Wednesday, November 2, 2016

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 98

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Steinbach plays Halloween Midnight Organ Concert Mark Steinbach, University Organist since 1993, preserves annual campus tradition

By ELIZABETH TOLEDANO STAFF WRITER

Behind the organ, Mark Steinbach finds room to introduce his “families” of pipes, each with its own distinct contribution to the reverberations that consume Sayles Hall. Balanced on a precarious ledge within the instrument’s inner workings, Steinbach speaks from inside the organ. Steinbach knows this environment well as he manages the upkeep of the instrument in addition to being the University organist since 1993.

Hidden behind the Hutchings-Votey organ, Steinbach speaks with a flickering cadence about the 14th century pipework in the Notre-Dame Cathedral and the discomforting nature of Yale’s ostentatious organ hall. He has no favorite organ as “each instrument is so different,” but he acknowledges the utility of a “specialized organ,” like a fully functional German Baroque or a French Romantic organ, though his position does not afford him access to such an instrument.

Trained at the University of Kansas before receiving a Fulbright scholarship that took him to Vienna and then the Eastman School of Music, Steinbach now plays “all the repertoire” in Sayles on an instrument that has innovatively used electricity since

ARTS & CULTURE

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Award-winning actress Gina Rodriguez will speak Nov. 21 in Salomon as part of the Brown Lecture Board series. Rodriguez is also known for her activism supporting first-generation college students.

Gina Rodriguez chosen by Lecture Board Star of ‘Jane the Virgin,’ ‘Deepwater Horizon’ to speak on campus Nov. 21 in Lecture Board series

By MADISON RIVLIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Brown Lecture Board announced Nov. 1 that award-winning actress Gina Rodriguez will come to campus to speak Nov. 21.

Rodriguez, who is featured in the film “Deepwater Horizon” and stars in the television comedy series “Jane the Virgin” as protagonist Jane Gloriana Villanueva, has been nominated twice for a Golden Globe in the “Best Actress — Television Series Musical or Comedy” category, which she won in 2015.

Rodriguez is “at the height of her career,” said Allison Schaefer ’17, vice president of marketing and public relations for Brown Lecture Board. “She is an amazing actress. There are currently

so few Latina leads on network television, and she will bring a really important perspective to campus,” Schaefer said. “She’s been very active in promoting and helping first-generation students go to college, so the lecture will be a great complement to the opening of the First Generation College and Low-Income Student Center.”

The lecture will be Nov. 21 at 7:00 p.m. in Salomon. Students will have a chance to enter the lottery for tickets Nov. 9, 10 and 11.

1903 and pervaded the experience of Brown students throughout the 21st century. Tuesday morning at midnight, Steinbach played the annual Halloween Midnight Organ Concert, with a program that ranged from Monster Mash to Frederic Francois Chopin’s Funeral March.

“It’s always a dance juxtaposing these serious pieces with some more comic ones,” he said. “I kind of play with the juxtaposition.”

Chopin specialized in what Steinbach describes as “a sad, powerful poignancy” that reflects the composer’s difficult life. For many wellversed Brown instrumentalists, the tragedy of Chopin’s work plays with the extremes of Halloween’s darkness and stands in stark contrast with the celebratory atmosphere of Steinbach’s event.

Without knowing the history of the music, Steinbach said, it might be easier to “let the sounds wash over you.” In a space where students lie together in the shadow of an organ, sharing the floor’s vibration, “you get out of your head and into your body.”

In the “vestiges of a daily chapel,” in a hall of ostentatious portraits, the organ usually assumes a foreboding air. But for Halloween night, with gaudy spider webs tangled around its pipes, the instrument becomes a symbol of unity on campus, Steinbach said. From its position above a sea of students, the organ fosters an ambience representative of the Brown experience, he said, and embodies the “personality of our school” the same way Notre Dame’s instrument embodies “the cathedral itself.”

Ethereal pop duo explores FIELD HOCKEY of losses drops Bears below .500 relationships in new LP Pair Defeats from Penn, Aussie band Empire of the Sun sings of summer heartbreak, natural world in LP ‘Two Vines’

By MADISON RIVLIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Finding beauty in nature and interpersonal relationships, dreamy ele c t rot ronic group Empire of the Sun evokes sentimental recollections of fleeting summer love and an appreciation for the natural world in “Two Vines,” released Oct. 28.

Luke Steele of “The Sleepy Jackson” and Nick Littlemore of “Pnau” comprise this Sydney-born duo. “Two

ARTS & CULTURE

INSIDE

Vines” is the band’s newest album and third formal LP, though the duo has also released many series and compilations of remixes since its formation in 2008.

True to the group’s dreamy aesthetic, the album blurs soft voices into electronic melodies using pulsing baselines and breathy lyrics, creating an ethereal listening experience.

Each of the 11 tracks on “Two Vines” explores the multifaceted development of interpersonal relationships and the pain one experiences in occupying the space between “just friends” and “significant others.”

“Friends,” the fourth track on the LP, explores this relationship evolution. The chorus, “No one ever said you’d be right here / Now I gotta be » See TWO VINES, page 3

Lehigh consign Bruno to losing season despite victory last weekend

By MATT BROWNSWORD NEWS EDITOR

After breaking its five-game losing streak with a 2-1 win against Holy Cross Oct. 23, the field hockey team resumed its skid with losses to Penn and Lehigh this weekend. The Bears (7-9, 2-4 Ivy) managed to score twice in each game but were undone because of a sizable shot disparity and their opponents’ ability to convert corner chances.

The first half against the Quakers was relatively quiet, as Alexa Hoover’s 14th goal of the season gave Penn a 1-0 » See F. HOCKEY, page 2

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Lucy Green ’17 carries the ball down the field in a game against Harvard.

Green scored her fifth goal of the season this weekend.

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

SPORTS Despite back-to-back blows in women’s ice hockey, Bruno hopes to rebound on backs of rookies

ARTS & CULTURE Vi Khi Nao’s MFA’13 reads from recent books of prose, poetry exploring ecstasy amidst tragedy

COMMENTARY Mandel: Health Careers Advising improving, undergoing review including student feedback

COMMENTARY Ali ’18, Aung ’19: Brown students should show support for bill on maternal, child health

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PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

» F. HOCKEY, from page 1 lead going into halftime. The Bears gave up six penalty corners but kept the opposition at bay as Katie Hammaker ’19 made three saves in the opening stanza.

But the floodgates opened in the second half, as Gina Openshaw ’20 and Herald Arts and Culture Editor Jaclyn Torres ’17 scored unassisted goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. The Bears have made a habit out of scoring early in the second half, doing so twice in

this game and once more against Lehigh.

But the advantage was short lived, as Hoover capitalized on a corner less than three minutes after the Torres goal to tie the game. About eight minutes later, Elist Tilton finished Brown off with a deflection off a shot from the right side. The score ended 3-2 with Brown earning five corners to Penn’s 13 and attempting 11 shots to the Quakers’ 17.

“Corners can be a huge difference maker in games, and I think

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD this weekend we gave our competition too many opportunities to score on corners,” said co-captain Katarina Angus ’17.5, adding that team needs to make an adjustment heading into next weekend.

Bruno’s tilt with Lehigh was unlike its matchup with Penn, as four goals were scored in the first half — all in a span of 12 minutes. Lauren Dice opened the game for the Mountain Hawks after eight minutes, but Ellie Seid ’19 responded less than two minutes later for her fourth goal of

the season. Gabby Tofig then scored two goals in a three-minute stretch to give Lehigh a two-goal cushion to end the first half.

Lehigh was able to register a staggering eight corners in the first half against the Bears, amassing a 15-3 shot advantage in the frame.

Brown got one back to start the second half after Lucy Green ’17 scored her fifth goal of the year — this time off of a Brown penalty corner. But the Mountain Hawks restored their twogoal advantage eight minutes later

when Tofig completed her hat trick.

Brown rebounded a bit, equaling Lehigh on shot and corner total in the second half, but was unable to overcome the two-goal disadvantage and lost 4-2.

The Bears will finish their season with a game against Yale at home this weekend.

“I am obviously super excited to play Yale, but it’s definitely bittersweet knowing this is my last time playing for Brown,” Angus said. “But I’m really looking forward to the challenge and to ending the season on a high note.”

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ARTS & CULTURE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Higher Education Roundup

BY ELENA WEISSMANN, NEWS EDITOR

‘Not your language’

A student at Suffolk University in Boston was accused of copying parts of an assigned literature review, prompting her to write a blog post on microaggressions that went viral, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. When the student, Tiffany Martinez, was called to the front of her senior seminar in order to receive her graded paper, the professor told her in front of the class, “This is not your language.” Martinez wrote in her blog post that the comment was not just a comment about plagiarism, but rather a comment based on her identity as a Latina. “As I stood in front of the class while a professor challenged my intelligence,” Martinez wrote, “I could just imagine (the professor) reading my paper in their home thinking, ‘Could someone like her write something like this?’” Since the incident Oct. 27, over 10,000 people have shared her post, and Suffolk’s acting president and acting provost sent out a campus-wide email stating that the university would investigate the incident.

Conflicting narratives

An assistant professor at New York University claims he was placed on paid leave by the university, though administrators say it was voluntary. The professor, Michael Rectenwald, started an anonymous Twitter account in September to argue against safe spaces and political correctness, though he later admitted to NYU’s student newspaper that he was behind the controversial tweets. Soon after, Rectenwald was called into a meeting with his department head and told that people had expressed concern about his mental health, claiming his Twitter comments were a cry for help. “Then they said I should leave and get help,” Rectenwald told the New York Post. But John Beckman, a university spokesman, said Rectenwald’s leave was voluntary. “His leave has absolutely nothing to do with his Twitter account or his opinions on issues of the day,” Beckman wrote in an email to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Honor code and sexual assault

COURTESY OF EMPIRE OF THE SUN

Australian electronic-pop band Empire of the Sun released its newest LP, which explores the evolution of relationships and the natural world.

» TWO VINES, from page 1 scared of my friends,” reveals the singer’s newfound, intense feelings for someone and the fear of losing the comfort of his friend group in the process of expressing his true emotions.

In “First Crush,” Empire of the Sun explores similar feelings with a moving hook: “She said, you’re more than a friend that took me on / … first crush, too much at once, the special one.” “First Crush” also incorporates lines of whispered lyrics in Japanese that add a multicultural component.

“Way to Go,” a bittersweet track,

confronts the inevitability of heartbreak but sanguinely views the future as a romantic cure-all. Steele sings: “Because heartbreak’s coming to bend us the wrong way / Plays us, memory will change it into old things,” discussing the possibility of starting over and finding love again after a painful heartbreak. In the end, the pain will become only a memory.

Themes of nature are woven throughout the album’s lyrics, as the duo references the elements in an attempt to incite listeners’ senses. Water

is referenced as a cleansing force, a source of destruction and a memory stimulant as it appears throughout the lyrics. The contrast of light and darkness in the lyrics also plays a key role in revealing the sentiments and musical intentions of the Steele and Littlemore.

After appearing in Broomfield, CT Dec. 2, Empire of the Sun will tour Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington and Oakland, California before appearing at the FOMO Festival in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia.

Brigham Young University announced this week that it would grant amnesty to students who break of BYU’s honor code when reporting cases of sexual violence, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The strict code includes bans on extramarital sex, alcohol and drug use and being in the bedroom of a member of the opposite sex, leading to conflicting incentives when students seek to file reports of sexual assault that include honor code violations.

The university has faced sharp criticism in the past for investigating such students, which led to the new immunity clause. “If victims don’t report, we can’t help them, we can’t provide services, and we also can’t identify perpetrators,” Julie Valentine, an assistant professor of nursing, told the Chronicle. The university also seeks to further disentangle the Honor Code Office from the Title IX Office, which handles sexual assault. “There were some perceptions about how the Honor Code Office and the Title IX Office shared information,” Janet Scharman, vice president for student life at BYU, told the Chronicle.

“If perceptions were keeping people from reporting, we wanted to eliminate anything that would get in the way of that.”

Since you can’t take classes at Hogwarts, here’s the next best thing: EGYT1420 “Ancient Egyptian Religion and Magic” Explore ancient ideas about the nature of the universe and how it came about (aka “Sex and Creation”), white and black magic, death and the afterlife, temple ceremonies, animal-headed gods, and much more. Learn how to “think like an Egyptian.” Students rate this course “amazing,” “fascinatingly unique,” “fun,” and “the only class I could stay awake in without coffee.” TTh 8:30–9:50, location TBA.

EGYPTOLOGY AND ASSYRIOLOGY

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Alum explores passion, trauma in Bookstore reading Vi Khi Nao MFA’13 showcases recent book ‘Fish in Exile,’ poems in ‘The Old Philosopher’

By CONNOR SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

During author Vi Khi Nao’s MFA’13 reading of prose and poetry, time suspended itself as the writer effortlessly submerged Wednesday night’s Brown Bookstore audience into her dissociative sea of trauma.

Nao, winner of the John Hawkes

and Feldman Prize in fiction and the Kim Ann Arstark Memorial Award in poetry, was born in Long Khanh, Vietnam. She read from both her latest novel “Fish in Exile” and her Nightboat Books Prize-winning book of poetry “The Old Philosopher.”

“Must beauty and melancholy coexist always?” Nao pondered to the audience with a sense of urgency, addressing the dilemma at the core of her work’s fractured heart.

Charged with a sense of feeling at once ethereal and organic, “Fish in Exile” and “The Old Philosopher” spoke to the antithetical disconnect

and devotion so prevalent in Nao’s native Vietnam.

“Fish in Exile,” her latest, details the story of a married couple following the deaths of their two children. Coupling sensual and corporeal imagery of the couple with the mortal gravitas of their misfortune, the excerpts read from the novel provided the audience with a taste of her singular, distinctive style.

Nao’s writing, to pull from some of the prose on display in “Fish in Exile,” might best be described as an “opera of hysterical beauty,” replete in the kind of devastating ecstasy only forgeable by personal tragedy.

“That novel was published to release me from pain,” Nao said. “In my village, there was a mother whose child had drowned,” she said, speaking of the inspiration for the novel. “That mother released an excruciatingly loud and painful cry that penetrated my soul.”

A particular poignancy in Nao’s works also unfolds from one of the blurbs on the back of her poetry collection “The Old Philosopher.”

Attributed to poet and Professor of Literary Arts C.D. Wright, who taught Nao during her master’s in fine arts program and passed away in 2016, the

blurb speaks to the indelible influence of Nao’s mentors in her writing.

Nao “was hugely talented,” said Forrest Gander, who was Wright’s husband and is a professor of literary arts. “She was writing manuscripts every few weeks and just had a much less conventional use of language,” he added, praising her “curious lexicon” and “different sense of time.”

These talents were similarly lauded by former MFA students. “Her work is sensual, melancholic and transformative all at the same time,” said Caitlyn 76948 Mongeau MFA’16, who introduced Nao.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 • PAGE 5

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SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Mushroom’s Revenge, Spice Sausage and Garlic, Honey Boo Boo Po’Boys JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Enchiladas, Spicy Frisco Chicken Melt Paninis

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A wire sculpture by Kathy Desmond stands in the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center as part of the exhibit “Occupying Her Space; Redressing Power” that opened yesterday. An opening reception will be held Thursday evening.

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

“We’re just focusing on taking it one game at a time. …

The rest will fall into place.”

— Maddie Woo ’17, women’s hockey team captain

See ice hockey on page 2.

calendar TODAY NOVEMBER

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On Anti-Semitism and Its Uses 6:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, 168 Multiracial Dating Panel 7:00 P.M. Petteruti Lounge

TOMORROW A Postcolonial Sociology of Development 4:00 P.M. Lippitt House

Critical Review 40th Anniversary Party 7:00 P.M. Leung Gallery

Diversity and Inclusion and the Church 7:30 P.M. Judson House

The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer 8:00 P.M. Stuart Theatre

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

R O L A N D H IG H

comic P-Branes and Bosons | Ricky Oliver

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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Health Careers Advising is committed to students MAUD MANDEL op-ed contributor The Health Careers Advising office at Brown is committed to a holistic approach to supporting students and alums interested in pursuing studies and careers in the full range of health professions, preparing them to be successful in an exceptionally competitive environment.

Each year between 700 and 800 Brown students and alums indicate interest in the health professions, with 140 to 150 moving forward with applications to medical school in the last academic year. In an environment where national acceptance rates are about 41 percent and many highly selective programs accept just 2 percent to 3 percent of applicants, Brown students and alums continue to excel in a challenging and long process, with approximately 85 percent to 90 percent accepted each year.

We are dedicated to supporting current undergraduates and recent alums through the process of self-reflection and preparation necessary in deciding to apply to the range of clinical health professions — a process that spans their studies at Brown and often extends after graduation. But as Suvy Qin’s recent article (“Applicants struggle with structural flaws in pre-health advising system,” Oct. 28) made clear, there is still work to be done to fully support all Brown students and alums interested in pursuing a medical career. The article details several important concerns with the medical school application process, including Brown’s approach to advising and the process through which our of-

fice prepares and transmits institutional letters of support on behalf of applicants. The article also shares concerns of students pursuing pre-health tracks outside of pre-med.

The Office of the Dean of the College has taken several steps in the last two years to address some of these issues, including increasing the staffing from one full-time advisor to two and, this September, adding a half-time Writing Project Specialist to ensure that applicants have thoughtful, thorough and timely support in the institutional letters we prepare. In addition, this spring we will conduct a detailed re-

ray of health career options and on their own personal and professional goals, the HCA office seeks to inform potential medical school applicants about the ways their approach to their education can best prepare them for all they hope to achieve upon leaving Brown.

The office encourages students and alums to select a broad and deep course of study and to participate in activities that inform the student’s interest in medicine, the sciences and the social and humanistic contexts of healthcare.

This includes urging students to take advantage of opportunities to engage in the community, for example, by partici-

led to a transition in our coursework recommendations to students and will likely result in a new cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences course in the coming academic year.

Through our approach, HCA is committed to assisting students and alums to develop the essential competencies expected of all health professionals.

These include an interest in scientific inquiry, a keen understanding of the promises and challenges of the profession and a deep appreciation for the complex medical landscape into which they hope to transition.

Certainly, for students who decide

We are committed to doing more to ensure that all students interested in a medical career feel assured that we know them as individuals and feel fully supported by our office. view of the office to continue to identify ways we can further improve. As part of this process, we will involve faculty members and students as well as outside reviewers from peer institutions in a robust assessment that will inform further enhancements to the program.

The health careers advising process at Brown is holistically designed to introduce students to the range of health professions; the skills, knowledge and experiences required of today’s physicians and of clinicians in other fields; and the preparation they need to apply to their chosen professional schools.

The support letters that HCA provides for professional school applications can understandably become the focus of much of our students’ efforts — and their anxiety — but we’re always aspiring toward appreciation of a process that goes beyond the letters. By encouraging students to reflect on the wide ar-

pating in shadowing opportunities with physicians or volunteering in a clinical setting, as well as engaging in research that relates to their interests and informs them of the scientific, clinical, social and other dimensions of health and medicine.

HCA also keeps Brown students and alums up to date with evolving requirements. The office periodically reviews medical programs’ stated curricular and other expectations to provide precise advice about a field that is continually evolving. During the past three years, the HCA office has continually reviewed the evolution of the Medical College Admission Test launched in 2015, consulting with relevant science, technology, engineering and mathematics and non-STEM departments to offer students and alums guidance about preparing to meet new medical school requirements. This effort has

to apply to medical school, a key component of the support we offer is assistance assembling a Health Careers dossier. Completion of the dossier follows participation in a series of applicant seminars and an interview with a member of Brown’s Health Careers Advisory Committee. Preparing the HCAD allows students and alums to reflect on and articulate their engagement in a wide range of meaningful activities that inform their application.

We know that the application process may appear daunting. But given the lengthy, expensive and highly competitive application process and the very low rates of admittance, this process seeks to help applicants establish the most successful applications possible. Our only motivation is what’s in the best interests of our students — to provide every applicant with the greatest possible chance of success. Urging

some students and alums to pursue additional coursework or other activities puts them in a stronger position to apply in the future.

We understand that there is a misconception among some students and alums that one individual may determine the content of the University’s institutional letter. But the letters are a comprehensive and collaborative document that emerges from a detailed and highly personalized process. It integrates the input from the HCAD, the interview with a member of the Health Careers Advisory Committee, the deep awareness of applicants’ qualities and accomplishments provided in several letters of recommendation from faculty members and supervisors and an overview of the applicant’s academic exploration and accomplishments.

I’ll state again that we know there is still work to be done. The additional resources invested will undoubtedly help alleviate some of the concerns of our students and alums. But we are committed to doing more to ensure that all students interested in a medical career feel assured that we know them as individuals and feel fully supported by our office. While the planning for the review of HCA is in its early stages, we will move forward with the process this spring and involve members from the Brown community in the discussion.

We understand that the path to applying to medical school is long and demanding — and is most often inflected with deep personal and familial aspirations. Our goal is to help students and alums who choose this path to be in the best position to succeed.

Dean of the College Maud Mandel can be reached at maud_mandel@brown.edu.

Reach every mother and child RANIA ALI & TAING NANDI AUNG op-ed contributors Last year, 5.9 million children from around the world died before the age of five from preventable causes. If we go back to 1990, the figure was a staggering 12.7 million children. Much progress has been made since those days, but clearly this is not enough. And these preventable deaths do not only impact children: Many women in under-resourced nations face significant health risks related to childbirth. In certain areas of West Africa, women faced a one in 16 lifetime risk of death due to childbirth-related problems in 2005.

Though these numbers seem astonishingly high, the important thing to remember is that there is much we can do to lower these numbers, particularly by supporting improved healthcare access.

As a high-resource nation, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to use our resources to prevent these deaths. Countries with fewer resources than us, such as Ethiopia and India, have already taken measures to reduce the number of deaths by setting a unifying goal to end preventable child deaths by 2035 in the Call to Action Summit 2015, co-hosted by the United Nations.

This conference outlined strategic shifts in maternal and child health interventions, including increased efforts to reach the most underserved populations in countries that make up the largest shares of under-five mortalities.

We can also foster change to reduce these drastic numbers by having our congressional representatives and senators champion health equity.

The U.S. government currently provides $2.9 billion in United States Agency for International Development grants for maternal and child survival.

Our representatives and senators need to hold the federal government accountable to ensure that these funds are spent in the most efficient and useful manner to maximize equity and impact.

There is already a bill introduced in Congress that outlines such a plan. In 2015, the Reach Every

act outlines a centralized and coherent strategy to maximize U.S. investments in maternal and child health. The proposed strategy relies on using the number of lives saved and the health levels of the targeted communities as metrics, placing the focus back on the communities themselves. It aims to maximize U.S. investments toward the poorest and most vulnerable populations who are most in need of aid. By recognizing the unique needs of countries and communities through regular needs assessments, increasing the most effective and evidence-based interventions and aligning

We call on Brown University students ­— and other Rhode Island residents — to write to Cicilline and Langevin to show support, or to write to Reed and Whitehouse to let them know that their constituents want this act passed.

Mother and Child Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate under the bill number S.1911 by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-DE, and in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R. 3706 by U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-WA, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-MN, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-TX, and U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-CA. This range of sponsors shows that there is clear support for the bill from both parties.

The objective of the bill is to use reforms to design and implement a more efficient and effective approach to maternal and child survival. The

with existing maternal and child survival plans, the proposal provides much-needed consistency and transparency. It also makes permanent the position of Child and Maternal Survival Coordinator, an employee responsible for forming a 10year strategic plan and creating innovative funding sources. With these reforms, we can strive to end preventable maternal and child deaths by 2035.

While our Rhode Island representatives — U.S. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-RI, and U.S. Rep. James Langevin, D-RI — are co-sponsors for this

bill, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, and U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, are not. We call on our senators to support this cost-efficient and humane bill. Furthermore, we call on Brown University students — ­ and other Rhode Island residents — to write to Cicilline and Langevin to show support, or to write to Reed and Whitehouse to let them know that their constituents want this act passed. Writing a letter requires just a few minutes of time and can make a huge impact on the lives of many around the world. Organizations like United Nations Children’s Fund and Partners in Health Engage provide resources to help you through the writing and engagement process, and even a quick email to politicians can make a difference. As residents of a privileged nation, we must rally together to improve the state of maternal and child health across the world.

There is no reason why this bill should not pass. It requires no additional funding, a common concern that can at times impede necessary reform. The bill merely requires USAID to reconfigure the $2.9 billion in grants for maternal and child survival to maximize equity and impact. We urge community members to act for every mother and child who cannot be reached and for every mother and child who can yet be saved.

Rania Ali ’18 and Taing Nandi Aung ’19 are members of Partners in Health Engage at Brown. They can be reached at rania_ali@brown.edu and taingnandi_aung@brown.edu, respectively.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Sena Hanson ’20 fights off a Quinnipiac defender as she carries the puck in this weekend’s blowout loss to the Bobcats. The team hopes to rebound by relying on the talent of rookies.

Bears fall short against ECAC foes in weekend doubleheader Pair of shutout losses halts Bruno’s momentum as team misses power play opportunities

By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Following a pair of confidence-building wins over Sacred Heart, the women’s hockey team headed into its weekend double-header against No. 10 Princeton Friday and No. 5 Quinnipiac Saturday hoping to carry that momentum forward. But the Bears (2-2, 0-2 ECAC) struggled against their top-10 foes, falling 4-0 to the Tigers (3-0, 1-0) and suffering an 8-0 blowout at the hands of the Bobcats (7-2-1, 2-0).

The pair of difficult losses came as a sharp reversal for Bruno. Just the

game before, the Bears had executed a seemingly flawless performance with a dominating 7-0 victory over Sacred Heart (0-2).

“Sacred Heart was a fun weekend for the team,” said veteran forward and team captain Maddie Woo ’17.

“There was good energy on the bench, and we were working hard,” she added. “It paid off.”

In the contest, veteran forward Sam Donovan ’18 netted the second hattrick of her career with goals in each period. Both of Bruno’s goaltenders — experienced starter Julianne Landry ’18 and rookie Calla Isaac ’20 — saw ice time, and neither allowed a goal. On the stat sheet, the Bears clearly outplayed the Big Red by taking 50 shots to Sacred Heart’s 17 and dominating their opponents in faceoff wins, 35 to 22.

“It was a good start to our season,”

Woo said. The team definitely hopes to “carry out that level of play moving forward in the season,” she added.

But the Bears struggled against the Tigers. At 4:04 in the first period, the team found itself down 1-0 after Claire Thompson netted a rebound during a Princeton power play. On the offensive end later that period, Brown could not capitalize on any of its three man-up situations. The first period ended with both teams having taken seven shots but with the Tigers up 1-0.

Princeton’s offense only continued to surge over the next two periods. After the Bears’ second penalty at 13:44, the Tigers made use of their power play once again, with Karlie Lund firing a shot that beat Brown’s goalie Monica Elvin ’17 and added a cushion to the Tigers’ lead. The onslaught continued, as Princeton scored again at 15:47 in the

second and finally at 11:15 in the third.

When the game clock hit zero and the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 4-0, Princeton.

“We saw what we can do when we skate hard, play disciplined and get shots on net,” Woo said. “Now we just need to work on our consistency throughout the whole game.”

With fewer than 24 hours to recuperate after the difficult loss, the Bears faced Quinnipiac Saturday.

At first, the game seemed to be in Brown’s favor. The Bears secured two power plays in the first quarter, giving Bruno an early opportunity to take command of the game. But again, the Bears struggled offensively and allowed the Bobcats to escape these man-down situations unscathed. From there, Quinnipiac poured it on, scoring three goals in the first period, four more in

the second and one in the third.

The Bears will continue their 2016 campaign this weekend with another ECAC double-header, hosing Union Friday and Rensselaer Saturday. The team hopes to rebound after the pair of losses, and Woo noted that the Bears will definitely “rely on the younger players to step up.” Potential contributors moving forward include rookie forwards Alley Rempe ’20 and Sena Hanson ’20, who have already become strong offensive presences for the team during games so far on and off the puck.

“The main goal is to make it to the playoffs,” Woo said. “But more importantly, we’re just focusing on taking it one game at a time, building on our successes and fixing any problems, to play our best every weekend. The rest will fall into place.”