Tuesday, February 9, 2016

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 10

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Jump in early admission lowers total acceptance rate Ivy Coach expert says higher early admission rate calculated effort to boost University rankings

By ALEX SKIDMORE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

With the Class of 2020 admission cycle, the University’s early decision acceptance rate continued to climb, jumping to 22 percent from 18.5 percent for the Class of 2017.

Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73 credits the higher acceptance rate to the deep pool of talent applying early to Brown. The quantity of applicants has not increased dramatically through the years, but the strength of the individual applicant has increased over time, he said.

Brian Taylor, director of Ivy Coach, offered a different perspective. The number of applications that the University has received in total has risen steadily over the years, but the University is not receiving more qualified applicants, he said.

“Colleges are getting better and better at getting unqualified students to apply,” Taylor said. This allows the

University to tout “the most competitive class ever,” he added.

This process is meant to boost a school’s U.S. News and World Report ranking, Taylor said. “There is no bigger impact (on admission) than the annual rankings,” he added.

In some parts of the world, the U.S. News and World Report rankings system is “the Bible” of college admission and a deciding factor for many students applying, he said.

Though universities may care about their rankings, several undergraduates said that the rankings did not influence their decisions to attend Brown.

Elaine Tran ’18 said she applied to Brown for its inviting atmosphere and open curriculum rather than its spot on the list.

Similarly, even though Zafreen Siddiquee ’19 “saw the rankings briefly on Facebook,” it did not affect her decision to apply to the University either, she said.

Universities can improve their rankings on the list by lowering their overall acceptance rates, which account for both their early and regular decision acceptance rates. A lower acceptance rate improves their student » See ADMITS, page 2

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Students have demanded fall and spring sections of both courses in the organic chemistry sequence, as well as the hiring of a faculty member of color to teach these classes should a new faculty member be hired.

Petition calls for increased chem offerings Current course scheduling hinders efforts to complete concentration, prepare for med school examinations

By ELENA RENKEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Pre-medical students wrote a petition last week calling for the University to expand the offerings of certain

chemistry courses in order to allow students who take CHEM 0100: “Introductory Chemistry” to finish their requirements earlier in their academic careers.

The petition, which has accumulated 167 signatures, asks President Christina Paxson P’19 and Department of Chemistry Chair Matthew Zimmt to offer CHEM 0350: “Organic Chemistry I” and CHEM 0360: “Organic Chemistry II” during both

the fall and spring semesters of the academic year.

A student who takes CHEM 0100 follows up the course with CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure” in the spring of freshman year.

But CHEM 0350, the next course in the typical chemistry sequence, is only offered in the spring, and CHEM 0360: “Organic Chemistry II” is only offered in the fall. Taking CHEM » See PETITION, page 2

Student-written plays get trial runs onstage Mandel to Weekend event features performances of works directed by MFA playwriting candidates

By BAYLOR KNOBLOCH MULTIMEDIA FEATURES EDITOR

Carlos Sirah MFA’17 took the stage in a workshop-style performance of his play, “The Light Body,” Sunday night in the final installment of the theatre and performance studies department’s annual Writing is Live event.

Designed to showcase and explore the work of first- and second-year students in the MFA playwriting program, Writing is Live is “a way for people interested in new writing for performance across Providence to come together for the weekend,” said Paul Margrave ’14, publicity and box office coordinator.

“The Light Body,” written by Sirah and directed by Mauricio Salgado MFA’18, follows Noah, played by Victor Terry, as he struggles to re-adjust to life at home after serving in the Iraq War. Noah and his partner Micah, played by Ronald Lewis, communicate with each other and with the audience through letters, religious

INSIDE

ceremonies, music, memories and dialogue.

“Most of us do not interact with black, queer veterans,” Salgado said.

As the director, he worked with Sirah to “bridge the gap between the story and the audience,” he added. “(Sirah) and I have a similar ethos, a similar desire to be creating work that encourages the audience to take it with them beyond the performance,” Salgado said.

Noah is followed throughout the story by Shu, played by Sirah himself.

Named after Eshu — the god of mischief and crossroads in African mythology — Shu embodies Noah’s conscience, haunting him with thoughts of violence and memories of war.

“Some people thought it was his devil,” Salgado said.

Of the four characters in “The Light Body,” Shu was the only one played by a University student, while the majority of the actors were members of the Providence community.

Sirah “had to experiment with finding” the actors, said Erik Ehn, TAPS professor. “Part of his mission as a writer is to form communities.”

Rick Burkhardt MFA’16 has watched “The Light Body” evolve from its inception. “We went on a silent writing retreat last May, and

lead search for dean of admission

Administrators, faculty, students look for new dean to build on Jim Miller’s ’73 legacy

By SHAWN YOUNG STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF THE THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE STUDIES DEPARTMENT

Carlos Sirah MFA’17 staged his play, “The Light Body,” alongside Brown and Providence community members this weekend. that’s when he started writing this,” Burkhardt said.

Following the performance, Sirah and Burkhardt opened the floor for comments from the audience.

“Some writers are very shy about feedback, but these writers are really game,” Ehn said. “A culture of communication has evolved in the » See PLAYS, page 2

Dean of the College Maud Mandel will lead the search for a new dean of admission, announced Provost Richard Locke P’17 in a community-wide email Friday.

This announcement follows the news that Jim Miller ’73, the current dean of admission, will retire at the end of this academic year after more than a decade of service at Brown, which Locke announced in a community-wide email Jan. 19.

“Miller has had a strong impact on Brown and the undergraduate population. The University has changed in a lot of good ways in the years that he has been at the helm,” Mandel said. » See SEARCH, page 2

WEATHER

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016

NEWS Two undergraduates spearhead new med school concentration in LGBTQ health care

ARTS & CULTURE Jon Birger ’90 explains hookup culture, offers take on dating in new book, “Date-onomics”

COMMENTARY Friedman ’19: Students have influence on music industry, so don’t pick your playlist lightly

COMMENTARY Johnson ’19: On campaign trail, Bernie Sanders brings authenticity, passion, realism

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» PLAYS, from page 1 program through the people we have accepted.”

While Sirah is a second-year MFA student, first-year students also saw their work performed as readings over the weekend. These readings allowed each writer to “find out what ingredients are in the piece” beyond the words on the page, said Beth Nixon MFA’18.

The weekend included two

» ADMITS, from page 1 selectivity scores, which account for 12.5 percent of the final ranking, according to U.S. News and World Report’s website.

When universities admit more students through a binding early decision process, they have to admit fewer students during regular decision, thereby lowering their overall acceptance rate, Taylor said. Universities are guaranteed 100 percent matriculation from early decision applicants because of their binding commitment to attend the school.

In the regular admission phase, the University expects 45 to 50 percent of students to matriculate, Miller wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald.

Brown and its peer schools then have

»PETITION, from page 1 0100 forces students to wait an extra semester to continue the chemistry track, meaning that these students will finish their chemistry requirements a year after those who start with CHEM 0330.

CHEM 0330 is a more advanced general chemistry class than CHEM 0100. Typically, students who take CHEM 0330 have a stronger background in chemistry due to a rigorous high school program or Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit. High schools with more challenging programs and more advanced opportunities tend to be well-funded public schools or private schools. Therefore, students from under-funded high schools without advanced chemistry programs take CHEM 0100 and subsequently finish their chemistry requirements one year after their better-prepared peers, the petition stated.

The petition originally requested that the University offer CHEM 0350 in the fall but was modified several days after its publication to also call for CHEM 0360 to be offered in the spring. The modification also included a demand that, should the University hire a new professor to teach these courses, it hire a person of color.

The gap in course offerings may also affect students’ medical school applications, in light of recent modifications to the process. In 2015, the MCAT was changed to include a new section on biochemistry, among other additions.

Most pre-medical students take CHEM 0330, CHEM 0350, CHEM 0360 and BIOL 0280: “Introductory

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

readings of Nixon’s play “Vector” that helped her understand “what the play is,” she said.

With both readings and workshop-style performances, the annual event aims “to give writers a sense of their work beyond the theoretical and to provide them with self-awareness through an encounter with the classical mirror of the audience,” Ehn said.

The program’s third-year students will have their works performed as full-fledged plays in May. to admit more students than they expect will eventually attend, increasing their acceptance rate and lowering their selectivity score for the rankings.

Though this phenomenon occurs at all highly selective universities, Penn has used this tactic most blatantly, Taylor said. Early decision applicants filled 54.4 percent of Penn’s Class of 2019, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian. Comparatively, Brown filled 38 percent of its class through early admission for the Class of 2019, the lowest percentage among Ivy League universities with binding early admission processes.

Miller predicts the number of early applicants and acceptances will continue to rise in the coming years, though there are no current initiatives to increase early applications.

Biochemistry,” said George Vassilev, director of pre-professional advising and associate dean of the college.

He added that pre-medical students sometimes take CHEM 0400: “Biophysical and Bioinorganic Chemistry” as well. “That’s the most typical coursework that prepares students well for the MCATs and is accepted by the great majority of medical schools,” he said.

But students who take CHEM 0100 usually do not take a biochemistry course until the spring semester

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Provost Richard Locke P’17 announced last month that Jim Miller ’73 (above), dean of admission, would retire at the end of the current academic year, prompting the formation of a search committee to find his replacement.

» SEARCH, from page 1 Mandel said the committee will look for someone “who will build on (Miller’s) legacy” and further develop several initiatives he has guided, including diversifying the student body, maintaining academic excellence and creating balance among student enrollment in science, technology, engineering and math courses, the humanities and the social sciences.

“When (the admission office) goes out and looks for students, it can look for the kinds of students that we think will fit well into the priorities of the University,”

Mandel said.

Mandel hopes to have the position filled by the summer of 2016, though the search could take longer.

While having broad representation across different departments is critical for the committee, having too many members can be cumbersome, Mandel said.

“There’s a balance between representation and practicality.”

The search committee will include members of the administration, including Mary Grace Almandrez, interim assistant vice president for campus life and student services, Maitrayee Bahttacharyya,

associate dean of the College for diversity programs, Athletics Director Jack Hayes and James Tilton, director of financial aid.

The committee will also include faculty members, including Julianne Ip, clinical associate professor of family medicine; Emily Oster, associate professor of economics as well as international and public affairs; David Rand, professor of natural history and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Chris Rose, professor of engineering. The Undergraduate Council of Students will also select two undergraduate students to sit on the committee.

of the petition, started the pre-medical track last semester and decided to take CHEM 0330 rather than CHEM 0100 based on the results of her placement test. She felt like she should have taken CHEM 0100 but knew that she would end up unprepared for the MCAT and be forced to take a gap year before medical school, she said.

Yet 70 percent of Brown students who apply to medical school do so after senior year, Vassilev said.

It is possible for students to finish their chemistry requirements in two

that time for research or internships, said Kaitlyn Petitpas ’19.

Hassiet Asberom ’19, an author of the petition, added that the timing of the requirements makes it more difficult to schedule a semester abroad.

“The idea that the University is putting in place these roadblocks is kind of ridiculous,” said Ben Potee ’19, an author of the petition.

“If there’s no other way to provide students with the courses they need to prepare for med school, then (modifying the course schedules is)

enrollment in CHEM 0100 jumped from about 75 to 200 students and has hovered around that number for the last few years.

Students listed several reasons for enrolling in CHEM 0100 instead of CHEM 0330.

Potee attended an under-funded public high school in Massachusetts with a single chemistry teacher. “I took basic chemistry, and then I took AP Chemistry with her. But she wasn’t accredited, and the class was a mess,” Potee said. He shopped CHEM 0330 after doing well on the placement test but decided to take CHEM 0100 to reinforce his foundational knowledge. “I’m really glad that I did,” he added.

But some students in CHEM 0100 could have taken CHEM 0330, Abbas said. “If you had a good high school with a good chemistry teacher that taught you well, … then really you don’t need (CHEM) 0100.”

While “there definitely are students who benefit strongly from being in CHEM 0100,” there are also students who underestimate their strengths in chemistry and would be better-suited to take CHEM 0330, Zimmt said.

Hazem Abbas ’19, who also authored the petition, took AP Chemistry at his public high school in Virginia and received a score of three on the exam. His placement test score would have allowed him to start the chemistry sequence with CHEM 0330, but he decided on CHEM 0100 after shopping the more advanced class for two weeks.

“I just wanted a better foundation first before I jumped into (CHEM) 0330,” Abbas said.

Ways to complete medical school requirements

Currently, students who start with CHEM 0330: “Equilibrium, Rate and Structure” can complete their requirements by the fall of sophomore year. For those who must start with CHEM0100: “Introductory Chemistry,” requirements cannot be fulfilled until the fall of junior year.

FIRST-YEAR FALL Track

1 Track

2

SOPHOMORE

SPRING

FALL

CHEM0330

CHEM0350

CHEM0100

CHEM0330

JUNIOR

SPRING

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SPRING

CHEM0360 CHEM0350

CHEM0360 LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

of junior year — when many students take the MCAT, particularly if they apply for medical school during senior year. Biochemistry can be taken concurrently with CHEM 0350, but few students choose this option due to the time investment required by each of the two courses, petition authors noted. Therefore, taking CHEM 0100 puts pre-medical students at a disadvantage when taking the MCAT, as they have not had as much time to prepare as students who were able to finish requirements earlier, the petition stated.

Marlene Martinez ’19, one author

years, he added. But taking the course requirements over three years “would not be a hindrance” for students taking the MCAT, he said.

Petition authors noted that students could take a summer class to complete their requirements earlier, but they pointed out disadvantages.

Not everyone can afford the extra course, and it is “unfavorable” in the eyes of some medical schools to take organic chemistry in the summer because it is viewed as easier than taking it during the semester, Abbas said.

Furthermore, taking a summer course prevents students from using

something the University should look into seriously,” Zimmt said.

But changing when these courses are offered is not easy, Zimmt said.

Resources are an obstacle to offering the class in both semesters, he added. “It’s not just the lecture, it’s the laboratories, it’s finding the space, it’s coordinating the space,” he said.

Last semester, about 210 first-year students enrolled in CHEM 0100 and about 350 started with CHEM 0330, Zimmt said.

Lately, enrollment for the introductory course has been much higher than in past years. Around 2010,

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NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Undergrads develop LGBTQ-focused medical concentration

Med School concentration emphasizes sensitivity to stress, stigma specific to LGBTQ patients

By RACHEL GOLD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Warren Alpert Medical School students now have the opportunity to undertake extracurricular studies in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer healthcare and advocacy as part of the school’s scholarly concentration program, thanks to the efforts of two undergraduates.

Morgan Cheatham ’17 and Noah Lupica ’16, both Program in Liberal Medical Education students, spearheaded the project, eventually working with faculty to build the concentration. The program requires participating students to take elective courses, attend a seminar series and work on a project — in addition to their core courses.

The program will help students develop “sensitivity to the social, political and cultural context” surrounding healthcare for LGBTQ people. Concentrators will study topics including sexuality, social stigma, hormonal transition and minority stress, according to the medical school’s website.

The idea for the concentration emerged in 2013 when Cheatham took a medical course that showed how the “medical system really isn’t designed for people who are not your typical heterosexual, cisgender patient.”

In 2011, Stanford University published a study revealing that most medical school students spend only a few hours learning about the unique needs of LGBTQ patients, Cheatham said.

“Minority populations typically have higher rates of depression, anxiety and smoking not because they themselves are more prone but because of all the pressures society places on them,” Lupica said.

Alarmed by the prevalence of these challenges and apparent failure of medical curricula to address it, Cheatham talked to medical students to gauge their comfort treating LGBTQ patients.

The results of the survey were grave, Cheatham said. “I felt this was something that should be shared with the medical school administration. They were completely shocked and eager to support whatever I thought was necessary moving forward,” Cheatham added.

Cheatham and Lupica initially hoped LGBTQ healthcare would become part of the general curriculum. But because medical school is already “jam-packed” with content, they decided the scholarly concentration program would be the best avenue for change, Lupica said.

Community involvement and advocacy are also central elements of the curriculum. “We wanted to create a program that students could make their own,” Lupica said. “So in addition to following whatever track of research a student is interested in, we want students to involve themselves in the community in Providence.”

Though the curriculum is designed to prepare students to treat LGBTQ patients, “what students learn in this is applicable to the care of everyone,” said Kelly McGarry, associate professor of medicine and one of the two concentration directors. “Even though students are developing an area of interest, it’s not siloed in any way. The students will become amazing communicators and

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Developed by Morgan Cheatham ’17 and Noah Lupica ’16 in tandem with faculty at the Alpert Medical School, the new LGBTQ Health Care and Advocacy concentration focuses on the specific needs of LGBTQ patients. more sensitive physicians,” she added.

The LGBTQ concentration did not receive any applicants this year, but Cheatham and Lupica are working to bolster the program’s visibility before the medical class of 2020 arrives in the fall.

The program also stands to attract

medical applicants to Brown, Lupica said, and it “shows Brown is a space where your institution supports you in exploring your interests.”

Of all the projects the two have collaborated on, the LGBTQ Health Care and Advocacy concentration is what

Lupica is most proud of. “When you see an issue, you figure out what resources you need to fix it. You assemble them, you find people in positions of power to assist you and you get it done,” Lupica said. “That’s what we did here, and I’m very excited for next year.”

Alum proposes single-payer healthcare bill in State House With four other reps, alum hopes to cut costs, centralize healthcare in R.I. through tax

By MARIAH KENNEDY CUOMO STAFF WRITER

Jan. 27, Rep. Aaron Regunberg ’12, DProvidence, introduced a bill with several other representatives in the Rhode Island House of Representatives that, if passed, would establish a single-payer health system in Rhode Island.

Representatives Regunberg, Gregg Amore, D-East Providence, Teresa Tanzi, D-Narragansett and South Kingstown, Arthur Handy, D-Cranston, and Joseph Almeida, D-Providence, also introduced the bill last February, but it was held for further study. It will be heard before the House Finance Committee.

The comprehensive healthcare system would place the state — rather than insurers — in charge of allocating healthcare for Rhode Islanders and controlling costs. A tax based on ability to pay would replace premiums and outof-pocket costs.

The single-payer system would decrease healthcare costs, as the state would be able to buy in bulk, control costs and eliminate the cost of administration, multiple sources said.

Within the healthcare system “30 to 35 percent of money in individual private health insurance companies is lost in administrative waste,” said Mark Ryan, president of the Rhode Island

chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.

But with a single-payer system, the government “doesn’t have big salaries to pay, (and) it doesn’t have to waste money on advertising,” Ryan said.

According to a PNHP study, healthcare spending per person rose by 250 percent in Rhode Island between 1991 and 2014.

The study also reported that “medical-related bankruptcies are 62 percent of personal bankruptcies, and of these, 69 percent had insurance at the time of their bankruptcy.”

With a single-payer system, “income after health costs and taxes will increase by 32 percent for middle-income families, and even households with (an annual) income of over $100,000 will save,” stated a study conducted by Gerald Friedman, a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The bill does not indicate how ability to pay would be determined, but Friedman’s study suggested that single-payer health insurance in Rhode Island would “shift the burden of illness and healthcare from the sick and from the broad middle class onto the fortunate and the affluent.”

Friedman’s study also showed that employers would save nearly $80 million from the “administrative expense of operating employer-provided health insurance plans.”

The study added that the savings from the single-payer system would improve the economy, as Rhode Islanders would spend cash elsewhere, and

businesses would be drawn to the state due to the appealing healthcare savings.

“I believe that healthcare is a basic human right rather than a privilege for those who can pay for it,” Rugenberg said. Others think that “you have to earn it. That’s the American free market system,” he said.

Other single-payer detractors associate the single-payer system with socialism, several sources said.

Insurance company executives forced President Barack Obama to pass the Affordable Care Act, which Ryan calls a “very imperfect bill,” effectively blocking the passage of a single-payer system, Ryan added.

The implementation of single-payer health insurance will be a challenge, Regunberg said. “I don’t have any illusions (of) this being an easy fight,” he said, adding, “Really, really big shakeups like this rarely pass in the first couple years. It generally takes a while for the arguments to take hold.”

Regunberg noted that recent months have seen significantly more attention paid to single-payer health care, attributing this change to the increased coverage of single-payer healthcare in the presidential debates, particularly as a result of Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT. The primary publicity has been helpful, Regunberg said, noting that he got hundreds of shares on a Facebook post about his introduction of the bill.

While there are two national bills up for implementing single-payer health insurance, proponents of the change are focusing on state-by-state

ALEXIA DELHOUME / HERALD

Rep. Aaron Regunberg ’12, D-Providence, introduced a single-payer healthcare bill to the Rhode Island House of Representatives this year. implementation. This is due to the gridlock in Washington, D.C., Regunberg and Ryan said.

Ryan maintained hope in the political system, saying that if there were a national debate about the plan, a larger number of people would support it, and

it would be approved.

“When the people finally demand an equitable universal health insurance program, the Congress will finally enact it.”

Rep. Nicholas Mattiello, D-Cranston, speaker of the house, did not respond to request for comment.

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 4 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

‘Date-onomics’ provides explanation for hook-up culture Birger ’90 discusses gender ratios, economics behind development of hook-up culture

By JACLYN TORRES ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Have you wondered why hookup culture has replaced old-fashioned dating?

The explanation is more straightforward than expected.

According to Jon Birger ’90, people have not lost the desire for first dates and romantic dinners. This cultural shift can be reduced to a simple numbers game.

In his new book, “Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game,” Birger describes how the dating market is stacked against heterosexual women.

The gender ratios across college campuses and major cities show that more women populate these areas than men. With more women in any given area, heterosexual men become less committed to any particular woman.

Instead, they become more interested in having casual relationships with multiple women. As men control the dating market, hookup culture quickly becomes the norm.

Birger utilizes economics, statistics and psychology to explain why gender ratios are skewed in favor of men and how “dating” has become an antiquated term in many locations. But there are certain cities and colleges in which the ratios are either closer to 50-50 or are even skewed toward men. In these places, dating is more common, and

women looking for husbands can find a partner more easily.

Where should women looking for serious relationships flock? Birger suggests they head west. The Bay Area is the ideal place, particularly Silicon Valley, which is filled with techies and engineers earning top salaries and working killer hours every week. As these industries are male-dominated, so are the towns and cities situated around Silicon Valley.

In these areas, the dynamics that favor men in most other cities are flipped.

Here, women interested in men have their pick, and dating becomes easier.

While California provides the ideal ratio, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming are all respectable options.

What is the worst place for women who want to settle down? Manhattan.

In his book, Birger urges readers to consider their job locations as well as their career fields if they want to find a spouse. For younger readers, he suggests starting early by carefully choosing a college that has a strong dating culture. For example, heterosexual women intent on dating in college might choose the California Institute of Technology, whose student body is 64 percent men. Sarah Lawrence College offers less encouraging prospects, as 75 percent of its students are women.

Yet Birger’s book is not the catchall for dating. He only describes the marriage market for college-educated heterosexual women. While he briefly touches upon a man’s best bet to find a woman, the majority of the book is spent describing men as players who are only after the number of hookups

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE

Jon Birger’s ’90 new book “Date-onomics” seeks to explain why the dating world is rigged against collegeeducated women. Birger will talk about his book Tuesday at the Brown Bookstore. they can rack up each week. and speaks directly to those who are consider marrying outside of your soAccording to his way of thinking, the most privileged and educated. cioeconomic circle? Birger concludes women are portrayed as vulnerable Still, the book makes women that for women to have more marriage and in need of the most help in find- consider the future in a unique light. options, they must think about maring their future husbands. Birger also Rather than immediately taking a job rying a non-college-educated, blueonly focuses on the heterosexual dating in Manhattan, women who buy into collar man. Differing education levels market. While he mentions the same- Birger’s philosophy might look into should not be stigmatized. Marriage sex dating market, it is in passing and other options, such as moving west or is about love — not about money or not as deeply considered as the hetero- pursuing a career in a field dominated class. In order for women to have more sexual, college-educated marriage mar- by men. options, they must challenge gender ket. In summary, Birger’s book takes a Birger ultimately leaves the read- roles and embrace their powerful parochial view on dating and marriage er with one question: Would you femininity.

TODAY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

h o u s t o n , w e h av e a s n o w s t o r m

menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Bacon Chicken Ranch Pizza, Spinach and Feta Pizza, Italian Puff Pocket, Meatball Pasta, Chipotle BBQ Taco JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Quesadillas made to order

Three Bean Chili, Butternut Squash Soup, Chicken Kadhai

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Chicken Mole Chili, Vegan Carrots with Tequila, Parslied Rice, Holiday Cookie

Pesto Pasta Beef Stir, Grilled Bok Choy with Sesame Oil and Garlic, Frosted Cupcakes

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Sweet and Sour Tofu, Asian Vegetables, Spiced Chicken Wings, Cookies

Roast Beef Au Jus, Vegetarian Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina, Carrot Casserole, Cupcakes

sudoku

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Snow continues to drift down across much of the Northeast. Classes were canceled and facilities closed Monday as Winter Storm Mars took direct aim at Brown, driving students to take shelter indoors.

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Campaign display 7 Tuber made into poi 11 Actor Beatty 14 Give in 15 Out for the night 16 Australian bird 17 *Oft-minced bulb 19 Came in first 20 Woman in a Beethoven piano title 21 Oscar night rides 22 Classic sports cars 23 Absorbed 24 *Laura Hillenbrand bestseller about a racehorse 26 Honest prez 28 Math comparison 29 Sally Ride, e.g.

35 Diarist Frank 37 Island wreath 38 Recipe direction ... and a literal hint to what you can do to the starts of the answers to starred clues 41 “Dig in!”

42 Celebrity 44 Statues, often 46 “Now you __ ... “ 49 Fist-up call 50 *Dry-climate landscape option 54 Palms-down call 58 Photo lab abbr.

59 Dubai bigwig 60 “MASH” setting 61 __ juice: milk 62 *Olympic sport with a hollow ball 64 Company abbr.

65 Sheep’s cry 66 Candy heart message 67 Shatner’s “__War” 68 Backwoods possessive 69 Rains ice pellets DOWN 1 Cell alternative 2 Florida horsebreeding city 3 Doc’s order to a pharmacist

4 Early communications satellite 5 Falco of “The Sopranos” 6 TiVo button 7 Actress Shire 8 Manhattan Project creation 9 “Au __”: “Bye, Pierre” 10 Texas or Ukraine city 11 World’s second largest island 12 Showing strong feelings 13 Kirsten of “Spider-Man” 18 The Browns, on sports tickers 24 Pop in the mail 25 Windy City commuter org.

27 __ constrictor 29 Landon who ran against FDR 30 Opening set of TV series episodes 31 Hourly worker’s device 32 Fleet VIP 33 Put into operation 34 Scottish cap

36 Sci-fi staples 39 Diving lake bird 40 Capote nickname 43 It’s a scream 45 Picking-up-thetab words 47 Song words before “with a little help from my friends” 48 Husk-wrapped Mexican food 50 Pay

51 Concretereinforcing rod 52 Shoulder muscles, briefly 53 Before, before 55 Golfer with an “army” 56 Deceptive move 57 Makes more bearable 60 Capsize, with “over” 63 Superstation initials

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Bone Marrow Registry Drive 1:00 P.M. Alpert Medical Building

HIV in Women: Across the Lifespan 4:30 P.M. 121 South Main

Reading by Novelist Alejandro Zambra 2:30 P.M. McCormack Family Theater

Mardi Gras Dinner 6:30 P.M. Archibald Hall

TOMORROW

By Kurt Krauss ©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

02/09/16

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Ash Wednesday Mass 12:00 P.M. Manning Chapel

Zika Virus: Separating Fact from Fiction 12:30 P.M. Watson Institute

Study Abroad in Ireland Information Session 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson 440

Argentine Tango Class’ Beginner Bootcamp 5:00 P.M. Graduate Center

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL

Cautiously optimistic about dorm renovations We commend the University’s decision to allocate $5 million to renovating Perkins and Barbour Halls. While Perkins has been more maligned among students due to its physical distance from the rest of campus, both dorms stand in dire need of repair and renovations. The deteriorating state of the buildings has affected the quality of life of their inhabitants for several years, and the renovations will hopefully make a substantive difference to the livability of each dorm. Furthermore, while for many students the objection to the buildings is primarily aesthetic, both require many changes to ensure they are fully accessible to students with disabilities.

Yet as the repairs announced by Senior Associate Dean of Residential Life Richard Bova will only “renew” the buildings rather than fully renovate them, we question whether the proposed plans will sufficiently change the dorms’ living conditions. We fear the renovations might merely be minor beautification efforts meant to placate students. Without significant changes to the heating and water systems, the renovations could become just a temporary measure, pushing back a bigger investment that the buildings may necessitate in the future. That said, we are glad the University is taking these first few steps to make student housing more equitable on a campus with a wide disparity of dorm conditions.

Perkins, in particular, as perhaps the least desirable dorm, has often housed students with the least control over where they live on campus: transfer students or those returning from leave. It may be true that complaints about Perkins have become something of a bonding experience for those living in the dorm, generating fodder for jokes such as the legend that “30 percent of students stuck in Perkins meet their future spouses there.” Regardless, the University should continue to put more effort into making it as easy, seamless and welcoming as possible for returning and transfer students to adapt to life at Brown. The quality of Perkins, thus far, has alienated many students who may have already felt some sort of disconnect from the rest of campus.

In addition, as the Corporation has decided to raise tuition by roughly 4 percent for the third year in a row, Brown should work to make sure that the tuition increase will have a tangible effect on students — either through academic funding or quality of student life — in order to justify its rise.

Continued renovations to dormitories will help ensure that students feel like their education and their life on campus are appropriately valued.

L IO R A M O R HAY I M

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

“When you see an issue, you figure out what resources you need to fix it. You assemble them, you find people in

”

positions of power to assist you and you get it done.

— Noah Lupica ’16

See lgbtq on page 3.

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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Sick of same old love songs

ANDREW FRIEDMAN staff columnist

About a week before I returned to Brown, I found myself driving while listening to FM radio for the first time since arriving home. I was really enjoying the song the station was playing until the chorus hit: “I’m so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up / I’m so sick of that same old love, my body’s had enough.” The chorus struck me as a piece of really shallow songwriting, reminiscent of Ke$ha in her prime or perhaps Ariana Grande.

What kind of artist groups the phrase “same old” and the word “love” together? “Same old love” came across to me as a glaring oxymoron, as I had grown up associating “love” with the phrase “one true,” courtesy of Disney movies. I promptly realized that I was indeed listening to pop music on KISS FM, that the artist I was listening to was (the one and only) Selena Gomez and that the song “Same Old Love,” was sitting at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 100. Though I am a big fan of her performance on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” I was really disappointed in Selena. Why couldn’t she have made a genuine song that at least attempted to be true to life?

Unfortunately, it is because, like many before her, she has made a successful career out of releasing lyrically shallow hits that frequently treat the important, ambiguous concept of love as a commodity, with lyrics frequently containing images that are erotic and, at times, almost pornographic in nature. I think that this carelessness, especially in overusing the word “love,” has really done us a disservice. I have personally been a

victim of it.

During my freshman year of high school, I developed a huge crush on a girl in my friend group. After a month of flirting, I began to sense that my feelings were being reciprocated, so naturally I started saying “I love you” to her about four times per day. It seemed like the normal thing to say, and I had heard it in songs for so long that I began to associate it with infatuation, an unfamiliar word that I did not hear on a daily basis. Apparently, people don’t like it when you start telling them “I love you” after being together for only a month, and I soon started receiving angry text messages from her friends telling me to “back off.” Long story short, that relationship didn’t work out. Thanks, Selena.

these types of meaningless lyrics that have come to characterize contemporary pop and hip-hop music. This is a problem.

As college students, we compose a large share of the pop music consumer base and accordingly should be aware of the type of music we consume. The commercial success of these songs is solely determined by our consumption of them. The Billboard Top 100 song rankings are almost exclusively determined by radio airplay and digital and physical sales.

Despite its seemingly monolithic nature, we have the ability to change the pop music industry. And we are: According to the Pew Research Center, online radio listeners have doubled since 2010. In 2015, almost 40 per-

made with commercial intent.

In my view, music made for its own sake is music at its best: a raw, unfiltered depiction of an artist’s life experiences. The degree to which music is genuine corresponds to its public utility, as music serves a civic function much in the same way visual art or architecture does. Music, like other art, preserves and captures the spirit of an artist and, by transitivity, a generation. Whereas newspapers of record like the New York Times document past events objectively, musicians (and other artists) “of record” document past events subjectively by depicting narratives and stories that collectively form the spirit of an era — the zeitgeist. Contemporary musicians are, in some sense, creative rep-

Though I am a big fan of her performance on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” I was really disappointed in Selena.

Right now, songs like “Same Old Love” are what many Americans still listen to. Despite the rise of streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora and Sirius XM Radio, 91 percent of Americans aged 12 and older still listen to AM/FM radio on a weekly basis, according to Nielsen. That means that 91 percent of adolescent and adult Americans consume and are socialized with radio station music, a large percentage of which is Top-100 hits.

(Granted, there are different genres of music radio — hip-hop, alternative rock, classical — and the act of choosing one’s station is important.

But among pop stations, the music is largely the same; I can’t count the number of times I have dialed from one pop station to another, only to hear the same song being played.)

Many Americans are consuming

cent of cellphone owners listened to online radio through their phones in the car. Slowly, we are beginning to utilize technology that gives us more autonomy over the type of music we consume, which is great. Music taste can be incredibly representative of someone’s personality, and the act of choosing one’s music is a beautiful form of self-expression.

As we start to regain control of our songs, the increased variety of music to which we are exposed will allow us to determine the distinction between linguistic and emotional subtleties that are frequently belied by pop music, such as the difference between love and infatuation. We will start to realize — as the music industry functions as both art and business — that there is a difference between music made for its own sake and music

resentatives of our generation. Accordingly, they must be incredibly diverse, depicting their own unique, intriguing ways of experiencing the world, while at the same time staying true to their charge of authenticity.

But music that is distributed to the masses frequently sacrifices its authenticity for commercial viability.

Pop music, in my opinion, represents a hyperbolic perversion of authentic music; emotions are inflated and dayto-day experiences are made to sound once-in-a-lifetime. For example, the song “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen takes an everyday experience, a serendipitous crush, and romanticizes it out of proportion: “Hey I just met you / And this is crazy / But here’s my number / So call me maybe.” Jepsen associates her wish in the well with the attractive guy she’s crushing

on, instead of acknowledging that the guy probably didn’t have anything to do with her wish and that he probably won’t call the stranger who gave him her number. On the other hand, pop music occasionally perfectly matches meaningful messages and a commercial platform. For example, Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” a song that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100, expertly comments on the ascendancy of cellphones in our dating lives, acknowledging that we maintain equally important online and real-life personas.

Perhaps when it comes to pop music, we should take a page from the 1960s. Though music listeners back then didn’t have the same freedom of choice in music as we do now, they probably enjoyed more thoughtful lyrics, on average. The top pop artists then, who included the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Simon and Garfunkel, wrote lyrics that were more spiritual than sensual in nature, and their efforts are still appreciated today. The Beatles’ song “Yesterday,” for example, struck home for me by utilizing the idea of yesterday as a metaphor for nostalgia in general: “Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away / Now it looks as though they’re here to stay / Oh, I believe in yesterday.”

I don’t see any metaphors in Selena Gomez’s songs, except for the “it” in “Come and Get It.” Though there are a few moments of saving grace in contemporary pop music, I am doubtful that posterity will remember our pop music as fondly as that of the 50s and 60s. The Selena Gomezes of our world should learn a thing or two from the past because I’m sick of hearing that same old love song.

Andrew Friedman ’19 can be reached at andrew_friedman@brown.edu.

Millenials feel the Bern GRACE JOHNSON staff columnist

The sky gradually grew darker as we uncurled our chilled fingers to ring the doorbell of each house. The people of New Hampshire expected visitors on the days leading up to the primary, so most of the walkways were shoveled.

The unshoveled walkways might have posed an unwelcoming message, but damp feet did not dissuade us from leaving a pamphlet with Sen. Bernie Sanders’, D-VT, determined face on it wedged under the door. Some opened the door, saw Bernie’s logo, said they would not be voting for him and closed the door. But the majority of people engaged in conversation, whether about when and how to vote Feb. 9 or about Bernie’s ideas and priorities. Never before had I felt that engaging with politics could provide me with a meaningful sense of self-expression. But my experiences this weekend proved otherwise. I participated in many open and honest conversations about issues that drastically affect individuals across the country.

My most memorable exchange of the weekend came at a converted red barn on the edge of a snowy lake. The man who answered the door asked us where we came from and how we were

involved in Bernie’s campaign. He asked us why we were drawn to Bernie and about millennial participation in the election. After we briefly shared our support for the senator, he told us that he was a devout Republican. Without the protection of a computer screen or partisan hostility, we conversed about Bernie’s economic plans with friendly tones and productive intentions. There was a feeling of true democracy in action at this man’s doorstep as the New England sun set over a wooded horizon.

Our group from Brown did not quite know

that far eclipses even President Barack Obama’s performance there. But his popularity stems from his ideas more than from his fashionable brand.

The energy in the room was not just because of celebrity appeal. One of the reasons Bernie stands out among other candidates is his authenticity. Standing behind him, I could see just a few lines scribbled on his notepad, and his speech was delivered as if it were an affirmation of friendship and solidarity. He spoke with candor and compassion, delivering his classic

I participated in many open and honest conversations about issues that drastically affect individuals across the country. what to expect on this trip. We did not know that we would stand on stage behind Bernie at a rally, and we most certainly did not know that we would meet Bernie himself. Before he appeared on stage, a public relations staffer told us to express our enthusiasm and motivate the mostly young crowds. Our enthusiasm was completely genuine, and the crowd needed no motivation besides the slightly stooped senator’s powerful presence. Bernie is an exciting figure — he earned over 70 percent of the millennial vote in Iowa, a staggering number

lines about the one-tenth of the 1 percent who own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent.

From my raised view, I saw the serious nods of agreement and sympathetic shakes of the head when Bernie outlined the struggles of our low minimum wage and the domino effects of mass incarceration. I heard the shouts of enormous numbers when he asked the audience how much debt they had accumulated financing their higher education. Bernie resonates with voters who know that a hard-working American does not inevitably achieve success. There

are factors such as bad fortune, unjust policies and racist systems that also contribute. In that way, Bernie is more realistic than idealistic.

Bernie’s acknowledgment of realistic struggles speaks to a young generation that is facing the realities of independence in what they see as a broken system. Youth activism is peaking as millennials respond to the war and economic recession by demanding a new reality.

Bernie’s visions are favored by almost half of millennials, and his supporters are devout and dedicated. Historically, youth and college campus activism has been a catalyst of change, and we have a serious opportunity and responsibility in this year’s election. The Brown University Students for Bernie traveled a perilous route to New Hampshire. One member was conned out of $5 in the train station. Our taxi driver shouted “Vote for Bernie” out his window after nearly running over pedestrians. We picked up a few stragglers in our vans and never found out from where they came. But what matters is that in an extremely crucial election, we actively participated and donated time. Old-fashioned, yet effective and necessary, there is an excitement to walking the literal campaign trail.

Grace Johnson ’19 is feeling the Bern and can be reached at grace_johnson@brown.edu.

ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016

Arts & Culture Roundup

BY JACLYN TORRES, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Chinese Language Week

The Department of East Asian Studies is hosting Chinese Language Week, five nights of festivities starting with a celebration of the Chinese New Year Monday. Throughout the week there will be film screenings, language sessions and a Chinese tea time ceremony.

The week aims to bring together students in understanding Chinese culture through a cinematic experience supplemented with active discussion. By combining language and tradition, students will have the opportunity to grasp what it means to be Chinese.

How to Unmake an American Quilt

An exhibition by Katie Hargrave and Amber Ginsburg in the gallery of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center aims to break down the utility of labor and the blending of gender roles through sculptures and research. The works bring a poetic and quiet activist encouragement for an egalitarian, just labor system. The exhibit will be on display until Feb. 27.

Black History Month Film Series

Through the month of February, the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice and the Providence Community Library will host four film screenings focusing on the history of black identity and activism in America. A conversation regarding the major themes of Black History Month will follow each screening. The CSSJ and PCL screened “Ghosts of Amistad” Feb. 1 and “Belle” Feb. 8; they will show “Nightjohn” Feb. 18 and “Selma” Feb. 29.

Slave Shackles Exhibit

A pair of slave shackles, loaned by the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England can be found on display in the John Hay Library. The shackles were used to transport captured Africans to the Americas for slavery as part of the middle passage in the transatlantic slave trade. The exhibit will be on display until March 13.

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Spanish Language Week starts today, bringing with it screenings and talks intended to engage those interested in Hispanic studies. Though canceled yesterday due to the snow storm, the program begins in full today.

Hispanic studies courts students Film screenings, cultural discussions held to attract students to department course offerings

By JENNIFER SHOOK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com

The Department of Hispanic Studies is hosting Spanish Language Week, a series of movies, talks and programs, Feb. 8 to Feb. 12 in hopes of garnering greater interest in the department as well as the study of the Spanish language.

“We are very excited about Spanish Week,” wrote Janet Blume, interim chair of the Department of Hispanic Studies, in an email to The Herald.

“We are grateful to Professor Ercan Balci, the director of the Center for Language Studies, for organizing the series of language weeks.”

Spanish Language Week is part of a larger series of language weeks initiated by the Center for Language

Studies that will take place over the 2015-2016 academic year. The series has already included an American Sign Language Week, a German Week and a Korean Week, among others.

The language weeks are a “wonderful way of making foreign languages more visible on campus,” said Professor Nidia Schuhmacher, who helped organize Spanish Language Week along with fellow Hispanic studies faculty, graduate students and concentrators.

“We wanted students at Brown to have the opportunity to engage with Spanish intellectual life and culture on campus and not just solely in the classroom,” said Hannah Rice ’16, who helped plan the week and is one of three leaders of the Hispanic Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group.

“Everybody (in the department) contributed ideas and conversations,” Schuhmacher said. She added that she hopes the week highlights the strengths of Hispanic studies at the

University.

“There’s a lot of energy in our department,” Schuhmacher said.

“Language and culture are important components of a liberal education,” Blume wrote. “It is wonderful to have the chance to showcase opportunities in Hispanic studies.”

Spanish Language Week was slated to start yesterday, but the first event — a screening of “Metegol,” an animated film directed by Juan Campanella — was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The rest of the week is set to go on as scheduled, including a Wednesday night screening of “Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados,” directed by David Trueba. Spanish Language Week will also feature a talk Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at McCormick Theater by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra. Spanish Language Week will culminate Friday with an event called “Café, té y pan dulce,” a gathering designed to unite Hispanic studies concentrators and interested students in discussion.