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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 82

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M. SOCCER

Hanson ’17 leads defense to secure first Ivy win Goalkeeper Hanson ’17 records career-high eight saves against Princeton at home Saturday By EMILE BAUTISTA STAFF WRITER

ALEJANDRO SUBIOTTO / HERALD

Native Americans at Brown led campus celebrations of Indigenous People’s Day on the Main Green Monday. Following a call for change by the group along with other student activists, the University renamed Fall Weekend last year.

Indigenous People’s Day celebrated on campus Documentary, panel discussion highlight past activism, call for continued support By SUVY QIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On Brown’s inaugural Indigenous People’s Day Monday, Native Americans at

Brown hosted a celebration on the Main Green that commemorated past activism and called for additions to current support structures for Native American and Indigenous students. Attended by students, faculty members, alums and administrators, the event was an opportunity to look back on past struggles while also looking forward to greater recognition of Native American people, especially of local

nations such as the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe. “We’ve been here, we are here, and we will always be here. Today, we celebrate that together,” said Ruth Miller ’19, one of the co-organizers of the event. To begin the celebration, students reenacted last year’s protest, which urged the University to change the name of Fall Weekend to Indigenous People’s Day. The new name was formally

adopted in February after a faculty vote. Assistant Professor of American Studies Elizabeth Hoover MA’03 PhD’10 welcomed event attendees with a brief history of campus activism recognizing Native American people, ending her remarks by urging the audience not to become complacent. A documentary detailing the narrative of Native American and Indigenous » See CELEBRATION, page 2

On a soggy Roberts Stadium field, the men’s soccer team came out on top against hosting Princeton by a tally of 1-0 for its first Ivy League victory. Louis Zingas ’18 scored his first goal of the season — his second collegiate goal — and Erik Hanson ’17 made a career-high eight saves to help the Bears (6-4-1, 1-0-1 Ivy) end their two-game winless streak. Though still in the early days of the Ivy campaign, this triumph also elevated the team into a four-way tie for first place. Going into the game, one of the biggest challenges was stifling a Tigers (5-4-1, 0-1-1 Ivy) offense that ranks high statistically among the Ancient Eight, scoring at a clip of 1.6 goals per game. Out of nine goal-scoring games, six had been multi-goal games, and the Tigers had only been shut out two times prior to the duel with Brown. Defensively, the two teams had similar goals against average, but adjusting for » See M. SOCCER, page 2

W. SOCCER Study evaluates how Bruno secures pivotal Ivy win over Princeton society assesses braggarts Late-game heroics from

University researchers investigate perceptions of morality, competence from online surveys By ELENA RENKEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

University researchers examined how people judge competence and morality based on observed levels of selfenhancement in a study published Oct. 4. In online surveys, participants assessed male characters who claimed to be above or below average in conjunction with evidence that supported or refuted their claims and then rated the competence and morality of each character. The study was conducted in two parts with about 200 participants each,

INSIDE

and data were collected through an Amazon-run program called Mechanical Turk that pays subjects small fees to complete surveys. Results showed that when a character claimed to be above average, participants were convinced of his competence, judging him as “intelligent” and “rational,” said Patrick Heck, a sixth-year graduate student in cognitive, linguistic and psychological studies and co-author of the study. “But they think (he’s) not as moral. Maybe not as likeable, not as trustworthy, not as ethical. The paradox is that if you claim to be worse than average, people think that you’re moral, but they think that you’re less competent.” This “humility paradox” forces individuals to choose between giving off an impression of morality and » See COMPETENCE, page 2

forward Story ’19 power Bears to victory over defending champions By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After a difficult 1-0 loss to Columbia the week before, the women’s soccer team went into its third Ivy League matchup of the season against Princeton Saturday hoping to rebound with its second conference win this year. The Bears (6-2-3, 2-1 Ivy) were able to get the job done, with a tight but convincing 2-1 victory over the Tigers (9-2-1, 1-1-1 Ivy). Historically, the Bears’ experiences against a strong Princeton program have been full of rough — and rougher — memories. In its 2014 campaign, » See W. SOCCER, page 2

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Forward Celia Story ’19 earned Bruno a 2-1 lead in the last three minutes of regulation playing time to yield a win over Princeton.

WEATHER

TUESDAY, OC TOBER 11, 2016

NEWS Student startup founders tout Brown as place to find inspiration from talented classmates, ideas

SPORTS Football drops third straight game against Stetson, looks to rebound at Princeton next week

COMMENTARY Krishnamurthy ’19: Vicious campaign pauses as candidates compliment each other at debate

COMMENTARY Johnson ’19: Political posts on Facebook lack empathy, promote polarization of viewpoints

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» M. SOCCER, from page 1 minutes played, the Bears’s defense was stronger on paper as a result of their overtime games this season. Despite the wet conditions, Brown came out with its foot on the pedal. In the opening 20 minutes of the frame, it was all Bruno, as the squad amassed several shots at the goal. But Princeton slowly started to crawl its way back into the fixture, unleashing more and more shots as the team gained momentum. The Bears defense stood tall in the face of this attack, as all the shots were blocked or saved by Hanson. By half ’s end, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0. “We owe a lot to our goalkeeper for making great saves,” said midfielder James Myall ’18. In the beginning of the second half, it only took one counterattack to change the game. Nico Lozada ’18 charged down the center of the field before sliding the ball over to co-captain Nate Pomeroy ’17. A Princeton defender slipped, allowing Pomeroy to pass it over to an open Zingas who calmly slotted it home to give the Bears the advantage. The Tigers now began their campaign for an equalizer. In the 61st minute, the team’s leading goal scorer Greg Seifert rang a shot against the

» CELEBRATION, from page 1 students and faculty members at the University was shown. Sierra Edd ’18, who directed the film, emphasized that its purpose was not only to preserve university memory — which is particularly short given that students graduate after four years — but also to tell the narrative from a Native American’s perspective. The film shared the experiences that Native American students and faculty members encountered on campus, focusing on the demonstration and die-in that took place last fall in response to The Herald’s publication of two racist opinions columns. The film acknowledged the support from other communities of color on campus after the publication. The documentary highlighted the lack of representation of Native American students on campus, which stands at less than 1 percent, according to the documentary. The documentary also cautioned against allowing a rich legacy of work and activism to die out, highlighting the many unmet demands of NAB. A panel discussion on the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative followed, highlighting the efforts that students and the University are taking to ensure support for Native American students and Native American and Indigenous studies. Adrienne Keene, assistant professor of American studies, compared the efforts at Brown to those undertaken by peer institutions, such as a dedicated center for Native American people at Yale and a Native American program that serves as an interdisciplinary research hub at Harvard. Panelists also listed the current resources the University has for Native American studies, such as collections at the John Carter Brown Library, academic centers and collaborations with outside scholars. But panelists and audience members noted the University should not simply copy peer institutions in efforts to support Native American people at Brown.

crossbar in one of his best chances of the game. The Tigers forward was a constant nuisance throughout the game, taking seven total shots, three of which were on frame. Offensive opportunities were comparatively few and far between for the Bears as Princeton turned up the pressure. But Bruno continued to block shots, and those that were not blocked either sailed high or were saved by Hanson. The Bears were more than doubled in shots, losing that battle 10-21, but Hanson and the defense were stoic in their protection of the net. The veteran net minder gained his third shutout of the season with the win. “One of the keys to maintaining solid defense was effective communication and good shape from our back line,” Myall said. Nearing the end of the match, the Tigers had a few last-ditch chances but could not muster the goal they needed. The final whistle blew, and the Bears had their first Ivy win by a score of 1-0. Though a small sample size, through two Ivy games Bruno has allowed a league-leading one goal and now boasts a 1.05 goals against average through about 1,025 total minutes played. The Bears will face their biggest Ivy League test next Friday when they host the high-flying offense of Harvard at 7 p.m. on Stevenson-Pincince Field. Renee Neely ’12 doesn’t want Brown to “be a clone of Harvard,” but instead to be a “humanitarian vanguard,” she told The Herald. She expects the University to be the “out-of-the-box Ivy” when it comes to recognizing Native identities on campus, she added. Efforts are being made to increase admission outreach both locally and nationally, said Niyolpaqui MorazaKeeswood ’16, a coordinator for Native American and Indigenous studies. Moraza-Keeswood has been working with the Admission Office to recruit Native American students locally, while Keene anticipates bringing College Horizons, a college admission workshop for Native students, to campus in 2018. Geri Augusto, visiting associate professor of international and public affairs and Africana studies, said that while the University is known for producing scholarly works, it should also be known for producing scholars, which requires thinking of the “Native American scholar as (a) human being” and supporting the whole person, both mentally and psychologically. “You’re not just minimally responsible for what (Native American scholars) produce and write, but also for how they think,” Augusto added. Miller hopes that people will not only celebrate the increased visibility of Native American people on campus, but also realize that there is work to be done so that people are not “willfully ignorant” of the role of the systematic oppression of Native American people in America’s history, she told The Herald. “Our identities matter,” Miller said, “and they are relevant not only to our own campus but also to everyone’s presence here.” The event was sponsored by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, the President’s Office, the Provost’s Office, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Campus Life and Student Services, the Swearer Center for Public Service, the department of history and the Native American Heritage Series.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» COMPETENCE, from page 1 giving an impression of competence. Difficulties arise when the goal is to present yourself as both moral and competent, like on a date, Heck said. Previous research had shown a conflict between studies on how people judged self-aggrandizers, said Don Moore, professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. A paper of Moore’s found that “people who think they’re better than they are get treated with respect and elevated to positions of status,” he said. But another paper led by University of Leuven professor Vera Hoorens concluded that when people described themselves as more virtuous than they really were, “others disliked them and shunned them,” Moore added. By differentiating between competence and morality in judgements, this study forged a “reconciliation” between the two, Moore said, adding that the power of the difference surprised him. But the paper is not without limitations. Heck noted that results might have differed if female characters had been used in place of male ones. These results were also specific to the U.S. population, Heck said, adding that responses would “absolutely” vary geographically and culturally worldwide. The situation studied by Krueger and Heck is not necessarily common in everyday life. Frequently, we don’t know whether people’s self-enhancing claims are true, said Mark Alicke, professor of psychology at Ohio University. Envy could even come into play, and modesty might not always be valued, he added. “I was intrigued to see what looked like a real benefit to humility in the domain of morality,” said Daniel Ames, professor of business at Columbia, adding that even the highly moral subjects benefitted from describing their morality as average. But this “humility effect didn’t appear to extend to the domain of competence,”

» W. SOCCER, from page 1 Brown suffered a deflating 5-0 loss against the Tigers. In their meeting last year, Princeton again topped Bruno in a devastating fashion, with a 4-0 showcase win for the Tigers. After a five-hour trek down to Princeton, the Bears came out strong. For much of the beginning of the first half, Brown dominated offensive play, controlling the ball in and around the Tigers’s 18-yard box and creating many opportunities to score. In one specific instance, just nine minutes after the opening whistle, Megan Grant ’19 sent a lofted chip into the box hoping to connect with one of the many Brown offensive players streaking at the goal. This cross had come after combinations between multiple midfielders and forwards, including veteran captain Carly Gould ’17, Nicole Phillips ’19 and Abby Carchiro ’20 in a difficult attempt to keep play alive and the ball moving. It was at first a missed chance, with Tigers goalie Hanna Winner meeting the ball first in the air and

ROLAND HIGH / HERALD

he said. Competent subjects were perceived as more competent when they described themselves as above-average in this realm. The study opened with a quote from Republican nominee Donald Trump. Cutting off reporter Leslie Stahl on CBS’s “60 Minutes” after she said that Trump is “not known to be a humble man,” he said, “I think I am actually humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.” “He has the benefit of claiming to be a very smart or competent or rich or intelligent person,” Heck said, adding that observers who do not see the evidence countering that characterization might perceive him as competent. “I don’t know how his supporters stomach it,” Moore said. “But his eager self-aggrandizement is off-putting to

many.” Trump supporters “are certainly smart enough to know that 70 percent of what he’s saying is outright lies,” Alicke said. “They like what he’s saying emotionally, even though they know it has no cognitive context.” In contrast, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton “claims to be competent, and the evidence backs that up. So she’s seen as a competent person,” Heck said, but she is often viewed as somewhat cold. “If she (were) to present herself as a little bit more humble, people might warm up to her a little more,” he added. Alicke noted that the study gets at the essence of a saying attributed to Muhammad Ali: It’s not bragging if you can back it up. “I never believed that adage,” Alicke said. “It still sounds like bragging to me.”

seemingly collecting it under control. But then, Brown forward Jennifer Caruso ’19 had a great heads-up play. After Winner bobbled the ball, Caruso gathered it and netted the rebound to give Bruno the lead over the Tigers — the first for the Bears in over two years. Play was more balanced for the remainder of the first half, with Princeton also driving multiple crosses and shots at Brown’s dependable goalkeeper Christine Etzel ’19. Etzel stopped and batted away all such attempts, with three saves in the half for each of the Tigers’s three shots on goal. Besides Caruso’s shot, Bruno had three more in the first half, along with two corner-kick opportunities that the Princeton back-line was able to clear out of their defensive zone. Princeton rallied hard after halftime, and in the 54th minute forward Mimi Asom tied it up at 1-1 after a successfully executed corner-kick for the Tigers eluded Etzel. As the final minutes of regular time approached, the game was still tied 1-1: Princeton and Brown had been exchanging blows on offense

and on defense, but neither team had been able to score. Bruno needed some late-game heroics. The heroics came with less than three minutes left in regulation, when forward Celia Story ’19 was able to deliver for the Bears, finishing another rebounding ball — this off the side post of Princeton’s goal — to give the Bears the 2-1 lead. This margin was enough for Brown to hang on over the last two minutes and take home the victory. In the win, Etzel — who has maintained her place throughout the season as one of the top goalkeepers in the NCAA — tallied seven saves on the day, tying her career-high in conference matchups. Brown will follow this string of Ivy League competitions with its first non-conference game in a few weeks at Holy Cross today. Despite the quick turnaround, the Bears’ confidence and momentum coming off their win over Princeton may give players sufficient energy and poise to perform. After the midweek contest, the Bears will host the Harvard Crimson Saturday at 7 p.m.

www.browndailyherald.com

NEWS

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 • PAGE 3

Creative U. environment fosters entrepreneurial spirit Students found startups, balance social life, schoolwork, entrepreneurial efforts By PRIYAL GUPTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With resources like the newly opened Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship as well as programs such as Brown EP, Startup@Brown, Hack@Brown and independent studies in business, Brown students are well-equipped to develop innovative solutions to commercial and social problems through startups. Student startup founders currently studying at Brown have drawn from their experiences here and the vibrant intellectual community surrounding them for both conceptual and emotional inspiration. Isabella Amram ’17 was sick one night while her friends were busy studying for finals, and she had a paper due at midnight. This was the inspiration for the startup Fetchum — formerly called The Number. The company offers an on-demand delivery service, allowing customers to ask Fetchum employees, or “chums,” to deliver goods to wherever they are. “It’s a college-based system on (the) consumer and employee side” Amram said, adding that Fetchum will offer flexible student employment around Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design and eventually spread out to other American college campuses. Similarly, Pangea — an app founded by John Tambunting ’16.5 and Adam Alpert ’17 — aims to serve as a “practical network for the sharing economy” in which students can buy and sell their “diverse set of skills (and) experiences,” Tambunting said. The app would allow, for example, RISD “students (to advertise) their art or to commission themselves for projects” and others to “offer to cook a meal for a bunch of friends.” Tambunting added that the app could also connect users with like-minded people, and that a messaging and rating system will “legitimize the process.” A computer science concentrator, Martin Zhu ’17 wanted to make bots — which store small amounts of data known as micro-data — available to the everyday user. Zhu defines micro-data as “data so small that it doesn’t make sense to store it or put it on a website.” With co-founder Toshin Panigrahi, a Boston University senior, Zhu founded Botler, an interactive platform that allows users with no programming experience to build bots. For example, bots built on the platform helped Zhu store high school homework assignments. Krishna Aluru ’17 was inspired to build a startup by a time he went to the movies with his dad. “My father had to walk out three times because he kept getting calls from his

patients,” Aluru said. Four months ago, Aluru launched his app DocTalk, which allows patients to subscribe to doctors for a small fee, and the doctors can update patients’ medical records, send them prescriptions and advise them through the app. Though the app was not directly inspired by Aluru’s experience as a student, he said that Brown students more broadly serve as inspiration because “very rarely in life do you get a chance to be surrounded by so many amazing people all at once.” Amram received much support and inspiration from various University resources, including Associate Professor of the Practice in Engineering Jason Harry at the Breakthrough Lab, Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Adjunct Professor of Engineering Barrett Hazeltine’s ENGN 0090: “Management of Industrial and Nonprofit Organizations,” Innovation Dojo and BrownEP. Based on her experiences with these programs and faculty members, Amram understood she liked solving “problems … using creative solutions.” Aluru said faculty members “reinforce you and make you feel better,” which helped him found his startup. Aluru worked as a head teaching assistant in Professor of Computer Science Stan Zdonik’s CSCI 1270: “Database Management Systems” and did research his sophomore summer with Assistant Professor of Computer Science Stefanie Tellex. All around, student startup founders cited the difficulties of balancing their businesses with their school work. Most students preached time management as the solution to minimizing stress. Zhu said startup aspirants should “compartmentalize time” rather than wasting it on non-productive activities. “I am a huge advocate of writing detailed schedules everyday. I even write down when I am having lunch,” Amram said. A schedule tells you when to do what, allowing you to “focus your brain power on how you are going to do it.” To balance DocTalk with school work, Aluru said he opted for easier classes this semester and took advantage of an independent study. “If one of your classes can be building the app, then you won’t have to face the problem of when to allocate your time for it.” “As long as you are genuine and express that you really care about working on something, professors would allow you to opt for independent study,” Aluru said. While others managed their startups during school, Tambunting said he took his spring semester off to work on Pangea. “I had the luxury to put all my focus on it,” he said. Back at school Tambunting said he chooses “to stay in the (Center for Information Technology) and talk to computers instead of talking to my friends.”

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COURTESY OF DOCTALK

Krishna Aluru ’17 (right), one of the founders of DocTalk, an app that facilitates communication between doctors and their patients, opted to take advantage of Brown’s independent study program to focus on his startup.

An ICERM Public Lecture at Brown University

Why we won’t be able to verify the outcome of the 2016 election Many US election systems are past their prime. Election officials trying to cope with failing voting systems and inadequate funding may consider what they hope are cheaper alternatives, such as Internet voting. Barbara Simons, an expert on electronic voting, will describe how we got to where we are today and what needs to be done to move to an evidence based voting system. She will also discuss some of the false claims made about Internet voting, as well as why Internet voting is a major security threat to our democracy.

Thursday, October 20, 2016 Doors open at 6:00pm, talk begins at 6:30pm Salomon Center at Brown University Free and open to the public. Ticket required. Reserve your seat today: icerm.brown.edu

SPORTS

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FOOTBALL

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Wide reciever Alexander Jette ’17 catches the ball during Brown’s game against Stetson. The senior ended the game with 80 yards receiving on 10 catches. The Bears will need to regroup after three straight losses to regain their footing in Ivy League play, starting with second-ranked Princeton next week.

Stetson erases early Brown lead with rushing touchdowns Though Bears rush for season-high 151 yards against Stetson, turnovers hurt offensive efforts in loss By BEN SHUMATE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After committing six turnovers and squandering a first-half lead, the football team dropped its third straight game Saturday at Brown Stadium, falling 31-21 to Stetson. Bruno (1-3, 0-1 Ivy) started hot on offense, a good sign for the unit that struggled mightily in a loss to the University of Rhode Island last Saturday. After Brown recovered a Stetson (3-2, 1-1) fumble on its opening possession, Kyle Moreno ’17 connected with Isaac Whitney ’18 on the first play of the drive for a 28-yard touchdown, the first of Whitney’s collegiate career. The junior stepped into a bigger role in the wake of an injury to Troy Doles ’16.5,

who has missed the last two games. Bruno struck just as quickly on its second possession, lifting the team to a 14-0 lead just 3:20 into the game thanks to a 41-yard touchdown run by David Moodie ’19. Moodie finished the day with 78 yards rushing on eight carries. As a team, the Bears rushed for a season-high 151 yards, a noticeable improvement from previous contests. But the visitors quickly responded to Bruno’s early advantage. In its next two possessions, Stetson answered to tie the game with rushing touchdowns, with a 69-yard quarterback keeper and a short score set up by a Moreno fumble in Brown territory. A week after two long touchdown runs put the game out of reach for the Bears against URI, big plays on the

ground continued to hurt the Brown defense, which allowed 167 yards rushing on the day. “It’s about tackling,” said defensive end Dewey Jarvis ’17. “After reviewing all the film, a lot of it comes down to having a second or third guy getting to the ball and making a play.” Thomas Linta ’18 took the reins at quarterback after Moreno’s first fumble and made a crucial third-down throw to Alex Jette ’17 to keep Brown’s next drive moving. Three plays later, Jette ran 25 yards for Brown’s third touchdown of the first quarter. Jette finished with 80 yards receiving on 10 catches, both team highs. The scoring stopped there for Brown, as mistakes began piling up. Moreno fumbled again on Brown’s next drive, and a short punt later in the quarter set up a Stetson touchdown to tie the score at 21 heading into halftime.

To start the second half, Stetson turned a fumble by Moodie on Brown’s first drive into a field goal, and Moreno was intercepted two drives later for his third turnover of the day. Linta replaced Moreno for the remainder of the game, but he also threw two interceptions trying to bring Brown back into the contest. A Stetson touchdown at the start of the fourth gave the Hatters a 31-21 lead. After turning the ball over 34 times last season, Brown is all too familiar with the consequences of a mistakeridden offense. Moreno and Linta combined for five turnovers and just 147 yards passing on 18 completions, an underwhelming performance that could not complement a relatively successful day for the running game and defense. Defensively, Brown totaled four sacks and hurried Stetson quarterback

Gaven DeFilippo three more times, limiting big plays through the air. DeFeilippo had just 157 yards passing but completed 20 of his 29 passes for one touchdown and ran for 85 yards. “There’s definitely a little bit of frustration with the turnovers, but it’s part of the game,” Jarvis said of the impact of turnovers on the defense. “Part of being on the defense is being excited about those opportunities to get back on the field.” The Bears now face six Ivy contests in a row, starting next week at secondplace Princeton. Though Harvard remains undefeated at the top of the conference, the rest of the league is still up for grabs, making the matchup with the Tigers increasingly important if Brown hopes to salvage its season and make a run at a conference championship. “It’s like a playoff game for us,” Jarvis said.

HOPE brings student groups to stage for fundraiser Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere raises money for Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project By ZACHARY BARNES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere held an event called “Change for Change,” a fundraiser featuring performances by several student groups as well as speeches by leaders of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project from the Providence community, Oct. 7. The funds raised from ticket sales will go to RIHAP, where they will be used to buy goods for distribution to the homeless in Rhode Island. Brandon Dale ’17, community fellow

ARTS & CULTURE

for HOPE, said that hosting the event “came out of a necessity, in the sense that all the organizations we work with are nonprofit or completely volunteer, and very resource-limited in terms of finances.” Event co-organizer Jonah Blumenthal ’18 saw the fundraiser as a means of both securing needed funds and raising awareness about homelessness and RIHAP. “You can do a fundraiser online, but that doesn’t necessarily get your name out into the community,” he said. “I remember hearing that a bunch of these groups had been trying to put something together, but nobody had the planning capacity to make that happen,”

said Blumenthal, who interned with RIHAP over the summer. Sensing an opportunity, he and other HOPE members reached out to various student groups, with eight ultimately performing at the event. Barbara Freitas, a member of RIHAP, opened the event with a personal anecdote. “My husband John and I were homeless for six years, so all of this is very personal,” she said. She mentioned some of RIHAP’s past successes as well as a current initiative to establish baseline shelter standards. She also lovingly acknowledged her husband, who died this past January, saying that he “adored and admired all you students.” Various HOPE members and other student group leaders went on stage and continued to discuss the issue of

homelessness between acts. While the audience waited for an act to come on, event co-organizer Gabriel Zimmerman ’17.5 gamely took the stage and delivered a brief history of homelessness, recounting the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill in the 1970s and ’80s. Though Zimmerman’s address and the other spoken interludes between acts were delivered in a relatively off-the-cuff style, they were included to bring the event’s focus back to its central theme, Dale said. “Throughout the event, we’ve been pretty intentional about trying to make sure that people are aware of why we’re having this,” he said. The performances were varied and crowd-pleasing, featuring groups such as Japanese drumming troupe Taiko, trombone group the Bear Bones and

dance troupe Impulse. Pirate-themed a cappella group ARRR!!! ended its set with a song thanking audience members “for supporting this cause” and imploring them to help “the people on the streets.” The performing groups competed for a $150 cash prize, which was raised through a GoFundMe campaign, Blumenthal said. The winner, decided using a decibel meter to measure the audience’s applause, was Taiko. Dale touted the event’s ability to procure funds for a profound political issue while engaging audience members in the realities surrounding that issue through entertainment. “Ultimately, what we want is more than just money,” he said. “We want people who are interested and dedicated to this cause and (to) changing society’s norms.”

TODAY

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ac tivism and progress

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon Chicken Ranch, Spinach and Feta Chipotle Chicken Tacos JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Make-Your-Own Quesadillas

Three Bean Chili, Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Harvest Corn Chowder, Bean and Cracked Bulgar Wheat Tacos, Frosted Brownies

Mediterranean Eggplant Saute, Orange Crusted Turkey with An Orange Sauce, Pumpkin Cake

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Creole Red Beans, Pot Pie With Biscuits, Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Frosted Brownies

Orange Chicken Pad Thai, Swiss Steak, Siena Roasted Couscous, Roasted Parsnips, Pumpkin Cake

sudoku

crossword ALEJANDRO SUBIOTTO / HERALD

Students walked in honor of Indigenous People’s Day Monday. Led by Native Americans at Brown, the walk celebrated group members’ activism and their efforts to influence the University’s decision to rename the holiday.

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

“We want people who are interested and dedicated to this cause and (to) changing society’s norms.” — Brandon Dale ’17, community fellow for HOPE

See homelessness on page 3 calendar TODAY

OCTOBER

S 1

BURP Neck Massages 1:00 P.M. Stephen Roberts ’62 Campus Center, Memorial Lounge

Brown Student Faculty Mixer 2:00 P.M. Stephen Roberts ’62 Campus Center, Petteruti Lounge

Tips for Working with Data using Microsoft Excel 3:00 P.M. Rockefeller Library Digital Lab

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

TOMORROW Yom Kippur Morning Services 10:00 A.M. Hillel Social Hall

Farm to Table Luncheon Buffet 11:30 A.M. Faculty Club

Introduction to Photoshop 6:00 P.M. Graduate Center E

5 Steps to Conquering Problem Sets 7:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, Room 203

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

“vigorous, lively performances” - Seattle Times

BLUE HERON P IA M I L E A F- PAT E L

October 16 · 4 PM Ockeghem@600, Concert 4 Missa Ecce ancilla domini ·····

S. Stephen's Church 114 George Street, Providence Doors 3:30 / Student tix: $10

blueheron.org

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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

A moment of calm in a season of rage ANUJ KRISHNAMURTHY staff columnist In an election season marred by overt hostilities, crass remarks and otherwise unsavory behavior, a brief moment of calm — an unexpected truce — came at the denouement of last Sunday’s second presidential debate between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In most of the hour-and-a-half grudge match, the two Oval Office aspirants brawled, berated and bickered with one another like schoolyard rivals. Trump, of course, was responsible for most of the rancor. Hell-bent on salvaging his reputation as someone who has “great respect for women” — apparently, “nobody has more respect for women than” he does — America’s favorite New Yorker stumbled mightily in his attempts to downplay his predilection for “locker room talk” and tax evasion, and even threatened to put his opponent in jail once elected. Clinton, for her part, declared Trump “not fit” for the presidency and called out his campaign for “the way it’s exploding

and the way Republicans are leaving (him).” By the end, it was clear that, if left alone in a room together, Clinton and Trump might find inspiration in Montezuma’s playbook and rip each other’s heads off. (I must admit, it would be more than a little entertaining to see Clinton put Trump in a much-deserved half nelson.) But when Karl Becker, a member of the televised town hall, got

you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?” Almost instantly, Becker’s inquiry disarmed the two candidates, both hardened after a gruesome campaign. Trump recoiled in playful irritation, and Clinton flashed a wide, goofy smile. It certainly was a strange question to conclude a strange debate in a strange election cycle. The audience, though, conditioned to applaud crude ripostes and winding non-

say this about Hillary: She doesn’t quit; she doesn’t give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is — she’s a fighter. … I consider that to be a very good trait.” When I heard this exchange, I was stunned. Of course, the circumstances were coercive — the candidates were asked on live television to suspend their loathing — and their praise for one another did not come voluntarily. But it came nonetheless.

After all the personal assaults, Clinton and Trump managed to concoct a platform, however tenuous, of mutual respect and put it on display for the whole world to see. I relished every second of this much-needed presidential humbling. up for the debate’s final question, all that shared antipathy seemed to dissolve, if just for a moment, in favor of a scarcer sentiment: compassion. Becker rose, at the invitation of ABC correspondent Martha Raddatz, and asked, “Regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of

answers, seemed to hunger for some positivity. Clinton went first. “Look, I respect his children,” she announced. “His children are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald.” Trump, miraculously, did not fail to reciprocate: “I will

ing about this momentary ceasefire, though, is that it was cobbled together not by a multi-billionaire or career politician, but by a single, defiant citizen — one bespectacled man, thrust into the national spotlight, who had the guts to do what our Ivy League newscasters and officeholders would not: demand humility of his leaders, civility of his candidates and forbearance of his future president. It is tempting to think that the individual, the independent, carries no weight, especially in an electoral system inundated with special interest lobbyists and secret streams of cash. But this small, televised act of rebellion serves as a quiet reminder that the trajectory of our time — the rhetoric, the conflict, the national morale — is not isolated from the interventions of average Americans. Indeed, all it really takes to redefine the political climate, to inject an ounce of cheer into a dreary year, is one American with a voice, a conviction — a clear dream of something better.

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

The potential and pitfalls of Facebook politics GRACE JOHNSON staff columnist As I scroll through Facebook, I notice a staggeringly disproportionate number of political posts compared to apolitical ones. I realize that the large group of politically minded people on my newsfeed and an inflammatory presidential election are factors here. But it does reflect a growing national trend. Pew Research Center reports that 44 percent of the U.S. population receives news from Facebook. By contrast, only 20 percent primarily get news from print newspapers. Of course, sharing political viewpoints is essential to our democracy, and it is vital that all people feel safe enough to speak about their living standards and the policies that shape their lives. But when I scroll through my newsfeed, I do not see productive and civil discourse. I see a hostile and polarizing climate that does not have an impact on personal orientation or realistic change. This seems like a common truth throughout the country: A 2016 Cornell study on the best tactics to win an online argument found 70 percent of the survey population to be unpersuadable. Facebook’s success as a social media platform is truly impressive. It has evolved from a setting to post life updates and vacation photos to a news source and political arena. Instead of perusing online or paper newspapers, users can simply click on a link that a Face-

book friend found compelling enough to publicly like or share. Users can view highlights from a debate through article titles and can grasp an overarching sentiment from a meme. While this might save time and energy, it is a very narrow and unreliable means of understanding global news and the current political climate. And if you have curated your friends to include only those who subscribe to your political party or beliefs, there is no escaping biased sources and the constant validation of existing opinions. It is quite common to come across posts beginning with “delete me if you don’t agree” followed by a political statement,

book in response to current political affairs are valid and important. But users can share and respond to those emotions in a respectful way that recognizes the impact of the space being used. User-generated Facebook content is too often not respectful or thoroughly thought out, consisting instead of dehumanizing memes, polemical posts and vitriolic comments. On the topic of comments, commenting on a friend of a friend’s post on Facebook requires very little accountability or social responsibility if you are far enough removed from the original poster. Exposure to different viewpoints outside your usual circle is important, but it

There is staunch opposition to disagreement on a platform that ostensibly serves to encourage dialogue.

especially during this election season. There is staunch opposition to disagreement on a platform that ostensibly serves to encourage dialogue. Posting about politics is not the problem. The problem lies in the language that is used, the extremity of the sentiments conveyed and the conversations that follow in comment threads. The emotions people express on Face-

also opens the door for online harassment. An online poll by the Rad Campaign, Craigconnects and Lincoln Strategies shows that 63 percent of self-reporting adults have experienced online harassment on Facebook in 2016. That number grew by one percent over two years despite the increasing effort by online facilitators such as Facebook to combat abuse. Facebook’s platform has all the potential for

exposure and interaction with new thought, but the culture that users have created is a reality of Internet use in general: uncivil discourse. Threads can reach hundreds of comments with zero productive output; it is easy to be obstinate and unwilling to compromise over the Internet. And if the majority of your Facebook friends share your personal beliefs, there can be social pressure to adhere strictly to those beliefs in a public forum. There needs to be a revolution in how users interact with the platform. Facebook is such a powerful tool and can still be an ideal place to mobilize political action. It is currently the most popular social media site with 1.71 billion users, and the ability to form subpopulations in groups and to publicize events is undoubtedly useful. The platform itself is not the issue — it is the people using it in a counterproductive fashion, commenting with uninhibited disrespect and abuse. Sometimes an emotional response is necessary, but there must be a recognition that those responses are likely someone else’s news. Language is powerful, especially in our hyper-polarized political climate. If there is no other platform that will reach as many people, it is necessary for Facebook users to responsibly use their public posting power. That kind of cultural shift starts with each person taking responsibility for their own actions on social media.

Grace Johnson ’19 can be reached at grace_johnson@brown.edu.

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NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

how structural racism works

Industrialized Punishment A lecture and discussion by

Ruth Wilson Gilmore Director, Center for Place, Culture, and Politics and Professor of Geography in Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York

Moderated by Tricia Rose Director, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and “How Structural Racism Works” Project, Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies

October 13, 2016 l 6:00 pm Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Martinos Auditorium 154 Angell Street, Providence, RI Doors open at 5:30 pm. Reception to follow. To watch past How Structural Racism Works lectures, visit http://bit.do/HSRWseries

For more information on How Structural Racism Works, please visit www.brown.edu/race. Co-Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and CSREA. To request special services, accommodations or assistance for this event, please contact the University Event & Conference Services Office at universityevents@brown.edu or 401-863-3100.