Monday, December 5, 2016

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 117

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Students compete for most extreme gingerbread house Judges scored houses on aesthetics, ability to withstand simulated earthquake

By JULIANNE CENTER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Society of Women Engineers held its 10th annual Extreme Gingerbread House Competition in Barus and Holley Friday. Competitors used graham crackers, icing, marshmallows, gumdrops, cereal, gummy sharks and more sweets to produce aesthetically pleasing and earthquake-durable houses to be judged by engineering faculty members.

Around the packed Barus and Holley lobby were determined participants full of holiday spirit. Tables covered in colorful candy supplies were skirted by teams’ individual working tables.

Participants could be heard strategizing amidst the chaos.

“This is like Project Runway,” one spectator said.

“This is a really sticky situation — am I right?” a participant said as he attempted to wipe icing off his hands.

SWE puts on one event a week, with professional development workshops, tutoring programs, first-year study hours and other community-building activities in the lineup. But this competition was the largest event SWE has ever put on, with 30 teams of up to five participants, said Sarah Dugan ’17,

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Bears top Army to snap losing streak Corcoran ’19 tallies two goals, Bruno holds Black Knights to 23 shots on net in 3-1 victory

By ALEXANDRA RUSSELL STAFF WRITER

ANITA SHEIH / HERALD

Students pose with their gingerbread creation. The Society of Women Engineers changed the rules for the competition because participants were bringing in tools like hair dryers and drills to enhance their houses. co-president of SWE. The goal of the event was to bring people together and raise exposure for the club, Dugan said.

While the event was open to all students — engineering or non-engineering — it aimed to attract the club’s focus group of female engineering students, Dugan added.

Participants had 60 minutes to build a hollow gingerbread house exceeding six inches long by six inches wide by six inches high that could withstand earthquakes created by a shake table.

Scoring was based on a combination

of aesthetics and the house’s ability to withstand a simulated earthquake on the shake table.

The event’s rules have changed over the years “because people were getting too good,” Dugan said. SWE has had to ban outside tools, as people brought objects like hair dryers to dry frosting and drills to improve their designs, said Jenna Baker ’19, SWE’s outreach director. “People get really competitive,” she added.

Rachel Murai ’17, an engineering concentrator, and her team “The

Master-elf Sleigh-ers” were among the teams “back for redemption.” She and her friends participated last year but did not secure the highly sought-after prize.

Sarah Lettes ’19, Marlis Flinn ’19 and their team “Baguette” also competed last year, but their gingerbread house crumbled before making it to the shake table. In their second attempt for success, they decided on an igloo design with marshmallows used as mortar, Lettes said.

While “Baguette” consists largely » See COMPETITION, page 3

The men’s ice hockey team recovered from a string of losses with a win this weekend, defeating Army Saturday by a tally of 3-1. Bruno outshot the Black Knights (7-6-1, 7-4-0 AHA) by a margin of 35-23.

Charlie Corcoran ’18 led the Bears (2-8-0, 1-5-0 ECAC) with two goals in the contest, earning the game’s second star. Corcoran opened scoring action at 9:39 in the first period with a onetimer off a pass from Max Willman ’18 on the right.

The Black Knights took advantage of a 4-on-3 power play, scoring at 8:43 in the second. Corcoran’s second goal of the game, his sixth of the season, travelled past Army netminder Parker Gahagen » See M. HOCKEY, page 2

Research finds improvement WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Bruno bests URI, PC for tournament title in children’s eating habits Disparities still remain across race, class despite increased awareness of importance of healthy diet

By FIDELITY BALLMER STAFF WRITER

Brown researcher Xiao Gu GS conducted an analysis of the diets of children in the United States and found that though childrens’ overall nutrition has markedly improved, it is still far from the ideal. Gu also found that disparities in nutrition exist across race and income.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study looks at the diets of 38,487 children from 1999 to 2012 and uses the Healthy Eating Index 2010 to gauge progress.

According to corresponding author Katherine Tucker, professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the HEI-2010 is “designed to address the dietary guidelines for Americans” and is a “grade of how you are eating in relation to how you should be eating.”

INSIDE

Each of the 10 contributing component factors are ranked on a scale of zero to 10 and totaled to make up the score, Tucker said.

Using information from the last 14 years, the study found that nutrition has improved but has only reached a high of 50.9 out of 100, a significant increase from 42.5 in 1999. There were multiple factors that contributed to this improvement, including increased intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as “decreased consumption of refined grains and empty calories.”

The data is based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a survey research program conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Gu said the most significant reason the score improved was a decrease in the consumption of empty calories, which accounted for one-third of the total rise. Despite this reduction in empty calories, sodium intake has increased over the last 14 years, he added.

One important finding is that » See DIETS, page 3

22 points from tournament MVP Will ’19 lifts Bears over Friars in championship game

By CAL BARASH-DAVID STAFF WRITER

All week, Head Coach Sarah Behn had been telling her team that she wanted the cup. Saturday the women’s basketball team set out to get it.

The team did not have to look far in order to find an in-state rival this weekend. Brown hosted the inaugural Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament at the Pizzatola Center. The four-team tournament included Brown, University of Rhode Island, Providence College and Bryant.

Brown (5-3) tipped off against URI (5-5) Saturday in its first game of the tournament.

Captain Megan Reilly ’18 said that the games against the in-state opponents meant a lot to the team. “We want to be the best team in Rhode » See W. BBALL, page 2

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Megan Reilly ’18 drives to the basket Sunday in the championship game of the Ocean State Tip-Off Tournament. The Bears defeated the Friars 77-70.

WEATHER

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

SPORTS Men’s basketball continues streak with smothering defense against Central Connecticut State

SPORTS Wrestling competes against nationally ranked competitors at Hofstra tournament

COMMENTARY Savello ’18: Weighing gender in admission heteronormative, not in line with Brown’s values

COMMENTARY Krishnamurthy ’19: Republicans’ use of ‘out-of-touch’ ironic given party’s disconnect from reality

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SPORTS

PAGE 2 • MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» W. BBALL, from page 1

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Max Gottlieb ’19 handles the puck behind the net in a game earlier this season at Meehan Auditorium. Gottlieb finished plus-one and registered two shots on goal in Bruno’s 3-1 win over Army West Point Saturday.

» M. HOCKEY, from page 1 off of a rebound late in the second period, giving Bruno a 2-1 lead going into the third.

Sam Lafferty ’18 picked up three points in the matchup, recording one goal and two assists. Late in the third period, Lafferty contributed an unassisted empty net goal to widen Bruno’s lead over the Black Knights and ultimately give the Bears their second win this season.

“I thought we had a solid team effort,” Lafferty wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.

“We played hard for a full 60 minutes, and I thought we controlled the game.”

“As a team, our breakout was a lot better last night. That allowed us to possess the puck more and play more offense,” Lafferty added.

Netminder Gavin Nieto ’20 posted a strong performance in the contest, stopping 22 shots in his first career win for the Bears and earning the game’s first star.

It was Nieto’s seventh start as Brown’s

goalie, and his .957 save percentage for the game is his best mark this year.

With a double-header against Union and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute taking place next weekend, the Bears will look to improve upon their one-win conference record.

“We feel very confident,” Lafferty wrote. “We know if we play our game we can beat anyone.”

Bruno will host Union Friday and RPI Saturday in Meehan Auditorium at 7 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

Island,” she said.

From the outset, the Bears were tasked with breaking URI’s half-court press. Thanks to aggressive dribbling and sharp ball movement, they did just that. Erika Steeves ’19 scored 11 points in the first quarter. Her teammates would pick her out as she cut to the basket, resulting in easy layups.

At one point, Reilly punished a cheating defender with a precise lob pass to Steeves. It was this kind of passing and unselfish play that made Bruno so successful. “We had great chemistry today,” Reilly said. The Bears dished out 15 assists on the night.

Shayna Mehta ’19 came on strong in the second quarter, scoring on three straight Brown possessions. Mehta’s superior quickness was too much for URI, and the sophomore guard was able to cut to the basket at will and convert for the Bears.

Bruno took a 48-33 lead into the halftime break.

Throughout the game, Brown showed a desire to run the court.

Behn would motivate the team from the bench, encouraging them to bring the ball up the court quickly. This fast and physical style of play resulted in numerous visits to the foul line for the Bears. But Brown had trouble converting from the stripe, shooting 20-34 on the night. Despite its free throw woes, Bruno led by as much as 22.

Even with a considerable lead of more than 15 points in the fourth quarter, Bruno continued to push the tempo. The team likes to run the floor as it has the speed and shooters who can knock down shots in transition, Reilly said.

Brown only slowed down when Rhody brought the game close. In the fourth quarter, the Bears failed to score for five straight minutes. Consequently, the Rams cut Bruno’s lead to seven with three minutes to play.

But the Rams couldn’t pull off the comeback, and the Bears closed out the game with a 76-65 win.

Where Bruno was selfless, Rhody’s

offense centered around one player: Charise Wilson, who led the Rams with 27 points, while no other URI player had more than 11.

Both Steeves and Mehta finished the game with double-doubles. Steeves scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Mehta tallied 15 points and snagged a game=high 11 rebounds.

The Bears entered the tournament final Saturday against then-undefeated Providence College (8-1).

While Bruno looked sharp at the beginning, the Friars took their first lead of the game with 1:30 left to play in the first quarter. Providence stretched the advantage to eight by the end of the quarter with its three-point shooting.

Brown battled back in the second, thanks in part to Providence’s inability to take care of the ball. The Friars had 13 first-half turnovers, while the Bears had only three.

Brown went into halftime with a 34-29 lead, and the game stayed competitive after the half. At the end of the third quarter, both teams traded threes and the Bears had a 51-50 lead going into the final stanza.

Brown widened the margin, but Providence closed the gap, bringing itself within one with about four minutes left to play. Providence stayed in the contest with its three-point shooting, but conversions from the line closed out the game for Bruno. Brown handed Providence its first loss of the season with a final score of 77-70. With its third consecutive win, Bruno hoisted the tournament cup as the best team in Rhode Island.

Will finished the game with a gamehigh 22 points, while Mehta and Abby O’Keefe ’20 added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mary Butler ’19 also provided the Bears with a double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds. For her efforts over the weekend, Butler was selected to the all-tournament team. Will was selected as MVP of the tournament.

Bruno travels to Vermont Thursday in the hopes of capturing its fourthstraight win.

NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

»COMPETITION, from page 1 of humanities concentrators, the engineering competition has become something of a tradition for them.

“We’re just a group of friends who play basketball together,” Flinn added.

“We’re a grain-based team. We think a lot about carbs, so when we heard about an event centered around graham crackers, we had to come!”

Lettes said.

Team “E=Hammer^2” went for a Gothic style with its gingerbread house, creating thick walls and external supports like those seen on cathedrals, Diana Perkins ’19 said. “Hopefully we’ll make an earthquake-resistant house and get into the Christmas spirit!”

Perkins said.

“Durability is worth more than aesthetics, so that’s our primary concern,” said another participant, Ross Kliegman ’20. His team’s strategy for success was to build a house of structurally sound triangles stuck together by icing with ground graham crackers to create earthquake resilient friction. “That’s just engineering stuff,” he added.

“Whatever candy we haven’t eaten yet will go on the structure,” said Kliegman, who was unconcerned with the aesthetic portion of the competition.

For “Baguette,” the appearance of the house was the main concern. “We study art history — we like aesthetics,” Flinn said.

President Christina Paxson P’19 also got her hands dirty by joining a team of SWE members to compete. “I just heard about it and thought it would be fun,” Paxson said as she attempted to wipe marshmallow goo off her hands with a napkin.

“Honestly, Christina Paxson is really into it,” said Rachel Sheinberg ’19, internal communications director of SWE and one of Paxson’s teammates.

As the competition neared its end, not everyone felt so confident. Shouts proclaiming, “We’re having a crisis!” could be heard from one side of the room, though Kliegman said he was able to “keep his composure.”

Despite the anticipation, hard work and careful strategizing that went into each gingerbread house, only three teams could be named winners: the “Solar Bears,” “Fizzing Whizbees” and “Team A.” The teams received one giftcard to Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s or Duck and Bunny.

ELENA WEISSMANN / HERALD

» DIETS, from page 1 non-Hispanic black children have a worse dietary quality than non-Hispanic white children, Gu said, adding that this could be due to different diets, like red meats. He is working on a follow-up study on this particular disparity.

For Gu, this research is important because children are in need of special support when it comes to their diets.

“Children are the most vulnerable group in our society. They can’t really decide what to eat. … (Their) parents should take the responsibility to choose healthy foods for (their) children,” Gu said, adding that nutrition programs are also important.

Patricia Markham Risica, assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences, said the boost could be attributed to increased awareness among parents as well as paying more attention to nutrition in restaurants and school cafeterias.

“There has been a change in requirements for school lunches,” Risica said. “There’s been a lot of hard work going on among school systems and cafeterias to provide healthier and tastier healthy foods so it’s not only healthier, but kids are actually eating it,” she added.

Risica also pointed toward healthier beverage options and more fruits and vegetables in fast food restaurants as well as a general increase in awareness

to establish healthy eating habits.

The study also found that the HEI score of children whose families receive food stamps — or on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — lagged behind those not on the program, while those on the Women, Infants and Children program did better.

Tucker and Gu said that those on SNAP may be more likely to buy cheap, unhealthy foods than those on the WIC program since the WIC program limits food vouchers to healthy options, such as grains, fruits and dairy products.

This disparity should not be attributed to the food stamp programs themselves, Risica said. Rather, it’s a

testament to the fact that those who are low-income may be more exposed to marketing for unhealthy foods and lack an education on healthy foods, she added.

For Tucker and Gu, understanding and studying the health of children is vitally important to maintaining childrens’ health in later life.

“What we know and what we’re learning is that diet is so centrally related to our lifelong health, including later risk of chronic disease, osteoporosis, heart disease (and) even cancer,” Tucker said. “If we don’t get children eating well and maintaining healthy body weight, that translates into adulthood and has long-term life consequences.”

SPORTS

PAGE 4 • MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Sports Roundup

BY TANEIL RUFFIN, SPORTS EDITOR

Track and Field In their season-opening meet, the men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted the 31st Alden Invitational Saturday. The meet was attended

by Bryant, Univeristy of Rhode Island, UMass Lowell and Assumption.

The inaugural competition of the 2016-2017 season was characterized by numerous record-breaking performances from both teams — a good sign for the Bears. Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Tim Springfield said he “couldn’t be more pleased” with Saturday’s showing, according to a Brown Athletics press release.

The women were dominant on the field. Shanelle DeJournett ’17 took first place in the high jump. DeJournett’s clearance tied the highest mark in program history. The senior now shares the record with Lindsay Taylor ’01, who topped the program’s leaderboard first in 1997. The Offiaeli sisters — Maxine Offiaeli ’18 and Kendra Offiaeli ’20 — impressed at the invitational’s throwing events. Maxine Offiaeli notched the third-best showing in the hammer throw in program history with her 59-11.25 toss.

The performance was also good enough for first place amongst the field of 18 throwers. In her first competitive meet, Kendra Offiaeli claimed another first-place finish for the Bears in the shot put. The younger Offiaeli threw for a distance of 45-11.25 — the eighth-longest in Brown’s women’s track and field’s record books. The Bears garnered two more first-place finishes and entries into the record books in field events with jumps from Rachel McMahon ’19 and Zion Lewis ’20. McMahon topped the field of long jumpers with her jump of 18-06.50, and Lewis dominated triple jump with a leap of 38-10.25.

The men’s team also found some marked success on the field. Taylor Alarcon ’17 led the way for the Bears. The senior took home first place for the Bears in two jumping events. Alarcon jumped to a mark of 7.02 meters in the long jump and a distance of 14.89 meters in the triple jump.

Additionally, Owen Russell ’19 claimed first place in the weight toss with a 65-11.00 throw. The throw put Russell in the record books as the secondbest throw in program history.

While the meet featured commanding performances on the field, both the women’s and men’s teams found some success on the track. On the men’s side, Brian Pfaff ’18 took first place in the 60-meter race as he crossed the finish line at 6:92 — the eighth-best all-time finish for the race. The Bears also won the men’s 1,000-meter and 3,000 meter races. The women took first place in the 1,000-meter race, the mile and the 3,000-meter.

Next up, Bruno will travel to Boston and participate in the Northeastern Jay Carisella Dec. 10 for its last competition of 2016.

Swimming and Diving The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams hosted the threeday Bruno Invitational this weekend. Dartmouth, Princeton, Rider and Rutgers were all in attendance at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center.

Both men’s and women’s teams for Brown took the lead after the first day of competition. The women’s team used first-place finishes in several events to surpass the points of its competitors. One of the Bears’ relay teams won the 200m freestyle, and Tatiana Prendella ’19 won the 500m freestyle Friday night. Saturday, Bruno took first in the 200 medley relay with a 1:40.62 finish.

The men set the tone for the competition Friday night, opening the tournament with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay. The 1:20.41 finish bodes well for the Bears as it was about a second faster than the team’s finish at the 2016 Ivy Championships. The Bears continued to stretch their lead Saturday as relay teams claimed first and second place in the 200m medley relay.

Bruno will return to competition in the new year when it takes on Penn and Harvard Jan. 13 and 14.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Co-captain Tavon Blackmon ’17 led all scorers with 21 points Saturday in Brown’s win over Central Connecticut State. Blackmon is averaging 11.8 points per game and 4.2 assists, helping Bruno to four consecutive victories.

Bears continue winning ways against CCSU Brown’s stifling second-half defensive performance fuels 17-point victory

By EMILE BAUTISTA STAFF WRITER

Last season, the men’s basketball team upended Central Connecticut State (24) with an excellent first-half showing.

This time around, it was a smothering defensive performance in the second half that fueled its 75-58 victory against the Blue Devils in a matinee matchup Saturday. Co-captain Tavon Blackmon ’17 led by example with 21 points off of 4-for-5 shooting from the field and 11-for-12 from the free throw line, while adding four assists. The victory extended Bruno’s (5-4) winning streak to four and elevated its record above .500 for the first time since the team’s 2014-15 campaign.

The game started out close between the two competitors, with Tidell Pierre scoring CCSU’s first six points. The Bears responded with a 13-4 run to take an early five-point advantage, capped off by a Travis Fuller ’19 layup. Like he has done several times this season, Fuller provided valuable help off the bench, contributing six points, six rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes of court time.

Kevin Seymour nailed a shot from beyond the arc to tie the game at 21 apiece with 6:43 left in the half. Not to be outdone, Bruno scored six unanswered points — four of which came from Blackmon — before pushing its

lead to 30-23 with a Brandon Anderson ’20 trey.

CCSU battled back with its own 6-0 run, punctuated by a Khalen Cumberlander dunk to reduce the deficit to one. Cumberlander kept his team within shouting distance by scoring the Blue Devils’ last seven points to tie the contest at 34-34 with 18 seconds left in the half. But Obi Okolie ’19 sunk a three just before intermission to give Bruno a slim 37-34 lead. The Bears would not surrender their advantage for the rest of the contest, despite CCSU converting 54 percent of its shots.

The second stanza began with the Bears pushing the lead to seven, beginning with back-to-back Joshua Howard ’20 layups. On the team’s next bucket, co-captain Steven Spieth ’17 added to his ever-growing list of program accolades: A three-pointer officially moved him into 25th place on Bruno’s all-time scoring list.

After a three-minute scoring drought, Bruno’s lead ballooned to double digits when Chris Sullivan ’19 drained a three-pointer with 8:10 left to play.

From there, the Bears maintained a high level of defensive pressure to keep the Blue Devils at bay. Bruno made the most of its defensive pressure, forcing CCSU into a season-high 18 turnovers. The Bears capitalized on their defensive effort, turning the CCSU turnovers into 22 points. Though the Bears committed 19 turnovers themselves, the Blue Devils could only translate that into a measly six points. In addition, Pierre’s layup with 4:32 left marked CCSU’s first points

in almost seven minutes. Meanwhile, Bruno coupled this defensive pressure with a prolific offense, extending the lead to 12.

“We forced a lot of turnovers because of our half court defense,” Blackmon said. “I think it all started with Brandon Anderson honestly. He was pressuring the ball really well and getting his hands on the ball a lot. …

The guys just picked it up from there after seeing him.”

Between a stifling Bears defense and complete lack of production by the Blue Devils, the host had no chance of finding a way back into the contest. Not only would Bruno sustain a double-digit lead for the remaining minutes — ­ peaking at a 20-point difference — but CCSU would also only make one more field goal. Bruno’s 7558 win was its largest margin of victory of the season thus far.

The second half highlighted the potential of Bruno’s defense when the team is locked in. The Bears held CCSU to only 9-for-27 from the field, including the seven-minute scoreless stand. It wasn’t the prettiest day for Brown shooting either though, but its defense carried the load.

“I think the key to our success on the defensive end in the second half was our transition defense,” Blackmon said. “In the first half, they got a lot of easy points in transition, and we corrected that problem in the second.”

The Bears look to continue their hot streak when they head downtown to face crosstown rival Providence College Tuesday at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

TODAY

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

at at t e n t i o n

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Rhode To Italy, Caprese, Chicken Ranch Grinder Sandwiches JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Pork-N-Rings Panini

Soup: Turkey Chili, Spinach and Feta, Chicken Noodle

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Savory Chicken Stew, Black Eyed Pea Gumbo, Fresh Vegetable Melange

Chicken Curry, Beef Strip Shish Kabobs, Parslied Rice, Steamed Baby Carrots, Brownies

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Hot Roast Beef Sandwich, Macaroni and Cheese, Sauteed Zucchini With Rosemary

Moo Shu Chicken, Moo Shu Tofu, Roast Pork Loin Calypso, Portuguese Sweet Bread

sudoku

MAXWELL SIMEON / HERALD

Attendees of the Student National Medical Association conference at Brown Alpert Medical School listen in earnest as Dr. Gregory C. Townsend, a clinical expert in the care and treatment of individuals with HIV, lectured Saturday.

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

“Whatever candy we haven’t eaten yet will go on the structure.” crossword

— Ross Kliegman ’20

See competition on page 1.

calendar TODAY DECEMBER

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Applied Music Program Winds Recital 4:00 P.M. Fulton Rehearsal Hall

Candy for Final Exams 4:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, Upper Blue Room

LGBTQ and Queer Alliance Town Hall 6:00 P.M. List Art Building, 110

69th Annual Latin Carol Celebration 8:00 P.M. First Baptist Church

TOMORROW Applied Music Program Jazz Recital 4:00 P.M. Fulton Rehearsal Hall

Russian Cartoon Night 5:00 P.M. Marston Hall

Public Health Harvest Festival 5:00 P.M. 121 S. Main Street, 3rd floor

Jazz Combos Concert 8:00 P.M. Grant Recital Hall

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

L IO R A M O R HAY I M

comic Sabotaged | Richard Huang

www.browndailyherald.com

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COMMENTARY MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Gender should play no role in admissions SAMANTHA SAVELLO staff columnist

This December, as early decision admission results loom, it’s important to consider the methodology that goes into accepting students to Brown. While GPA, standardized tests and activities are all wellknown for being high priority factors in the decision, a lesser known factor is also influencing the application process — and, as Jon Birger ’90 argued recently in The Herald, not in a positive way.

As The Herald reported, 50 percent more women currently apply to Brown than males. By logical inference, this could mean that qualified women are turned away in order to maintain a balanced gender ratio.

According to the article, universities argue that relatively even gender ratios are important and necessary — few liberal arts college dares to go beyond the 60/40 split for fear of creating a lopsided environment and making the school less appeal-

ing to potential applicants. But what exactly makes it so unappealing? Is this inherently detrimental to a quality education?

In a world where gender roles are transforming drastically and the definition of gender itself is beginning

structed binary is hypocritical to the Brown community’s strong liberal stance. It doesn’t reflect the ideals of a place where students give each other the space to introduce themselves and their gender pronouns at club meetings, for example. Additionally,

ratio obsession stems back to the concept of maximizing the appeal for prospective students, which is based on outdated ideas. According to this style of thinking — which we can liken to heteronormative dating culture — too many male students

In a world where gender roles are transforming drastically and the definition of gender itself is beginning to change even in the mainstream, the strict focus on these ratios in admission decisions doesn’t seem to make sense.

to change even in the mainstream, the strict focus on these ratios in admission decisions doesn’t seem to make sense. This is especially relevant given Brown’s focus on diversity. Using resources to manufacture a balance based on a socially con-

many students do not identify with a gender, are fluid between genders or are transgender, which is why the process of meeting benchmarks according to the gender binary is problematic.

One logical explanation for this

and not enough female students might deter males from coming, and vice versa, because of slimmer pickings and more competition in the dating pool. Though that might have been an important determining factor back in the 1800s, in the twen-

ty-first century, we cannot base our standards on this type of heteronormativity.

More evidence of the outdated mindsets of college administrators is found in the current tactics they employ to entice more men to apply to their schools. Some colleges, for example, are building more football programs to increase the number of male applicants. But, in reality, this ‘solution,’ which is largely based on the gendered stereotype that men like football, is highly flawed.

Ultimately, the University should reevaluat its consideration of gender ratios in the admission process and the true motives behind them. If the ratios are simply in place to maintain backwards, heteronormative stereotypes, then it is not fitting for Brown and its applicants. And if there is a more rational or nuanced reason for it, they should make it clear to those it affects. We don’t endorse such practices on campus, so why are they present in our admission process?

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

Out of touch should go out of style ANUJ KRISHNAMURTHY staff columnist There’s nothing Republicans hate more than identity politics. It’s a long-standing conservative tradition: Way back in 2013, one Breitbart writer bemoaned, “Identity politics, as practiced by Democrats, is dehumanizing and horrible.” The irony, of course, is that Republicans are playing the exact same game. Just take the meaningless phrase “out-of-touch,” which has been enthusiastically co-opted by an emboldened American right. It’s appeared in virtually every conservative op-ed I’ve read since Nov. 8 — and it drives me bonkers. Out-of-touch is just a concealed way of telling non-whites, non-Christians, non-heterosexuals — anyone that disagrees with the Republican Party’s unpalatable ideological cocktail or is otherwise left disempowered by it — that their preferences, lived experiences and realities don’t matter and aren’t “in touch.” Those maddening three words, out-of-touch, arraign Democrats’ disconnect from the concerns of white, working-class people from the American heartland as if only their concerns are relevant to everyone else.

But, here’s a groundbreaking thought: What if it’s the white dudes, angry at everyone who doesn’t look like them, read the same holy book or share their own vision for America, who are out-of-touch? Truth is, I don’t see what’s so out-of-touch about the people who voted for Hillary Clinton — the college-educated, the urban dwellers, women, underrepresented minorities. Is it out-of-touch to pursue self-advancement in the form of a college degree — often paid for through student loans or working multiple shifts a week during the school year — or a career in the city? Is it outof-touch to be a woman who is repulsed by President-Elect Donald Trump’s misogyny or a person of color fearful of Trump’s appeal as a “law-and-order” candidate? I don’t think so.

In fact, maybe the gleeful commentators over at Breitbart and The National Review

have it all backwards; maybe it’s the regular employers of the phrase out-of-touch who are massively detached from the realities of the twenty-first century. In a modern economy, it’s patently out-of-touch to denounce higher education as elitist and to callously denounce the expertise of climate scientists as groundless blasphemy. And, in a multicultural society, it’s unforgivably out-of-touch to talk about Mexicans and Muslims in cruel terms and apply gross generalizations to vulnerable swaths of humanity. (The hypocrisy is mind-numbing: Just imagine, for a moment, the hell that Republicans would raise if Clinton, during a

culture, the elevation of white supremacists to prominent posts in the White House — that basket of crazy is more reasonable, though.

That’s just politics.

What makes the whole out-of-touch rubbish all the more infuriating is that white America maintains an unjust stranglehold on our country’s political outcomes in the form of the Electoral College, which redistributes political power to heartland states at the expense of more populous, more prosperous states. As Steven Johnson argues in The New York Times, blue states — with urban economies driven by diverse constituencies, ad-

Indeed, the only reason conservatives care about how outof-touch young Democrats are in their enthusiastic embrace of political correctness and identity politics is because the white male monopoly on American-ness has encountered reinvigorated resistance.

stump speech, claimed all white men must be psychopathic killers since the majority of mass shootings since 1982 have been perpetrated by white guys.)

Indeed, the only reason conservatives care about how out-of-touch young Democrats are in their enthusiastic embrace of political correctness and identity politics is because the white male monopoly on American-ness has encountered reinvigorated resistance. Of course, it’s only out-of-touch identity politics when the identities being preserved belong to gays, women or minorities. The acceptance of white nationalism, the restoration of white

vanced education and multicultural values — contribute more money to federal coffers than red states do, without receiving electoral representation proportional to their populations.

The result is a new sort of “taxation without representation,” whereby progressive constituencies cross-subsidize the fiscal irresponsibility of their conservative counterparts but have substantially less say in the election of the U.S. president. Consider New Jersey – the greatest state in the Union and my home state. For every dollar New Jersey pays to the federal government, it receives 61 cents in federal benefits; Wyoming, on the other hand, receives

$1.11 for each dollar contribution. Meanwhile, New Jersey has 15 times the population of Wyoming, but only about five times the votes in the Electoral College.

The classic Republican retort to all this is that young liberals on liberal campuses in liberal coastal states cannot possibly understand the concerns of the “other half ” of the country in the American Midwest. It’s true that I, born and raised in the suburbs of the northeast, don’t have any firsthand exposure to the struggles of a Texan cattle-rancher or an Idaho potato farmer. But the plagues of unemployment, opioid addiction and poverty are not unique to the white communities of the heartland. And further, the progressive prescription for these ills — increased federal spending in education and infrastructure, criminal justice reform and protections for minorities — are not antithetical to white interests. In fact, these policies are better at delivering prosperity than the Republican obsession with cutting taxes and regulations! That’s one reason why states like New Jersey, which has integrated itself successfully into the modern economy, are so wealthy, while states like Wyoming — still dependent on agriculture, still longing for the resurgence of manufacturing jobs that aren’t coming back — are not.

No matter the duplicitous politicking of extremist Republicans, though, I’m still hopeful. Trump’s election, as I’ve written before (“Krishnamurthy ’19: A republic of hope,” Nov. 10), is by no means the apocalpyse. In reality, Republican portrayals of liberals as disconnected whiners reflect a crescendoing desperation on their part. Their well-oiled strategy of instigating white, rural fears of crime and irrelevance may have worked this year, but as their policies of bluster inevitably fail — as they have in the past — the nation will soon learn how out-of-order these out-of-touch fanatics truly are.

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

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

WRESTLING

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Jon Viruet ’19 faces off against a Harvard opponent last season. Viruet has placed at all three tournaments for Bruno this season, finishing in fifth place in the 174-pound weight class.

Four Bears place at Journeymen Tussle Butterbrodt ’19 takes third place in 285-pound weight division in Hofstra tournament

By BEN SHUMATE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The wrestling team continued early season competition at the Journeymen Tussle Sunday, hosted by Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Bruno placed four competitors at the meet, which included some of the top teams in the country.

No. 12 Rutgers, No. 9 North Carolina State, Penn, Citadel, Campbell and Hofstra made up the rest of the seven-team field.

Facing off against top teams early in the year helps ready the team for conference competition, said cocaptain Michael Russo ’17. “Rutgers and NC State are really highly ranked

teams, so just to be able to get on the mat with them and be exposed to that level — we need that for sure.”

Brown’s highest finisher in the competition was Ian Butterbrodt ’19, who took home third place in the 285-pound weight class. Butterbrodt dropped an opening-round match to Campbell’s Jere Heino but rebounded for three consecutive wins.

At 184 pounds, CJ LaFragola ’19 finished in fourth, falling to NC State’s Nicky Hall in the third-place match.

Russo was matched up with teammate Trey Keeley ’20 in the fifth-place match at 125 pounds, eventually prevailing in a close 3-2 decision.

“That’s always tough when you have to wrestle your teammate,” Russo said. “We wrestle each other every day in practice, so we really know each others styles. Overall, I felt pretty confident on my feet. It was a grind until the end.”

Jon Viruet ’19 continued his solid

start to the season with a fifth-place finish in the 174-pound weight class.

The sophomore took home third place at Binghamton University’s Bearcat Open to start the season, followed by earning a fourth-place finish at the Navy Classic tournament.

In the “B” division at 133 pounds, Jimmy Pawelski ’20 wrestled to a perfect 5-0 record to finish first, defeating teammate Theodore Powers ’20 in the finals. Other B placers included Charlie Banaszak ’17, William MacDonald ’16, Richard Muniz ’16 and Josh Durso-Finley ’17.

Bruno won’t compete again until the Midlands Championships, hosted

by Northwestern Dec. 29 and 30 in Evanston, Ill. The annual tournament dates back 54 years and includes some of the top teams in the nation.

“We’ll definitely get some rest, train smart and just focus on areas we need to improve on from this weekend and past tournaments,” Russo said.