Tuesday, November 8, 2016

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 102

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Poll shows college rankings Women’s ski team loses head coach widely used by applicants Head coach leaves as WOMEN’S SKIING

team risks varsity status due to lack of donations, budget constraints

Students, counselors, college admission experts say rankings important if not decisive for applicants

By GEORGE KLEIN STAFF WRITER

The women’s ski team is once again facing the possibility of losing its varsity status and also finds itself without a head coach as the start of its winter season draws near.

Former Head Coach Michael LeBlanc — recognizing that the team would likely lose varsity status after the 20162017 season — officially stepped down to become the program director of the Mount Washington Valley ski team, he said. “I’m leaving with a heavy heart — I don’t have sour grapes towards Brown,” he added. “But I can’t sacrifice my career.”

The team has faced financial pressure and scrutiny from the University dating back to a 2011 Athletic Review Committee report. The committee, formed by then-President Ruth Simmons, recommended that four programs — women’s skiing, men’s wrestling and men’s and women’s fencing — be cut because the University’s “overall budget for athletics is the lowest in the Ivy League, and yet the number of programs being

By ALEX SKIDMORE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

The women’s ski team was told in 2011 to secure additional funding through donations in order to maintain varsity status but has faced challenges. supported is among the highest.”

Instead of cutting the four teams, Simmons gave them “the chance to demonstrate that their supporters are able to endow their sport at the level deemed necessary by the University,” according to her letter responding to the Athletic Review Committee.

“These sports should demonstrate over the course of the year that they have assembled gifts and pledges that, when combined with existing team-designated

support, constitute an income stream sufficient to generate no less than 100 percent of the current annual budget for that sport,” Simmons wrote.

After Simmons disclosed this decision, the issue seemingly faded away.

LeBlanc “didn’t hear a peep” about further financial matters until March 2015 when Director of Athletics Jack Hayes called LeBlanc into his office and shared concerns about the program. Hayes » See W. SKI, page 2

Nearly one-third of undergraduates indicated that college rankings were a strong factor in their decision to attend Brown in The Herald’s 2016 fall undergraduate poll. Yet the Admission Office does not coordinate any specific initiatives to boost its rankings in the various lists, said Dean of Admission Logan Powell.

“No part of our process tries to drive up applicant volume” to boost rankings, Powell said. Instead, the office tries “to have the right composition of applicants” by sending publications to prospective students, providing information through an updated website and offering information sessions across the globe. “We strive for a group of applicants who have done their research and understand Brown,” he added.

But other individuals knowledgeable about the college application process do not regard the rankings with

such ambivalence. Given that the U.S. News and World Report has produced a ranking of colleges since 1983, according to its website, the lists have enduring cultural relevance.

“It would be a losing battle to try to persuade students to ignore the rankings,” said Brian Taylor, director of Ivy Coach, a college consulting company.

College rankings can be a defining factor for students when they decide to apply to and attend a certain school, he said.

Though the lists provide valuable information, they are “all about prestige,” Taylor said. “People love to rank things.”

Brett Levine, director of guidance at Madison High School in New Jersey, said that in his 15 years of counseling, students have always consulted various rankings. “There is a perception that the higher a school is on a list, the higher quality education you will be receiving,” he said.

In some parts of the world, especially Asia, applicants specifically aim to attend schools ranked in the top 10 of the U.S. News and World Report rankings, Taylor said. Foreign applicants are also more disposed to use rankings simply because geographic » See RANKINGS, page 3

Judaic studies WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY Bears maintain .500 record after splitting weekend decisions building Bruno beats Union renamed for College 3-1, loses to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 4-1 Hirschfeld Elie Hirschfeld ’71 P’06 P’16 P’20, wife donate $3.5 million for renovation, maintenance

By RHAIME KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Following a $3.5 million pledge by Elie Hirschfeld ’71 P’06 P’16 P’20 and his wife Sarah Hirschfeld for its renovation and maintenance, the Judaic Studies Building at 163 George Street has been renamed Hirschfeld House.

The 108-year-old building is in need of renovation and expansion for office and teaching space, wrote Saul Olyan, director of Judaic studies and professor of Judaic studies and religious studies, in an email to The Herald.

“One of the things we most want is for our building to be accessible to » See HIRSCHFELD, page 2

INSIDE

By ALEXANDRA RUSSELL STAFF WRITER

The women’s ice hockey team recorded a pair of mixed results this weekend, defeating Union College Friday and losing against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday by tallies of 3-1 and 4-1, respectively.

Bruno (3-3-0, 1-3-0 ECAC) fought off the Union Dutchwomen’s (2-9-0, 0-3-0) persistent offense Friday night, securing a win despite being outshot by a margin of 34 to 22 shots on goal.

Maddie Woo ’17, Alley Rempe ’20 and Leah Olson ’19 each added to the tally in the contest, with Olson earning the game’s first star.

Saturday saw the Bears fall against Rensselaer’s (4-7-1, 2-2-0) power play.

The Engineers clocked three goals past netminder Monica Elvin ’17 in the first period, sending Bruno into the second at a 3-1 disadvantage. Sam Donovan ’18 gave the Bears their only scoring

action of the afternoon, netting a shot off of a rebound assist from Rempe with two and a half minutes to go before the break.

Assistant Coach Kirsti Hussey was upbeat about the team’s overall performance, but she acknowledged the difficulties of playing so frequently. “I think it’s tough because we have a really young team, and every weekend we find some things that we need to work on,” she said. “I think we made a lot of good strides this weekend.”

“The last couple of games we’ve really focused on keeping … momentum and keeping going,” said Rempe, who earned Friday night’s third star and contributed an assist against the Engineers Saturday. “I think our team has really come together.”

Hussey continued to stress the need to focus on the team’s offense. “I think we still need to work on our forecheck — we had a little bit of a breakdown there. I think one thing that we’re going to be focusing on is the breakout and putting some pressure on our wings,” she said.

Elvin put up strong performances in both contests, making an impressive 33 saves Friday and 30 Saturday, compared

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Cynthia Kyin ’18 took aim against Rensselaer’s goalie in a 4-1 loss Saturday.

The team faces the University of Connecticut Tuesday night. with Union and Rensselaer’s 19 and 24, not necessarily worrying about the rerespectively. cord,” she said. “What we need to think With games coming up this week about is always looking forward. What against the University of Connecticut, can we do to get a little bit better today?”

Cornell and Colgate, Hussey hopes to Bruno will host the Huskies in a emphasize internal team improvement. non-conference game Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“I think it’s focusing on the moment and in Meehan Auditorium.

WEATHER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

NEWS U. professor identifies factors that lead to increased student performance, teacher retention

NEWS U. researchers use new data that map Moon’s gravity signatures to author several papers

COMMENTARY Rippee ’16.5: Clinton, Trump both unpalatable to veterans for policy, temperament, respectively

COMMENTARY Vilsan ’19: Students should think twice about costs of studying abroad through Brown

PAGE 4

PAGE 4

PAGE 7

PAGE 7

TODAY

TOMORROW

63 / 43

59 / 36

NEWS

PAGE 2 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» HIRSCHFELD, from page 1

» W. SKI, from page 1

all,” Olyan wrote. “Even the ground floor is not (currently) accessible for … (those) with mobility needs.”

The donation will come in two parts. A $1 million pledge paid over the next few years will fund Hirschfeld House’s initial renovation, wrote Donald Hasseltine, vice president for development of the Brown Alumni Association, in an email to The Herald.

The remaining $2.5 million gift, which Brown will receive after Hirschfeld’s death, will create an endowed fund to maintain the building, Hasseltine added.

This donation will not directly fund programming and scholarly work, Hasseltine wrote.

“I am giving the gift first because I love Brown,” Hirschfeld said. “Secondarily, it’s (because of) my love for Judaic studies.”

Prior to this donation, Hirschfeld had already donated over $1 million to Brown, contributing to the Brown Annual Fund and funding a visiting scholar fellowship for Judaic studies.

During his time at Brown, Hirschfeld concentrated in math and economics and also completed a minor in religious studies. “It was very meaningful for me to understand that there’s dialogue between the faiths” of

afforded the team two years to ramp up fundraising and meet the University’s expectations for its endowment.

LeBlanc ardently tried to raise enough money to satisfy the University and ensure that the skiing program can continue, he said.

But because the varsity women’s ski program was not started until 1993, it relies on a relatively small and young alumni base and has struggled to procure enough donations to meet the University’s desired endowment, The Herald previously reported. As the end of the two-year period draws near, the future of the team hangs in the balance.

“It’s really disappointing,” LeBlanc said, having coached the team since October 2004. “I worked so hard and for so long to build this team.”

“Basically, at the end of the year our existence is up in the air,” said Natalie Pearl ’17, a member of the team.

“It’s going to be really difficult for the team. It’s not looking good at all,” LeBlanc said. “They aren’t treated fairly.”

Skiing has been one of Brown’s most successful athletic programs in recent years, even with the financial issue looming. The team placed second at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Championships last season, fifth in 2015 and third in 2014.

GUS REED / HERALD

Renovations to Hirschfeld House will make the building accessible for those with mobility needs. Teaching and office spaces will also be expanded.

Christianity and Judaism, Hirschfeld said. “The (Jewish) background I grew up in has certain beliefs that (are) different than the Christian world. And so

(Brown) exposed me to that,” he added.

Hirschfeld is a trustee emeritus at Brown and the president of Hirschfeld Properties in New York City.

Come Shining In Tribute to

C.D. Wright 9-10 November 2016

Wednesday, 9 November at 8 pm Studio One, Granoff Center for the Arts 154 Angell Street, Providence

Presentations by William Johnston, Christina Paxson, Joan Retallack and Steve Stern

Thursday, 10 November at 2 pm Studio One, Granoff Center for the Arts 154 Angell Street, Providence

Presentations by Laynie Browne, Peter Gizzi, Camille Guthrie, Catherine Imbriglio and Amish Trivedi

Thursday, 10 November at 8 pm Studio One, Granoff Center for the Arts 154 Angell Street, Providence

Presentations by Eiko and Richard Leo Johnson Exhibitions of work by Bill Johnston and Denny Moers will be on display in the Granoff Center during Come Shining.

Please join us in celebrating the life and work of C.D. Wright, acclaimed poet and I.J. Kapstein Professor of Literary Arts, who died suddenly in January 2016.

C.D. Wright’s was a singular voice; her expansive and ever-surprising poetry consistently struck an authentic chord, focusing attention on the sensuality of language and a wide range of stylistic innovations; indeed, she worked with such diverse interests and approaches that with each new project, she pushed beyond any and all poetic categories and expectation. Her acclaimed books include Rising, Falling, Hovering, Like Something Flying Backwards: New and Selected Poems, and a text edition of One Big Self: An Investigation, focused on Louisiana inmates.

She mentored generations of poets and students of literature at Brown University, where she taught from 1983 until her death this past winter.

Sponsored by Literary Arts and the Creative Arts Council, Come Shining was made possible by support from the Office of the President.

The University has begun the search for a new head coach. Several members of the team said they hope the new coach will be adept at fundraising for the team.

In the meantime, the team is continuing to fundraise in hopes of making a dent in the total funds required.

“It’s a little bit unclear where the burden is supposed to fall,” said Ali Gunesch ’17, a member of the team.

“We have some current team parents who are doing a lot of work, which we really, really appreciate.”

“It would only be possible if someone drops half a mill(ion) in our pocket, which is unrealistic since we’re a pretty young team, and our alumni base isn’t that big,” Pearl said, adding, “As students and athletes, we don’t have the time or connections at this point in life to find that sort of money.”

“We are conducting the search for a new ski coach in the same manner in which we conduct all our job searches,” wrote Meredith Scarlata, associate athletic director for finance, in an email to The Herald.

“The captains (of the ski team) have been meeting with (Scarlata) once a week to make sure things are going smoothly,” Pearl said.

“We’re getting a decent amount of input,” Gunesch said, “which we appreciate a lot.” She added that administrators told the team they would try to hire a new head coach by Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, the members of the team remain focused on the upcoming season. “As far as team morale, I think we’re good; we’re a pretty old team,” Gunesch said. “We know what we’re doing.”

Still, “it’s hard with freshmen to say, ‘Welcome to the team. We don’t have a coach,’” Gunesch added.

Christopher Humm, director of athletic communications, declined to comment on the situation, citing the confidential nature of the hiring process.

» SCHOOLS, from page 4 as associate director for the New York City Department of Education, said that a lack of safety and strong leadership made teaching difficult during his time as a teacher in Washington, D.C., with Teach For America. Safety was often a concern, he said, citing an incident in which a kindergartener broke a teacher’s toes. School leaders often had little experience and were not well qualified for the job, which led to extremely high rates of teacher turnover, Candell added.

“My experience teaching is a textbook example of what happens when an opposite (of strong organizational factors) is true in a school,” he said.

Candell also described some of the other problems that urban schools face, such as overcrowding, a lack of resources and low attendance rates. But he said that finding and retaining quality teachers is the main difficulty public schools currently face, making Kraft’s study all the more important.

Kraft said he plans on continuing his research by looking into different types of teacher professional development, adding that he would like to identify which methods are most successful in assisting and retaining teachers within a school district.

While the study is observational, the wide range of data over many years indicates that these factors are more than correlational to teacher retention, Yee said. Kraft added that these factors are likely relevant to all kindergarten through 12th grade schools and not just middle schools.

NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

»RANKINGS, from page 1 distance can make visiting campuses difficult, he added.

Cameron McKie ’19, a student from the United Kingdom, said he consulted the Times Higher Education World University Rankings to see how U.S. universities “stacked up” against British schools. International students are forced to go online more to find information about schools, and the rankings are usually on the first page of search results, he added.

But the college brochures and online forums he used to evaluate the fit of the school were more influential in his decision to attend Brown, McKie said. “You have to look around and figure out: If the college were a person, who would they be, and would you get on with them?”

Several college counselors echoed McKie’s moderate approach to applying rankings to the college search process.

“My students don’t really care if a school goes from a four to a five” on the rankings, said Joie Jager-Hyman, founder and president of College Prep 360, a college advising and consulting company. Though Brown is not in the top 10 of the U.S. News and World Report rankings, its ranking “has not

» BRAZIL, from page 4 tension, democracy in mobilization and democracy in transformation.

Democracy in agony is the scenario of a “hijacked democracy” that generates fear and a “sense of defeat” among its citizens, Wyllys said. For example, various crime groups control the elections and force citizens to vote for certain people in such a democracy, Wyllys said. A “private militia” that has “promised to keep the people secure” now controls access to many parts of Brazilians’ lives, such as transportation, Wyllys added.

Democracy in tension is “most common compared to the others,” Wyllys said. In Brazil, there is a “permanent tension” between the wealthy and the average person, he said. Though there is the pretense of a democratic process, democracy is controlled “by the last name,” he said, referring to the familial lineage of power in Brazil.

Democracy in mobilization is marked by people articulating positions through networks, Wyllys said, adding that it is seen in instances where people are speaking out against traditional power. Today, this is particularly true given how we communicate through technological channels such as cell phones and social media, he said.

The most positive scenario is democracy in transformation, Wyllys said. This is “high-intensity democracy” characterized by representation and participation of people and not by a “hereditary process,” he said. Ultimately, this scenario brings new leadership and reformation, Wyllys added.

Wyllys talked at length about the current political atmosphere in Brazil, especially what led to “the blow of 2016” to its democracy, referring to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff for which Wyllys argued there was no evidence of crime.

Wyllys also detailed recent history in Brazil, highlighting certain contingencies that led to the situation of the present day, such as systemic corruption, economic forces and the dominance of the elite.

Under President Luiz Inácio Lula

hurt it at all. … So many of my students still want to apply,” she said.

Levine said the majority of the students he works with use rankings “in a responsible way” by using the statistics that come with the rankings, such as class size and student-teacher ratio.

Though the Admission Office does not cater its policies to the rankings, “they can be very informative” for the comparison of certain statistics, Powell said. But they should be used in tandem with other resources, he added.

All of the students interviewed for this article emphasized that rankings were not the only factor in their decisions to apply to certain schools.

Andrew Brodsky ’19 glanced at the rankings, but they did not affect his decision to apply to Brown because all of the schools he looked at were ranked similarly, he said.

Hailey Fulkerson ’19 also looked at the rankings, but they were a minor factor in her decision since she decided to apply to Brown before seeing the lists, she said.

Part of the reason many guidance counselors and students are reluctant to put extreme emphasis on rankings may be the incompleteness of the criteria used to rank schools.

“With any set of rankings, you da Silva, who fought for “integration of classes” and represented “subterraneous groups,” there was more distribution of wealth because elites were willing to cooperate so long as their standard of living remained unaffected, Wyllys said. But when the global financial crisis hit in 2008, the “elite passed laws in selfish ways,” he said, leading to resentment against Rousseff when she refused to implement an agenda that conformed to the wishes of the wealthy.

There is a cruel irony to this change, Wyllys said, because the general population voted Rousseff into office twice, yet the right portrayed Rousseff and her administration as corrupt. The efforts to paint Rousseff as corrupt fueled a “cultural misogyny,” Wyllys said, adding that the people shifted toward a “culture that wasn’t going to tolerate a woman running this country.” The right “began to talk about impeachment before she even took over her second government,” he added. Some of the elites whose businesses were negatively impacted by Rousseff ’s government began to actively manipulate parliament to initiate the impeachment process, Wyllys said.

The effort to undermine Rousseff ’s legitimacy was further perpetuated on social media with support from people on the right who financed groups that began to “shoot lies,” Wyllys said. They “wanted to protect their own privileges” and overthrow Rousseff, he added.

Brazil is not a democratic regime right now, Wyllys said, adding that the democracy of tension and agony is what Brazilians live in.

Wyllys attributed part of this situation to the “anti-intellectual movement” that is occurring all over the world, he said, adding that we have to be critical of the pedagogy used by those in power.

“When darkness increases, we have the responsibility to turn on the light and keep the light on,” Wyllys said.

Nathaniel Pettit ’20 and Camila Ruiz ’18 both said they appreciated the space given to a person of color who is gay and can present a multifaceted perspective on the political conditions in Brazil.

are including some information and excluding some,” Powell said. For example, the U.S. News and World Report rankings do not capture student happiness or advertise specific programs offered by different universities, he added.

Eugyoung Han ’20 chose Brown over other schools she was accepted to because “it had the best science programs,” she said.

Nearly all interviewed students highlighted the flexibility of the open curriculum — a unique offering among Brown’s peer schools — as a major factor in their decision to come here.

Brodsky wanted to concentrate in engineering while exploring other academic departments, he said. “I couldn’t achieve that curriculum somewhere else.”

Other students were drawn to the social life and general atmosphere of the University, which is not quantified by lists such as the one compiled by U.S. News and World Report.

While visiting her cousin on campus, Srishti Lulla ’20 found the atmosphere very relaxed compared to that of other top schools, she said. This environment convinced her to choose Brown over higher-ranked schools, she added.

MATT BROWNSWORD / HERALD

Ultimately, “there is always an interest … some may say a fascination with rankings,” Powell said. But they should

“inform” a student’s search process, not “decide” where a student eventually applies to or attends college.

FREE film screening at the Avon Cinema sponsored by the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy

A Muslim Albanian must fulfill a promise made to the Jewish family his father rescued during the Holocaust

Wednesday, November 9 • 6:00 p.m.

Avon Cinema • 260 Thayer Street Free tickets available 5:30 p.m.

Q+A follows screening

MORE INFORMATION COSPONSORS

www.brown.edu/taubman-center

Brown & RISD Muslim Chaplaincy • Brown University Office of Chaplains and Religious Life

Brown University Office of the President • Brown RISD Hillel • Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement Rhode Island State of Council of Churches • Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom • The Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island FILM FUNDED BY

TAUBMAN CENTER

Follow Sports! twitter.com/bdh_sports

NEWS

PAGE 4 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Study links school conditions to performance Politician Jean Wyllys details Professor Matthew Kraft state of Brazilian democracy identifies factors affecting student performance, teacher retention

By JONATHAN DOUGLAS STAFF WRITER

Organizational factors such as school leadership, academic expectations, teacher relationships and school safety are strongly correlated with high teacher retention rates and improved student performance, according to a study conducted by Assistant Professor of Education and Economics Matthew Kraft.

Kraft identified these factors using survey data from the New York City Department of Education collected from public middle schools between

2008 and 2012. He worked in collaboration with William Marinell, chief of learning and innovation for the Southbridge, Mass. school district, and Darrick Shen-Yee, a graduate student at Harvard.

The study looked at four major factors — leadership, expectations, relationships and safety — and found a correlation between the improvement of these factors and a reduction in teacher turnover.

Though the study identified key factors in reduced teacher turnover, there is no quick fix to the problem, Kraft said. Based on these identified factors, it is important for administrators and leadership teams to work together to develop a shared set of norms, Kraft said. “It’s really about collective action.”

Kraft became interested in

education policy while working as a tutor at Stanford University as an undergraduate and later became a teacher in California. “Those experiences as a teacher have really motivated my research and helped to inform my focus on how to promote teacher professional development,” Kraft said. He is also interested in “the role that state, federal and district policies play in shaping the (school) policies that affect teachers as well as school organizations.”

Though Kraft expected school leadership and teacher relationships to be important factors, he was surprised by the strength of the correlation between these factors and teacher retention and student achievement, he said.

William Candell, who now serves » See SCHOOLS, page 2

Brazil’s first openly gay congressperson speaks about recent history of Brazilian government

By SUVY QIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Jean Wyllys, Brazil’s first openly gay congressperson, spoke Monday night at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs about the process of democracy, detailing four scenarios of democracy and applying them to the current political climate in Brazil in order to address the country’s deeprooted challenges.

Wyllys, a member of the Party of

Socialism and Freedom, was elected to Congress in 2010 and was reelected in 2014 with the seventh-highest number of votes among the congressional representatives from Rio de Janeiro. He is internationally recognized for his work on behalf of LGBTQ rights, women’s rights and racial justice. Wyllys’ talk was sponsored by the Brazil Initiative so that he could share a rare perspective with members of the Brown community, said James Green, professor of modern Latin American history and Portuguese and Brazilian studies and director of the Brazil Initiative.

Wyllys began by outlining four scenarios of democracy, including democracy in agony, democracy in » See BRAZIL, page 3

U. researchers write analyses of multi-ring lunar basin Studies use gravity field data from GRAIL mission to describe, model subsurface structure of Orientale Basin

By ELENA RENKEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Two studies written by University professors that used gravity field data to analyze the structure and formation of the Moon’s Orientale multiring basin were published in the journal Science.

One paper, which focused on modeling the development of the transient crater after impact from what was most likely an asteroid colliding with the Moon’s surface, was led by Brandon Johnson, assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences.

Both Johnson and James Head PhD’69, professor of geological sciences, were co-authors on the other paper, which analyzed the subsurface structure of the basin’s rings in detail. The second paper, led by Maria Zuber ScM’83 PhD’86 ScD’08, professor of geophysics and vice president for research at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also estimated the diameter of the transient crater, which eventually collapsed and gave way to the multiring formation of Orientale. The study found the diameter of the transient crater to be between 320 and 460 kilometers.

Ross Potter, a postdoctoral research associate, previously approximated a diameter of Orientale that aligned with this newer measurement, wrote David Kring, senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, in an email to The Herald.

Previous estimates of the transient crater’s diameter varied widely — different approximations suggested sizes in line with each of the basin’s rings, according to Zuber’s study. Previously researchers only had photographs and topographical data available to them, said Teemu Öhman, earth and planetary scientist at the Arctic Planetary Science Institute. Compared

to earlier theories, these new analyses are much more “believable,” he added.

These articles rely on data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission, which mapped the gravity signatures of this area on the Moon. The data were collected by two spacecrafts flying near the Moon’s surface that measured the distance from one to the other with great precision, Johnson said. As spacecrafts approach areas with greater mass, “you can measure the extra tug of that material,” he added.

The GRAIL data effectively works like an X-ray machine, Head said, revealing the subsurface structure of the Moon.

“I’ve always been impressed with how people can do various types of X-rays of Renaissance paintings to distinguish different layers of paint and not only see the way the artist composed it, the brush strokes and overlaying, but sometimes even find another painting underneath,” he added. “It’s the same sort of thing.

You can decipher the sequence and the

structure by using the GRAIL data.”

“The GRAIL data is magnificent,” Öhman said. “It has truly revolutionized our understanding.”

Johnson noted that these data-based techniques could be applied to other structures on the Moon and potentially aid in understanding the temperatures of the Moon throughout history. This kind of analysis could even be used on other planets to possibly determine the thicknesses of ice shells, he added.

Hopefully, gravity data for Mars will be available in the future, Head said.

This kind of study could have implications for the earth as well, Johnson said. For ancient planets, these impacts were a significant driver of change. In early times, they might have made it challenging for life to take root, “but also, by generating pore space in the crust and hydrothermal systems, they might have made refugia for life as well,” he added.

Head has been involved with lunar geology studies since working on his PhD and wrote his first paper on Orientale

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.” MW 8:30–9:50, location TBA.

EGYPTOLOGY AND ASSYRIOLOGY

in 1974. He then worked for NASA to train astronauts for the Apollo missions before returning to Brown. “After over 40 years of work on this thing, it’s absolutely amazing that we’re able to not only see the substructure, but develop a computer model,” Head said.

The initial impact that created the crater sent pieces flying away from the site, Johnson said. Most of the debris fell relatively near the basin, but “some of it (was) ejected at above escape velocity,” he added.

The projectile was likely about the size of Rhode Island, Head said.

The “bowl-shaped” transient crater collapsed under the force of gravity, like the closing of an opening created by tossing a rock into the water, Johnson said.

Then the warm, weak mantle flowed in quickly and pulled the cooler material of the crust along with it, breaking it into blocks. The formation of the two outermost rings were part of this “inward collapse flow,” he added.

“If you throw a rock into the Narragansett (Bay), you’ll also see a big jet come out after,” Johnson said. Similarly, the collapse flow produced a central uplift, which then collapsed and pushed material outward to form the Inner Rook ring.

The rings finished forming after 50 minutes, and there was very minimal movement after three hours, Johnson said.

The basin formation was modeled using a physics code called iSALE, which was created to study processes like impact cratering. It “tells us how material moves and deforms under different stresses,” Johnson said. After inputting information on the Moon’s appearance, the planet’s temperature and structure and the size of the impactor, iSALE takes about a month and a half to calculate the formation of the crater, he added.

But iSALE is limited in that it only constructs models of vertical impacts, Öhman said, which are not frequently found in nature. The model also does not account for asymmetry, since it produces visuals that depict only a slice along one radius of the formation, Johnson said.

“The team’s gravity analysis of the Orientale Basin will be the case study around which analyses of multi-ring basins throughout the Solar System will pivot,” Kring wrote. “It is a true benchmark in impact cratering studies.”

“This is more or less the golden age of space exploration,” Öhman said.

TODAY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

ta n g l e d u p i n b l u e s

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

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

BLUE ROOM

Philly Cheese Steak Quesadillas, Thanksgiving Burger

Soup: Turkey Sausage and Kale, Butternut and Squash

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Beef Tacos, Steamed Summer Squash, Roasted Vegetable Burritos, White Layer Cake

Chicken Fricasse, Lo Mein Noodles, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake

Italian Meatloaf, General Tso Chicken Stir Fry, Siena Roasted Couscous, Cajun Apple Cake

sudoku MAXWELL SIMEON / HERALD

Professor of Physics Stephon Alexander PhD’00 showed off his hidden jazz skills during a workshop that explored the intersections among music, technology and entrepreneurship.

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

“If the college were a person, who would they be, and would you get on with them?”

— Cameron McKie ’19

See rankings on page 1.

crossword

Michael Donhauser Nicolas Pesquès Presentations will be in English and German (for and by Michael Donhauser) and English and French (for and by Nicolas Pesquès). Michael Donhauser’s first literary book published in English translation, OfThings, was brought into print by Burning Deck/Anyart earlier this year. A native of Liechtenstein, he lives in Vienna. The poetry of Nicholas Pesquès may be read in English translation through three titles: Physis, Juliology and Overyellow. He lives in Paris and in the Berry.

Tuesday, 8 November 2016 at 7 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown St., Providence [use Fones Alley entrance]

Sponsored by Literary Arts, French Studies, German Studies and Creative Arts Council

calendar TODAY NOVEMBER

S

M

T

W

Th

F

S

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Study Abroad 101 General Info Session 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 440

BURP Neck/Back Massages 1:00 P.M. Campus Center, Memorial Lounge

Desires: A GPS Workshop 5:30 P.M. Alumnae Hall, 212

Election Night Watch Party 7:00 P.M. Watson Institute

TOMORROW OCRL Diversity and Inclusion Student Focus Group 12:00 P.M. J.Walter Wilson, 411

Columbia Law School Information Session 12:00 P.M. CareerLAB

LingLangLunch Seminar Series 1:00 P.M. Metcalf Research Building, 305

Greek Movie Screening: Mythopathy 6:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, Room 166

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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

Help Wanted- Office/Clerical PT Clerical Person Monday through Friday $600.00 weekly Computer skills, Customer Service skills Some cash & items handling skills Apply Email: a7dford@gmail.com

Find us online! facebook.com/browndailyherald

browndailyherald.com

@the_herald

Location: 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. www.browndailyherald.com

@browndailyherald

youtube.com/browndailyherald

Editorial contact: 401-351-3372 herald@browndailyherald.com

Business contact: 401-351-3260 gm@browndailyherald.com

Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds are typically between 750 and 1000 words, though we will consider submissions between 500 and 1200 words.

Letters to the editor should be around 250 words. While letters to the editor respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, op-eds usually prompt new discussions on campus or frame new arguments about current discourse.

All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media), and they must be exclusive to The Herald.

Submissions must include no more than two individual authors. If there are more than two original authors, The Herald can acknowledge the authors in a statement at the end of the letter or op-ed, but the byline can only include up to two names. The Herald will not publish submissions authored by groups. The Herald does not publish anonymous submissions. If you feel your circumstances prevent you from submitting an op-ed or letter with your name, please email herald@browndailyherald.com to explain your situation.

Editorial Leadership

Sections

Visuals & Production

Business

Editor-in-Chief Emma Jerzyk

Arts & Culture Editors Rebecca Ellis Jaclyn Torres

Design Editors Sonia Geba Nicola Ho Jessica Yu Assistants: Minah Seo, Christy Leung

General Managers Moniyka Sachar Joshua Tartell

Managing Editor Joseph Zappa Senior Editors Andrew Flax Caroline Kelly POST- MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Yidi Wu

News Editors Lauren Aratani Matt Brownsword Elena Weissmann Sports Editor Taneil Ruffin COMMENTARY Opinions Editors Margaret Hu Mili Mitra Lainie Rowland

Photo Editors Head: Eli White Sam Berube Marianna McMurdock Copy Desk Chief Julia Stemmer Illustrations Editor Roland High

Directors Business Dev.: Antonia Alvarez Finance: Neil Wathore Finance: Benjamin Wesner Strategy: Abraham Galindo Sales Managers Gaby Elanbeck Maisie Lynton Ari Shusterman Lizzy Doykan Finance Managers Collections: Reena Zhan Collections: Varun Narayan

You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com and letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. When you email your submission, please include (1) your full name, (2) an evening or mobile phone number in case your submission is chosen for publication and (3) any affiliation with Brown University or any institution or organization relevant to the content of your submission.

Please send in submissions at least 24 hours in advance of your desired publication date. The Herald only publishes submissions while it is in print. The Herald reserves the right to edit all submissions. If your piece is considered for publication, an editor will contact you to discuss potential changes to your submission.

Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only.

Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald, BlogDailyHerald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $280 one year daily, $140 one semester daily.

Copyright 2016 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906.

COMMENTARY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

For veterans, this election offers no easy answer BRYAN RIPPEE

op-ed contributor In what may ultimately be considered the most infamous presidential election in U.S. history, the choice between two deeply flawed candidates has every voter compromising to some degree. But for the millions of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the choice between the two major party candidates is especially difficult.

Veterans, as a voting demographic, tend to skew right. A poll by Fox News found that veterans favor Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by 14 points, a relatively small margin compared to previous elections in which Republican candidates enjoyed even larger leads among veterans and active-duty service member voters. But for those veterans feeling disillusioned or disgusted by Trump’s antics, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign offers no refuge from the coming storm Nov. 8.

The reasons for that are many, ranging from Clinton’s mishandling of classified material to her failure to allocate additional security in Benghazi, Libya as secretary of state. And while those transgressions are major cause for concern among veterans, perhaps the most significant source of distrust is her history of hawkish military intervention.

The Iraq War is one of the na-

tion’s worst foreign policy disasters, resulting in the deaths of nearly 4,500 U.S. service members and offering virtually nothing to show for it but continued instability and fighting. Clinton voted for the war and subsequently pressured to keep more troops there during her time as secretary of state. She has gone on

in 2009, shot an arm’s length away from me. When I think about that day now, I can’t help but wonder what we were even doing there. And every day that the fighting continues in Mosul, Iraq, that question echoes louder and louder in my mind. An apology shouldn’t suffice. Not for me, and not for the thousands of

the overthrow of Muammar el-Qaddafi, leading to a failed Libyan state, and she seems committed to more aggressive intervention in Syria, a nation already drowning in human suffering.

If taking a principled stance against Trump is required of Americans — and it assuredly is — then

Those urging us to consider Clinton a necessary alternative to Trump fail to recognize the gravity of her voting history, but those who fought in Iraq live with the burden of her choices everyday.

to admit that it was a mistake to vote in favor of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but for those whose lives have been invariably changed by the conflict, the admission offers little solace. If anything should disqualify a candidate from serving in the nation’s highest office, it should be committing a ‘mistake’ that cost the lives of thousands.

I watched a friend die in Iraq

Iraq War veterans suffering through unacceptable wait times at Veterans Affairs hospitals — a problem Clinton dismissed the severity of on national TV. It would be one thing if Clinton showed any evidence to support that she’s truly learned from her role in the Iraq War, but in fact the opposite appears to be true. In the years since the Iraq War, she’s led the charge on

an equally principled stance against Clinton should be required as well.

But that really doesn’t leave many options. Third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein come to mind, but the notion of electing an unknown to the highest office in the land is difficult to come to terms with.

Most of the anti-Trump movement is willing to forgive Clinton

for her foreign policy history, alleging that a vote for anyone but her is a de facto vote for Trump. I fail to see the validity of such moral appeals, given that most of the people making them have never seen a dead Iraqi child, killed for the crime of being born under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

If this election were held in a vacuum, voting for Clinton would be an easy choice. But the ramifications of this election will be felt everywhere, and my aim is to prevent my vote from contributing to the further destruction of Mosul, or Tripoli, Libya or Aleppo, Syria. Accepting the antiTrump framework doesn’t leave me with a suitable option for accomplishing that goal.

Those urging us to consider Clinton a necessary alternative to Trump fail to recognize the gravity of her voting history, but those who fought in Iraq live with the burden of her choices everyday. Republicans still have the support of most veterans, but given how unfit their candidate is, perhaps the margin they enjoy is merely a function of how much experience veterans already have with some of Clinton’s previous leadership.

It remains clear that President Trump would be a disaster for our nation, but for many veterans, voting for Clinton would be an awfully tough pill to swallow as well.

Bryan Rippee ’16.5 can be reached at bryan_rippee@brown.edu.

The opportunity cost of study abroad FABIANA VILSAN staff columnist As an international student who has had the privilege of studying and living abroad, I completely understand the allure of the study abroad options at Brown. Especially for students who haven’t left the United States, the novelty of a semester in glamorous Paris or sleek Stockholm seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Indeed, students are often so caught up in the excitement that they don’t take a step back and rationalize the choice to pay Brown tuition without reaping the rewards of Brown’s resources.

A school as prestigious and costly as Brown delivers its worth in the form of facilities, world-class professors, career services and extracurricular opportunities. The cost of attending Brown is no small sum, but it can be considered a worthwhile investment that yields an even larger return. But many students choose to go abroad to seemingly exotic places such as France, Australia, Sweden or China. And while many of them cite countless benefits involved in choosing this path, many may also find themselves wondering: Why am I paying Brown tuition to attend a university where the tuition is a fraction of Brown’s? Many countries where Brown students study abroad consider a university education a resource that should be accessible to any willing prospective student.

The same cannot be said about higher education in the United States, and the price tag reflects that.

In the case that the value of experiencing a new culture exceeds the Brown tuition, studying abroad is worth every penny. But for students for whom the excitement of a new experience outweighs the benefit of the program,

attending another university with its own incredible resources is valuable in its own right, there are difficulties that arise when students attempt to take full advantage of those resources abroad. For example, there is no CareerLAB conveniently located in the middle of campus, nor are professors as familiar with your concentration path. Depending on where you de-

For students for whom the excitement of a new experience outweighs the benefit of the program, it is worthwhile to consider how Brown study abroad programs, in terms of both finances and infrastructure, fall short.

it is worthwhile to consider how Brown study abroad programs, in terms of both finances and infrastructure, fall short.

At Brown, we have access to resources and human capital that are essentially priceless. Everyday access to libraries and inspiring professors and peers is no small advantage. And while

cide to study, you may encounter language barriers that prohibit you from taking advantage of certain academic resources at the institution. Sometimes the number of resources that you are able to utilize while abroad far exceeds the number of those inaccessible to you, but this case may be an exception to the rule. So

before stamping your passport, consider the possible downsides of choosing to leave Brown and its many services for a semester.

Furthermore, students’ expected payments and expenses remain constant whether or not they choose to study abroad or stay in Providence. But calculating the cost of living often proves difficult and can be a serious factor in determining affordability. It is no secret that Thayer Street doesn’t exactly embody the lap of luxury. The cost of living in European countries, for example, is often much higher than the one we are used to as college students in Providence. The day-to-day costs of studying abroad vary considerably, making it hard to calculate them accurately. Especially for those students who struggle to meet tuition costs at Brown, the additional costs encountered abroad are an important factor that the Office of International Programs cannot fully predict.

Studying abroad while at Brown offers students the amazing opportunity to discover and develop their passions anywhere they choose.

For many, their international education is the highlight of college, and the costs associated with this journey are far outbalanced by the enriching exploits. Just make sure you’re looking beyond the initial thrill of airport arrival to the substantive resources and structural support that will be available to you once you’ve landed.

Fabiana Vilsan ’19 can be reached at fabiana_vilsan@brown.edu.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Freedom of Speech in the University Robert C. Post Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

November 14, 2016 5:30 p.m.

Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Joukowsky Forum, Room 155 111 Thayer Street Providence, Rhode Island

REAFFIRMING UNIVERSITY VALUES: Campus Dialogue and Discourse Co-Sponsored by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost

To request special services, accommodations or assistance for this event, please contact the University Event and Conference Services Office at UniversityEvents@brown.edu.