Monday, April 4, 2016

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 41

U. admits 2,250 from largest-ever applicant pool Admission stats stay consistent with past years’, while admit rate rises half percentage point

By ALEX SKIDMORE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The University accepted 2,250 applicants for the Class of 2020 through regular decision Thursday, said Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73.

This year’s application cycle saw a regular decision rate of about 7 percent and an overall admission rate of about 9 percent, Miller said. The overall admission rate for last year’s cycle was a record-breaking 8.5 percent.

The newly admitted students will join the 669 students admitted through early decision in December. The admitted students were selected from a record-high pool of 32,380 students who applied either early decision or regular decision.

Of the total 2,919 students admitted, the University expects a class of 1,665, according to a University press release.

Even with the growing number of

applicants, the demographics of the pool have stayed “pretty consistent,” Miller said.

The University admitted about 7 percent of the 1,905 deferred students from the early decision pool and waitlisted about 1,000 additional students.

Students were admitted from all 50 states and 83 nations, Miller said.

But the pool of both applying and admitted students is becoming more diverse. A record-high 47 percent of students in the admitted class identify as students of color, Miller said. Sixtyone percent of admitted students intend to apply for financial aid this year.

Multiple factors keep increasing the number of applicants to the University, but “the continuing appeal of Brown,” is one of the biggest reasons more people apply each year, Miller said. The University’s “reputation continues to grow nationally and internationally,” he added.

The University’s financial aid programs are also “very attractive” and have “improved over the years,” Miller said.

The high number of applicants also extends internationally, with a » See ADMISSION, page 2

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

M. LACROSSE

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Dylan Molloy ’17 looks to score against Princeton in Saturday’s contest. The junior tallied six goals and five assists to help the Bears to an impressive 19-8 victory. He currently leads the nation in points per game at 6.38.

No. 3 Bears cruise over spring break

Molloy ’17 records 16 points in pair of dominant victories over No. 6 Villanova, Princeton

By NIKKO PASANEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The No. 3 men’s lacrosse team did not

BASEBALL

have a traditional spring break. Instead of spending the week at the beach, the Bears were busy playing No. 6 Villanova (6-3) and conference rival Princeton (2-6, 0-3 Ivy). But the extra work paid off, as Bruno posted a pair of dominant, 19-8 wins to keep its perfect record intact. Now more than halfway though the season, the Bears (8-0, 2-0) have proven that they are a serious contender

No. 3 Brown 19, No. 6 Villanova 8 There was a lot of excitement before Tuesday’s matchup between Brown and Villanova, then the first- and secondranked offenses, respectively, in college lacrosse. Both squads were looking for a » See M. LAX, page 3

Networked printer hacked, prints racist flyer CIS reevaluates printing access in response to racist flyer also found at Princeton, DePaul

By ELENA RENKEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Josh Huntley ’17 looks to put the ball in play. The junior catcher amassed five hits over the weekend, recording two RBI in the Bears’ win over Penn. Huntley is batting .290 on the year with nine RBI and seven runs.

Taugner ’17 leads Bruno to first Ivy win Offense from Homza ’19, Ginsberg ’18 not enough against defending league champion Columbia

By BEN SHUMATE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After an up-and-down start to the year, Brown (7-13, 1-3 Ivy) went on the road to open the Ivy League season against nondivision opponents Penn and Columbia.

INSIDE

not only for an Ivy League title but also for the national championship.

Brown 8, Penn 5 First on the slate for Bruno was the Quakers (10-12, 3-1), last year’s runnersup in the Lou Gehrig division. The start time was pushed back because of bad weather, but it cleared up enough for the teams to play Saturday afternoon.

After a scoreless first inning, singles

by Kevin Guthrie ’16 and Sam Grigo ’18, a walk by Marc Sredojevic ’17 and a double from Brian Ginsberg ’18 gave Brown an early 3-0 lead.

The Bears added to the lead in each of their next frames at bat, thanks to RBIs from Grigo and Josh Huntley ’17 in the top of the third and an RBI double

by Noah Shulman ’16 in the top of the fourth, putting Brown on top, 6-0.

Head Coach Grant Achilles praised Grigo’s efforts in the contest.

“He’s getting pitchers’ best, but they’re getting his,” Achilles said. “It’s just been a consistent approach.”

Christian Taugner ’17 was not quite » See BASEBALL, page 8

An anti-Semitic flyer was discovered on an office printer in Barus and Holley Thursday afternoon. The University employee who found the flyer contacted the Department of Public Safety, which responded to the scene and assigned a detective to investigate, wrote Brian Clark, director of news and editorial development, in an email to The Herald.

DPS made contact with other nearby universities where similar flyers have been found, Clark wrote. The anti-Semitic flyers have been printed at several colleges across the country, including the University of Southern California, DePaul University and Princeton. While only a single sheet was printed at Brown, many flyers were printed at some schools.

The Daily Princetonian reported Friday that Andrew Auernheimer, a

forum member of a white supremacist website, the Daily Stormer, claimed responsibility for hacking the networks of Princeton and other universities. Auernheimer wrote in an email to the Daily Princetonian that he had been working with a Princeton student group in efforts to spread these messages and that he was seeking to promote white supremacy.

The University does not usually track where pages are printed from, said Ravi Pendse, director of computing and information services. But based on the IP address of the printer, it was determined that the flyer was printed from outside the University.

This situation is “a balancing act between convenience and security,” Pendse said.

A few University printers have previously allowed individuals to print without verifying their affiliation with the University. But after this incident, “A decision was made to close that avenue off,” Pendse said.

“If you are a Brown-affiliated person, you will still be able to print from off-campus, but you’ll have to go through a few more steps,” Pendse » See FLYER, page 2

WEATHER

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

SPORTS Thanks to late-game efforts, softball snaps losing streak, posts first two Ivy League wins

ARTS & CULTURE Cage the Elephant headlines WBRU’s April Fools’ Bash, performs for energized crowd

COMMENTARY Krishnamurthy ’19: Investing in trip to Mars would give humanity hope, spark economic growth

COMMENTARY Mitra ’18: Grade inflation in universities not a bad thing, results in well-rounded graduates

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TOMORROW

36 / 23

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NEWS

PAGE 2 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

LEAH KAZAR / HERALD

» ADMISSION, from page 1 record-high 5,432 students applying from outside of the United States.

The “growing middle class” in many parts of the world allows more people to apply to universities, and the top American universities are the “gold standard” of education, Miller said.

Many admitted students were excited after receiving their acceptance letters.

“It feels awesome,” said Sarah

» FLYER, from page 1 said, adding that “in order for Brown to be completely secure, it is going to take every one of us.”

A University printer has never before been remotely accessed to print hateful messages, Pendse said. “That’s the beautiful thing about our open curriculum and our community: We respect each other, we want to have an open discussion on different ideas.

One of the things I love about Brown is the idea of constructive irreverence,” he added. “This kind of hateful

Pugliese of North Smithfield, Rhode Island. “It’s been my number one school for as long as I can remember,” she added.

Brown was appealing because of its open curriculum, “intellectual but not intense” student body and great neuroscience program, said Pugliese, who applied to be a neuroscience and applied math concentrator.

A Day on College Hill, a program for admitted students, will start April 19. speech has no place, in my view, in Brown’s community or anywhere for that matter. It’s absolutely disgusting.”

The message found at Brown was “hateful, abhorrent and a clear affront to the ideals of inclusion, respect and tolerance that we value as essential to the Brown community,” Clark wrote.

CIS has worked with DPS and “took the appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Clark wrote.

Representatives from DPS did not respond to a request for comment.

SPORTS

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» M. LAX, from page 1 marquee top-10 win to erase any doubts about their place among the nation’s best teams. When the final whistle blew that afternoon, the Bears left the field with a statement win.

“We could not have been more excited about the chance to play a top10 team in their stadium,” said Head Coach Lars Tiffany ’90. “Our men defined our style of play and the tempo of that game from the opening whistle.”

Bruno’s offense was once again in peak form, but it was the defensive effort that helped the team cruise to a 19-8 victory. Facing off against the Wildcats’ high-octane offense, the Bears knew they were in for a test.

Alec Tulett ’17 was given perhaps the toughest task: guarding Jake Froccaro, the nation’s second-leading scorer.

The junior defenseman did a superb job, holding Villanova’s star to just one goal and one assist. Also playing their part in stopping the Wildcats were John Yozzo-Scaperotta ’16, who caused a team-high two turnovers, and Will Gural ’16, who picked up seven ground balls.

On the other end of the field, the offense was clicking. The Bears were led by the usual suspects — Dylan Molloy ’17, Kylor Bellistri ’16 and Henry Blynn ’16 — each of whom tallied five points on the day.

In the first quarter, Bellistri kicked things off for Bruno, scoring the team’s first two goals. Villanova managed to keep the game close, trailing the Bears just 4-2 midway though the period. But the game quickly turned into a blowout,

as the Bears broke off a 7-0 run and took an 11-2 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Wildcats seemed to get back on track with a goal 11 seconds into the frame, but Bruno responded with a surprising goal from goalie Jack Kelly ’16 just moments later. From there, the two teams traded goals throughout the third quarter to maintain the 11-goal margin, ending at 15-6. The last period proved to be merely a formality, with the final score settling at 19-8.

No. 3 Brown 19, Princeton 8 After taking down one highly touted opponent, Bruno turned its attention toward Ivy League rival Princeton for Saturday’s contest. Though they were the underdogs, the Tigers had the extra motivation of trying to avoid a 0-3 start in conference play. But the incentive proved insufficient.

After a tight first half, Bruno put the game away with a dominant third quarter and recorded its second 19-8 win of the week.

The Bears were led by Molloy, who erupted for 11 points on six goals and five assists. The junior attacker leads the nation with 6.38 points per game.

At the face-off X, Gural continued his season-long dominance by taking away 13 of 20 opportunities from the Tigers, while Ted Ottens ’17.5 also grabbed seven of nine.

Larken Kemp ’17 was brilliant on the defensive end, picking up six ground balls and forcing two turnovers.

In goal, Kelly was his typical self, making several point-blank saves and stopping 10 of 18 Tiger shots.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Matt Graham ’16 passes the ball to Brendan Caputo ’16 in Saturday’s game against Princeton. The two seniors each netted two goals, while Caputo also added two assists in the Bears’ win over their Ivy League rivals.

Saturday’s contest started off as well as it could have for Bruno, as the squad raced out to a 5-0 lead just six minutes into the game. But the Tigers responded nicely and cut the deficit to 6-3 by the end of the first quarter. At the start of the second, the Bears seemed to have righted the ship by scoring a goal within the first minute, but Princeton battled back to draw within 7-6 by the end of the first half.

With momentum in their favor, the Tigers looked poised to give Bruno a run for its money in the second half.

But Molloy had other ideas, tallying twice in the opening five minutes of the frame to kickstart a 4-0 run. After conceding two goals, the Bears put the hammer down, ending the quarter on a 5-0 run to push the score to 16-8.

By the end of the fourth, Bruno found itself on the winning end of a second consecutive 19-8 contest.

“The emotional strength of this team is what allowed us to regroup at halftime and play such a strong second half,” Tiffany said. “The men willed the game back into our style and our favor.”

The Bears now have a quick turnaround as they prepare for Tuesday’s game against Bryant. Last year, the Bulldogs provided a surprisingly tough test, falling to the Bears 9-8 despite finishing the year with a losing record.

Bryant is “a team that always plays with unrelenting heart and grit. We respect them wholeheartedly,” Tiffany said.

Bruno should expect the Bulldogs to give everything they have Tuesday.

After all, the target on its back is only getting bigger.

SPORTS

PAGE 4 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SOFTBALL

Bears earn split against Columbia after Scarangella’s ’19 slam

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Sarah Syrop ’17 bats during weekend contest. The junior recorded two doubles in Friday’s win against Penn, giving the Bears their first Ivy win this year. The outfielder is currently batting .400 on the young season.

Extra inning home run by Andrews ’17, grand slam from Scarangella ’19 result in first Ivy wins

By JAMES SCHAPIRO STAFF WRITER

The softball team entered spring break having lost five of its last six after a promising start. But with a strong showing over the recess, which saw Bruno’s (13-10, 2-2 Ivy) first Ivy League games against Penn and Columbia, the team set a good tone for the rest of its season, notching five comeback wins.

Perhaps Bruno’s most impressive

victory came against the Lions (7-19, 2-2) at the end of the eight-game slate.

After struggling at bat and dropping the first matchup by a 4-1 decision, the Bears looked to split the doubleheader as well as their conference record in game two. For most of the game, their effort looked to be for naught. Leah Nakashima ’17 allowed three runs in the bottom of the third. The Bears managed runs in the fourth and fifth, but the Lions continued scoring as well.

Then, the tides changed for Bruno in the seventh.

“We all had confidence; we knew something was going to happen,” said pitcher Katie Orona ’18. “We knew we were going to score. It was a matter of how many we were going to score.”

Entering the inning, the Bears trailed 6-2, but they began to close the gap with three consecutive singles to load the bases. Infielder Christina Andrews ’17 then drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Sofia Venegas ’19 walked to load the bases again, bringing Annie Scarangella ’19 to the plate as the go-ahead run with

two outs.

“Everyone always has confidence in her,” Orona said. “She’s been in these situations before.”

The go-ahead run is exactly what she proved to be: Scarangella’s blast over the left-field wall cleared the bases and gave Bruno a 7-6 lead. After the Bears were retired, Gina Chieffallo ’17 took the mound in the bottom of the seventh and set down the side in order, giving the Bears an unexpected series split and an even Ivy League record.

“Coming away with the split really sends a message to everyone that we can play in the latter innings,” Orona said.

“If you’re up even five against us, we can come back, and we can still win it. It really shows how tough we are, and I’m very proud of (Scarangella) and everyone else.”

But the Lions were not the first team to blow a lead against the Bears. Before Ivy play began, the Bears first took on Mount St. Mary’s (6-21) in a doubleheader Tuesday, but from the outset, they did not look primed for a victory. Bruno was held scoreless through five innings, but fortunately for the Bears, Orona remained in control on the mound. The ace allowed only five hits and one run.

“It was kind of tough,” Orona said.

“We had a long travel schedule, and then our games were canceled, so we were sitting for a day. We expected a slow start offensively.”

But the Bears broke through in the sixth, as a walk, a hit-by-pitch and an RBI single from Yeram Park ’18 tied the game.

In the seventh, Scarangella singled up the middle, chasing home Emily Springfield ’18 and giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.

Orona retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Bears a comeback win.

“Obviously it was a huge deal to get off to a good start,” Orona said. “It really showed a lot of character from the team.”

In the nightcap, the Bears once again found themselves down early, but two runs in the second and one in the fifth allowed them to take a 3-1 lead. Bruno put the game out of reach in the sixth with six runs, and the Bears came away with a 13-2 win to sweep the doubleheader.

“Our bats just started warming up — everyone got comfortable,” Orona said.

“A trend that the team has is the second game we really get comfortable. Hopefully we can start hitting a little bit earlier.”

The Bears took on UMBC (16-20) the following day in the last series before Ivy play commenced and found themselves victimized by errors. Despite a sterling effort from Orona, who posted six innings and two earned runs, and a home run from co-captain Janet Leung ’16, the Retrievers scored three unearned runs, which proved the difference in a 5-3 loss.

“The purpose of the games prior to Ivy League play is to smooth out the wrinkles, get more comfortable,” Orona said of the Bears’ errors. “Overall, I’m glad we got the mistakes out of the way then, and moving forward, we can see our mistakes and correct them.”

But the Bears once again rallied in the nightcap. A five-run onslaught in the first from the combined efforts of co-captain Julia Schoenewald ’17 and Andrews was all the Bears would need, as Nakashima allowed only one unearned run.

Ivy League competition began with a doubleheader against Penn (13-11, 2-2).

Orona took the mound in game one and was brilliant once again, going eight innings and not allowing an earned run.

The Quakers scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and send it to extras, but a three-run homer from Andrews in the eighth — her first of the season — and three Orona outs later, the Bears had a 5-1 victory.

“A couple of lucky things happened for them, but there wasn’t a panic on the team, which we’ve had in previous years as well as in the early part of this season,” Orona said.

But the Bears could not manage a win in the nightcap, getting shut out 2-0 despite a solid performance from Nakashima who moved to 3-4, despite a 3.55 ERA. Bruno’s bats went silent, as it recorded five hits but could not score a run.

After playing URI Tuesday, the Bears will enter a long stretch of Ivy play, with games against Princeton, Cornell and Dartmouth. The conference standings are tightly packed, with five different teams at 2-2. With a strong showing in their next 10 games, the Bears have a chance to stake out a position ahead of the pack.

“Those first-Ivy weekend jitters are out of the way, and we’ll play less nervous and hopefully come away with some bigger wins,” Orona said. Obviously, the goal every game is to come out and play our best game, and I think we will.”

SPORTS

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Sports Roundup

BY TANEIL RUFFIN, SPORTS EDITOR

Women’s Crew The women’s crew team proved why it is the top-ranked program in the nation by kicking off its spring season in a commanding fashion. Over the two weekends during spring break, the Bears faced off against stiff competition in then-No. 1 Ohio State, No. 11 Princeton, No. 17 Radcliffe and Dartmouth, but emerged victorious in both races. Bruno came in first place in nine of 12 events over the break.

At the spring season opener on Lake Carnegie, the first, second and third varsity eight boats, as well as the A varsity four edged the Buckeyes and Tigers. Bruno’s performances were good enough to claim the Class of 1987 Trophy for the 12th time in the award’s 29year existence.

The following weekend, the team raced closer to home on the Charles River against the Big Green and host Radcliffe — Harvard’s women’s program. Aside from the C Varsity Four, all of the Bears’ boats finished out front.

Bruno will resume competition in two weeks as it travels across the country to Gold River, California and races at the Lake Natoma Invitational. The team will once again share the river with five other strong programs, as boats from No. 2 California, No. 6 Stanford, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 18 Gonzaga will all be in attendance. But if the past two races are any indication of what can be expected of the boats this season, the Bears need not worry.

Track and Field Four members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams posted top-10 program finishes at the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State March 25 and 26.

O’Sha Williams ’16 led the way with a first-place finish as she out-leapt the field of 40 in the triple jump. Shanelle DeJournett ’17 and Carleen Jeffers ’19 posted record-breaking performances for Brown on the women’s side in the high jump and five-kilometer race, respectively. DeJournett’s fourth-place finish at the meet tied for sixth-best in Brown’s history. Jeffers’ 13th-place performance put the rookie in the Bears’ record books with the seventh-fastest time in the event.

On the men’s side, Owen Russell ’19 placed seventh overall at the meet and recorded the fifth-best throw in program history in his first time throwing a 16-pound implement. On the track, Will Sheeran ’16 ran against both collegiate and professional runners in the 5,000 meter race. Sheeran’s 14:01.07 time made him fifth among college runners, 12th overall and tied for the fourth-fastest time in Brown’s history.

Both teams also competed at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, North Carolina this weekend.

Golf The men’s and women’s golf teams left the northeast for warmer locales over the break. The men’s team headed west to compete in the Anteater Invitational hosted by UC-Irvine. The Bears did not fare well on the course, as the squad finished significantly behind the other nine teams at the competition with a tally of 963. Bruno’s closest competitor was North Dakota State, which finished at 932.

But the team did find some individual success. Chad Carlson ’17 paced the Bears with a 54-hole 239 to finish 44th overall. After a break, the team will resume competition April 9 at the Princeton Invitational.

The women’s team’s trip was a bit better than its male counterparts’, as the former finished 13th out of 15 teams at the 23rd Annual John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate in Stockbridge, Georgia.

The Bears recorded a 947 in the three-day tournament to beat out Louisiana Monroe and Central Michigan, which scored 982 and 994, respectively. Christina Kim ’18 led the way for Bruno. Kim’s rounds of 79, 79 and 76 earned her 40th place individually at the tournament.

Sasha Banks ’19 did not trail too far behind her teammate, finishing in 53rd place. After struggling in the second round, finishing in 89 shots, Banks bounced back in the final round with a one-under 71.

The team will be on a hiatus from competition until hosting the Brown Bear Match Play Tournament April 16 and 17.

Fencing The fencing team wrapped up its season last weekend at the NCAA Championships. While the team did not fare well overall at the three-day competition — the Bears finished 23rd out of the 25 teams that competed — the performance from Simon Jones ’16 was a bright spot. For the second consecutive year, Jones finished 12th in the men’s epee. For his performance, Jones earned All-American accolades, also for the second time in his career.

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 • PAGE 5

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 6 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

B e a r Ha n d s g

Ted Feldman discusses dissatisfaction with Brooklyn, band’s name before recent concert

By KATE TALERICO NEWS EDITOR

Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet Bear Hands opened WBRU’s April Fools’ Bash Friday. The tour prefaced the debut of the group’s upcoming album, “You’ll Pay for This,” which is set to be released April 15. Guitarist and keyboardist Ted Feldman sat down with The Herald to talk about the new record and the band’s evolution.

Herald: Bear Hands is self-releasing their upcoming album. What does this mean for you?

Felman: There are a variety of ugly business decisions that have to do with money, and it’s not fun. But I like that we have all of the control. We’re doing it with our management and a very smart team of people. It seemed like the best idea at the time. We’ve always had complete freedom (over our sound and style) so that hasn’t really changed. It’s allowed us to have con

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

u it ar i st t a l k s

trol over other creative decisions that aren’t about the music — the music videos, the artwork, even release schedules.

How did your band come together?

Dylan (Rau, the lead vocalist,) and I went to Wesleyan, and we met there.

I met Val Loper and T.J. Orscher, our other two members, at our first practice. We were back in New York over the summer and Dylan had some songs and wanted to jam. I met these two guys, and then we kept doing it for almost two years.

Brown is really similar to Wesleyan. Do you think the environment at all shaped your sound?

I think the environment was really encouraging to musicians and to creativity in general. … It was an amazing place to start a band — very encouraging and probably dangerously so. Everyone thought that they could do it as a career, and it’s not the easiest thing to do.

What have been the biggest challenges?

b and histor y,

Making enough money to stay afloat and to keep doing it. There are other challenges to being in a band, like spending time with the same people forever. It’s always just an endless competition for ears. When you go to college, (music) is not a sound career choice. I was studying film at Wesleyan, also not the safest career.

How do you feel your music has grown since the band started in 2006?

I think it’s grown a lot. We were more of a scrappier, punkier band in 2006 — very spare. Also, the first songs grew out of Dylan’s writing on acoustic guitar, so there were more folky elements at the beginning. As we settled in, the songwriting patterns changed, and we added synthesizers and different sounds, and we tried to make more interesting and less guitar-centric music. The sound developed. Everyone plays an essential role in how we sound.

By virtue of my place as a guitar and keyboard player … I’ve had probably an outside role in the soundscape, but Dylan and I do the bulk of the songwriting.

ALL PHOTOS BY

n e w a lbu m

What are you hoping to achieve in this upcoming album?

World domination. … I think it’s a better, deeper collection of songs. I hope that we reach more people and play bigger shows and keep us going.

What’s your fan base like?

Hopefully they’re extremely intelligent and attractive people.

How did the band name come about?

I feel like band names are the most impossible things. We hated our name for a long time. It’s always been Bear Hands. We didn’t have a band name, and then we had to come up with our name on the fly. Val, our bass player, had that one in his back pocket, and it was the first one that people didn’t just absolutely abhor. We did it, and then we were stuck with it. Our name is a stupid pun, as well. You think it’s clever for a second, and then you realize you have to live with it forever.

You guys are based out of Brooklyn, New York. What do you think

KATE TALERIC O/

HERALD

of Brooklyn?

I’m leaving. I grew up in Manhattan — uptown. Brooklyn was the spot for the last 15 years, but it’s so much “the spot.” I really like my apartment and my friends there, … but it’s really expensive, and it’s not getting cooler.

I’ve lived in New York my whole life, so I’m going to try something new. Not that this is the most special place in the world, but I’m going to Los Angeles.

Is this the first time you’ve been to Providence?

No, we’ve played before at The Met and Lupo’s (Heartbreak Hotel). The last time I was here wasn’t with the band, but I do remember getting a delicious Ethiopian meal at a place called Abyssinia.

It’s closed!

No! What happened? That’s (expletive) up. … Well, at least I have my memory.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

PAGE 7 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Cage the Elephant headlines last night of multi-group tour for WBRU bash Foals, Bear Hands, Silversun Pickups join in April Fools’ show at Dunkin’ Donuts Center

By KATE TALERICO NEWS EDITOR

Musicians from Silversun Pickups, Foals and Bear Hands closed out WBRU’s April Fools’ Bash Friday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, embracing the members of headliner Cage the Elephant on stage. The four bands celebrated not only the final song of the evening but also of their joint month-long, national Spring Fling tour.

The show opened with Bear Hands, an indie, post-punk band that reached its peak point of fame with the summer 2014 hit “Giants,” a song as grungy in its vocals as it is charming in its guitar riffs.

The Brooklynites were more captivating on stage than in their most recent record: 2014’s “Distraction.” The ambiance was bolstered by the lead singer’s red hair swooshing before his face and the overlapping beams of black light framing the stage. Audience members could be seen visibly nodding to the music — a move suitable for the band, whose songs don’t encourage dancing aggressively.

The crowd, small at first, swelled as Foals took the

stage. The United Kingdom natives are far more popular in England than the United States, but they still embraced a Providence audience able to chant back the lyrics of some of their most celebrated songs, including “Mountain At My Gates” and “My Number.”

The group reveled in its British identity, frequently throwing out expressions like, “We’re going to have a ruddy good time.” The crowd cooed at their elegant accents and begged for more.

Foals kicked off their set with “Snake Oil,” from the 2015 album, “What Went Down,” and propelled the energy forward by relying on an old 2008 favorite of theirs, “Olympic Airways.” The lead singer emphatically repeated the oneword chorus — “Disappear” — inserting breathy syllables into the short word.

The crowd erupted in cheer for “Providence.” Though not one of the band’s most popular songs, it may have been added to the setlist to please an audience who conflated the song’s namesake with its hometown. Feeding off the audience’s energy, the lead singer dove into the arms of the crowd, was absorbed by the masses and then appeared back on stage right just seconds later.

The lights dimmed as the band transitioned into “Spanish Sahara,” and crowd members raised their phones, flashlights glowing like fireflies in the arena setting. The song, intensely mellow relative to the energy that remained pulsating in the room following “Providence,” carried its own strength, crescendoing to a final lingering moment.

The rest of Foals’ act included a few more attempts at stage-diving — unsuccessful ones, as most of the front row seemed to be made up of braces-clad, unprepared teenagers, who were more excited about the prospect of chanting along to the band’s closer, “What Went Down,” than benching frontman Yannis Philippakis’s sweaty body.

The crowd of teenage girls was replaced with beer-brandishing 30- and 40-year-olds for Silversun Pickups, a band that has held its own on the indie scene since 2002. Their music is a true product of the 2000s — while led by synth-rock melodies, there’s a certain punk sound to lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Aubert’s range-defying voice, especially evident in “Lazy Eye,” the band’s most popular song.

Silversun Pickups’ style has evolved over the last 14 years, as exemplified by their 2015 album “Better Nature,” but their charismatic energy as a group has remained unwavering. They joked with each other on stage without stripping away in-

tensity from their forward-moving soundscapes.

The group opened with “Cradle (Better Nature),” replete with overlapping chords and unrefined synth-pop sound.

Moving on from that, they delivered a few of their older hits to a faithful crowd, then moved forward to their newest album once more with “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance),” sung by bassist Nikki Monninger.

“We’ve been here many times before,” Aubert said to the crowd before they began. “But Nikki couldn’t be here six years ago, because she was off giving birth to twins or something.”

He raised his hands, as if balancing two weights. “Rocking out, or the love of your children?” For Aubert, the scale tipped in favor of rock.

After a sizable set, the Silversun Pickups eventually gave into the wishes of the audience, delivering “Lazy Eye” as a final song. The performance sent beer cans soaring through the air.

Cage the Elephant closed the show with their characteristic clamoring piano and percussion, coupled with vocalist Matt Shultz’s crackling voice. The group

opened with “Cry Baby,” also the opener of their latest album, “Tell Me I’m Pretty.”

Matching Shultz’s energy, the crowd began jumping along to “Spiderhead,” which led into a series of songs off of 2013’s “Melophobia.” The album is the group’s greatest success to date, and its songs dominated the setlist on Friday.

Over a third of the setlist came from the charged, alternative rock record.

The audience leaned into the innovative transitions that punctuate songs throughout the album and cheered as the band powered through them with heightened energy.

To the dismay of arena security, five crowd surfers emerged during “Trouble,” their supine bodies lit by the hectic strobes and flashes onstage. At one point, one diver somehow made it all the way to the stage, where he headed to the back near drummer Jared Champion, then proceeded to charge toward the end of the stage, leaping face first into the crowd.

That wasn’t the only air achieved at the show. Shultz supplied his act with plenty of leaps, as he grabbed his microphone stand at the top, jumped with legs in squatting position and ascended several feet into the air.

Shultz disappeared halfway through “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” taking his microphone as he wandered through the crowd, voice still heard supplying the bluesy vocals to the slacker song. During other tunes, his

microphone could be seen shoved down the front of his pants, where it remained secure as Shultz bounded from one side of the stage to the other, securing intense eye contact with the audience.

The band could move its crowd to head banging as easily as it could shift the mood to a melancholic nostalgia, as it did in “Telescope” and “Cigarette Daydreams.” Other groups joined Cage the Elephant on stage to accompany Shultz’s raw voice in chanting out the lyrics: “If we could find a reason, a reason to change / looking for the answer. If you could find a reason, a reason to stay / standing in the pouring rain.”

But as soon as that moment had ended, Shultz reclaimed the stage for the final two songs, “Shake Me Down” and “Teeth.” He stripped down and, shirtless, climbed into the crowd to belt out the final notes to the tour: “I wish I were an astronaut / Space case planting the seed.”

There, floating on the hands of the crowd members and looking into the flashes of phones speckling the sides of the arena, he might have been one.

SPORTS

PAGE 8 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

» BASEBALL, from page 1 as dominant in his fifth start of the season but still pitched well enough, keeping Bruno ahead. Penn managed three runs in the bottom of the fourth and another run in the fifth, but Brown held on to a 6-4 lead when the junior came out of the game after the fifth inning. Taguner repeatedly stranded Penn base runners, as Penn’s 10 hits resulted in only four earned runs.

Ginsberg jumpstarted Brown’s offense again in the top of the seventh, bringing his RBI total to three with a two-out double.

Dante Bosnic ’18 replaced Taugner on the mound for Bruno and allowed just one run in the bottom of the seventh to secure the Bears’ first Ivy win.

Taugner picked up his third win of the season and kept his ERA at an impressive 2.38 over 34 innings this season.

Grigo totaled three hits and three runs for the Bears. After appearing in just 23 games in his freshman season, Grigo has been one of the more consistent hitters for the Bears thus far this season.

“He’s a very talented hitter,” Achilles said. “He’s been getting pitched very tough, but he’s stuck with it.”

Penn 3, Brown 1 Game two featured a pitchers duel between Reid Anderson ’18 and Penn’s Gabe Kleiman. Neither team managed much offensive success early in the game, as the score remained 0-0 into the later innings.

Penn loaded the bases in the third inning, but Anderson escaped unscathed, inducing an inning-ending groundout.

Brown threatened the very next inning, loading the bases with two outs, but Kleiman shut the rally down by striking out Sredojevic.

Bruno struggled to put the ball in play against Kleiman, who allowed just four hits and racked up seven strikeouts on the day.

The Quakers finally got on the scoreboard with three runs in the sixth inning, thanks to three hits, a walk and a balk

by Anderson.

Anderson got out of the inning and was taken out after surrendering six hits and five walks over six innings of work.

Matt Beyer ’19 came out of the bullpen for Bruno and threw two scoreless innings.

Jake Levine ’16 singled to start the eighth inning and moved up to third on two wild pitches before coming home on a single by Guthrie, bringing Brown within two runs. But that run proved to be the only offense Brown could muster.

Ginsberg and Willy Homza ’19 doubled in the top of the ninth, but Levine lined into a double play to end the game.

Anderson fell to 0-3 on the season with the loss. Brown totaled 11 hits but left 10 runners on base.

Columbia 7, Brown 3 Brown rolled to New York to take on the three-time defending Ivy League champs Sunday. The doubleheader start time was pushed back by an hour once again because of poor weather. Austin French ’16 got the start for Brown but was unable to replicate his past two winning performances against UCF and Holy Cross.

French struggled with command

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD early, walking two batters in the first inning, including one with the bases loaded to give Columbia (7-15, 2-2) a 1-0 lead.

The Lions added steadily to their lead, scoring a run in each of French’s five innings on the mound. The Lions capitalized on mistakes and benefited from their own timely hitting, cashing in runs on an error, a wild pitch, nine hits off French and a steal of home, all amounting to a 7-0 lead after five innings.

Robbie Stephens ’19 threw a scoreless sixth inning for Bruno after replacing French.

Brown could not muster a response against Columbia starter Kevin Roy, who held the Bears to just three hits over the first five innings.

Bruno made some noise in the sixth inning, scoring two runs courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Grigo followed by an RBI single by Huntley.

The Bears faced a five-run deficit in their last opportunity at-bat and would only bring the game to within four runs on RBI double by Levine before Columbia’s Zack Bahm shut the door on the comeback effort.

Rob Henry ’17 was the lone bright spot for Brown offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring twice.

Columbia 10, Brown 2 In the final contest of the weekend, the Bears sent JJ Sliepka ’19 to the mound to start.

Unlike the first game, it was Brown who opened up an early lead in the top of the second. Huntley started things off with a single before advancing to third on a double from Ginsberg. Both would score on a two-out double by Homza.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Reid Anderson ’18 pitches against Penn Saturday. Despite taking the loss, Anderson had a solid outing, going six innings while allowing three runs.

The Lions responded with a solo home run in the bottom of the second, but the game got away from the Bears in the bottom of the third. Columbia poured on four runs thanks to two hits, a walk and a balk.

Grant Greeno ’18 came in to pitch the fourth inning, but things continued to go downhill for the Bears, as Columbia stretched the lead to 7-2 after an error by Greeno and a bases loaded walk.

Errors continued to cost Brown runs, as two made on one play by Sredojevic gave two more runs to the Lions in the fifth inning. The Bears made five errors total in the game after making three the game before. The weather conditions Sunday may have contributed to Bruno’s

stuggles, according to Achilles.

“The conditions today were less than great with 40-plus miles-per-hour winds,” Achilles said. “Columbia did a better job of hadling that adversity than we did.”

Bruno struggled to string together hits once again, scattering only five over nine innings.

Brown looks to right the ship next weekend in home matchups with Cornell and Princeton.

“There’s definitely a more heightened sense of awareness once you get into any type of conference play or divisional play,” Achilles said. “Not having a conference tournament, you’re fighting for every game and every pitch.”

TODAY

MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 • PAGE 9

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The women’s lacrosse team kicked off its spring break schedule by hosting Cornell. But the Big Red proved too much to handle, as Bruno fell 10-2 in the first of three losses for the Bears over break.

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

“Rocking out, or the love of your children?”

— Brian Aubert, lead vocalist and guitarist of Silversun Pickups

RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 4, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Website pop-ups, e.g.

4 Brush with liquid while roasting 9 Jeweled headwear 14 Morse code bit 15 Electric razor brand 16 Like some shortterm committees 17 Make a boo-boo 18 Hotel lobby supervisor 20 Bathtub insert 22 Texter’s “Wish you hadn’t said that!”

23 Practical, as a solution 24 Working the room, as at a banquet 27 Words before uproar 28 Dipstick wiper 29 Gumshoes: Abbr.

32 Madrid museum 35 Little kid 36 Went to the bottom 37 Time of reckoning 41 Is the right size 42 Yea’s opposite 43 Short, but probably not sweet 44 Sneaky 45 Warm lining 46 Feline king 48 Congressional majority, e.g.

53 Nielsen of “The Naked Gun” films 56 Canon SLR camera 57 Indian wrap 58 When one might have a mint ... or where the first words of 18-, 24-, 37- and 48Across can be found 61 Santa visitor’s seat 62 Fable’s lesson 63 Rear, to an admiral 64 Mao __-tung 65 Unlike poetry 66 Blended ice cream drinks 67 Buddhist sect

DOWN 1 Quite competent 2 “Our Gang” girl 3 Decorative foundation plant 4 Consumer protection gp.

5 “Respect” singer Franklin 6 Upstream swimmer 7 Dutch bulb 8 Britannica, e.g.: Abbr.

9 Wrapping, as an ankle 10 Rover’s collar attachment 11 Melville’s obsessive whaler 12 Stir up 13 Clearasil target 19 Fly 21 Flies like a seagull 25 Sufficient, in poetry 26 Cattle poker 29 Low poker hand 30 Quaint lodges 31 Hebrides isle 32 Many emailed image files 33 Train wheel guide 34 Suit filer: Abbr.

35 “ ... hallowed be __ name” 36 Dictation takers 38 Accustomed (to) 39 Small fruit pie 40 Four-way __ 45 Without prejudice 46 Big name in little trains 47 What an editor’s caret indicates 48 Sincere entreaties

49 Busybody 50 Dance in triple meter 51 Wipe out 52 Mature, as fruit 53 Desk light 54 Get an __ effort 55 Houston player, informally 59 School-ofthought suffix 60 Hosp. staffers

See april fools’ bash on page 7. comic Patrick Huang

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Arthur O. WIlliams Lecture 4:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, Room 166

91st Ogden Lecture: Roberta S. Jacobson ’82 5:30 P.M. Friedman Auditorium

DNA Day with SciToons 6:00 P.M. Martinos Auditorium

A Scandalous Passion 7:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno, Room 101

TOMORROW The State of Latin American History 5:30 P.M. John Carter Brown Library

Comparative Literature Presents Leah Price 5:30 P.M. Faculty Club

Foreign Policy and the 2016 Election 7:00 P.M. Salomon Center, Room 003

Telescope Observing Night 8:00 P.M. Ladd Observatory

COMMENTARY PAGE 10 • MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

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COMMENTARY MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016 • PAGE 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Mars gives us hope ANUJ KRISHNAMURTHY staff columnist

On April 22, 2013, Mars One, a Dutch-based nonprofit venture, announced its search for volunteer astronauts to travel one-way to Mars.

Immediately, the news was met with colossal skepticism. Anthony Weir, author of the best-selling novel “The Martian,” said, “I don’t take Mars One seriously at all.” Some commentators, unsparing in their contempt, deemed it an “overoptimistic, delusory idea that falls just short of being a joke.” But the maelstrom of denunciations from self-styled experts was not enough to stifle the resolve of hardcore Red Planet enthusiasts.

SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, is in the midst of developing more robust rocket designs capable of longer journeys — possibly to Mars.

I don’t know how well the private sector’s attempts at reaching and then colonizing Mars with permanent human settlements will turn out. Yet I can’t help but feel that, irrespective of the numerous logistical and ethical obstacles, sending a manned flight to Mars — or, at least trying to — isn’t so unreasonable.

After all, humans are irrepressibly pro-social and perennially dissatisfied creatures. Exploration — travelling to new places and seeking new wonders despite the dangers and the naysayers — is at some level a core component of humanity. The very fact that the recent burst of interest in and enthusiasm about a Mars voyage has come principally from private individuals, not government officials with perverse geopolitical am-

the whole endeavor truly worthwhile. American history demonstrates, with astounding clarity, the socioeconomic and cultural rejuvenation that can result from successes in space exploration. For example, the years after 1969 — when the crew members of Apollo 11 became the first men to land on the moon — saw mesmerizing leaps in various scientific fields and technology.

Advances in seismology, medical in-

realm of art that indelibly redefined American filmmaking and literature.

Far more significant than the material achievements, though, were the spiritual ones. For the first time in the 20th century, the great project of mankind wasn’t and didn’t have to be hinged on the destruction of entire continents. Our minds, dedicated for decades to the orchestration of war and perpetuation of political ideologies, could now be trained

Exploration — travelling to new places and seeking new wonders despite the dangers and the naysayers — is at some level a core component of humanity.

bitions, suggests that the exploration of the cosmos is a deeply human and natural impulse.

Indulging this collective yearning with an actual mission to Mars would, of course, be terrifically expensive and require the unlikely compliance and coordination of several cash-strapped government agencies. But the benefits of accomplishing such a lofty objective make

novation, firefighting and alternative energy development catapulted the economy forward. American schools adopted more rigorous educational standards and cultivated a new generation of future-oriented scholars, mathematicians and scientists. The space landings, which rendered the cosmos far more accessible than previously believed, even birthed the genre of science fiction, a whole new

on the heavens, a universal point of fascination that has throughout history transcended distinctions of race and religion. And, for the first time in decades, people of all nationalities and creeds could confidently take some pride in their humanity. We Americans started studying harder disciplines, tackling tougher problems and dreaming bigger dreams. There was hope

that men, in spite of all the chaos and commotion down on Earth, could be the chief architects of their own destinies; there was hope that peace in space might translate into peace at home; there was hope that cooperation might replace conflict as the world’s elemental paradigm; there was, just simply, hope.

As with any human endeavor, though, there is always the defeatist refrain of, “Why even bother?

What’s the point? Who cares?” The world is plagued by poverty, violence and melancholy; Mars, with its unnavigable canyons and rusty iron deposits, offers little palpable relief for most people. But “Why?” is a question that has been asked, ceaselessly, for millennia. Why climb Mount Everest? Why go to the Moon? Why try to go to Mars? Because, as President John F. Kennedy proclaimed in 1962, “that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win.”

And, if that isn’t reason enough, at least consider my personal plight: I’ll have a better chance of finding a girlfriend up there, on Mars, than on this stinking planet.

Anuj Krishnamurthy ’19 can be reached on Tinder or at anuj_krishnamurthy@brown.edu.

What’s in an A? MILI MITRA staff columnist Now that spring break is officially over, we are forced to look ahead to the final weeks of the semester. It is time to start thinking about exams, research papers and the inevitable flurry of panic before final grades are released. But fear not: According to a recent study of transcripts from over 400 institutions of higher education, the most commonly recorded grade will probably be an A. Last month, former Duke University Professor Stuart Rojstaczer released a new report analyzing 70 years of transcripts from a range of institutions. Rojstaczer, the self-proclaimed authority on grade inflation in the United States, describes the phenomenon of rising grades as “disastrous.” His study shows that grade point averages and the percentage of As in a class have steadily increased since the 1970s. This year, an A is three times more common than it was in the 1960s. The study has just added more fuel to a raging debate in higher education circles: Is grade inflation a threat to the sanctity of education?

Given the wealth of statistical evidence, it is nearly impossible to deny that grade inflation

exists. But is it really so disastrous? Rojstaczer and his allies would argue that grade inflation threatens to destabilize the very fabric of our education system, reducing the quality of graduates and promoting a more relaxed attitude toward coursework. Maybe this is true — if A’s were harder to come by, I’m sure I’d spend many more hours poring over textbooks at the Rock or proofreading my papers before submission.

And yet I can’t help but feel that this shift away

more comprehensive measures. A 2012 study by the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that employers rank GPA seventh out of eight factors considered in the hiring process. Instead, factors like internship experience and extracurricular engagement have risen to the fore.

Critics of grade inflation also fear that such a system would reward average students with excellent grades, reducing the motivation to go above and beyond assigned tasks. But this view

Perhaps grade inflation is simply the natural upshot of a shift toward a more holistic learning experience.

from grade-driven learning is an improvement.

Grades are no longer the definitive measurement of success in college. Of course, they are still relevant for job and post-graduate applications, but employers and admission officers alike acknowledge that GPAs are just one of many relevant indicators. After all, with so many near-perfect GPAs emerging from elite colleges, evaluators need to rely on different,

doesn’t account for the fact that there are plenty of other incentives for students to challenge themselves. Students with exceptional coursework are more likely to be invited to research projects, leadership roles or work experience.

There is also the motivation of earning a stellar recommendation. As numerous past examples demonstrate, students are more likely to push themselves to new heights when grading

is complemented with more qualitative assessments.

Over the years, universities have tried to undercut the trend of grade inflation with their own policies. Most notoriously, Princeton followed a strict policy of grade deflation, setting caps on the number of high grades awarded.

Princeton was forced to abandon this scheme when it created an atmosphere of heightened competition at the school, discouraging both students and applicants. Likewise, Wellesley College’s humanities department tried to curb rising grades but found that it only reduced enrollment in affected courses.

With higher propensities of A’s in elite colleges like Brown, students have greater flexibility to shape their own educations without being burdened by worries about their transcripts.

Rather than spending our days and nights camped out in a library, we have more time to gain work experience, undertake research or participate in student activities during the semester. These experiences can provide practical skills, allowing for a more multi-faceted and dynamic education. Perhaps grade inflation is simply the natural upshot of a shift toward a more holistic learning experience.

Mili Mitra ’18 can be reached at mili_mitra@brown.edu.

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