Wednesday, February 20, 2019 by The Brown Daily Herald

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE #18

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Nelson Entrepreneurship Center to relocate on Thayer

Wrestling sweeps EIWA rivals on Senior Day

Center to occupy top three floors of new building at 249 Thayer, support student entrepreneurs By AURIA ZHANG

Brown Bears clinch victory over Columbia on final match, top Hofstra with 24-12 win

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

By RYAN HANDEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Relocating from Hillel, the new Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship will provide a versatile, collaborative space for students to pursue their work on startups and venture companies. that they need. “The space overall will physical space that we’ve not had to group that helped make decisions about look very different from one minute to date,” Warshay said. The central space the Center’s design. “There is a lot of the next,” Warshay added. aims to “encourage students to work on … intentional thinking that has been The design will help initiate what their startups and venture opportuni- put into the design,” she said. One prihe calls “accidental collisions” of dif- ties,” he added. ority for the group was making it “an ferent points of view. “It’ll provide a Mechale participated in a focus » See NELSON, page 4

Five U. divisions move into renovated 164 Angell St. University groups move into collaborative hub that allows for more efficient research, innovation By CORRINE BAI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A proposed decrease in Providence PILOT state-to-city funding would reduce funding from $33,497,659 during the 2019 fiscal year to $29,400,443 during the 2020 fiscal year.

By JACKSON TRUESDALE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

2019 2020 35

Gov. Gina Raimondo’s proposed budget plan, released Jan. 17, included a cut to Rhode Island’s Payment In Lieu Of Taxes program that could lead to new taxes on the University’s non-mission related properties. If approved, the budget plan would cut approximately $6 million from Rhode Island’s PILOT program, which reimburses municipalities for taxes that nonprofit, tax-exempt institutions — including the University — do not pay. Compared to other states’ PILOT programs, Rhode Island’s current program is “considerably more expensive to state taxpayers,” wrote Brenna McCabe, public information officer for the Rhode Island Department of Administration, in an email to The Herald. While the budget cut to PILOT saves money statewide, it would leave a gap in Providence’s budget this year. Since PILOT funding is applied to the previous fiscal year’s budget,

INSIDE

Raimondo’s budget plan could allow for taxes on University’s non-mission related properties

As the scaffoldings came off of the University’s newest completed construction project, a renovation of 164 Angell St., occupants from five different divisions across campus moved into the office space. The building now houses the Carney Institute for Brain Science, the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, the Data Science Initiative, the Department of Education and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. Following the relocation of the administrative staff from 164 Angell St. — formerly known as the Brown Office Building — the space has transformed into a “vibrant multidisciplinary hub,” wrote Provost Richard Locke P’18 in an email to The Herald. The renovation not only improved the interior design and work environment for its occupants; it also allowed

for “several centers, institutes (and) departments” to move into the same building, Locke wrote. With related research centers and departments located in such proximity, the project aims to “promote greater synergies and opportunities for collaboration,” he added. The Brown Office Building was formerly characterized by its “narrow and dark interiors.” The renovation was anticipated to cost $24.6 million, The Herald previously reported. Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost, confirmed that the construction project was completed under budget. The physical changes to the building also came with a name change — from Brown Office Building to 164 Angell. “The transition from the long-held name of the BOB to 164 Angell has been relatively smooth,” Locke wrote. However, “renaming the facility is definitely an opportunity we would welcome,” Locke added. Occupants who have relocated into the building said that the administration’s vision of a collaborative working space has become a reality. Diane Lipscombe, director of the Carney Institute for Brain Science, said that the institute’s » See ANGELL ST, page 3

The men’s wrestling team took out Columbia and Hofstra University Saturday in two critical victories on their Senior Day. The dual against Columbia came down to the wire, with the Bears needing a win from Tucker Ziegler ’19 (197 lbs) in the final bout. Ziegler pulled through to win his match 7-3, completing a 1918 comeback victory for Bruno. Brown carried its momentum into the following dual against Hofstra, dominating the Pride in a 24-12 triumph. Along with Ziegler, several other seniors earned crucial victories. Jon Viruet ’19 (165 lbs), Christian LaFragola ’19 » See WRESTLING, page 3

State budget proposal cuts funding to city

Fiscal Year

The Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship will move to a new home at 249 Thayer St. this summer, said Danny Warshay ’87 P’20, executive director of the Nelson Center. The new four-story building is set to be completed in May, and the Center will use the top three floors, totaling about 10,500 square feet. The bottom floor will house a Shake Shack, The Herald previously reported. Since its founding in the fall of 2016, the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship has been located in the third floor of Brown RISD Hillel. The Center provides resources and programming to help students develop startups, said Saron Mechale ’19, a peer-entrepreneur-inresidence at the Nelson Center. Unlike its old home, the Nelson Center’s new space will have “no permanent walls,” Warshay said. Instead, there will be “pivotable partitions” that will allow students to create the spaces

Thousands of Dollars Source: State of Rhode Island Department of Revenue

SARAH MARTINEZ / HERLAD

Providence would face an unexpected $4 million budget gap this fiscal year, according to Emily Crowell, senior advisor for Mayor Jorge Elorza. “The mayor and the Providence delegation will continue to advocate for this funding to be restored,” Crowell wrote in an email to The Herald. In her budget plan, Raimondo

proposed “additional tools for municipalities to tax non-mission-related commercial property owned by large nonprofit institutions,” McCabe wrote in an email to The Herald. Raimondo hopes that these taxes would offset the proposed cuts to PILOT funding. “We oppose any measure to » See BUDGET, page 6

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

NEWS Study suggests HIV drug may be able to treat age-associated neurological diseases

NEWS Assistant linguistics professor works with students to preserve, catalog Cofán language

COMMENTARY Secondo ’16 GS: Amazon and Trump’s failures show detrimental inability to compromise

COMMENTARY Bielenberg ’20: University’s legacy admission policy in need of review and transparency

PAGE 2

PAGE 4

PAGE 7

TODAY

TOMORROW

33 / 28

53 / 30

NEWS

PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Study suggests HIV drug as treatment for age-related diseases

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Recent study shows retrotransposons in the human genome to be responsible for age-related diseases and other health challenges. The HIV drug Lamivudine showed potential in mice trials treating age-related neurological diseases caused by inflammation. After two weeks of treatment, the cells of old mice showed reduced signs of chronic inflammation.

Lamivudine found to mitigate symptoms of aging caused by DNA elements By EMILIJA SAGAITYTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

It is common knowledge that aging is a part of life, but a recent study aims to further unravel the mechanisms behind it. The study, published Feb. 6 in the journal Nature, indicates that remnants of ancient viruses with DNA in the human genome may be actively pushing humans toward the wrinkles and difficulties that manifest with old age. Promising results from a joint study between researchers at Brown and numerous other universities suggest an HIV drug, Lamivudine, could hinder these inherited molecules. This research has applications in potentially treating age-associated neurological diseases and other disorders, according to the study’s authors. Findings from this experiment indicated that LINE-1 — long interspersed nuclear elements and a type of retrotransposon — can lead to age-related inflammation, said Marco De Cecco, research assistant professor and the first author of the study. The study showed that cells recognize retrotransposons as foreign DNA and consequently prompt a response from the immune system to eliminate the supposed invaders, which leads to inflammation, he said. Unlike a typical virus, these out-of-place DNA molecules are not a one-time

occurrence; They keep triggering the immune response, heightening the level of inflammation over time, he added. Seeing “the (retrotransposable) elements (become) active in senescent cells was brand new,” De Cecco said, adding that “this was very, very exciting … and kind of opened the door for (a) hypothesis that we called aging by retrotransposition.” The team then wondered if the retrotransposons are not only correlated with age but if they cause signs of aging, he said. Silencing of these retrotransposons so that they wouldn’t be expressed minimized the immune response and inflammation, suggesting that the two were in fact interdependent, he added. Previously, De Cecco and other researchers at the University discovered that senescent cells — which are cells that do not divide — start to lose their order and compactness as pieces of their DNA drift out of the confines of the nucleus, which normally encapsulates all of the DNA in the cell, he said. These strands of DNA — called retrotransposons — are repetitive elements, meaning they are repeated throughout the genome. They are unique because of their origins in our genome, he added. Retrotransposons are essentially parasites on a molecular level, De Cecco said. They spread from one segment of DNA to another within the same cell by utilizing an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. This enzyme permits the retrotransposon’s RNA to be copied into DNA, he added. The RNA serves as a template for creating an identical DNA sequence for insertion elsewhere in the genome. It also produces proteins

inside the cytoplasm of a cell that facilitate retrotransposon’s transportation back into the nucleus, he said. After identifying a potential culprit for age-related inflammation, the next step was to find a potential way to stop the retrotransposons and their effects in their tracks. For that task, an HIV drug offered a promising solution. Lamivudine combats HIV by blocking the activity of the reverse transcriptase enzyme on the body’s own LINE-1 retrotransposons, said principal investigator of the study and Professor of Medical Science John Sedivy. Retrotransposable elements and HIV bear a close resemblance to each other as they both use reverse transcriptase to incorporate into the genome. As a result, researchers wanted to use the drug to try and block the activity of retrotransposons. Lamivudine — a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor — renders DNA synthesized by reverse transcriptase useless, De Cecco said. The team believes Lamivudine, which has successfully attacked LINE1 in senescent cells, could be used in aging-related treatments, but “no drugs are completely safe (and) every drug is going to have some side effects,” Sedivy said, adding that Lamivudine is deemed safer for patients than some other alternatives. If researchers could have a model with only one target to “specifically pinpoint a trigger of inflammation … that would be super exciting for so many applications,” De Cecco said. Identifying a possible way of accomplishing this is “a bit of a dream come true,” though “there’s a lot of work to

be done,” he added. “What we are proposing is one of the many potential unifying models for an aging theory,” De Cecco said. “We finally have one target,” which “allows everybody to try to take a step forward and now exploit that target to make life better for a lot of people,” he added. Taking the project from cells to complete organisms, the team then specifically tested the Lamivudine drug on mice under two treatment lengths: two weeks and six months. They were excited to see that short-term treatment was “highly, highly effective in dropping this inflammation,” De Cecco said. Due to the connection between LINE-1 retrotransposons, inflammation and senescent cells, which can build up in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s, the findings point to the possibility of applying HIV treatments to some neurological diseases, according to De Cecco. Nevertheless, De Cecco said the team will likely try to first explore possibilities of treating other burdens that come with age-related cellular senescence, such as pain and difficulty walking, as well as autoimmune disorders like arthritis. “We’re actively pursuing several avenues, trying to design the most appropriate study” and “would love to start testing something by the end of the year,” De Cecco said. The researchers hope to continue conducting experiments using mice and to perform tests on factors such as different tissues or age-associated diseases, Sedivy said. Furthermore, Sedivy thinks “it would be entirely feasible to do a study

in humans,” but figuring out the exact method and logistics could be a challenge. James Kirkland, a professor at the Mayo Clinic who has also looked into treatments for age-associated diseases but was not involved in the study, said the results were interesting, novel and important. He added that it fosters questions about drug and diagnostic test development specifically regarding “whether agents that target senescent cells based on this kind of approach would be beneficial in experimental animal models and also … people.” The experiment has helped to clarify knowledge of how the immune system responds to DNA that leaves the nucleus, making it a “beautiful piece of work,” said Judith Campisi, a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Campisi was not involved in the project but has studied cellular senescence, its connection to diseases associated with aging and anti-retroviral drugs. The research also provides “more mechanistic clarity in the origins of those pieces of DNA” and how retrotransposons could be harmful from an aging perspective, she added. According to Campisi, not all HIV drugs are identical, and some are known to actually increase aging in patients and result in the early onset of senescence. She added that it would be “terrible if people lump all anti-HIV drugs into the same category. ... Some of them will have extra benefits,” like Lamivudine, whereas others will not, she said.

Want daily headlines or weekly Brown Bites in your inbox? linktr.ee/browndailyherald

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» WRESTLING, from page 1 (184 lbs) and Ian Butterbrodt ’19 (285 lbs) all went 2-0. Butterbrodt fought his way to a key major decision against Columbia (8-5, 4-5 EIWA), while LaFragola took home an overtime victory against the Lions. Viruet locked up a cradle against Hofstra (6-13, 2-7) to get a first period pin, which was the fastest win of the day for Brown (6-6, 4-5). Head Coach Todd Beckerman noted that the two wins had extra significance — coinciding with Brown’s Senior Day. “We have a lot of alums that came back for this alumni and senior weekend, so to get a win in front of them is very special,” he said. Butterbrodt kicked off the match against Columbia with a commanding 10-0 win. Trey Keeley ’20 (125 lbs) kept the Bears rolling with an 8-6 win over Columbia’s Joe Manchio. Charlie Faber ’21 (133 lbs) gave up a pin in the next match despite earning the first takedown, but Theo Powers ’20 (141 lbs) got Bruno back on track with a 9-3 victory. Columbia chipped away at their deficit with a win at 149 pounds and took a 12-10 lead after a win at 157 pounds. Viruet’s 6-1 victory allowed Brown to briefly take back the advantage, but a dramatic pin with three seconds left

in the first period by Columbia’s Max Elling left Brown needing wins from both LaFragola and Ziegler to take the dual. The seniors stepped up to the task, as LaFragola grinded out a 3-1 overtime win over Brian Bonino, and Ziegler earned a 7-3 decision over Sam Wustefeld, giving the Bears a hard-fought 19-18 team victory over the Lions. “It was cool to see it get finished off by (Ziegler), that was a good way to end it,” Butterbrodt said. “It’s nine (wins) in row for me now, so I’m just enjoying myself and loving wrestling.” Against Hofstra, Butterbrodt again took care of business, knocking off Omar Haddad 2-0. The largest upset of either dual came at 125 pounds, as Trey Keeley won a back-and-forth battle over the Pride’s Dylan Ryder, who is ranked 27th in the nation. Keeley and Ryder traded takedowns and escapes in the first period, which ended in a 3-3 tie. Ryder took control on a single leg takedown in the second to give him a 6-3 lead, but Keeley fought back to a 6-5 deficit after two escapes. Keeley needed a late score to win the match, and he came up clutch with a takedown on a danger call and a late ride out to secure the 7-6 win. “It was my second ranked win of the year. I’m trying to get in those rankings, and have a bullseye on my back,” Keeley

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

Senior Tucker Ziegler faced off against Sam Wustefeld from Columbia, winning 7-3 and helping to secure the victory for Brown. The upcoming week holds the Bears’ final two meets of the season. said. “Beating guys like that is good (to win by LaFragola helped Bruno cruise last two meets. The Bears will travel to get) confidence as we head to March.” to the 24-12 win. Cambridge to take on Harvard Thursday, Powers picked up a win by forfeit, Brown will look to end their dual then will return home for their final apand Christian LaBrie ’19 (157 lbs) won season on a high note as they take on pearance in the Pizzitola Sports Center via a 6-1 decision as the Bears pulled two more Eastern Intercollegiate Wres- against Sacred Heart University Saturday. away from the Pride. Viruet’s pin and a tling Association foes next week in their

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

Christian LaFragola ’19 clinched a crucial 3-1 win in overtime against Brian Bonino of Columbia. The Bears’ decisive victories over the weekend coincided with the team’s Senior Day, when visiting alums showed up to support the team. Next week, the team will take on Harvard in Cambridge before returning home for their final match against Sacred Heart University.

» ANGELL ST, from page 1 relocation from near the athletic center allowed for “new exciting research and scholarship” opportunities. “I will never underestimate the value of proximity to stimulate collaboration,” she added. She especially appreciated the Carney Institute’s increased interaction with one of the building’s fellow occupants, the Data Science Initiative. The two research centers look forward to hosting joint workshops and engaging students at all levels. “The space is not dependent on what department (the researchers) are in, but on their desire

to be in a collaborative environment depending on what research they’re interested in,” Lipscombe added. Daniel Weinreich, interim director of the Center for Computational Molecular Biology, mirrored Lipscombe’s excitement about cross-disciplinary collaboration that is expected to take place in this new work space. The CCMB moved from two locations — the 9th floor of the Sciences Library and the second floor of the Center for Informational Technology. To Weinreich, the main opportunity provided by 164 Angell St. is the collaboration, both within his department and with other occupants

of the space, since the Computational Molecular Biology program involves “professors and students across biology, computer science and applied math.” The new building also features updated technology that makes communication and training sessions easier for the occupants, Weinreich said. Instead of “putting someone’s iPhone in the middle of the table” for conference calls with colleagues at a different institution, the CCMB could now have seamless video conferences using a projector, he said. 164 Angell St. also has a variety of multipurpose rooms that can accommodate small collaborative gatherings

among PhD and postdoctoral students or events such as a 40-person hack-athon, he added. The building’s occupants also praised the smoothness and efficiency of the moving process. “The University did a good job coordinating” the move, Lipscombe said. The University provided boxes and moving services, allowing the departments to relocate and begin operations in the new space in under a week, Weinreich said. However, the renovation did create considerable noise and disturbance to the bookstore located downstairs. TJ Cochran, store director of the Brown

Bookstore, said the process was “trying because of the noise.” Throughout the construction period, some of the Bookstore’s entrances were closed, Cochran said. As a result of the construction, some customers thought the business was closed despite the signs welcoming them in, he added. In the future, Cochran does not expect much interaction between the occupants of 164 Angell St. and the Bookstore staff. Although the “building systems needed overhauling,” overall, the project was “worthwhile,” Locke wrote. “I’m extremely enthusiastic about the promise of this building,” he added.

NEWS

PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Professor, students help to preserve Cofán language U. course, “Linguistic Field Methods,” allows students to digitally catalogue Cofán language By JANET CHANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Assistant Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Scott AnderBois is focused on Cofán, a language also known as A’ingae that is spoken by roughly 2,000 people in the Sucumbíos Province in Northeast Ecuador. During the summer of 2017, AnderBois took select members of his class, CLPS 1390: “Linguistic Field Methods,” — the first to allow University students to engage in language documentation as linguists — to Ecuador to collect several hours of video footage and recordings from the native Cofán community. From there, AnderBois and select undergraduate students have worked to expand their knowledge of the language, including by collecting a list of vocabulary for potential pedagogical use, such as in dictionaries. The group has created a website that serves as a digital catalog of the Cofán language, featuring 17 hours of video and audio recordings of Cofán people speaking in their native language and telling stories about their lives. The videos were transcribed in Cofán and translated into several languages; they also feature linguistic breakdowns of the words and sentence structure. “One finding that we were very excited about, for A’ingae in particular, is we found that (when) speakers tell stories in A’ingae, (they) use falsetto in a way that’s very different than how falsetto (is used) in … any other language in the

world where falsetto has been described,” AnderBois said. In Cofán, falsetto is used to convey a shift in narrative perspective, such as from the perspective of a storyteller to that of someone else in the story, he added. Of those who joined AnderBois on the trip to Ecuador, which was co-led by Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona Wilson de Lima Silva, one student is uniquely invested in the project. Hugo Lucitante ’19 matriculated to the University as the first member of the indigenous Cofán community in Ecuador to graduate from a U.S. high school. He has since become involved in research surrounding his native language. “Our language plays an important role … to our identity of being Cofán,” Lucitante said. When he first arrived on College Hill, that identity was front and center — as he was featured in the documentary “Oil and Water,” which was part of the Class of 2018’s First Readings assignment, The Herald previously reported. “We wanted to do everything ethically and had discussed the right way of doing things,” Lucitante said of his trip to Ecuador. “It was all good, (and we got) positive feedback afterwards,” he added. While AnderBois’s interest in Cofán was primarily inspired by Lucitante’s enrollment at the University, his linguistic research career began by studying Yucatec Maya, a Mayan language currently spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and Northern Belize. He began looking into “semantics and pragmatics in Yucatec Maya (out of a desire to) investigate little bits of meanings, little suffixes, little particles that get thrown into sentences and that shape how a sentence … is positioned in a conversation,” he said.

AnderBois discovered the unique presence within the language of reportative evidentials, parts of phrases or sentences that indicate whether the speaker’s statement is a directly observed fact, secondhand information or hearsay. Now, as the spring semester starts its second month and the students who joined AnderBois in Ecuador prepare to graduate, they reminisce about the impact of AnderBois’s course. Maksymilian Dabkowski ‘19, a concentrator in Linguistics and Logic, remarked on the implications of language documentation work. “We are … increasing our knowledge of linguistic variety, which is important for language isolates like Cofán, since it has no known genetic affiliation with other languages on Earth. People would say language is a rather key component of being human, (so) by understanding better what the structure of language is, in general, we can say something about the structure of the human mind.” Nicholas Tomlin ’19 and Kalinda Pride ’19, who also took AnderBois’s Field Methods course and were particularly involved with creating the website, remarked on AnderBois’s attention to the humanitarian aspect of language documentation research. Tomlin described the “conflicted interests” inherent to language documentation work. “The person coming to you who wants to document their language is interested in pedagogical materials, or probably aspects that are not related to the linguistic analysis of their work, whereas (linguists) are interested in how does the syntax work or how does the grammar work,” Tomlin said. “There’s (a) balance you have to maintain, and I think Scott does a very good job of

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Assistant Professor of CLPS Scott AnderBois began his career by studying Yucatec Maya, a language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize. maintaining that and is aware of it.” AnderBois and his students are not the only ones at the University who are involved with preserving Cofán culture. The Cofán Heritage Project, co-founded by Lucitante and Professor of Latin American History James Green, collects

information about Cofán and serves as a resource for academics to do linguistics research. “There’s no place where we have documented information about our people, so to have Brown to sponsor that was incredible.” Lucitante said.

» NELSON, from page 1

STEP UP YOUR LIVING AT 257 THAYER

1, 2, and 3 bedroom floor plans Located on Thayer Street just across from the Brown University bookstore and steps away from the Nelson Fitness Center your new home at 257 Thayer will be in the center of it all in Providence, Rhode Island! Whether you are a new or graduate student, this location keeps you connected.

At 257 Thayer you will enjoy sophisticated apartments designed for today’s student with outstanding amenities and community spaces, sustainable living and the ultimate convenience of living right on Thayer Street in the heart of all College Hill.

For more information go to: www.257thayer.com

257 Thayer St Providence, RI 02906 (401) 272-7777

inclusive space and ensure people from different backgrounds can come and explore,” she added. The new building “will just strengthen the existing momentum that the Nelson Center has.” “Mentorship is a really valuable resource that the Nelson Center offers,” Mechale continued. “They have entrepreneurs-in-residence (and) peer entrepreneur advisors and they also bring in amazing, inspirational speakers of startup businesses.” Many of the Nelson Center’s current services are decentralized, according to Elie MacAdams ’19, another PEIR. For example, all of the PEIRs have office hours in different places. “It will be great to have a place where entrepreneurs can gather” in the new building, MacAdams said. The Nelson Center’s Breakthrough Lab will be one of the first programs to use the new space this summer, Warshay said. This annual eight-week program provides each participating student with a $4,000 stipend to work on an entrepreneurial venture at the B-Lab over the summer, The Herald previously reported. “We’re trying to run the center as our own startup,” Warshay said. “The building is an element of our sustainability model, which will amplify, catalyze (and) build more momentum toward launching more ventures.” “We’ve built in as much flexibility into the space as we can, so that we will learn as we go,” Warshay added. “The space will flex as we develop.”

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

a b s e n t s t u d e n t s l e av e b l u e n o b l u e

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Spicy Sausage and Garlic Pizza, Pho, Steamed Fish with Papaya Salad, Lemongrass Jasmine Rice, Mushroom Udon Noodles JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Empanada Bar, Quesadilla Station, Grill

Hearty Country Vegetable Soup, Blue Room Grain Bowl

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Chicken Tortellini Soup, Xi’an Pulled Pork, Moroccan Couscous, Chocolate Cannoli

Roast Turkey and Gravy, Roasted Kohlrabi, Tunisian Style Grain Bowl, Salted Caramel Eclair

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Fagioli Soup, Mexican Salad Bar, Garlicky Hoisin Tofu Stir Fry, Chocolate Cannoli

Italian Chicken Parmesan, Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Salted Caramel Eclair

sudoku LEON JIANG / HERALD

As the sun sets on an empty green, Blueno burns the midnight oil for the students who stayed on campus for the long weekend. His arms remained open, awaiting the return of his beloved Bluenonians.

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

“There’s no place where we have documented information about our people, so to have Brown to sponsor that was incredible.

”

— Hugo Lucitante ’19

crossword

See COFÁN on page 4. CORRECTION An earlier version of the Feb. 15 article “National Grid to distribute energy from offshore wind farm” misspelled the National Grid’s director of US Strategy Mackay Miller’s ’01 name as McKay Miller. It also stated that Rhode Island’s longer-term goals include reducing emissions 85 percent by 2050. In fact, the state aims to reduce emissions 80 percent by 2050. Additionally, the article stated that Revolution Wind will provide 16,000 jobs. In fact, the total number of jobs in the clean energy sector in Rhode Island almost reached 16,000 by 2018, while Revolution Wind will be responsible for 800 new positions. Finally, due to an editing error, the article stated that “some environmentalists have expressed skepticism about Rhode Island’s interest in promoting clean energy.” It is more accurate to say that “some environmentalists see Revolution Wind as only one piece of a much larger puzzle.” The Herald regrets the errors.

calendar TODAY

FEBRUARY

Can You Hear Me Now? 9:00 A.M. South Street Landing

Student focused- Active Bystander Training 12:00 P.M. 121 South Main Street

End-to-End Topic Modeling for Humanists 3:00 P.M. Hecker Center, Rockefeller Lib.

Algorithmic Justice: Race, Bias and Big Data 5:00 P.M. Carmichael Auditorium

TOMORROW

Brown/CASA in Spain Information Session 12:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

Royce Fellowship Information Session 12:00 P.M. Swearer Center

Brown/CASA in Ireland Information Session 4:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

Student Startup Fair 5:00 P.M. Leung Family Gallery, Faunce

NEWS

PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» BUDGET, from page 1 implement a tax directly on nonprofit higher education institutions,” wrote Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald. Currently, the University and its real estate subsidiary, Farview, Inc., pay property taxes to Providence. In FY18, those payments totaled $1.64 million, according to Clark. In the same year, the University contributed an additional $4.38 million in voluntary payments to Providence in accordance with the University’s 2003 and 2012 agreements with the city. The voluntary payments include those on previously commercial properties that were subject to real estate taxes before their acquisition by the University for institutional use. Regardless of changes to the PILOT program, the University will continue its voluntary payments to Providence, according to Clark. “Our voluntary agreements are part of a strong relationship between Brown and Providence, and we don’t want to see that partnership undermined by a new tax aimed at generating funds we’re already contributing,” Clark wrote. The state legislature will adopt a final budget in June.

Find us online! facebook.com/browndailyherald

browndailyherald.com

@the_herald

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

@browndailyherald

youtube.com/browndailyherald

Editorial Leadership

Sections

Multimedia & Production

Business

Editor-in-Chief Emily Davies

Arts & Culture Editors Elise Ryan Annabelle Woodward

Design Editors Kyle Cui Bilal Ismail Ahmed Dylan Tian Julie Wang

General Managers Ravi Betzig Nicholas Masiakowski

Managing Editors Anna Kramer Priyanka Podugu Senior Editors Anita Sheih Sarah Wang

Metro Editors Colleen Cronin Sophie Culpepper Celia Hack

Editorial Page Editors Grace Layer Krista Stapleford

News Editors Katherine Bennett Jacob Lockwood Melanie Pincus Allie Reed

post- magazine Editor-in-Chief Anita Sheih

Science & Research Editors Cate Ryan Chris Schutte Sports Editors Alexandra Russell Alex Smolar COMMENTARY Opinions Editors Rebecca Aman Emily Miller Derek Simshauser

Head Photo Editors Tiffany Ding Benjamin Turuño Copy Desk Chief Kelley Tackett Illustrations Editor Daphne Zhao Video Editor Victoria Caruso Max Dekle Graphics Editor Sarah Martinez

Office Manager Diane Silvia Directors Sales: Bersabel Yifru Finance: Rudra Srivastava, Reynaldo Blandon Strategy: Edwin Farley

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

Advertising contact: 401-351-3372 advertising@browndailyherald.com

Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds are typically between 750 and 1000 words, though we will consider submissions between 500 and 1200 words. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words. While letters to the editor respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, op-eds usually prompt new discussions on campus or frame new arguments about current discourse. All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media), and they must be exclusive to The Herald. Submissions must include no more than two individual authors. If there are more than two original authors, The Herald can acknowledge the authors in a statement at the end of the letter or op-ed, but the byline can only include up to two names. The Herald will not publish submissions authored by groups. The Herald does not publish anonymous submissions. If you feel your circumstances prevent you from submitting an op-ed or letter with your name, please email herald@browndailyherald.com to explain your situation. You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com and letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. When you email your submission, please include (1) your full name, (2) an evening or mobile phone number in case your submission is chosen for publication and (3) any affiliation with Brown University or any institution or organization relevant to the content of your submission. Please send in submissions at least 24 hours in advance of your desired publication date. The Herald only publishes submissions while it is in print. The Herald reserves the right to edit all submissions. If your piece is considered for publication, an editor will contact you to discuss potential changes to your submission. Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion. The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald, BlogDailyHerald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 one semester daily. Copyright 2019 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906.

COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Quitters don’t compromise REID SECONDO Staff Columnist You can’t always get what you want. And neither can Amazon nor the President of the United States. Stuck at the crossroads of politics, policy and hubris, one of the world’s most valuable companies, Amazon, and one of world’s most powerful people, President Trump, failed in their respective quests for their coveted grails. Amazon’s plan for a second headquarters in New York, an easy economic boon for the city and state, sparked activist and political resistance that caught Amazon by surprise, despite the Cuomo-de Blasio $3 billion red carpet rollout of corporate incentives. The president’s infamously venerated wall — turned see-through steel slats turned fencing turned “whatever you want to call it” border installation — was soundly rejected by Congress, which threw Trump a fractional $1.37 billion bone for physical barriers as a consolation prize. When Amazon and Trump faced moments of pushback, they both retreated to unilateral defiance. Instead of making the most of these situations, each behemoth left the table while smashing something on the way out. These recent events once again raise the question among pundits and observers if the art of the compromise is dead. I argue no. Since compro-

mise is achievable, it is clear that neither Amazon nor the president used the available tools at their disposal to reach such a compromise. The result is a range of consequences — from frustrated dissatisfaction to clearly negative outcomes. Amazon’s hasty New York departure under the slightest bit of scrutiny reflects the company’s haughty outlook and lack of policy expertise. In the same vein as its founder Jeff Bezos, Amazon has attempted to craft a low profile while unintentionally forging

bending over backwards to solicit Amazon, the company’s lack of political due diligence and stakeholder assessment of interest groups and communities impacted by an HQ2 presence combusted a surefire deal into flames. Civic engagement is a two-way street, as is compromise. It takes hard work to win over skeptics and build on-theground relationships to advance solutions that have the potential to be mutually beneficial. Rather than get down in the mud, Amazon prefers to operate in the clouds above the reality of our

tion within his own party. After routinely failing to secure border funding under a Republican-held Congress, the madman in the White House triggered the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, torpedoing any deal or compromise for over 35 days that inflicted over billions of dollars lost to the economy and left hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed. His disregard for honest engagement and his political naiveté often leave him cornered and outmaneuvered as a victim of his own ineptitude. If only Trump’s

Though there is always a cost to conceding, it seems those with the most power at their disposal end up refusing to accept the best way forward, at the expense of those not at the table.

an untouchable, ivory tower aesthetic. In a do-it-alone approach, the company has historically avoided interaction with local government and communities where its physical presence looms large. Take its home base in Seattle, where the company and its executives have had little engagement with municipal policymakers for almost twenty years. Yet last year, a tax proposal on large employers unexpectedly prompted Amazon to threaten to stop its growth in the city. This episode serves as a clear prologue to its actions in New York. Despite the mayor and governor

pluralist society: Everyone has a voice to be reckoned with, not just the institutionally powerful. The president’s dubious constitutional national emergency declaration can also be seen as a response from an arrogant power player unequipped with the temperament and policy tools to make a deal. With his “I alone can fix it” mantra and disdain for anything requiring an iota of expertise or fact, the president routinely handicaps himself in policy decisions and political strategy. Beyond considerations across the aisle, the president holds a weak posi-

book, “The Art of the Deal,” included a chapter on coalition building or policymaking 101. Last week, bipartisanship won out when legislators tuned out the White House and found common ground on the border security impasse. Rather than choosing to seize an opportunity of stakeholder consensus building to implement the new security policies, he launched another incendiary salvo. Very presidential. When compromise fails, there are externalities that spillover beyond the involved parties. The collateral damages in the wake of these particular

outcomes are local citizens and our systemic norms. Beyond the unrealized 25,000 new jobs, new investments in Queens and tax revenue, Amazon’s pullout — despite some locals and activists hailing the decision — may cause other companies to view New York as hostile toward new business, ultimately hurting local residents. The president’s attempt at seizing funding throws the legislative branch’s sacrosanct control of the federal purse into question. Similarly, the nature of the fabricated border wall emergency brushes aside presidential precedent and is an example of a gross abuse of executive power. At the end of the day, getting a player to the negotiating table may be harder than actually reaching the point of compromise. Though there is always a cost to conceding, it seems those with the most power at their disposal end up refusing to accept the best way forward, at the expense of those not at the table. It’s easy to blow things up, but hard work and the right tools build solutions. Maybe if actors like Amazon or the president tried it some time, they may get what they need.

Reid Secondo ’16 GS can be reached at reid_secondo@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Don’t let legacy admission fall through the cracks ALIOSHA BIELENBERG op-ed contributor Last year, the Brown student body voted overwhelmingly to increase transparency around the practice of legacy admission — a vote organized by the #FullDisclosure campaign. In response, the University formed a committee to increase low-income student representation on campus, as reported by The Herald. There is a sincere commitment on all sides to having equity and diversity be the tenets of our admission policies, as demonstrated by this new committee and other University initiatives (not least the muchtouted Brown Promise). These efforts should be applauded. But something in The Herald article about the new committee irked me. In the story, Dean of Admission Logan Powell is paraphrased as saying that “legacy admission is an institutional priority that the Admission Office does not control.” In other words, the committee formed in response to student calls to review the practice of legacy admission has no power to actually address this issue — not because Dean Powell intentionally obstructs student efforts, but because the Admission Office itself cannot consider the issue. Despite clear support for transparency regarding legacy admission, the one body that purportedly addresses the subject ultimately proves impotent. Dean Powell’s statement immediately begs the question: Who does decide that legacy admission continues to be an institutional priority? My first impulse was to think of the College Curriculum Council, on which I serve as an undergraduate representative. Indeed, our charge as described in the Faculty Rules and Regulations

includes hearing “reports annually from the Dean of Admission.” However, we do not deal with admission policy as such (and I don’t think this should change; the CCC has a well-defined and reasoned remit). Perhaps, then, the regular review of higher-level admission policy is vested in the Academic Priorities Committee or the Corporation through its Committee on Academic Affairs. This does not appear to be true, as far as we know. Instead, institutional priorities can be set through shared governance — in other words, ad hoc conversations between different

tional priorities and achieve our academic objectives. We don’t wait for problems to arise in the open curriculum; instead, we review all aspects of the curriculum proactively. Such regular review ensures that a concentration isn’t expected to founder before we take action to bring its academic standards in line with the rest of the University. Instead, we can evaluate — as often as possible — whether the things we do achieve our goals. There is a widespread consensus that this model of governance is what ensures consistent, continued excellence. This paradigm is

Ensuring that we make all our decisions in the spirit of proactive review and collaboration is fundamental to our values as an institution.

members of the Brown community. This is a sensible model insofar as it pertains to initiatives. Actions we take as an institution can and should arise with the input of all our community’s stakeholders. I would be the last to recommend that initiatives should only percolate through the bureaucracy of committees. But longstanding policies like prioritizing children of Brown alums in admission are a different matter. Indeed, reviewing our policies is the reason statutory committees play an important role in our governance structure. My service on the CCC has demonstrated that regular review of academic programs is essential to ensuring that they continue to serve our institu-

also suffused with a spirit of collaboration that is in some ways unique to Brown. Our exceptional commitment to listening to each other and engaging in a hospitable, empathetic and generous mode ensures that our policy-building process incorporates accountability of faculty members, guidance from administrators and input from students while reflecting the values of the broader University community. The practice of legacy admission at Brown should be subject to these same standards. It is true that we must set institutional priorities. Should we invest in new dormitories and expand the size of incoming classes (as Yale has done)? In my opinion, no. Should we make admissions

need-blind for all students? Yes, though we’re not there yet (see the recurring calls for making international admission need-blind). Should we instruct our admissions officers to ignore whether or not a student’s parents went to Brown? I’m not sure. But I do know that this is a question that should be discussed in the open, on a regular, proactive basis, in a manner that involves members of the entire Brown community — faculty, administrators and students, at the very least. As it is right now, the policy of legacy admission seems to fall through a gap: it is not reviewed by any statutory committee, nor is it something the Admission Office controls. This can happen even if everyone is equally committed to equity and diversity as joint tenets of admission practices. What we have here is not someone failing to do their job (or anything malevolent) but instead an institution that does not clearly make reviewing practices like legacy admission anyone’s job. Ensuring that we make all our decisions in the spirit of proactive review and collaboration is fundamental to our values as an institution. It is incumbent on us to ensure that legacy admission is also reviewed in this manner. I am not asking that legacy admission stop being an institutional priority, but we should have a clear mechanism for deciding whether or not it should be so.

Aliosha Bielenberg ’20 serves as an undergraduate student representative on the College Curriculum Council and can be reached at aliosha_bielenberg@brown.edu. He is happy to talk faculty governance with anyone and everyone interested. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019

BROWN UNIVERSIT Y

ON CAMPUS

and ONLINE

JUNE JUNE 25 24--AUGUST AUGUST10 9 PRE-REGISTRATION OPENS

APRIL APRIL 21

brown.edu/summersession