Friday, November 18, 2016

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 110

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School of Public Health aims to make real-world impact Interventions include mobile food markets in Providence, diabetes management in Samoa

By HATTIE XU SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Though it has only been three years since the School of Public Health opened its doors, it has already touched lives both locally and around the world.

The school’s mission is “to serve the community, the nation and the world,” according to its website. Through translating research findings into real-world interventions, faculty members and students have reached communities from Providence to Samoa.

Local partnerships Among the school’s local initiatives is Food on the Move, a program that provides access to fresh fruits and vegetables to Rhode Islanders who live in food deserts, said Dean of the School of Public Health Terrie Fox Wetle. The program was piloted as the Fresh to You market, a study conducted by Kim Gans, adjunct professor of behavioral and social sciences. The study evaluated

the effectiveness of such an approach in alleviating a lack of access to food, Fox said.

The program entails a mobile community market traveling to various locations across Providence every week to provide a reliable supply of groceries to a number of neighborhoods. The market stops outside the School of Public Health every Friday because the university is located in a food desert, Fox added.

When the study concluded and ran out of its funding from the National Cancer Institute, the School of Public Health decided to independently fund Food on the Move because it was too valuable to the community to discontinue, Fox said.

Food on the Move is implemented by the Rhode Island Public Health Institute, an organization led by Amy Nunn, associate professor of behavioral and social sciences. RIPHI partners with the school to develop public health programs and conduct translational research, Nunn said. Another campaign run by RIPHI is Do It Right, a sexually transmitted disease prevention clinic located in Miriam Hospital. The clinic provides screenings and interventions » See HEALTH, page 2

GUS REED / HERALD

“How Race Matters in College Academic Performance,” a lecture by Douglas Massey, professor of sociology at Princeton, is the third installment of the eight-part Diversity and Inclusion Lecture Series.

Princeton scholar discusses stereotype threat Internalization of stereotypes can lead to lower SAT scores, grades, graduation rates

By KYLE BOROWSKI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Douglas Massey, professor of sociology at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

at Princeton, gave a lecture Thursday about the implications of stereotyping on academic performance.

Titled “How Race Matters in College Academic Performance,” Massey’s lecture is the third installment in the Diversity and Inclusion Lecture Series.

Totaling eight lectures, the series aims to “allow participants to learn concepts, skills and effective approaches to engaging thoughtfully in a diverse and inclusive academic community,”

according to a Sept 16. communitywide email from Liza Cariaga-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion.

Massey was selected to give a lecture because of his “extensive scholarship and deep commitment to understanding and addressing in his research issues related to international migration, race and housing, discrimination, education, stratification and poverty,” » See LECTURE, page 3

Artists strive to decolonize indigeneity Lecture series demystifies ‘Side Show Freaks and healthcare system Circus Injuns’ defies Western artistic norms through theater

Professionals in healthcare industry highlight potential paths besides clinical medicine

By ZACHARY BARNES STAFF WRITER

Three artists will present “Side Show Freaks and Circus Injuns,” a play centered on indigenous people, Friday at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.

Described by LeAnne Howe, one of the artists, as a “decolonizing process,” the piece seeks to resist Western modes of thought and performance.

“We challenged ourselves to put indigenous knowledge, indigenous ways of knowing (and) indigenous structures in the center of our practice,” said Monique Mojica, an artist-in-residence at Brown for the month of November and one of the collaborators on the piece. “Simultaneous to creating an organic piece of theater, simultaneous to working collaboratively, we are also dismantling and unlearning structures that come from Eurocentric performance.”

The artists, Mojica, Howe and Jorge Luis Morejón, first started thinking about creating the piece in 2008 when they came together at the University of Illinois. All three come from different

INSIDE

By GLORIA NASHED STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF JOSH SHORT

Dancer Jorge Luis Morejón, actor Monique Mojica and writer LeAnne Howe started thinking about creating “Side Show Freaks” in 2008. disciplines. Mojica is primarily an actor, Howe a writer and Morejón a dancer.

They wanted to create something collaboratively that would “decolonize native theater and ourselves,” Howe said.

In spring 2016, Mojica came to campus to deliver a lecture, and she expressed an interest in continuing work

on the piece at Brown. Patricia Ybarra, chair of the theatre arts and performance studies department and a fan of Mojica’s work, was supportive, and Lilian Mengesha GS and Assistant Professor of American Studies Adrienne Keene secured funding to bring the artists to » See INDIGENEITY, page 3

Open to students, faculty members and staff members, Healthcare in America is a lecture series and preclinical elective at the Alpert Medical School running through December.

The lecture series is open to all community members, though medical school students can take the elective for a credit if they attend a certain number of lectures.

Eli Adashi, professor of medical science and former dean of medicine and biological sciences, brought the idea of a course taught mostly by outside healthcare professionals to the medical school in 2011. The need for the course gradually became apparent to Adashi as he spoke with medical students over the years and realized they were not receiving a good foundation in learning about the healthcare system, though it is “essential to their future way of life,” he said. The

healthcare system is very complex, and the more students know about it, the more easily “they will be able to navigate it when they become practicing physicians,” he added.

Adashi’s initial role in the elective course was to come up with the idea and identify potential speakers. But once the program was in place, “students increasingly began to take over the administrative and organization features,” Adashi said. “The students at this point reach out to the potential speakers, coordinate schedules and arrange for their pickup if they need one.”

Jonathan Staloff ’14 MD-ScM’19 is one of the students who has stepped up to lead the course. After taking it last year, Staloff signed on this year to make some improvements, such as cutting down the number of speakers and recruiting some prominent speakers from outside Providence.

When picking this year’s speakers, Staloff and the other student leaders prioritized exposing medical school students to “physicians and other healthcare providers who have really carved a leadership role in healthcare outside traditional clinical medicine,” » See ALPERT, page 3

WEATHER

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

SPORTS Athlete of the Week: Spieth ’17 leads Brown over Niagara with 27-point performance

SPORTS Men’s basketball mounts comeback after slow start, falls short against No. 21 URI

COMMENTARY Savello ’18: Extroverts should limit class participation to make room for introverts

COMMENTARY Papendorp ’17: Special privileges given to U. donors should be limited or stated up-front

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LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD

The School of Public Health intertwines research with tangible work in Providence. After federal funding ran dry, the school decided to continue funding Food on the Move, a program that brings fresh produce to Rhode Islanders in food deserts. The school is also aiming to grow its national and global presence through further funding of research on global health.

» HEALTH, from page 1 and stems from the research of Nunn and Philip Chan, assistant professor of medicine.

The school has also forged partnerships with a variety of local community organizations, including Progreso Latino, the Rhode Island Free Clinic, the Providence Housing Authority and Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fox said. Representatives from these groups serve on the school’s Community Advisory Board, she added.

“There is a long tradition in public health to reach out to communities that you’re studying,” Fox said. “It improves the quality of our research (and) the educational experience for our students, and (it) ensures that the projects are relevant and important.”

Focus on national policy Another program managed by RIPHI, Do One Thing, was a product of Nunn’s research into the high rates of HIV and Hepatitis C in Philadelphia, Nunn said. Do One Thing mobilizes volunteers and healthcare professionals to conduct door-to-door screenings

for the viruses in southwest Philadelphia, with the ultimate goal of directing people to treatment, according to the RIPHI website.

Many graduate students also participate in research projects that aim to inform national policy. Rachel Denlinger GS, a member of the school’s student council board, and Jennifer Tidey, professor of behavioral and social sciences, are researching the effects of different tobacco regulations on smoking behavior, Denlinger said.

For example, reducing nicotine levels may affect how smokers with mental illness use cigarettes, she said.

Benjamin Silver GS, a member of the student council board, and Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice Vincent Mor are studying the Medicare program. Specifically, they are examining how the healthcare system delivers different services, how these services are reimbursed and how different systems affect patient outcomes, Silver said.

Global projects One of the school’s 11 research centers, the International Health Institute,

specifically focuses on the school’s global reach. The IHI’s mission is “to apply interdisciplinary perspectives to research and training to improve the health of populations in developing countries,” according to the school’s website.

Stephen McGarvey, professor of epidemiology and director of the institute, conducts studies in Samoa and American Samoa. McGarvey examines how genetic influences and changing lifestyles have contributed to the high levels of obesity, type-two diabetes and hypertension in these populations, he said.

McGarvey’s research was conducted with the assistance of the American Samoa Department of Human and Social Services, he said. The study found that community health workers are effective in helping locals manage type-two diabetes, and these workers continue serving the population to this day, he added.

McGarvey has also worked with Mark Lurie, associate professor of epidemiology, on a project that studies migration patterns in South Africa and how they have contributed to the spread of HIV. Additionally, Lurie has

examined how the increasing accessibility of antiretroviral therapy is affecting the HIV epidemic.

In developing these global studies, the School of Public Health has formed partnerships with governmental agencies, local organizations and other universities, including the University of Cape Town and the University of Ghana, McGarvey said.

Expanding national and global work Because the School of Public Health is new and in the process of establishing its reputation, its national and global presence is currently limited, McGarvey said. The school is known mostly for its researchers and their projects — there have not yet been major investments in national or global initiatives other than providing support for these researchers, he added.

In order to build its reputation, the school must continue hiring and supporting researchers whose work impacts global health, McGarvey said.

The school must also work with the administration to identify potential donors who can provide funding for

professorships and projects, he added.

Nunn said the school always has “room to grow” and that she would be interested in researching how the Latinx community in Providence — which is 38.1 percent of the city’s population, according to the 2010 Census — can be better supported. But regardless of whether the School of Public Health aims to maintain its current size or expand to the levels of its older and more established peer institutions, the researchers assert their commitment to communicating with communities and promoting lifelong health.

“The things that happen to people as fetuses, as children, as teens and young adults have an impact later in life,” McGarvey said. “Following up on people and understanding that … an event earlier in your life may affect your risk for certain conditions is the point of our research.”

One of the most important public health concerns is helping populations age in a healthy way, Nunn said. “From a global perspective, I think we’re looking at the right issues,” she said. “Now that we’re a School of Public Health, there’s an opportunity to do a lot more.”

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 • PAGE 3

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» INDIGENEITY, from page 1 campus. Friday’s event is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.

“I wanted to have a more critical conversation about art and indigeneity in the department, and I thought (Mojica) was the exact right artist to do that,” Ybarra said.

Similarly, Sarah d’Angelo, assistant professor of TAPS, wrote in an email to The Herald, “There are only a handful of institutions in the United States embracing indigenous systems of knowledge and creation. Given the recent social, environmental and political events, there couldn’t be a better time for our community to come together to honor and experience the value and significance of this performance.”

The inspiration for the piece comes partly from the experiences of Howe and Mojica’s family members. Howe’s great-aunt had a horseback act in a circus, and Mojica’s mother performed and “was displayed” in a sideshow in Brooklyn as a child. As such, the work of decolonizing is very personal for the artists. “We set out to dislodge colonialism from our bodies,” Mojica said. “That has everything to do with the colonizer’s gaze on our bodies. We want to reverse

» LECTURE, from page 1 Cariaga-Lo wrote in an email to The Herald.

Massey conducts some of that research by using sociological methods to survey the impact of stereotype threat on minority students. The stereotype threat theory, proposed by social psychologist Claude Steele, posits that people are at risk of conforming to perceived stereotypes about their demographic group, Massey said.

The threat of stereotyping was further subdivided into two phenomena: externalization and internalization.

Massey characterized internalization as the process through which “people are aware of the negative stereotypes that exist about them as they internalize them and feel them personally.”

He contrasted this with externalization, or when students aware of negative stereotypes believe fellow students hold those stereotypes to be true. This affects how students in minority groups “perform in a public setting, producing an extra burden of thinking constantly about how they’re acting,” Massey said.

He added that both of these phenomena can result in lowered grades.

To gauge the scale of stereotyping’s impact on students, Massey measured the influence of a number of factors on students’ GPA and their likelihood of graduating. SAT scores were one of the weakest determinants of college performance, while high school performance had the strongest correlation to college success, Massey said.

Additionally, expectations of being judged based on stereotypes matched up with lower GPAs and likelihood of graduation.

that gaze that sees us as freaks.”

Morejón, the director of the piece, said that working with Howe and Mojica presented a challenge, as he comes from the mainstream theater world that the play means to resist. Despite the challenge, Morejón said the process has been educational. “I’m learning to decolonize through them. I bring terms that are immediately identified by the two of them as part of the process that we’re trying to decolonize. … Every time I say something that is not part of the process of decolonization, the creative process stops because then we have to stop to clarify what I’m trying to say. So I keep saying, ‘Oh, that’s semantics.’”

“And we keep saying, ‘No!’” Mojica said.

All three artists expressed gratitude and affection toward each other, noting how essential each one has been to the process. Mojica also expressed joy about Brown’s hosting and funding of the process. In most theater, she said, “there are production schedules. This is way outside that. I want to acknowledge Brown for believing this work was important.”

“Side Show Freaks and Circus Injuns” will take place Nov. 18 between 4 and 6 p.m. in Studio One at the Granoff Center.

“If you internalize these stereotypes, you can start to disidentify,” Massey said, describing a process in which students reduce their work efforts so as not to risk failing and validating the negative stereotypes associated with their identities.

President Christina Paxson P’19 was present for the lecture and asked Massey about the impact of grade withholding on stereotyping. Paxson said she wonders whether a policy of not giving grades the first semester at schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Swarthmore College could lead to underperformance for some students.

“It’s a good idea, but it’ll be hard to test,” Massey said, adding that failure in the first semester could have a negative psychological impact, as “some students are vulnerable to internalization.”

He added that “Those who expect to be judged experience lower grades.”

One of the purposes of Massey’s research is to alter the ways administrators address issues of diversity on campuses across the country. In imparting his findings to college administrators, Massey tends to receive different reactions based on the identities of his audience, he said. “People who deal with minority students will give you a lot of head nods,” Massey said. “From a white audience of administrators, I get a lot of blank stares,” he added. “Sometimes it seems like it’s news to them.”

“The goal of these lectures is to engage and inform all of us on the science and scholarship which pertain to diversity and inclusion issues,” Cariaga-Lo said. “The hope is that through that, we can more critically engage with the rest of our community.”

COURTESY OF ALPERT MEDICAL SCHOOL

Rushika Fernandopulle, co-founder of Iora Health, presents at Healthcare in America, a lecture series sponsored

by Alpert Medical School. Fernandopulle was one of many industry professionals who spoke in the series.

» ALPERT, from page 1 Staloff said. “I’ve always had an eye for finding speakers who could speak to a systemic issue and also expose medical students to alternative career paths,” he added.

This year, one of the lecture series’ most prominent speakers was Rushika Fernandopulle, chief executive officer and co-founder of Iora Health, a primary care startup that is “completely reimagining the health care system and how primary care is delivered,” Staloff said. “I wanted to expose students to the importance of primary care and the opportunity to lead health system change through a life in business innovation and startups,” he added.

Sarah Kler MD’21, who is currently taking the course, said Fernandopulle was “a very engaging speaker.”

“He did a great job talking about

why he’s doing what he’s doing and what in healthcare led him to make the changes that he’s making, which I think is exactly what you want to hear as a student,” Kler added.

Anupam Jena, associate professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School, was another big name Staloff and other student leaders invited to speak. Sukrit Jain ’16 MD’20 thought Jena’s lecture was “very engaging.”

“He had this really interesting lecture where he would show us a scenario, and we’d be asked to come up with different research questions and how we would go about pursuing them,” Jain said.

Other prominent speakers who have come to speak this year include Meena Seshamani ’97, director of the U.S. Office of Health Reform, and Marilyn Tavenner, CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans.

For both Kler and Jain, the

Healthcare in America lecture series has been very effective in its objective of showing students the differences they can make in healthcare outside of clinical medicine.

“You meet individuals who are doing specific things outside of just providing clinical care, and I think we’ve seen a wide variety (of fields), like public service (and) private industry, ” Kler said.

The effectiveness of the course “was very evident from the first class when (Fernandopulle) talked about ways in which you could break out of the current system and … deliver healthcare more efficiently,” Jain said, adding that the speakers have ultimately showed the students “ways (they) can go beyond solely being physicians and move toward physician ‘hyphen’ something, whether it’s physician-researcher, physicianpolicymaker and so on.”

Brown University Bookstore — Technology Center Early Black Friday Apple & Dell one day event!!!

**November 18th**

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SPORTS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Steven Spieth ’17 lifted Brown to its first win of the season Sunday, an 88-79 triumph over Niagara. Spieth was just one assist shy of a triple-double in the win and is averaging 19 points per game early in the season.

Spieth ’17 flirts with triple-double in win over Niagara

Dallas native paired career-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, nine assists against Eagles Sunday

By CAL BARASH-DAVID STAFF WRITER

After a tough loss against Cincinnati Friday, the men’s basketball team (12) looked to bounce back against the Niagara Purple Eagles (0-3) at home Sunday. Led by veteran captain and four-year starter Steven Spieth ’17, Bruno did just that, besting the Eagles in an 88-79 contest.

Spieth posted a dominant stat line of 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists en route to Bruno’s first win of the season.

With one more assist, Spieth would have recorded just the third ever triple-double in Ivy League history.

An all-around player who can drive to the basket, thread the needle to a teammate and splash from beyond the arc, the 6-foot-6 senior from Dallas, Texas can punish the

opposition in numerous ways.

For his powerful performance, Spieth has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Herald: As a senior captain, how are you mentoring the younger guys on the team?

Spieth: Just trying to lead by example I’d say is the biggest thing. …

It’s not easy transitioning from high school to college in any aspect — but especially basketball. It’s a fasterpaced game, and it’s kind of tough to get used to. I just try to be there when anybody needs anything.

What do you think is the strongest part of your game?

I think the diversity of my game. I can shoot it; I can get to the rim; I can dish; I can rebound — I try to do it all.

If a team is trying to stop one thing, then (I can) just move on to whatever is next, and hopefully that’s working.

What are your individual goals for the season?

I just want to keep improving.

I had a good couple of first games,

especially the last game. I’m planning to try to play next year overseas. Accomplishing our team goals will help me accomplish any individual goals that I have, so I’m just going to stay aggressive, and hopefully that will help us win more games.

Why did you choose to come to Brown?

A mix between athletics and academics for sure. Obviously with academics, it doesn’t get much better.

And then (we have) a young coaching staff. They really gave me a chance right away. They basically told me that I would be able to come in and play right away. And getting to start four years isn’t very common, so that’s been great.

Had you ever recorded a tripledouble in high school?

I don’t know. I don’t think I ever did in a high school game. I know I have in summer league games, in (Amateur Athletic Union basketball) games. To be honest, I didn’t even know until after the game Sunday that I was. I mean I knew I was probably

getting close to it because I had five or six assists early in the second half, but I didn’t know until after the game when the coaches were telling me. I wish they had told me (during the game). Apparently the assistant coaches knew it, but they didn’t tell (Head Coach Mike Martin ’04).

Did you play other sports growing up?

Yeah, me and my brother both played everything. We played baseball (and) soccer. I played indoor hockey for a little bit — it’s hard to believe that’s in Texas.

When did you decide that basketball was your sport?

I guess it was freshman year of high school. I was thinking about playing football in high school and playing baseball. I was ranked in the top 15 to 20 in the state for my age group (in basketball), so I figured this is my best shot to be able to have a good college career.

How did growing up with your brother (professional golfer Jordan Spieth) shape you as an athlete?

I think it definitely helped. We’re both really competitive in our separate sports — especially growing up, we were extremely competitive toward each other. So I think it helped me harden my competitive edge for sure.

Have you ever dunked on your brother?

(Laughter) Nah, I don’t think so.

He hasn’t played me in a while. Last time we played I think I was in eighth grade, and he was a sophomore in high school. And he beat me, so he won’t play me again.

Do you play golf with him ever?

Yeah for sure. Not for a score. We just play for fun.

If you could be a professional athlete in a sport besides basketball, what would you play?

Starting pitcher, for sure. You pitch one out of every five games and then play golf the rest of the time. It’s the best job in the world.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

TODAY

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 • PAGE 5

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barren green

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon and Feta, Harvest, Buffalo Chicken Grinders JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Make-Your-Own Quesadillas

Build-Your-Own Burrito Bowl

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole, BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Red and Yellow Pepper Saute, Blondie Bars

Mac and Cheese, Slow Roasted Pork Loin, Roasted Parsnips, Panettone Bread Pudding

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Soy Chick’n Nuggets, Potato Skins, Zucchini, Carrot, and Garlic Medley, Blondie Bars

Orange Beef Pad Thai, Cavatelli Primavera, Vegetable Herb Medley, Focaccia Bread

sudoku

SARA RUNKEL / HERALD

crossword

As Thanksgiving break draws closer, frequenters of the Main Green walk by the last remnants of the New England fall.

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

“We set out to dislodge colonialism from our bodies.”

— Monique Mojica, artist in “Sideshow Freaks and Circus Injuns”

See indigeneity on page 1.

CORRECTION An article published in Thursday’s Herald (“Students, faculty protest in light of election,” Nov. 17) stated that Anica Green ’17, the BlogDailyHerald editor, said, “I’ve been told by white therapists that it is my duty to explain racism to white people.

I even once had to explain that racism exists.” In fact, she said, “I’ve been told by one white therapist that it is my job and duty to explain racism to white people, and a different therapist expressed complete surprise that racism still exists in the romantic world and the world at large.” The Herald regrets the error.

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Flamenco Workshop 5:30 P.M. Rochambeau House

Skorts Sketch Comedy Presents: Skorts Gone Viral 9:30 P.M. List Art Building, 120

SATURDAY American Sign Language Coffee Slam and Variety Show 5:30 P.M. Brown Bookstore, College Hill Cafe

AXO’s Airbands 7:00 P.M. Alumnae Hall Auditorium Lobby

SUNDAY Fatma Bucak: and men turned their faces from there 1:00 P.M. List Art Building

Fall Dance Concert 2016 2:00 P.M. Ashamu Dance Studio

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Brown Bites Students, community members protest in light of election Over 400 students and community members gathered on the Quiet Green Wednesday afternoon to demonstrate support for marginalized people in the wake of the presidential election. The protest supported a number of causes — including the #NoDAPL and #SanctuaryCampus movements — and organizers said that the protest was not political and not solely in response to the recent election. Leaders of the protest taped a list of demands to the office door of President Christina Paxson P’19. In response to the demands, Provost Richard Locke P’17 sent an email to the organizers before the protest saying that the University looks forward to working with students and other community members on the implementation of the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.

Woman sues Brown, deans after alleged sexual assault A former Providence College student filed a lawsuit Monday against the University and two deans employed by the University at the time of her alleged sexual assault in November 2013. The suit requests that the court grant compensatory damages to cover Doe’s “injuries, damages and losses” including mental and physical injuries, damage to her education and “loss to her enjoyment of life.”

Med School receives $27 million donation The Warren Alpert Foundation donated $27 million to the University to expand the MD/PhD program and endow a new professorship at the Brown Institute for Translational Science. Of the donation, $22 million will go toward offering tuition assistance and research stipends for the MD/PhD program. The remaining $5 million will endow the BITS fellowship.

UCS launches two staff appreciation initiatives In its meeting Wednesday, the Undergraduate Council of Students announced two new initiatives regarding staff appreciation. The first initiative is modeled on Georgetown University’s Unsung Heroes project that profiles staff members around campus. UCS will spend the remainder of the semester profiling staff members and archiving their personal narratives. The second initiative is a staff appreciation day that will include a dinner and performance event solely for the university staff.

D O R O T H Y W I N D HA M

comics Cat Ears| Najatee’ McNeil

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

U. should resist deportation

A Horse of Any Other Name | Zach Silberberg

To the Editor: Colleges have always been sanctuaries of sorts. But it appears that Brown will not be a sanctuary for those undocumented immigrants whom our government wishes to deport. Brown will abide by the law as advised by its attorneys. Obviously, morality will not enter into the decision. Laws that are inhumane must be broken in acts of civil disobedience. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and other principled men and women have always known this and have followed imperatives of the heart.

J. Russell Tyldesley ’62

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Speaking up for introverts SAMANTHA SAVELLO staff columnist

Particularly on college campuses, the dichotomy between the introvert and extrovert has become a prevalent force in explaining preferences in social behaviors. But this dichotomy has more important purposes aside from determining whether a person prefers Netflix over a party.

The introversion-extroversion split has the potential to negatively impact some students’ academic experiences if left unconsidered and thus unchecked. I know this from personal experience.

I see this dichotomy play out most often in small, discussionbased classes where participation is mandatory. In these spaces, it’s not uncommon for talkative, more extroverted students to dominate conversation, as they tend to interject with comments without raising their hands. While raising your hand might not always seem like a necessity, it’s a formal pause that a lot of introverts rely on as a means of working up the courage to talk in class. On multiple occasions, I have found myself having to meet with

professors to explain to them that I didn’t participate that day because I was trying to bring myself to speak but was constantly overshadowed by the other students.

Here the introvert-extrovert dichotomy works to the extroverts’ advantage, allowing them to direct class discussion and take up more space than necessary to get their points across. Though they may not realize

ideas. And the cycle only perpetuates itself, as the silence of introverts empowers the extroverts.

In addition to receiving lower participation grades, introverts may also struggle paying attention in class as a result of extrovert-dominated conversations. Why pay attention after your ideas have been edged out and the conversation hijacked by other students? I’ve noticed these

are by their very nature dedicated to trying to share their knowledge and demonstrate their mastery of subject matter. Impressing professors and classmates is also incentivized in such an environment. But this becomes a problem when more outspoken students believe that their ideas are more important than those of their peers, which can lead to a toxic environment of arrogance and in-

Introverts then find themselves at risk of missing out on participation points — not to mention the intrinsic value of participation — for reasons that are not their fault.

it, in addition to being unproductive, their excessive commentary and interjections create an intimidating environment for introverts. Introverts then find themselves at risk of missing out on participation points — not to mention the intrinsic value of participation — for reasons that are not their fault. In addition, the productivity of the conversation can be harmed by the absence of important

effects in myself: I’ve grown detached from a class because the anxiety from having to outspeak others overwhelms me. This is particularly true in classes in foreign languages, where speaking both validates your ideas and proficiency.

The typical Brown student attitude adds a further dimension to this challenge. Brown students, who are highly intelligent and articulate,

timidation. Introverts internalize a sense of inferiority linked not to the merit of their ideas but to their comfort expressing them.

There is no ethical way to limit overly talkative students’ participation, but if left unchecked, it can wreak havoc on other students’ academic experiences. What I have found in my personal experiences is that the professor can be a useful re-

source for mitigating these issues ­— but only if he or she is made aware of them. In some small classes, professors purposefully call on students who have not talked as much as the discussion progresses. This is helpful to introverts because it formally invites them into the conversation and eliminates the pressure to assert themselves. I have also had professors who respond to body language, simply stating, “I see you nodding.

Do you agree?” or “You look disgusted at that line; why is that?”

This vigilance on the professors’ end can be really productive in making introverts feel more welcome in a rather intimidating environment.

And if professors are not doing this on their own, it never hurts to meet with them and ask for such accommodations.

Ultimately, everyone’s ideas deserve to be heard, regardless of where a person falls on the extroversion scale. But introverts often need a little bit of a push to get started — and extroverts sometimes need to limit their excessive commentary to make room for other students. It’s all about balance.

Samantha Savello ’18 can be reached at samantha_savello@brown.edu.

Money talks at Commencement CARIN PAPENDORP staff columnist

Though May might seem like a long time from now, in just a few months, friends and family of graduating students will arrive at Brown to celebrate Commencement. For some families who don’t have the disposable income to spend on plane tickets, this will be their first time even seeing Brown’s campus. Working as an usher at last year’s Commencement ceremony, I noticed something strange. For most families, seating was first-come, first-served. Guests began arriving at the Main Green — where the main University ceremony takes place around 1 p.m. — as early as 8 a.m. to reserve prime seats.

But some families, whose names were on a special list, were ushered into the fenced-off section in the middle of the Main Green that was otherwise reserved for students and participants in the ceremony.

I was curious about why these families had specially reserved seats while most parents had to sit all day and swelter, so I contacted University Event and Conference Services. In an email, a member of the office told me that this section was for “families and guests of the president, ceremony participants (such as the senior orators) as well as seating for certain volunteers and dignitaries.” Maybe I’m cynical, or maybe I was just dazzled by the high concentration of designer clothing I saw in the reserved section, but it doesn’t take much critical thinking to infer that these “guests of the president” might happen to be big donors. The central role of Reunion and Commencement weekend in fundraising, as well as President Christina Paxson’s P’19 responsibility for cultivating donor relationships and maxi-

mizing donations during these events, makes this all the more likely.

To be sure, donors are vital to Brown’s success and allow Brown to expand many important but expensive programs like need-based financial aid. And to incentivize donation, it might be necessary to offer special privileges to donors.

But watching wealthy parents breeze into their reserved seats at 12:45 p.m. while most families had been saving seats all day made me uneasy.

As Daniel Meyer ’17 pointed out in his column, “Lamp/Bear sucks” (Sept. 16), we’re not always aware of the influence that incredibly rich people

ence for the rest of us.

Seating at Commencement might seem like a petty issue. But when my relatives arrive on campus in May, I don’t want them to feel lesser than the families of influential donors. We’ve all worked hard to graduate from Brown, so at Commencement, we should celebrate our equality and community as Brown students. That includes the way our families are treated.

There are other negative implications of the unfair reserved seating. A highlight of the Commencement festivities is the procession when graduates pass through the Van Wickle Gates

At Commencement — as always — Brown should work on reducing classism instead of singling out donors for special treatment.

can have on Brown.

Some privileges that donors receive are readily apparent and don’t really come at any cost to students. One example is the naming of buildings on campus: At the end of the day, it doesn’t really make a difference to me whether I eat my morning oatmeal in the Sharpe Refectory or the ExxonMobil Foundation Dining Center. But as the 2014 Gawker expose of Ivy League admissions showed, the danger is when special treatment of donors takes place behind closed doors and at the expense of families who cannot or do not donate. Having a special section for big donors at community events is not only tasteless, but also unethical, and it cheapens the experi-

and walk down College Street to the First Baptist Meeting House. But if parents are reserving seats on the Main Green, they can’t watch the procession. So while parents who are guests of the president are free to cheer for their children at the procession and then comfortably sidle into the reserved seating, most families are stuck on the Main Green defending those hard-won seats.

And even if you do think that donors should be allowed to essentially buy a better seat at Commencement, the University should be more upfront about it. All of the online material about Commencement diligently disguises the existence of special privileges. For example, the frequently asked questions page of Brown’s Com-

mencement website reads, “Seating is on a firstcome, first-served basis. The reserved sections of open seats in the center are for the seniors, graduate and medical students.” Similarly, the downloadable “Understanding Commencement” presentation for undergraduates states that the “center section is reserved for students,” and “seating is first-come, first-served on the Main Green.”

Even the “Accessibility Accommodations” page tells handicapped guests: “Please keep in mind, all seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.” I observed firsthand that none of these statements are strictly true. As a matter of accountability and integrity, Brown owes it to its students and parents to be honest about the privileges that donors receive.

I’m not so naive as to think that money doesn’t grease the wheels — both at Brown and in the world at large. But it’s disappointing to me that wealth is so present even at the Commencement ceremony, which should be a celebration of our equality and accomplishments as Brown students, not like a nightclub with an exclusive section. Commencement can already be a significant financial hardship for low-income students and families. At Commencement — as always — Brown should work on reducing classism instead of singling out donors for special treatment. I can think of so many groups that deserve special seating more than donors: those who are handicapped, parents of first-generation and low-income college students or friends and family of Resumed Undergraduate Education students. And if you’re one of the few families lucky (or wealthy!) enough to be invited to Commencement as a “guest of the president,” I would urge you to feel uncomfortable accepting this privilege.

Carin Papendorp ’17 can be reached at carin_papendorp@brown.edu.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Upset bid comes up short for Bruno against No. 21 Rhode Island Bears outscore Ocean State foe in second half, Spieth ’17 continues hot start with 21 points

By CAL BARASH-DAVID STAFF WRITER

Bears vs. Rams, Bruno vs. Rhody, Brown vs. URI. No matter how you phrase it, when these two in-state adversaries meet, you know what you are going to get: a fast-paced, aggressive and physical battle between two unrelenting teams that love to play each other.

Over 5,000 fans got just that when the two Ocean State rivals met in the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island Wednesday night.

In his last game against URI, Steven Spieth ’17 wanted to leave his mark.

“We want to show that we belong playing against them,” Spieth said. “We can compete against anyone.”

With last year’s narrow overtime loss still fresh in their minds, the members of Brown’s (1-2) squad matched No. 21 URI’s (3-0) physicality, but the shots did not fall for the Bears. URI senior Hassan Martin defended the paint with fervor, racking up six blocks in the first half. On the other end of the floor, the Rams shot well, resulting in a 36-21 lead over the Bears with 4:30 left in the first half. Bruno cut the deficit to eight at the break, with Rhody leading 41-33.

While two of the three starting guards, Obie Okolie ’19 and Tavon Blackmon ’17, were under the weather, they still played substantial portions of the contest. The third member of

Bruno’s starting backcourt, Brandon Anderson ’20, came into his own. Before the game, Spieth said that Anderson was adjusting well to the speed of the college game. “I think he’ll have a good night,” he added.

Spieth was right. The 6-foot-1 freshman contributed 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals on the night.

In the second half, the Bears clawed back into the game. With 3:36 left to play, the score was 70-65 in the Rams’ favor. But Brown could not bring it any closer. Rhode Island held on for a 79-72 win.

Brown has now lost eight of the last nine matchups with URI, with its last win coming in 2011.

Despite the close win, URI shot 57.7 percent from the field, 19 percentage points better than Brown’s 38.7 percent shooting.

Spieth posted yet another impressive stat line on the night, scoring 21 points in 38 minutes of play, both game highs. He added five rebounds, four assists and two steals. This marks the second straight game in which Spieth has gone over 20 points.

Travis Fuller ’19 again provided help off of the bench. The forward scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

Despite his illness, Blackmon supplied the Bears with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal.

This Saturday, Brown will step on the court with a Marist team (0-3) that is still licking its wounds after a 107-65 beatdown courtesy of URI. Sunday, Bruno will matchup against Albany (2-1). Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Brandon Anderson ’20 looks to drive against a Rhode Island defender Wednesday. Despite the loss, the firstyear had a breakout game against the No. 21 Rams, contributing 16 points in his third collegiate game.

The Cy Young goes to … Rick Porcello?

CHARLIE BLASBERG sports columnist

Rick Porcello’s American League Cy Young Award continues a year that could not get any stranger: First, the best team in NBA history, up 3-1 in the finals, loses to a team from Cleveland. Then, the Cubs win the World Series for the first time in 108 years.

After that, a reality TV star (whose name shall not be printed in this column) wins the presidential election.

Finally, Porcello, who last year was a bust of enormous proportions, is named the best pitcher in the American League. I should buy a lottery ticket before this wild year ends.

Porcello came to the Red Sox in the spring before the team’s 2015 train wreck. That year, the Sox finished in last place for the second consecutive year and third time in four years, and much of the blame fell on the team’s underperforming offseason acquisitions — especially Porcello. The Red Sox signed him to a four-year, $82.5 million contract, and with each start

the righty made, the city of Boston collectively gasped as that money seemed to go down the drain.

He finished the 2015 season with 15 losses and an ERA just under five. Some attributed his poor performance to a nagging injury. Others said he needed more time to get used to the new atmosphere in Boston. Remaining critics said that his solid 2014 season was an aberration — he just wasn’t a good pitcher to begin with. Whatever the reason for his unimpressive pitching last season, he was still surprisingly composed on the mound and in interviews. While he was being crucified by an entire city, Porcello was a class act and gave honest, articulate answers to radio and television show questions.

Porcello continued the trend of players who needed a grace period to get used to Boston. Rarely will a player succeed in his first year after arriving on the Red Sox’s roster from another team, especially if he’s getting the big bucks. Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez are just three examples of former All-Stars seemingly forgetting how to play baseball for their first season in Beantown. For most, the game comes easi-

er as time goes on; for others, the road stays rocky.

The team clearly stated its reservations about Porcello by signing David Price before the 2016 season. But Porcello responded to his initial Boston woes with a stunning season. Porcello in 2016 was the epitome of consistency and dependability, pitching 223 innings and finishing with a record of 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA. Porcello’s success shows that the Red Sox may have been a little hasty in giving former General Manager Ben Cherington the boot. He either brought in or cultivated the talent that proved essential to the Red Sox this year: Porcello, Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and many others. Had the Red Sox kept Cherington another year, the criticism that boiled to the surface last year would have taken the form of praise after seeing how his projects paid off in 2016. The fickle Boston fans and media can turn on old favorites on a dime, and Cherington, who brought in a Cy Young winner and cultivated an MVP runner-up, fell victim to Boston’s need to find someone to blame for losing teams.

While Porcello has never had the

stuff that will blow away hitters, he located his two-seam fastball on the corners of the plate and countered his heater with effective breaking pitches. The movement on his pitches wasn’t his greatest weapon this season; rather, his ability to locate his fastball consistently was his main weapon in getting outs. He used his fastball to get ahead in counts and finished at-bats with off-speed pitches down in the strike zone, primarily his slider and change-up, forcing ugly swings and weak contact. Porcello was nearly 100 strikeouts shy of the Major League lead, yet he had the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in baseball at 5.91, which speaks to the efficacy of his accuracy.

Porcello was also an outstanding pitcher with men on base. He seemed to save his best stuff for these clutch moments in games. The key was that he located his breaking pitches low in the strike zone and forced countless double plays to neutralize offensive threats. Porcello’s high win total is a function of his being a phenomenal situational pitcher. He knows the right times to be aggressive and conservative.

The Cy Young voters clearly took

Porcello’s ability to pitch the Red Sox to victory into account in their decision. The only two categories that Porcello led the league in this season were wins and strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was over a point higher than the Major League’s leading ERA (Kyle Hendricks’ 2.13) and way off pace for the strikeout title. His primary asset was winning games. While the win statistic for pitchers is often not indicative of a pitcher’s dominance because it also relies on offensive production, the statistic does show a pitcher’s ability to command the game into the late innings, which is a valuable asset to any team.

After Porcello’s flop last season, who would have thought that just a year later he would have etched his name in Red Sox history as just the fourth Boston pitcher to win the Cy Young Award? Jim Lonborg, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martínez and Rick Porcello — it has a ring to it. Perhaps Porcello can succeed Jon Lester as the next legendary Red Sox pitcher.

Got something to say? Leave a comment online!

Charlie Blasberg ’18 can be reached at charles_blasberg@brown.edu.

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