SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 45
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Paxson P’19 visits leading Chinese universities Visits to Shanghai, Beijing aim to build U. reputation, emphasize academic collaboration By SUVY QIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
SAM BERUBE / HERALD
Actor Robert De Niro speaks with President Christina Paxson P’19 about the documentary “Remembering the Artist Robert De Niro Sr.,” which highlights his father’s art.
Robert De Niro shares his father’s story Ivy Film Festival brings actor to campus, screens documentary on father’s painting legacy By REBECCA ELLIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
When actor Robert De Niro took the stage at the Salomon Center Thursday night, the focus was not on him, but on another Robert De Niro. The Ivy Film Festival’s third night of programming centered on Robert De Niro Sr. with a screening of “Remembering the Artist Robert De Niro Sr.,” a documentary film focused on the painting career of the Academy Award winner’s father. Afterwards, the younger De Niro came on stage along
with director of the film Perri Peltz ’82 P’19 and art advisor Megan Fox Kelly, who provided a professional perspective on De Niro Sr.’s work. Christina Paxson P’19 stoked the conversation as moderator. Though the name Robert De Niro now calls to mind the stern-faced actor of “Taxi Cab” and “The Godfather,” 70 years ago, there was a different Robert De Niro famous for his work in the arts. The film, commissioned by De Niro, was an attempt to bring his father out of the shadows. De Niro said he had wanted to make a film about his father for a long time. His father’s friend, interviewed in the film, described De Niro Sr. as “a victim of his time” — a tormented artist who refused to fit into any one category. Resistant to marketing himself as an
abstract painter, or, later on, as a pop artist or minimalist, De Niro Sr.’s work never got the acclaim he felt it deserved. The painter left behind a large collection of journal entries documenting this sentiment, along with paintings and plenty of grainy footage shot on a Super 8 camera. The result was an easily assembled documentary, featuring clips of a young De Niro Sr. interwoven with shots of De Niro Jr. discussing his father in his old art studio. Baby pictures of De Niro Jr. also make an appearance. Ever since he was a child, De Niro has felt appreciation for his father’s craft. “His dedication even when he was young — it was very strong. I saw it, and I sensed it,” he said, restraining tears on stage to a packed auditorium » See DE NIRO, page 3
President Christina Paxson P’19 travelled to China during spring break to demonstrate the University’s commitment to building substantive and collaborative partnerships with Chinese universities, Paxson said. She spoke at Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai during her trip. Her visit was not only “to signal to universities, government officials, academics and researchers that we are serious about these collaborations,” but also to meet with alums, students and parents to show that “we’re serious about trying to attract talent,” said Professor Edward Steinfeld, who is the director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the Brown China Initiative and accompanied Paxson on the trip. “China is increasingly important to Brown,” Paxson said, adding that the largest group of international students for both undergraduate and graduate students is from China. Paxson visited these two universities for the first time because the University already has existing research relationships with them, Steinfeld said. “Both are the cream of the crop,” said Max Song ’15.5, who spoke to
Paxson before her trip because of his previous involvement in Chinese projects and scholarship, such as with the Year of China and as a Schwarzman Scholar. “If you want to develop your presence, you start from the top and go down,” Song said, adding that Tsinghua is “like the Harvard or Massachusetts Institute of Technology of China.” Moreover, Tsinghua and Fudan offered “important platforms,” Steinfeld said. The talks will be heard beyond the students and faculty members of those campuses, he added. Steinfeld also noted that these two universities are trying to become more like a “modern liberal arts research university along American lines.” “These institutions are looking to universities like Brown,” Paxson said. “They’re thinking about how to cultivate creativity and move away from a rigid system.” Paxson also met with Yang Wei ’85, a graduate of the University’s PhD program in engineering, who currently leads the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The purpose of that visit was to “learn how the Chinese NSF is developing collaborations internationally with the United States and other countries,” Paxson said. If the NSF and National Institutes of Health create more calls for research proposals from American and Chinese universities, then “we might be able to use that to build stronger connections with Chinese universities,” Paxson said. Paxson received “great enthusiasm” » See CHINA, page 2
UCS presidential candidates outline social justice-oriented agendas Garcia ’18, Nelkin ’17, Nguyen ’17 stress diversity, mental health support, international student resources By MATTHEW JARRELL STAFF WRITER
Candidates for the Undergraduate Council of Students presidency brought the role and mandate of UCS into focus as they squared off on social justice activism, the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, mental health, sexual assault and other hot-button campus issues at the debate Thursday night. UCS Campus Life Committee Chair Kevin Garcia ’18, UCS general body member Zachary Nelkin ’17 and Viet Nguyen ’17 took part in the discussion, moderated by current UCS President Sazzy Gourley ’16. The candidates each emphasized their unique perspectives and experiences, with all three taking aim at the administration and vowing to hold it accountable for
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its promises to the student body. Nguyen elaborated on the importance of recognizing the intersectionality of identities when constructing campus policies. The specific needs of each student must be addressed in a way that is conscious of their multiple identities. “Right now, Brown utilizes a blanket policy,” he said. Nguyen’s experience communicating with administrators and student groups and drawing up the proposal for the First-Generation Student Center that will open in the Sciences Library this summer makes him uniquely suited for the role of UCS president, he said. Garcia noted the importance of continued progress on the DIAP and the need for individual departments to take up the issues the plan addresses. Each department should be
responsible for initiating and implementing its own action plan, he said. As a self-identified first-generation, low-income student, concentrating in engineering has been a challenge, Garcia said. “I know what it’s like to go into a STEM field and not feel supported,” he said, adding that it is a “constant uphill battle” for students of color and low-income students to have their needs met in many departments. Throughout his remarks, Nelkin stressed the need for a reevaulation of the internal structure of UCS. The organization “has a critical role, but without a significant change, we will not be able to fulfill that role,” he said. On the topic of UCS partnership with social justice activists on campus, the candidates agreed that the council should expand its cooperation and serve as a promotional forum for the work being done by activists. “There’s no room on this campus to opt out of
being aware of your surroundings,” Garcia said. Nguyen noted the University’s “hesitancy” to implement mandatory awareness training for faculty members and criticized the diversity training measures currently in place, specifically the online portions of the faculty Title IX training. “We’ve all taken online courses, and we know they don’t work,” he said. In an interview with The Herald in February, President Christina Paxson P’19 and Provost Richard Locke P’17 affirmed that opt-in diversity training for faculty members — which the DIAP sets up — has proven more effective than mandatory diversity training. In addition, departments need to meet standards — regulated by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion — for active work on issues of diversity and inclusion. Departments that
do not meet these standards, such as those in which many faculty members choose not to participate in diversity training, could be refused funds to hire new faculty members, Locke said. The candidates also agreed on the need for increasing resources allotted to mental health support. While all counted abolishing the seven-session limit at Counseling and Psychological Services among their goals, each candidate highlighted a different component of his personal experience. “For most of my life, I’ve struggled with eating disorders and, recently, significant depression. I don’t talk about that because I’m ashamed and afraid — I fear the stigma,” Nelkin said. Mental health must be treated just like any other health issue, he added. Nelkin also lambasted the idea that financial issues could be used as a reason for the understaffing of CAPS. “I » See UCS, page 2
WEATHER
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
NEWS Sex Week 2016 features panels, workshops on sexuality, sexual health in age of technology
NEWS GELT grants allow students to travel abroad over spring break, for classes offered next year
COMMENTARY Friedman ’19: Brown students lead way in choosing lifestyle, happiness over career options
COMMENTARY Vilsan ’19: University rankings do not show true academic value, promote brand-name schools
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