothing and you leave with something.”

Several students said they would recommend the class to any Brown students willing to step out of their comfort zones.

“I would encourage more people who are musicians to take it, because it’s just such a different take on music,” Frolichstein-Appel said.

The class, offered in both the spring and fall semesters, enjoys popularity on campus. Next semester’s class only has one seat remaining, according to Banner.

“I used to ask students, and I ask myself, too: ‘What is it about African drumming that is catchy or interesting to other students?’ You know, there’s just something about it,” Obeng said.

Follow The Herald! @bdh_sports

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 8 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

‘Kill Wilson’ demonstrates Wilson’s poor accessibility Film highlights lack of facilities necessary for students with disabilities to enter Wilson Hall

By KASTURI PANANJADY STAFF WRITER

“Kill Wilson” is the fourth, and last, final project for PHP 1680I: “Pathology to Power: Disability, Health and Community.” This article is the final installment in a series covering students’ attempts to increase the visibility of disability on campus.

PATHOLOGY TO POWER Caroline Orr ’16 called out over the hubbub of voices in the Blue Room that a student-produced film on the accessibility of Wilson Hall, called “Kill Wilson,” would be screened in Peterutti Lounge at 7 p.m. Thursday. “There will also be pizza and a dog,” she added, her words immediately followed by a collective scraping of chairs.

Earlier this semester, students in the course PHP 1680I: “Pathology to Power: Disability, Health and Community,” challenged students without disabilities to enter Wilson Hall using a wheelchair or a pair of crutches. The film showed three students’ attempts to enter Wilson while simulating having mobility impairments — ironically to the sound of jazzy elevator music.

While half the section worked on the film, the other half talked to University administrators about why Wilson is as inaccessible as it is today, said Libby Zorn ’16, a coordinator of the event.

Zorn said the project was born out of “sitting in section and griping about Wilson Hall, because someone had had trouble getting to class.” Students then began to recount similar stories

» ELECTION, from page 1 views on fiscal issues. Similarly, 83.9 percent of respondents reported to have somewhat or very liberal views on social issues.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, and businessman and reality show personality Donald Trump were favored by just over 1 percent of Brown undergraduates each, while 15.4 percent of students are undecided and 8.5 percent are either uninterested in voting or ineligible to vote.

Arenberg wrote that 15 percent of undecided voters is an unsurprising percentage this far from the election, and some students said they agree that it is still too early to come to a definitive conclusion on who they will support.

Students who might support Republican candidates appear to be less decided overall. Olivia Kozel ’19 and Brett Kahn ’19 both said the number of Republican candidates campaigning contributes to their uncertainty. There are only two major candidates on the Democratic side but four candidates on the Republican side who are polling at over 10 percent nationally, with many more still in the running.

Kahn said he looks forward to researching the Republican candidates further, adding that there is much to find out about them over the next year.

“People want someone with experience, and one negative about Trump

about the building, she said.

Their shared experiences inspired them to create an anonymous survey asking students about any difficulties they may have had navigating Wilson Hall. Students then circulated the survey among friends, classmates and sports teams. “A lot of people who have mobility issues on Brown’s campus are student athletes who get injured,” Zorn said.

The number of responses made our section realize how big a problem Wilson’s inaccessibility is, Zorn said.

“Forty percent of the student population uses Wilson Hall,” Orr said.

“Over 19 classes are conducted there.”

Zorn said Wilson is also used for club meetings, a cappella auditions, as well as class sections and problem set-solving sessions. Zorn added that emergency medical technicians cannot use stretchers within Wilson if students inside require medical attention.

Before the screening of the 10-minute film, Orr said the organizers’ objective was to encourage Brown students to be as vocal about ableism as they are about other issues on campus.

“This is a great moment for student activism,” she said.

Vice President of Facilities Management Stephen Maiorisi said Facilities Management was aware of the accessibility concerns raised. “Wilson has been high on the list for a couple of years in terms of ‘we need to do something here,’” he said. As part of the capital planning process, campus buildings are ranked based on need.

“Need” is based on the number of

students who use the building and the building’s mechanical issues, he said.

“I imagine that something is going to be done with regard to Wilson as part of the next capital project,” Maiorisi said, referencing President Christina Paxson’s P’19 strategic plan, “Building on Distinction.” Capital projects are not linked to a definitive timeframe, though projects tend to be completed within an 8- to 10- year period once put on the agenda, Maiorisi said. “It’s hard to say for sure because of funding issues,” he added.

Unlike other inaccessible buildings, Wilson Hall’s accessibility problems cannot be solved by the installation of a lift or a ramp, Maoirisi said.

The floors within Wilson Hall are at different levels and the building would require a complete renovation in order to be made fully accessible. “As it stands, once you get inside that building, even if we got you to the first floor, there’s nowhere you can go,” he said.

“The main barrier to progress is the cost of physical renovations,” wrote Sazzy Gourley ’16, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, in an email to The Herald.

Maiorisi said while these factors pose significant challenges, renovation of Wilson Hall was not impossible.

Smith-Buonanno Hall was renovated from scratch in 2000, he said, and it was made “completely accessible” as a result.

“Unequivocally, when we take on any renovation project, we make it accessible, as well,” Maiorisi said.

Maiorisi said renovation plans for the next year included installing elevators in both Manning Chapel and Andrews House, the home of Health Services. He estimated that

both projects would be completed this summer.

Student and Employee Accessibility Services has worked with Health Services to make any necessary medical assistance available on the first floor in the meantime, said Catherine Axe ’87, SEAS director.

While walking through the Main Green during last week’s project “Grading the Green,” Maiorisi said he remembered thinking that the students’ letter grades were “probably exactly the same ones we would have given them as well.” The age of the buildings and Brown’s topography make addressing accessibility concerns particularly challenging, he added.

“We’ve made a tremendous amount of improvement over time in terms of accessibility, and we are going to continue to do so,” Maoirisi said, emphasizing that making the campus accessible is a work in progress.

UCS is “advocating for the administration to create mechanisms to hold faculty accountable for complying with SEAS accommodations and Dean’s notes,” Gourley wrote.

“All the concerns that have been raised so far in these articles (regarding Pathology to Power) are actionable,” Axe said.

Maorisi said Facilities Management and the Office of the Provost are in the initial stages of developing a plan to render University Hall accessible.

“We have also requested that there be better signage in buildings,” Axe said, adding that SEAS would be working with Facilities Management to ensure that the International Symbol of Accessibility — the classic symbol of a person in a wheelchair — would be

more visible in the future.

Axe also said SEAS is working on having disability feature more prominently in Paxson’s action plan for diversity and inclusion. “I am working on suggestions to ensure that we are not overlooked where diversity is concerned,” she said. These suggestions include plans to increase the number of courses on disability and to create a Department of Disability Studies in the long term.

SEAS also recently facilitated the launch of a student-run mentoring program — the Bob and Charlie Poole Mentoring Program — to foster a spirit of community among students with disabilities. “One of our goals is to function more like a center,” Axe said, envisioning a SEAS support system in the same vein as the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center or the LGBTQ Center.

The creation of such a center is difficult because of the lack of space available to SEAS at their current location, Axe said. Brown’s expansion into the Jewelry District involves the relocation of numerous offices across the river, which could free up space for SEAS’s expansion, she added. SEAS itself has no plans to move to the Jewelry District. “We would always want to remain very central. It’s important not to have too many steps to reach us,” Axe said.

Axe also encouraged students without disabilities to engage with SEAS to support their peers. The SEAS website lists email addresses and telephone numbers where students can report technical failures and maintenance issues, she said. “Students are also welcome to walk into the office and voice their concerns,” Axe added.

is that he is a businessman more than anything,” he said.

U.S. relations with Israel are also an important factor, Kahn said.

For Kozel, too, foreign relations will also be a deciding issue. “We’re going into a terror-ridden era,” she said, referring to the recent Islamic State attacks in Paris. “We need someone who is strong enough and ready to handle that.”

The Herald’s democratic poll results do not align with national numbers, which show that Sanders trailing Clinton. According to a New York Times article published in November, the former secretary of state garnered 52 percent of Democratic voters whereas Sanders only had 33 percent.

Arun Varma ’16 and Abdullah Yousufi ’17 said Sanders’ platforms of free college education and increasing the minimum wage are primary reasons for his higher polling on college campuses. They said these issues have direct impacts on the 18- to 25-yearold age group, thus appealing to them and igniting their interests in the presidential race.

Lucas Benjamin ’18, a member of the group Brown University Students for Bernie, aligns with Sanders’ views on paid maternity leave and universal health care in addition to the minimum wage and college costs. “He’s exciting a lot of people on the progressive wing of the Democratic party that have been dormant,” he said. “Even if he doesn’t win, he’s doing a huge service to our

democracy in getting young people to pay attention. Young people can see the policies that benefit them, such as free college.”

Sanders supporters on campus also reference his honesty as a crucial characteristic of his campaign. Yousufi called Sanders a “trustworthy candidate,” while Benjamin said he believes Sanders genuinely “cares about creating change.”

For Elena Saltzman ’16, co-president of Brown Students for Hillary, it comes down to women’s health. The recent attacks on Planned Parenthood have brought women’s issues back to the frontline of issues presidential candidates must address, she said.

Saltzman said Clinton “is the only candidate prioritizing women’s health” and “the only candidate I really trust.”

Jeff Salvadore ’17, president of Brown Democrats, said the group does not support a particular candidate for the Democratic nomination, but he believes Clinton has the necessary experience in foreign policy.

Bridget Duru ’19 said Clinton’s experience in foreign affairs is also very important. “She can offer strong American leadership,” Duru said.

Emma Dickson ’16, co-president of Brown Students for Hillary, said it is “important to note these are not new issues for her.” Clinton has spent her lifetime and career dedicated to the issues she would face as president, Dickson said.

Concerning the campaigns of the

Democratic candidates, Arenberg wrote that it is “undeniable Hillary Clinton is doing well,” referring to her debate performance and poll standings. But Sanders’ campaign has “outperformed what most observers even thought was possible,” he wrote, adding that Sanders “has done Clinton a service by creating a Democratic race” and forcing “her to pay more attention to the progressive wing of the party.”

At 1.6 percent, Rubio polled higher than any other Republican candidate in The Herald’s poll. Austin Rose ’19 said he is still undecided, but Rubio’s moderate approach appeals to him.

Rubio’s tax plan is realistic, he said, naming economic issues as one of his top concerns in the next presidential election.

Taylor Grenawalt ’17, president of Students for Rand at Brown and Rhode Island state coordinator for Students for Rand, wrote in an email to The Herald that Paul “is the only candidate who has and will continue to support and advance economic freedom, as well as individual liberty.”

Grenawalt cited a variety of economic issues such as taxes and deficit spending as primary reasons for his support for Paul. “The more the debt grows, the bigger the burden will be on the younger generation to pay it off,” he wrote.

Socrates Zouboulakis ’17 said he also identifies with Paul’s political philosophy but that the projections for who will receive the nomination

could alter who he supports in the near future.

Concerning Republican campaigns, Arenberg wrote that Trump’s “obvious strength has perplexed and frustrated the Republican establishment.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rubio are also doing well, with Cruz raising money and vying for southern victories in the primaries, Arenberg wrote, adding that Rubio is “outperforming other establishment candidates.”

Despite being a Brown alumni, Republican candidate and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ’92 had no support on campus at the time the poll was taken — he had yet to drop out of the race in late October. Many students said this was not surprising.

“He’s disowned his alma mater,” Saltzman said. “He doesn’t talk about it. He doesn’t come back for events.”

“People aren’t even aware he’s a Brown alumni,” Salvadore said.

Zouboulakis also agreed his lack of campus support could have been due to lack of name recognition.

Brown’s overall liberal demographics also contribute to Jindal’s inability to receive votes on campus, Grenawalt wrote, adding that Jindal’s actions and record were inadequate for the presidency.

Overall, the level of discussion about the presidential race this early in the campaigns excites students on campus. “I don’t care if you’re on the left or the right,” Benjamin said. “It’s important to get involved.”

ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Artist Jane Hammond talks memory, reinvention throughout career Jane Hammond provides overview of her career trajectory, inspirations for literary arts concentrators

By NORA GOSSELIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Artist Jane Hammond, whose work has been featured everywhere from the National Gallery of Art to the de Young Museum in San Francisco, spoke with students and faculty members at the List Art Center Thursday, wrapping up the Department of Visual Art’s visiting artist talks for the semester.

Hammond’s work spans from large, colorful paintings and prints to — in recent years — carefully constructed black-and-white photographic images.

She explained the diversity of her work at the beginning of her talk: “I didn’t want to be the woman who has to get up in the morning and make the Jane Hammonds,” she said, drawing laughter from a crowd of largely visual arts concentrators. One such concentrator, Dylan Everett ’16, said he had a critique with Hammond earlier in the day and attended the lecture to gain a better understanding of her work.

Hammond first shared a condensed outline of her long, diverse career, beginning with her arrival in New York City in late 1979 as a recent MFA graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She said she believed her duty as a young artist was to delve into the unknown and to embrace and be inspired by all the information surrounding her.

This belief led Hammond to spend three nights a week at a public library near Baltimore, Maryland, which she commuted to from New York. There, she researched everything from insects and flowers to medieval architecture; this research would eventually form the basis of what Hammond refers to as her “lexicon of images.” Her lexicon contained 276 found images, which she based her paintings off of from 1980 to 1993.

Though she was inspired by found images, Hammond said much of her work during this time was autobiographical, infused with memories, experiences and dreams. She displayed

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what she refers to as her “breakthrough painting,” an oil-on-canvas piece of assorted images including the Chinese letters for “women” and “paintbrush.”

It was with this work, in 1992, that Hammond finally felt like she could proudly own the title of artist, she said.

Hammond next expanded her work to deal with not only found images, but also “found titles.” She reached out to the Pulitzer Prizewinning poet John Ashbery, asking him to cull together various phrases and lines to inspire her new series of paintings. Though she was skeptical upon receiving Ashbery’s list of 44 titles — including “Sore Models,” “The Soapstone Factory” and “Irregular Plural” — she soon fell wholeheartedly into the process, dedicating nearly nine years to paintings based off of Ashbery’s titles.

One day, Hammond felt instinctually that this period of her work was complete, she said. Though the process of seeking out a new source of inspiration scared her, she felt the change was necessary.

Hammond returned to the notion of “found objects” with her discovery

of old photographs. She described long afternoons spent on EBay, bidding for black-and-white images of a wide variety of subjects, from polar bears and monkeys to long-gone family portraits and lake scenes. After studying her collected images intensely, Hammond found that she had the peculiar tendency to misremember them — imagining a single, composite image that actually pieced together components of several other photos.

For almost 11 years now, Hammond has worked with photo retouchers to piece together scores of vernacular photographs, often with the artist’s own mysterious backstories, into single compositions. This process involves scouring through hundreds of pictures for the right angle, overlaying numerous backgrounds and sometimes even staging and taking original photographs.

The series has exposed Hammond to an underground world of hectic flea markets, eccentric collectors and skilled photo manipulators. Hammond joked that in each piece she collaborates with 20 photographers whose works have accumulated over

the centuries; they just don’t know they’re collaborating with her.

Through her work, Hammond has also been forced to consider conceptions of time. She described her discovery of the “world behind the world” — the secondary, long-lost people of old, vernacular images who, through her work, are coming to life once more. The ability to transcend time with compilation in art, along with the constant drive to reinvent existing works, define Hammond’s career.

“She really has a versatility in trying to work with so many different kinds of material as much as she can, and doing things in ways that are not necessarily conventional,” said Leadz Dorcé ’16.

“It’s interesting how there are stages” in Hammond’s work, Dorcé added.

“It seems like she’s slowly exploring everything.”

Hammond closed by sharing artist Robert Smithson’s philosophy of entropy, that things have a tendency toward disorder. She said she has no idea what the next stage of her work will hold, and this uncertainty brings with it an undeniable excitement.

SPORTS COMMENTARY PAGE 10 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Playing it safe: the NFL’s incentive problem

BY MIKE FIRN sports columnist

Since the very first day of training camp, pundits have been asking the questions: Which is the NFL’s team to beat? Which is the resurgent dark horse? Twelve weeks into the NFL season, we’re starting to get some answers.

It no longer seems totally ridiculous to start projecting playoff matchups or picking Super Bowl favorites.

Now is the time when pretenders and contenders diverge.

But really, we’ve known all along.

Despite all the drama, the 2015 NFL season will likely teach us nothing new about a Super Bowl formula that is time-worn and battle-tested — to win in February, a team needs an elite QB, an elite defense or both. In any case, your quarterback absolutely must take care of the football.

The list of recent Super Bowl

winners is littered with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers equivalents. The few ostensible exceptions aren’t really exceptions — Joe Flacco may not be elite, but the 2013 playoff version of Joe Flacco definitely was. Eli Manning just got lucky (twice) against my Patriots.

And so the list of contenders is whittled down to a handful of teams with premiere quarterbacks. It would then seem that each franchise should develop young QB talent until it hits the jackpot with a marquee signal caller.

But while the strategic path appears straightforward, far too many teams consistently veer off the road. These teams willfully plunge into quarterback purgatory, handing long-term contracts to quarterbacks talented enough to win a few games yet too error-prone to realistically stage a Super Bowl run. If every team prioritized championships, the Matt Staffords and Jay Cutlers of the world would be holding clipboards rather than $50 million contracts.

But alas, not every team prioritizes

success, and therein lies the NFL’s incentive problem. NFL team owners are ultimately held accountable by the voices of fans. A disgruntled fanbase, however uninformed, demands a scapegoat, and it’s a lot easier to fire a coach than to purge an entire active roster.

Thus team decision-makers face intense scrutiny and pressure to improve short-term prospects for the franchise. Since 1978, an NFL head coach has had 1-in-4.8 odds of being fired at the conclusion of each season.

Job security for a general manager is almost as tenuous.

Even if committing to a rebuild is in the best long-term interest of the team, no coach or GM can afford to be associated with short-term failure.

Economists would throw around fancy terms like moral hazard, but really the concept is pretty simple — the marketplace for NFL roster construction rewards minimizing downside more than maximizing upside.

This problem of misaligned incentives is not new, just differently framed.

Statisticians have been screaming for years that coaches are systematically too conservative on fourth downs. The odds beg coaches to punt the ball away less often, yet they stubbornly trot out their punters to voluntarily relinquish possession.

Anyone who has ever played Madden can tell you that operating as an ultra-aggressive coach is always more fun and exciting. Turns out, it’s also more effective. But any coaches who haven’t earned the right to buck the flawed conventional wisdom risk their jobs by attempting the smart play rather than settling for the safe one.

The NFL tends to reward tactical ingenuity and innovation. Bill Belichick has carved up the league for over a decade by constantly operating a full strategic step ahead of his opponents.

But in an age where coaches are discouraged from trial and error, almost everyone converges to the familiar.

To differentiate on the field, teams must innovate off of it. Tremendous synergies exist when head coaches are given the freedom to influence roster

construction, but few coaches stick around long enough to earn this trust.

NFL teams operate as businesses.

And like every business, teams are ultimately responsive to the needs of their customers. Team owners aren’t necessarily ill-informed about the counterproductive nature of withholding job security, but they certainly aren’t incentivized to deviate from the trend.

Any solution thus has to stem from the demands of football fans. If teams could properly communicate the benefits of adhering to a long-term vision of success, they could manage the expectations of their fan bases.

More patient and informed supporters would then be more willing to truly hand the keys over to the decisionmaking professionals.

In simpler terms: longer leashes, fewer punts and better football.

Mike Firn ’16 goes for every fourth down in Madden.

Contact him at michael_firn@brown.edu.

SPORTS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

M. HOCKEY

Five games against top-10 teams headline winter break schedule Top line of Naclerio ’16, Lappin ’16, Marchin ’19 looks to match firepower of impressive opponents

By MATT BROWNSWORD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last season, it took the men’s hockey team over a month to get its first conference win.

But this year has started very differently for Brown (2-4-3, 2-3-2 ECAC), as it has already registered two wins and six ECAC points — a feat it did not accomplish until mid-February last season.

Heading into winter break, Bruno had one conference win and looked to inhabit the ECAC cellar for the foreseeable future. This year, the Bears are in seventh place heading into their last games before a short break. Though Brown will face two tough opponents — including undefeated No. 3 Quinnipiac — it is in a much better position than last year going into a pivotal point in the campaign.

Bruno will take on Princeton, which occupies the last-place spot in the conference standings, and the Bobcats in its last conference games for over a month.

Brown played Quinnipiac tough last year when the Bobcats were the runaway favorite for the conference title, ultimately falling just short despite a Mark Naclerio ’16 hat trick.

“We are excited for the challenge,” Naclerio said. “We understand that they’re a great team, but any time you have a chance to compete against a top team in the country, it’s always really exciting.”

The Bobcats enter with the two top scorers in the league: Sam Anas and Travis St. Denis. Unlike last year’s team, Brown also has scorers who are competing for top individual marks.

Nick Lappin ’16 is third in the

» M. BBALL, from page 16 Justin Massey ’18 and two treys from JR Hobbie ’17 widened Bruno’s early lead.

The most impressive aspect of Bruno’s 42-23 halftime lead was that it easily could have been greater. Martin said he felt the team missed some easy shots throughout the game and could have put CCSU away earlier.

The Bears seemed to rest on their large halftime advantage, opening the second half in sluggish form. The Blue Devils managed to trim the lead to 12 just six minutes into the second half, but Tavon Blackmon ’17 ensured there would be no comeback. In the span of 1:28, Brown’s starting point guard

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

The Bears swarm together on the ice to celebrate a goal. This act was repeated many times last weekend as Brown scored 10 goals in just two games, including a Tommy Marchin ’19 hat trick against ECAC foe Colgate.

ECAC in points, and impressive rookie Tommy Marchin ’19 is seventh. Naclerio rounds out Brown’s first line in 14th, contributing to substantial tallies for Bears who have played six fewer games than their non-Ivy counterparts.

Looking past Quinnipiac, the most intriguing matchup for the Bears over winter break will be the home-andhome set with No. 1 Providence for the coveted Mayor’s Cup. Tyler Steel’s ’17 magnificent performances last season stole the show and brought the Cup to Brown, but the Friars were able to

secure the national championship trophy at the end of the season.

Coming into the year as the relatively undisputed top team in the country, Providence has hardly strayed from the course, taking down other ranked opponents across the country. The Friars also clobbered Holy Cross — a team Brown has lost to — and Colgate — a team that Brown has won against and tied.

“We know that we can compete against (the Friars) and beat them, so we are looking forward to hopefully

rattled off nine points by himself: a long three-pointer followed by three slashing layups.

“In the second half, we were a little flat and lacked energy, and he gave us life,” Martin said of his floor general.

This season, Blackmon has found a backcourt partner in rookie Corey Daugherty ’19. The two ballhandlers — who interchange at point guard but also occasionally play alongside one other — form a one-two punch much more potent than their small stcatures suggest. The duo combined for 25 points and seven assists, with each scoring in double digits and only turning the ball over one time.

Kyle Haber ’18 emerged as an unexpected source of production

Wednesday. After playing just three combined minutes in the first six games and not attempting a single shot, Haber drained his first three attempts from the field against the Blue Devils. He finished the night with seven points.

While CCSU is far from the cream of the defensive crop, Bruno’s 84-point performance showcased an offense with fast players and even faster passing. The Bears tied a season high with 19 assists Wednesday and are averaging 16.4 dimes per game this year.

At this point last year, the team was passing out just 8.7 assists per game.

Bruno makes the short trek to Bryant Saturday afternoon in an attempt to continue its winning ways.

taking the positive momentum we built from this upcoming weekend into that last game before the break against Providence,” Naclerio said.

Other than conference tilts against No. 10 Yale toward the end of winter break, Brown’s only other games will take place in the UVM Catamount Cup at the end of December. The Bears will take on Colgate for the third time — though this matchup will not have conference points on the line — and Lake Superior State.

Last year, Brown played Denver

and Boston College in its annual nonconference slate over the break. This year, Bruno faces a familiar opponent in the Raiders and an unfamiliar one in the Lakers, who play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

“It’s always different playing teams out of our conference,” Naclerio said.

“We’re not as familiar with those teams and their style of play, but it’s always a great opportunity for us to represent our league. We want to show that the ECAC is the best league in college hockey.”

SPORTS

PAGE 12 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Winter Sports Preview

BY BEN SHUMATE, STAFF WRITER Brown’s athletes will not spend the long winter break relaxing at home or taking vacations. Instead, the six-week hiatus from classes will be filled with games, meets and long road trips for a number of teams. Winter sports will hit the busiest stretch of their seasons in December and January, while spring sports will use the break to fit in exhibition games and early contests.

Women’s hockey The women’s hockey team could have the busiest break of any team on campus. After road contests this weekend, the Bears (2-8-0, 0-4-0 ECAC) will go without a game until January, when they will play 11 times. Brown will ring in the new year by taking to the road Jan. 1 and 2 to face Princeton and Quinnipiac. The following weekend, St. Lawrence and Clarkson will come to Meehan Auditorium for another Friday-Saturday slate of games.

Bruno will hit the road again the next weekend, Jan. 15 and 16, taking on Empire State foes Colgate and Cornell. The lone mid-week and nonconference contest for Brown will come Jan. 19 in a road game against Merrimack. Finally, the Bears will return to Providence for home games against Rensselaer and Union on Jan. 22 and 23. The eight ECAC games, many of which are rematches in which the Bears will look to avenge earlier losses, will be crucial after a slow start to the season.

Wrestling The Brown wrestlers will be busy as well, hitting the road to get a shot at some top NCAA competition. The team will travel to Evanston, Illinois to compete in the Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern Dec. 29-30. The tournament draws teams from across the nation and was won last year by Iowa, which finished the season as NCAA runner-up. Bruno will get another chance to stack up against top teams at the Pitt Duals hosted by Pittsburgh Jan. 9. There, Brown will take on American, Pittsburgh and North Carolina. The following weekend, the team will open up its conference season, facing off at Cornell Jan. 16 and at Columbia and Sacred Heart the following day. The Bears will finish the break on the road with another three-match weekend, taking on Bucknell and Franklin and Marshall in conference tilts Saturday and Bloomsburg University Sunday.

Track and field Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete in meets around the region, hoping to get a fast start to the season. Both teams will compete in the Yale Invitational in New Haven Jan. 9, followed by a trip north to Cambridge the next weekend. The Harvard Multi-Event Challenge will feature more than a dozen teams from around the region and will run from Jan. 15 to Jan. 16. Also commencing Jan. 16 will be the annual Battle for Beantown. Finally, both teams will return to Boston and head to Northeastern to compete in the Joe Donahue Games Jan. 22, where they will look to continue their streak of success — both Brown teams have won the overall team title in recent years at the Donahue Games.

COURTESY OF BROWN BEARS

Playing on the top line with Nick Lappin ’16 and Mark Naclerio ’16, Tommy Marchin ’19 is top-10 in the ECAC in points and first among rookies.

Marchin ’19 dazzles in Emerald Isle First-year accrues ECAC monthly honors after hat trick, six-point weekend in Northern Ireland

By EMILE BAUTISTA STAFF WRITER

Swimming and diving The swim teams will get limited action in the coming weeks. After traveling to Princeton this weekend, the men’s and women’s teams will not compete again until Jan. 16. Both teams will travel to Cambridge Jan. 16 to square off with Penn and Harvard in a three-team meet. The Columbia Lions will come to town Jan. 23 for a men’s and women’s combined duel. Bruno will honor graduating seniors as they compete in their final home events.

Tennis The Brown men will get a trio of matches, starting with a home matchup against William and Mary Jan. 18. The following Sunday, the team will be back on the court with contests against Buffalo and Boston University.

The women’s team will get a chance to leave New England as it heads to Nashville for the ITA kick-off weekend, hosted by Vanderbilt Jan. 23-24.

Bruno will take on Penn State on the first day of competition and either Vanderbilt or Denver the following day.

Squash The squash teams will look for early-season success over winter break as well, as both the women’s and men’s teams have four matches scheduled.

Columbia and Cornell will come to Providence Jan. 9 and 10, respectively, for conference matches. Both teams will go on the road the following weekend to take on Middlebury and Bowdoin in non-conference showdowns.

Gymnastics The gymnastics team will look to extend its streak of top-two ECAC finishes to three years as it opens the season Jan. 16 at Southern Connecticut. Ithaca and Springfield will also compete in the meet. Bruno will follow up the next weekend, hosting Rhode Island College and Bridgeport Jan. 24.

After starting the season with three consecutive losses, the men’s hockey team has settled into a groove, with a stable 2-1-3 record in its last six games. Last week, the team travelled to Northern Ireland to participate in Belfast’s first major college ice hockey tournament, dubbed the “Friendship Four.” The team prevailed over Colgate in its opening game and nearly captured the title over No. 5 UMass Lowell before falling in a shootout.

In the two Ireland games, Bruno scored a blistering 10 goals, and at the heart of many of them was Tommy Marchin ’19. The first-year from Algonac, Michigan was outstanding during the tournament, amassing four goals and two assists — including his first career hat trick in the second period of the team’s game against Colgate.

This brought his season totals to six goals and six assists, making him the sixth-highest scoring player in the league.

As a result of his performance, he was named both the Player of the Tournament and the ECAC Rookie of the Month. Due to his spectacular performance on the ice, Marchin has

also been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Herald: When did you start playing hockey, and what got you into it?

Marchin: My dad played hockey when he was older, and I was maybe three when I started playing. I started rollerblading, and then I started on the ice when I was about four-anda-half with my sister, who is a year older than I am.

How would you describe your experience playing with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and in the USHL? My first year, I played for the Lincoln Stars. Then I got traded over the summer to the Lumberjacks, which were in the same state as my hometown. I had a really good year. I had a lot more confidence than I did the previous year. I modeled how I should be playing my game more like a big body power forward type of guy.

How would you compare it with your time at Brown?

Brown hockey is faster. You have to make decisions a lot quicker. The guys are a lot stronger, too. We play fewer games at Brown, so you can’t take any time off. For the Lumberjacks, we played 60 games in the season, and the playoffs were an extra 10 or 12. Here, we only play 29 league games.

What does it mean to you to

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receive such honors like Player of the Tournament at the Friendship Four and ECAC Rookie of the Month?

It’s really cool to be able to come to a school and make an impact quickly.

I was able to transition quickly to start helping the team.

What is your evaluation of this season so far?

When we started off playing preseason, we were a little scrambled.

Then when we started connecting more, we were practicing better and playing better in a lot of games but not getting the outcomes we wanted.

Hopefully, we’ll continue playing like that and the outcomes will come, and we’ll start scoring more and bearing down in the defensive zone.

If you could play another sport, what would it be?

Definitely lacrosse. I played lacrosse in high school for a year. I would’ve played more, but I had to commit too much time to hockey, so I had to give up.

Do you have any pregame rituals or types of music you listen to?

I always try napping for at least an hour. I listen to music going to the rink, but when I get to the rink, I don’t anymore. I listen to some EDM and some rap.

— This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

TODAY

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 13

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

t h ay e r fa c e l i f t

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon Cheeseburger, Buffalo Chicken, Harvest JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Made-to-Order Quesadillas

Clam Chowder Naked Burritos

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Cheese Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce, Orange Beef Pad Thai, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sweet and Spicy Scallop Saute, Vegan Lemon Rice, Orange Chipotle Glazed Tofu

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Vegan Nuggets, Sticky Rice, Peanut Butter Sandwich Bar

Grilled Turkey Burger, Couscous Croquettes, Corn Cobettes, Cajun Chicken Pasta

sudoku

ELI WHITE / HERALD

The recently vacated storefront that once belonged to City Sports now houses a pop-up art exhibit. Organized

by ArtBeat and other local groups, the show highlights Providence street art and its movement through space.

comics Cat Ears | Najatee’ McNeil‘17 RELEASE DATE– Friday, December 4, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 “The Jungle Book” villain 10 Character in the comic “Mutts” 15 Stubborn 16 Howe’er 17 Mutton dish 18 Title from the Arabic for “master” 19 Litter call 20 Orchestra sect.

21 Electric guitar effect 22 Christmas __ 23 Mate’s affirmative 24 2013 Spike Jonze film 25 Arctic coast explorer 26 “Revolutionary Road” author Richard 28 “... high hope for __ heaven”: Shak.

30 Mil. awards 31 Part of many a date 33 Cheapen 35 Diagonally ... or what each of four pairs of puzzle answers form?

38 To date 39 Virtuous 41 Cry of discomfort 44 Romantic evening highlight, perhaps 46 Shore up, as an embankment 48 Mil. branch 49 Present 50 Munch on 52 Former Abbey Road Studios owner 53 Gradual revelation 55 Center 56 Record 57 Ice cream thickeners 58 Peggy Lee specialty 61 Alabama River city 62 Chestnut 63 C.S. Lewis hero

64 “Looney Tunes” lisper DOWN 1 Half of a cartoon duo 2 “Yoo-hoo!”

3 1944 Pacific battle site 4 Univ. peer leaders 5 Command level: Abbr.

6 __-face 7 Winter warmer 8 Violinist who taught Heifetz 9 State north of Victoria: Abbr.

10 Electromagnetic wave generator 11 Norse royal name 12 Leftovers 13 President before Sarkozy 14 Friend of Calvin 21 Nuke 23 “A chain ... strong __ weakest link” 24 Rail rider 27 French spa 29 Kind of vegetarian

30 Caterpillar rival 32 Linguistic root 34 Derisive sound 36 “Yikes!”

37 Disentangle 40 Paper with a Société section 41 Scar’s brother 42 Oklahoma natives 43 Along with the rest 45 __ network

47 Pooh pal 49 Seder month 51 “Modern Family” network 54 Aunt with a “Cope Book” 55 Blessed 58 Pulls a Charmin shenanigan, briefly 59 Skedaddle 60 Some routes: Abbr.

Comic Sans | Neille-Anne Tan ‘18

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

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Television, Race, and ReVisioning the American Dream Symposium 9:45 A.M. Faunce, Petteruti Lounge

SOMOS Release Party 5:00 P.M. Faunce, The Underground

SATURDAY The Red Paint 8:00 P.M. Ashamu Dance Studio

Persian Winter Solstice Celebration 7:00 P.M. Faunce, Petteruti Lounge

SUNDAY 99th Annual Service of Lessons and Carols 4:00 P.M. Sayles Hall 101

PW presents “11 Apocalypses” 8:00 P.M. TF Green Hall

COMMENTARY PAGE 14 • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Brown Bites: Nov. 28–Dec. 4

C L A R I F I C AT I O N An article in Thursday’s Herald (“New bus service offers weekend alternative to Uber, RIPTA,” Dec. 3) stated that Carlie Waibel, a spokesperson for Uber Boston, said she could not comment on the competition. In fact, she declined to comment.

BY MARCY HUANG

Diversity demands Students of color gathered outside President Paxson’s office Thursday to serve as “diversity consultants” for the University after the release of a draft of the diversity and inclusion action plan last month. Their list of demands included disarming DPS officers, making a Diverse Perspectives in Liberal Learning course a curricular requirement, adding $50 million each to the endowments of the ethnic studies program and the Africana studies department and creating several new concentrations that focus on traditionally marginalized identities.

The students confronted Paxson when she declined to speak with them during her office hours because other students had signed up beforehand. “I don’t know how I can persuade you that I really want to work with you and the faculty, and I do value our black students,” Paxson said. Administrators initially intended to solicit feedback on the plan until Dec. 4. But in response to the students’ demands, Paxson announced Thursday night that she would extend the deadline to Jan. 8.

Poppin’ bottles Students going hard in class made headlines this week, with The Herald’s Fall Poll showing that about 15 percent of Brown students have attended class under the influence. Students in Greek life and students who have sold illegal drugs were more likely to have attended class under the influence, and male students were twice as likely as female students to have attended class intoxicated. Many students found the statistics unsurprising, with one sophomore reminiscing about the Friday of Spring Weekend, “In my last class of the day, everyone showed up totally drunk except me. There were people drinking straight vodka from Poland Spring bottles.” Well, at least they were recycling.

EDITORS’ NOTE Today’s issue marks the final Herald of the semester and the last produced under the 125th Editorial Board. The Herald will publish breaking news updates online during finals and over winter break, and regular publication will resume Wednesday, Jan. 27. We hope you continue to engage with The Herald next semester as the 126th Editorial Board takes the reins. Thank you for reading.

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

“I found all these different ways to work Africa into my life, but I really had to do all these contortions to fit it in because

”

there were no academic sources.

— Sara Weschler ’10

See africa on page 1.

Is it really failing if it’s only on your internal transcript?

The number of students taking courses S/NC rose over the last four years, with 63.4 percent of students choosing that grading option this semester compared to 54.4 percent in spring 2011. Students opt for the S/NC grading option for several reasons, with Kian Ivey ’16 saying, “I wanted to try a course somewhat outside of my comfort zone.” According to Deputy Dean of the College Christopher Dennis, S/NC is meant to encourage students to take academic risks. We’ll be sure to quote Dennis the next time we have to defend our transcripts to our parents.

Drifting downtown President Paxson discussed Brown’s plans for continuing its expansion into the Jewelry District, including its construction of a translational science complex, at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting. Paxson defined translational science as “the entrepreneurial pathway that connects basic science to practice.” The complex might include hotel and conference buildings and an entrepreneurial startup space. According to Terrie Wetle, dean of the School of Public Health, the complex should “bring people into Providence who will spend money.” As exciting as a new complex is, we can’t help but be disappointed that the streets of the Jewelry District aren’t lined with diamonds.

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Fly, fly away For students whose traveling desires are not satisfied by trips around Providence, the financial cost of study abroad programs also made headlines this week.

In an effort to eliminate cost as a factor in study abroad decisions, the Office of Financial Aid has students who go abroad pay Brown tuition. Awarded financial aid may decrease if the program’s non-tuition costs such as airfare, books and housing are lower. But the financial aid does not increase if the program’s cost is greater than Brown’s. While Brown’s previous changes to financial aid policy allow more students on financial aid to study abroad, some students still lamented their inability to go to their city of choice.

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 • PAGE 15

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Privilege and disenfranchisement are not mutually exclusive DEVIKA GIRISH op-ed contributor

A few weeks ago, Junot Diaz gave a rousing and thought-provoking lecture at Brown on social activism in academia. Of the many nuggets of wisdom in his talk, one struck a chord with me: “You’ve got to have a conversation with your privilege parallel to your conversation with your disenfranchisement.”

The Pulitzer Prize winner urged the students in the audience to reflect on the advantages a college education affords them even as they fight the ways in which college institutions disempower them.

Diaz was responding to a student’s question about giving back to one’s community after making it to Brown.

His statement was specifically intended as a call for students to recognize their responsibility to those who are even less privileged than they are. Yet it brought to light a larger point that the current, raging media debate against student activism fails to acknowledge: Privilege and disenfranchisement are not mutually exclusive.

In the think pieces that have flooded the media of late, denouncing the anti-racism protests at schools like Yale, the University of Missouri and Brown, a common refrain has been that the grievances of marginalized students cannot be legitimate because they each attend an institution that is a “bastion

of wealth and privilege.” In a recent piece in the National Review Online, Jay Nordlinger found it hard to believe that Brown students, who are “the luckiest people on the face of the earth,” can be so ungrateful as to feel systematically oppressed “at this renowned institution, on this beautiful campus, at the tippy-top of American society.”

In the City Journal, Heather MacDonald questioned accusations of racism at Mizzou, writing that “black stu-

narrative that simply isn’t true for many students. The unspoken assumption in these pieces is that students at elite colleges are all students of privilege. While that may have been true once — and that legacy still persists on these campuses — the demographics are changing.

As of September 2014, 31.5 percent of Brown’s undergraduate student body identified as American Indian, Asian, African American, Hispanic or Na-

used to getting what they want. Not all of them waltzed in on the strength of their social, cultural and economic capital. They are often students who have worked hard to overcome a lack of privilege and capital and make it to these schools, only to find themselves in institutions ill-equipped to support socioeconomic diversity.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the argument that students cannot, or should not, feel disenfran-

The argument that students cannot, or should not, feel disenfranchised when they have the privilege of a “lavish” college education, denies them their intersectionality. dents, like every other student on campus, are surrounded by lavish educational resources” and going so far as to claim that “thousands of Chinese students would undoubtedly do anything for the chance to be ‘systemically oppressed’ by the University of Missouri’s stupendous laboratories and research funding.” An opinion in The Wall Street Journal dismissed student allegations of marginalization at Yale, noting, “as though someone with a Yale degree could be marginalized in America.”

This reductive tendency to paint the college experience, especially the Ivy League experience, in one broad stroke of “wealth and privilege” is problematic in two ways. Firstly, it generalizes a

tive Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

About 46 percent of undergraduates received need-based financial aid. And 17 percent of the class of 2018 are the first in their families to attend college.

Whether these numbers say anything decisive about how inclusive these schools are may be open to debate, but what these numbers do say is that these students exist. And they deserve to be listened to, because their experience at these elite institutions may not be the same as that of the blueblooded Ivy Leaguer of lore.

The students protesting systematic oppression on campus are not all spoiled brats who critics assume are throwing tantrums because they’re

chised when they have the privilege of a “lavish” college education denies them their intersectionality. Developed

by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the concept of intersectionality emphasizes that individuals exist at the intersection of multiple social identities, and systems of oppression and discrimination impact individuals differently depending on the particular intersection they inhabit.

Intersectionality tells us that social identities are not insular, but rather influence and compound each other: A woman of color experiences sexism differently than a white woman. Yet intersectionality also tells us that social identities don’t cancel each other out: Class privilege — or cultural privilege,

in the form of a Yale degree — may change a person of color’s experience of racism, but it doesn’t make it disappear.

As Perrye Proctor puts it eloquently in the Huffington Post, the psychological toll on students stopped to present an ID because of their race or called “ghetto” by classmates isn’t mitigated by “access to a nice treadmill.” A wellto-do student at Brown can face institutional racism or sexism, a white student can face classism or ableism or homophobia and a “rich” international student can face xenophobia or Islamophobia.

Yes, because of the privileges students do have, which include a prestigious college education, there might be others in the world who have it worse.

And yes, it is important that students be aware of these privileges. But if only those who, by some metric, were the “most” disenfranchised or “least” privileged were allowed to speak up against the status quo, then change would cease to happen.

A person is not defined by just one identity or another, and privilege and disenfranchisement don’t constitute a binary. It is crucial that we keep our conversations with both in parallel as Diaz advised, or else we run the risk of turning a blind eye to a genuine need for change.

Devika Girish ’17 is a modern culture and media concentrator and can be reached at devika_girish@brown.edu.

In defense of a generation NICHOLAS ESEMPLARE opinions columnist

Perhaps the quintessential image of a generation lost in technology is a crowd of concertgoers filming the performance on smartphones instead of experiencing the event. Indeed, it is frequently argued that technology distances us from the ever-glorified notion of “living in the moment,” and social media and smartphones are thought to bring us further from the material world in which we live.

This is not an empty theory, and in my own life, I subscribe to the notion that people should put down their phones and experience the world around them. I would not film a concert, nor would I Instagram my latest meal. But to condemn this behavior ignores the fact that it serves great human desires that go far beyond the accumulation of likes or retweets and acts as a small but meaningful attempt to transcend the transitory nature of human existence.

Humans are rational beings, and it stands to reason that the apparently absurd decision to film a concert can be explained. Perhaps it is better to start with a broader question: Why do we film at all?

The most easily identifiable aim of film and photography is to capture experiences that we might otherwise forget, to eternalize minutes

and moments that matter. In this light, the desire to film or photograph any event makes a fair bit more sense.

Perhaps this desire is based on something deeper and altogether more important than updating a social media profile. Perhaps it is based instead on the once impossible notion of materializing memory, on the far-from-trivial human desire to retain what we must lose. We may lose the actual experience but not be entirely de-

ther in my home or a landfill. But the lectures themselves have dissipated before me and will never return. The content I so cherished will slip slowly yet inevitably from my memory until none of it remains. I cling desperately and futilely to the words and phrases that I am doomed to forget.

I could not help but wish that I had filmed or recorded these lectures to have as a memento — if not to watch them, simply to eliminate or

For if we cling too hard to our memories of the past and the videos and photographs that embody them, we do so in the noble resistance of finitude and loss. Transience of experience is life’s greatest tragedy. prived of its memory; we may lose the man but retain the footprint.

Only a few days ago, I personally fell victim to this great tragedy of lost experience. I was sitting in the final lecture of a favorite class, and there was a definite sadness in hearing the professor mention our “last class.” Sitting there after class had ended, I felt a profound sense of disappointment that I would never hear these lectures again.

My notes — my own inadequate record keeping — will endure, accumulating dust ei-

reduce the finality of it all. To store them away like old photographs with the knowledge that this period of my life was only nominally over and could be relived if I so desired.

I understand how this generation of technology addicts often appears to others, and I likewise understand criticism of the pointless and childish desire to record every major and trivial occurrence in one’s life. Perhaps it is deserved.

But I do believe this culture of documentation is based on something fundamental and — if not redeeming — forgivable. For if we cling too hard

to our memories of the past and the videos and photographs that embody them, we do so in noble resistance to finitude and loss.

Transience of experience is life’s greatest tragedy. We often romanticize the loss of memory or past joy as a testament to time as the great equalizer that preserves neither pleasure nor pain. The reality is that the nostalgia for a time when concerts and dinners could not be captured on phones is misplaced.

Such an outlook glorifies — as nostalgia often does — a suffering that was neither enviable nor rewarding. It also ignores the pain of loss that permeates all life. The tragedy of life is that it ends; of love, that it fades; of moments, that they perish.

Perhaps experience is diminished by its recording, and perhaps you cannot go through life without letting go of moments and memories that have come and gone. But we are reflective creatures and, it seems, always at odds with our relationship to history.

The past is not real enough that we can relive it, nor truly dead enough that we can forget it. In such a world, I cannot condemn the man who films a concert thinking that, one day, he may just want to turn back the clock.

Nicholas Esemplare ’18 is a double concentrator in English and economics and can be reached at nicholas_esemplare@brown.edu.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

M. BASKETBALL

Kuakumensah ’16 swats away CCSU in historic night Senior captain ties Ivy career blocked shot record in midst of 21-point, 16-rebound explosion

By CALEB MILLER STAFF WRITER

If the men’s basketball team had seen a doctor to remedy its four-game losing streak, it likely would have been prescribed a game against Central Connecticut State.

Wednesday night’s showdown with the winless Blue Devils (0-6) provided Bruno (2-5) an opportunity to flex its offensive might and shake off its early season struggles in front of a modest crowd at the Pizzitola Center. The Bears’ 10-point lead halfway through the first half doubled to 20 by halftime, and the differential never dipped below double digits in the second half as the Bears cruised to a 82-64 victory.

Forward Cedric Kuakumensah ’16 did much of the heavy lifting. Bruno’s senior captain stood two inches higher than the tallest of his CCSU counterparts, and it was clear that Kuakumensah planned to capitalize on the size advantage, demanding the ball early and often. His dominance in the paint was reflected in the scorebook, as he finished the night with 21 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

“He was all over the place. He was great,” said Head Coach Mike Martin ’04. But Martin added that expectations are so high for the senior that he did not realize how big a game he was having. “I said after the first half, ‘We need more out of Cedric when he had 17 (points) and nine (rebounds),” he said.

Kuakumensah’s night turned from impressive to historic with 15:23 remaining in the game. CCSU guard Austin Nehls drove down the right side of the line and attempted to float a layup toward the basket. Like so many before him, Nehls had his shot sent in the opposite direction by a Kuakumensah rejection. The swat was number 252 in the senior’s career, tying the Ivy League record for most blocked shots ever.

“It definitely means a lot,” Kuakumensah said of tying the mark, though he quickly changed the focus to the team’s progress. “We still have a long way to go in terms of defense, and I’m just trying to help out the best I can,” he said.

Around Kuakumensah, Bruno’s fast-paced, pass-heavy offense excelled. Jason Massey ’18 finished a couple of fast-break layups as part of an 11-point, eight-rebound night.

The team brought its hot shooting from Sunday’s game at SMU back to Providence, as a three-pointer by » See M. BBALL, page 11

ALEX WAINGER / HERALD

Corey Daughtery ’19 dribbles up the court. The first-year has paired with experienced guard Tavon Blackmon ’17 to power a strong backcourt.

W. BASKETBALL

Brown bounces back from loss with convincing win over URI Mehta ’19 hits clutch threes in both halves, adds 21 points to lead Bears to victory against Rams

By JAMES SCHAPIRO STAFF WRITER

Coming off its first loss of the season against Manhattan, the women’s basketball team knew Tuesday’s game against URI could determine whether it continued its stellar season or faded back to Earth. The Bears (7-1) were determined not to go down without a fight.

Head Coach Sarah Behn “said this was probably the most important game of our season,” said co-captain Ellise Sharpe ’16. “After losing, we needed a win, and we couldn’t just sulk in our misery that we had a loss and our perfect season was over. We needed to get that win, get back on the horse.”

But facing off against Rhode Island (2-4), which defeated Brown 65-61 last year, the game did not begin auspiciously for Bruno. As has happened multiple times this season, the Bears were sluggish in the first quarter and trailed by as much as 11. But as the quarter expired, Shayna Mehta ’19 hit a shot from just inside the arc, and the Bears began the second quarter with momentum, if not much.

“Our defense wasn’t there yet in the beginning,” Mehta said. “Once we knew what they were doing and knew how to defend them better, we were able to get some stops. As our defense came, we started making shots. It took us a while, but once that started clicking, everything came with it.”

“We weren’t hitting our shots,” Sharpe said. “That got in our way, because we’re used to hitting shots, and the other team was definitely hitting theirs. But (Behn) just told us to keep shooting, and everyone’s shots started to fall. And we played stellar defense, so that got us through.”

True to form, Bruno rebounded — literally and figuratively — in the second quarter. Three minutes in, URI had expanded its lead to 28-16. Then the Bears came to life: In the final seven minutes of the quarter, they outscored the Rams 18-4. Mehta, who recorded a seasonhigh 21 points, ended the half with two consecutive threes.

“Any game it can be a different person,” Sharpe said. “We have somebody each game who can step up and hit the game-winning shots,” she said, citing Mehta and Erika Steeves ’19 as past examples.

As URI continued to score in the third quarter, Mehta kept the Bears in the game. With her team down 37-34, she hit a three to tie the game, and she hit another with Bruno down 40-39, putting the Bears up by two. In the second and third quarters, the Bears held URI to 25 points while scoring 39.

Even after the successful middle quarters, Brown led by only five, making it by far its closest game of the season. URI did not fade as the fourth quarter wound down: The Rams cut the Bears’ lead to three with 4:13 remaining, but Mehta hit a three to bring it back to six.

With under three minutes remaining, they closed to within four, but Mehta hit another three to put the Bears seven points up. As the clock wound down, the Rams attempted to foul to stop the clock, but co-captain Jordin Alexander

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Jordin Alexander ’16 knocks down a shot against the University of Rhode Island, but her best shot was yet to come: The senior hit a game-winning buzzer-beater as the Bears got their seventh win against Binghamton. ’16 hit two free throws with four seconds remaining, giving the Bears a four-point lead and essentially ending the game.

“Last year, we lost by a couple of points (to URI). That’s how we’ve grown as a team,” Mehta said. “To not think about it as much and to just play our game — that’s really what helps me, and I know it helps a lot of us too.”

The Bears moved to 6-1 with the win, remaining atop the Ivy standings with a half-game lead over Columbia and Princeton. Ivy play begins Jan. 16 against Yale.

Against Binghamton Thursday, the Bears were slow in the first quarter: Despite Alexander’s 10 points, they trailed 18-17 at the end of the period. But once again, they began playing up to their potential in the second quarter, outscoring

the Bearcats 22-17. The Bears’ first half scoring came largely from two sources: Alexander had 14 points at the half, and Mary Butler ’19 had 10. The third quarter was largely even, though the Bears were able to pull ahead by two additional points to take a 58-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Binghamton did not fade down the stretch: With 14.6 seconds remaining, it had the ball down by only two. But Alexander deflected the inbounds pass, and the Bears took possession. It would not last: Binghamton took the ball back, and scored with six seconds remaining to tie the game.

Alexander took the ensuing inbound pass and dribbled the length of the floor.

From near the top of the key, she placed

her shot perfectly, lofting a one-handed layup off the glass that banked in for the win as time expired.

“I’m going to have to pray tonight,” Behn said. “I’m really excited. We didn’t play a good game, but to be able to get that shot up at the end — I’m just grateful.”

“They’re a good team, but I know we can play a lot better too,” she added. “We made so many mental and physical errors that we can clean up.”

The Bears now enter the break at 7-1 — their best start in team history.

“Obviously, I’m really pleased with our record,” Behn said. “We may not have shown it today, but we’re making good strides forward every day, and that’s all you can ask for.”