Wednesday, March 6, 2019

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 27

Provost opposes Trump’s planned executive order Faculty discusses tuition increases, emission goals, new construction during Tuesday’s faculty meeting

By CORRINE BAI

By AURIA ZHANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Provost Richard Locke also discussed the University’s tuition, saying that the University is still “in the middle of the pan” compared to peer institutions.

Locke also discussed the budget plan for FY20, and President Christina Paxson P’19 presented on the University’s emissions goals and progress on various construction projects.

Beside a 5.14 percent undergraduate tuition increase in the FY20 budget, there will also be a reduction of

Arts community reacts to PAC design Professors, students in arts praise main hall for adaptability, collaborative opportunities

By LI GOLDSTEIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Following the unveiling of the design for the new campus Performing Arts Center last month, members of the Brown arts community are reacting to the building’s aesthetic and potential use.

The Herald spoke with eight members of the arts community, all of whom reacted positively to the building’s design.

Collaboration In general, students and professors who spoke with The Herald hope that the space will allow for more partnerships between different departments and groups. The adaptability of the main hall — which can be reconfigured

INSIDE

Two directors step down from ResLife Michelly Peña, Richard Hilton step down to pursue opportunities at other institutions

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In Tuesday’s faculty meeting, Provost Richard Locke P’18 criticized what he sees as government overreach in President Trump’s planned executive order to protect campus free speech.

Trump proposed this order at a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference and claimed that the order would allow him to withhold federal funding from colleges and universities that do not protect conservative voices.

Although there has been no executive order announced yet, Locke called Trump’s proposal “a tremendous government overreach into the affairs of universities, both public and private.”

In response to community members’ concerns in the past, the University has taken efforts — such as inviting speakers with different perspectives — to ensure all positions are welcomed and heard on campus. Such an order would be “unnecessary,” because the University is “already committed to free speech,” he added. “If the executive order materializes, we will respond either alone or through our associations.”

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into five distinct presets — is conducive to collaboration involving multiple art forms, said Conductor and Director of the Orchestra Mark Seto. “Having a flexible space that allows not just for orchestra concerts, but has the potential to work with other types of collaborators, is really exciting and will allow the music program and all the arts departments to work in a more synergistic way,” he said.

Professor of Music and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Music Department Dana Gooley expressed enthusiasm about the potential for collaboration between various types of music within his department in the new PAC. “I have sometimes felt that the halls we have for classical music performance don’t work for jazz and vice versa,” Gooley said. “I think it’s great that we can have these five different standard configurations, and that we can serve a diversity of music and dance and theatrical performance.” » See PAC, page 4

the endowment’s payout rate from 4.9 percent to 4.85 percent, The Herald previously reported. Despite the tuition increase, the University is still “in the middle of the pan” compared to peer institutions, Locke said, adding that Stanford and Princeton are expecting » See FACULTY, page 3

Two directors in the Office of Residential Life resigned earlier this semester, following a year of high employee turnover in the office.

Both Senior Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives Michelly Peña and Associate Director for Operations Richard Hilton received and accepted promotional opportunities at other institutions, wrote Senior Director of Residential Education and Operations Melissa Flowers in an email to The Herald.

“When you have talented staff, sometimes they will have meaningful opportunities to forward their careers,” wrote Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes in an email to The Herald.

“In these two recent cases, staff are leaving for great opportunities.”

Peña was appointed ResLife’s inaugural Senior Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives September 2018, according to the Office’s website. Flowers will take over Peña’s duties during

the search for a new Senior Associate Director, including project management and communication in ResLife’s Departmental Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, Flowers wrote. Peña will return to her previous institution, the University at Albany, to do student conduct work. She and Hilton were not available for interviews.

Hilton worked with ResLife since August 2007, according to his LinkedIn profile. His duties, which will now be split amongst many staff members, included managing off-campus housing permissions and overseeing summer renovations, Flowers wrote.

Both Hilton’s position and Peña’s position will be filled by mid-June, Flowers wrote. ResLife will also hire a Director of Residential Education, a new position that will be the Associate Director of Programs “re-imagined,” she added. “The Director for Residential Education will be responsible for directing and managing the residential experience, placing an emphasis on health and wellness, inclusive communities and … growth and development of the residential students,” Flowers wrote. Other duties will include supervising ResLife’s community directors, she added.

The creation of the Director of » See RESIGNATION, page 2

Students chosen as Truman Scholarship finalists Rose Lang-Maso ’20, Nathaniel Pettit ’20 chosen for commitment to public service

By OLIVIA BURDETTE STAFF WRITER

Rose Lang-Maso ’20 and Nathaniel Pettit ’20 were chosen as finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for students pursuing careers in public service, the Foundation announced last month.

Lang-Maso and Pettit will compete with 197 other finalists for awards of up to $30,000 to be used for graduate or professional school.

Lang-Maso and Pettit will learn in April whether they will be among this year’s 55 to 65 Truman Scholars.

If selected, the pair would follow in the footsteps of four University students who have received the honor in the past five years.

According to the Foundation’s website, scholars are chosen for having an extensive record of community service and outstanding leadership potential, as

LEON JIANG / HERALD

Nathanial Pettit ’20 (left) and Rose Lang-Maso ’20 (right) were selected as finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. well as a commitment to a life of public service. Linda Dunleavy, associate dean of the college for fellowships, said both Pettit and Lang-Maso exemplify these

qualities. It “wasn’t necessarily surprising” to hear the two were chosen as finalists because “they have clearly » See SCHOLARSHIP, page 2

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

METRO Construction company celebrates centennial, develops nuclear plant demolition capabilities

METRO Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee passes legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH Neuroscience professor explains effects of protein miraculin on taste buds

COMMENTARY Thompson GS, Lomax GS, Ferdinand-King GS: U. should better support HUG grad students

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PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Construction, demolition company celebrates centennial anniversary Manafort Brothers Inc. expands into R.I., develops nuclear plant decommissioning capabilities

By HENRY DAWSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A hundred years ago, James Manafort started knocking down houses with his hands. Today, his descendants knock down nuclear power plants with explosives.

This year marks the centennial anniversary of Manafort Brothers Incorporated, a company that provides foundational and demolition services throughout the state and New England. After expanding into Rhode Island in 2010 from Connecticut, the company has had its hand in River House Apartments, Homewood Suites near Kennedy Plaza and a new bridge for I-95 Southbound in downtown Providence, among others. Now, members of the fourth generation of the Manafort clan, Jim Jr., David, Justin and Jason Manafort, run the operation.

One hundred years later, the company has maintained its commitment to family while simultaneously expanding into fields once unimaginable. Founded in 1919 as the “New Britain House Wrecking Company,” the one-man operation consisted of James Manafort taking down houses by hand and salvaging parts of the

» SCHOLARSHIP, from page 1 demonstrated great work already in the field of public service,” Dunleavy said.

Lang-Maso, who is pursuing concentrations in history and public policy, said she would use the scholarship to help pay for law school. She hopes to become a civil rights lawyer and eventually a politician. As president of the Brown Democrats, she tries to “infuse a social justice framework into (her) political work” to provide “space and voice to those who have often been systematically disenfranchised.”

Lang-Maso said her interest in the law stems from the story of her own family.

“My parents are gay, and in 2015 the Supreme Court decided it was alright for my parents to get married all of a sudden,” she said. “I realized that lawyers and judges did that for my family, and that’s when I realized I wanted to be a lawyer.”

Pettit, a public policy concentrator, also hopes to use the Truman scholarship to go to law school. As co-director of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, a student group that advocates for and provides assistance to people experiencing homelessness,

COURTESY OF MANAFORT BROTHERS

Since its expansion into Rhode Island in 2010, Manafort Brothers Inc. has been involved with work on the River House Apartments, Homewood Suites near Kennedy Plaza and a new bridge in downtown Providence. property to resell later, said Chuck Mercier, vice president of Manafort Brothers. The elder Manafort’s four sons joined the business in 1946, which prompted the new name “Manafort Brothers.”

The family roots of the company now extend beyond blood relatives.

Mercier has worked for the company

Pettit has “found what makes (him) passionate, and that’s housing,” he said.

“Housing is an issue that is at the center of all social justice issues of our time.”

HOPE’s work has revealed to Pettit “the power of the law being used against marginalized populations, against historically underserved populations,” he said. As a lawyer, he would hope to emulate the public interest attorneys who have “tried to change that paradigm,” he added.

Lang-Maso and Pettit are now preparing for the final interview that will decide which students will be chosen as Truman Scholars.

Both Lang-Maso and Pettit said the Truman Scholarship application served as a good opportunity to reflect upon their motivations in pursuing public service and the possibilities that lie ahead.

“No matter what happens, I’m pleased that I was able to think things through about what my future might look like and how I can best use my skill set and passions to serve others,” Lang-Maso said.

Pettit said the application process gave him an opportunity “to ask where I’m going, but also think about where I’ve been.”

for 22 years and has seen it grow — including through its absorption of Fleet Construction in Cumberland, Rhode Island, where the company now has an office. “We’re all treated like family members,” Mercier said.

In addition to construction work, Manafort Brothers has played a role in completing three out of thirteen

nuclear decomissionings in U.S. history. The process required heavy-duty technologies such as explosives, excavators and hydrolic hammers. Undertakings of this size require extreme safety precaution — a reality that Manafort Brothers takes seriously.

Air, soil and water are three of the main safety concerns for demolitions,

according to Professor of Engineering Kurt Pennell, who researches soil and groundwater remediation and environmental toxicology. Manafort Brothers tackles potential hazard by working with nuclear sites under negative air pressure, which involves making the atmospheric pressure within the structure less than the exterior pressure.

When asked about what the original Manafort’s working conditions would have been like a century ago, Mercier said, “I would think there wasn’t much consideration for safety. It’s paramount in all of our planning, and that just didn’t exist then.”

While the company has found opportunity in the nuclear space, they also remain focused on expanding infrastructure and developments. “They had one safety (manager), now they have two,” said Emma Andrukat, safety manager at Manafort Brothers, of their decision to hire her as a second safety manager. “They’re always looking to expand and grow.”

The company is currently working on Providence’s Waterfront Park, where they’re doing “mostly sitework,” which includes foundational concrete, grading and cement work. Another project involves the South Street Substation, an electrical station directly next to South Street Landing.

“Jobs come up and they might be challenging, but … Manafort really doesn’t say ‘no’,” Andrukat said. “We can always figure something out, figure out how to do it.”

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Senior Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives Michelly Peña and Associate Director for Operations Richard Hilton both stepped down from their ResLife positions earlier this semester.

» RESIGNATION, from page 1 Residential Education position originated from recommendations made by three senior residential life administrators from other institutions in an external review of ResLife, which evaluated the Office’s current systems and structures . The external review, the final report of which will be issued in a few weeks, was an effort by ResLife to address a lack of administrative support perceived by staff, Flowers wrote. ResLife struggled with understaffing this fall following the resignations of three community directors

and Associate Director of Programs Kate Tompkins, all of whom left in response to an understaffed work environment, The Herald previously reported. Former Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students Mary Grace Almandrez, who supervised ResLife and other offices, also resigned in October, The Herald previously reported.

There are now six Community Directors currently listed on the Office of Residential Life website.

Neither Peña nor Hilton cited understaffing in their resignation letters as a reason for their departure, Flowers

wrote.

Flowers maintained ResLife’s commitment to providing a comfortable and beneficial housing experience for students.

“Students will always be at the forefront of what we do, and I feel we have done a great job at proactively setting priorities so as to avoid shortfalls in service or impacts to the student experience,” Flowers wrote. “I am confident that we will be able to identify short and long-term goals to ensure the department is adequately staffed to move forward its core mission.”

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Event offers attendees ‘miracle berries’ that alter taste buds Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience John Stein talks science behind miraculin protein

By BENJAMIN KOBLINER STAFF WRITER

Attendees at the event titled “Tasteberries” were in for a sweet treat Tuesday afternoon when they had the opportunity to trick their perception of sweetness by eating “miracle berries.”

The event, held at the Science Center, was hosted by Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience John Stein.

The berries get their effect from a protein called miraculin, Stein said. “The miraculin protein tricks your sweet receptors into thinking that sourness is actually sweetness,” he said. “If you wanted to appreciate lemonade, you could just take lemon juice, put it in water with no sugar or sweetener, and then take this miracle fruit … and for the next hour it would taste like lemonade.”

Before participants had the chance to experience the effect for themselves, Stein gave them an overview of the science behind taste. Taste buds have

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

receptors that allow you to perceive specific tastes like sweetness, sourness and bitterness, and “the more you activate the sweet receptor, the more sweetness you will experience,” he said.

Miraculin binds to free hydrogen ions from acidic foods, which “activates the sweet receptors 10 times more than sugar does,” Stein said at the event. “If you take a lemon that has some acid in it, … those free hydrogen ions will bind to miraculin, overstimulate the sweet receptors, and you’ll get a heightened perception of sweetness in the presence of acid,” he said. “(Miraculin) is going to interact with receptors that are part of our nervous system and change their responsiveness,” he said. “It’s safe, it’s not addictive, it’s not habit forming.”

Nutritional applications of the berry have been proposed, such as using it to help people with carbohydraterestricted diets, but the short shelf life of the protein makes them difficult to implement, Stein said. “When it’s wrapped up in the fruit, or when it’s freeze-dried into pellets, it has a decent shelf life. But then once you put it on your tongue, it’s only good for maybe an hour or so,” he said.

At the event, participants each received one miracle berry and then were given the opportunity to taste

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience John Stein explained the effects of miraculin, which gives sour foods a sweeter taste by binding with free hydrogen ions in acidic foods and activating sweet receptors in the taste buds. lemons, limes, vinegar, hot sauce and sour cream to test the effect of the berry on their perception of taste.

Eli Zucker ’22 decided to attend the event because he had heard about the berries before, and “it seemed like a really cool effect and experience,” he said. “The berries tasted just like normal berries. They weren’t super sweet.”

Even though miraculin binds to the sweetness receptor, it doesn’t directly activate the receptor. Though there may be some sucrose in the fruit, “it’s not going to be overly sweet,” Stein said.

Xavi Loinaz ’21 said the berries tasted like cherries. It wasn’t until he tasted other foods that the effect of the berry became apparent. “Sour cream tasted

R.I. House takes step toward codifying Roe v. Wade House could hear bill as early as Thursday, while Senate heard similar legislation last night

By JACKSON TRUESDALE AND ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

The R. I. House Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday night in favor of a bill that would keep abortion legal in the state should the Supreme Court repeal the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The Reproductive Privacy Act passed 9 to 7, and an R.I. House vote could come as early as Thursday evening, according to Committee Chairman Rep. Robert Craven, D-North Kingstown. Democrats made up the body of support for the bill, while dissent was split between four Democrats and three Republicans. The R. I. Senate held a hearing for a similar bill Tuesday night and was still ongoing at press time.

This is the first time the General Assembly has come close to passing legislation protecting abortion since 1993, according to the Providence Journal.

The 1993 bill, sponsored by former Rep. Linda Kushner, passed 51-42 in the full R.I. House but did not make it past the R.I. Senate. This January, Kushner testified in a House hearing for the Reproductive Health Care Act, which has not been brought to a vote this year, The Herald previously reported.

The Reproductive Privacy Act was introduced by Rep. Anastasia Williams, D-Providence. Originally, pro-choice activist groups, such as The Womxn Project and the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, opposed the bill in favor of the Reproductive Health Care Act, which is sponsored by Sen. Gayle Goldin, D-Providence, and Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence. William’s bill did not originally repeal old abortion restrictions, WPRI reported, raising concerns from pro-choice activists.

Abortion rights groups have now given the Reproductive Privacy Act their full support after an amended version was released March 1.

“It was looking vague, and then there were several good amendments,” said Liam Greenwell ’20, treasurer of the Brown chapter of the ACLU. The R.I. Chapter of the ACLU now supports the

JACKSON TRUESDALE / HERALD

Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee debated and eventually passed the Reproductive Privacy Act Tuesday.

bill. Members from the Brown chapter of NARAL and the Brown Political Action Committee also attended the vote.

“I’ve had the displeasure of informing so many students on campus about the realities of reproductive health in Rhode Island. I’ve had to be the one to explain to them that Rhode Island receives a restricted access rating from NARAL Pro Choice America,” said Maeve Wiesen ’21, president of the Brown chapter of NARAL Pro-Choice America, in her testimony to the Rhode Island Senate.

The amended bill would strike down unconstitutional laws, under Roe v.

Wade, that are still on the books in the state, such as a spousal notice requirement and a law that decrees life begins at conception. It would also guarantee the right to an abortion up to fetal viability, after which a woman would only be able to obtain an abortion should her life or health be at risk.

Under the Trump administration and a Republican-majority Supreme Court, pressure has been mounting to ensure abortion rights are protected at the state level, according to a State of Rhode Island General Assembly press release.

Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who has held the position since 2014, had never allowed an abortion rights bill to move to a vote, WPRI reported. When asked why Mattiello permitted a vote on this bill to take place, Craven responded it was “because I asked him to.”

Before the vote, certain committee members expressed their disapproval of the bill. Rep. Arthur Corvese, D-North Providence, said that the bill is “not a strict codification of Roe vs. Wade.”

“I think it goes beyond Roe v. Wade,” said Minority Leader Rep. Blake Filippi, R-Block Island, Charlestown and parts of South Kingstown and Westerly.

Rep. Christopher Millea, D-Cranston, expressed conflicted opinions before

the vote. He said his constituents contacted him, worrying that the bill “expands the definition of abortion.”

“I am pro-life, but I am certainly not the person to take away the choice of any female who walks this earth,” he said.

“But I will not be part of the expansion of abortion.” In the end, Millea voted against the bill.

Other committee members spoke in support of the bill. “I believe that this is a good thing, and I believe that quite frankly the time has come for the General Assembly in the State of Rhode Island, the House in particular and this Committee specifically to recognize those rights of a woman,” Craven said.

“We’re not talking about changing the law here. We’re talking about making our law constitutional,” said Rep. Daniel McKiernan, D-Providence.

Craven estimated that the House vote, likely to be held Thursday, would be split similarly to the Judiciary Committee’s vote. Ajello noted there seem to be more pro-choice House representatives than there have been in previous years.

The House Judiciary Committee members who voted in favor of this year’s bill include Craven; Rep. Evan Shanley, D-Warwick; Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, D-South Kingstown, Narragansett; Rep. Joseph Almeida, D-Providence; Rep. Dennis Canario, D-Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton; Rep. Julie Casimiro, D-North Kingstown, Exeter; Rep. John Edwards, D-Portsmouth, Tiverton; Rep. James Jackson, D-West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick; and McKiernan.

Committee members who voted against the legislation include Corvese; Millea; Rep. Thomas Noret, D-Coventry, West Warwick; Rep. David Place, R-Burrillville, Glocester; Rep. Sherry Roberts, R-West Greenwich, Coventry; Rep. Camille Vella-Wilkinson, D-Warwick; and Filippi.

kind of creamy, sweet and sour all at the same time. I liked it a lot,” he said.

“Eating a lemon tasted super sweet, and limes tasted good too. It tasted like I was taking a (drink) of lemonade,” Zucker said.

“Sometimes this is referred to as ‘taste tripping’, and it is a trip of sorts,” Stein said.

» FACULTY, from page 1 a 6 percent and 5.23 percent tuition raise respectively. Although there is no long-term plan for the trajectory of the University’s tuition, the University will continue to diversify its revenue sources and reduce its reliance on tuition and fees, Locke added.

Paxson updated faculty members on the University’s plan to reach netzero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

This goal was one of the major outcomes of the February 2019 Corporation meeting, The Herald previously reported. With two power-purchase agreements — one involving a solar plant in Rhode Island and another involving a wind plant in Texas — the University is on track to complete its 2008 goals for emissions, Paxson said.

During the meeting, Paxson also spoke about the construction of the new Performing Arts Center. The PAC will “maintain high acoustic quality” while incorporating other flexible functions, such as a full orchestra configuration and an immersive multimedia space, Paxson said. The design features a floor surrounded by glass panels and outdoor stairs that could also function as a performance space, The Herald previously reported.

The relocation of Sharpe House, which used to occupy the land plot where the PAC will be located, caused microfractures on the rocks underneath the Biomedical Center, but the damage is minimal and is under careful monitoring, Paxson said.

A project to connect the two buildings of the history department is expected to be completed November 2019, The Herald previously reported.

The meeting also commemorated the passing of two former University faculty members, William Crossgrove, professor emeritus of German studies and comparative literature, and Walter F. Freiberger, professor emeritus of applied mathematics.

NEWS

PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

The main performance hall (depicted above) will house the University Orchestra’s concerts, as well as provide space for other artistic endeavors on campus.

» PAC, from page 1 Currently, it is very difficult to combine multiple arts groups on campus given the limitations of spaces such as Sayles and Alumnae halls. “Time-wise and space-wise, there are too many constraints to make a lot of things happen,” said Lucy Duda ’20, president of the student board of the University Orchestra.

For example, the orchestra had discussed the possibility of performing alongside a full ballet, but Sayles Hall would not be able to spatially support the collaboration, said Max Naftol ’19, vice president of the student board of the Orchestra.

Performing and rehearsal spaces For Seto, the potential uses of the main performance hall, which was designed with the needs of the orchestra in mind, are particularly exciting.

“Simply having a space that is designed acoustically for music will be a huge boon,” he said. “Having a home for the orchestra which is fitting for the caliber of work that we do … will only do great things for the visibility of the program.”

Orchestra member Michael Tu ’22, along with Duda and Naftol, noted that the current spaces for the orchestra are not sufficient.

Alumnae Hall and Sayles Hall — where the group rehearses and performs — are not acoustically adequate for the needs of the orchestra, Duda said. “Often, we lose rehearsal time because of how hard it is to hear people speaking,” she said.

The poor acoustics of Alumnae Hall and Sayles Hall negatively affect the orchestra’s ability to perform at its highest level, Seto said. “When you have a situation where you can’t hear in an optimal way, people can’t do their best work,” he said.

“It’s a shame that for the past 100 years or so there has not been a proper hall in which we can play,” Naftol said.

Though Patricia Ybarra, associate professor of theater and performance studies and chair of the TAPS department is “excited about (the new) performance spaces,” she is more interested in the new below-ground rehearsal spaces. “What we’ve really lacked in the past is spaces to rehearse and create,” she said.

Quincy Confoy ’20, a double concentrator in TAPS and Gender and Sexuality Studies, agreed that the TAPS department is in need of better rehearsal spaces, citing the numerous times in which she has had to rehearse “in a basement classroom that’s badly lit and has no actual means to rehearse

a dance or a song.”

Board member of the student-run theater group Production Workshop Ani Pula ’20 echoed the lack of proper rehearsal spaces at the University, adding that although PW performs at the downspace and will not perform at the new PAC, they will be able to reserve real studio spaces in the PAC rather than multi-use classrooms.

The expanded space of the PAC will decrease the necessity of separate performance and rehearsal buildings.

Currently, the orchestra rehearses and performs in two separate locations, making transportation difficult, Duda said. “Every time we have a concert, we have to get moving trucks and show up at 8:00 in the morning to move all of our equipment from Alumnae to Sayles, and there’s always the worry about things getting damaged,” she said.

The new PAC will also feature a storage space for orchestra instruments, Naftol said, adding that the conditions of the current storage space do not meet the demands of the orchestra members and their instruments. “As a double bassist, I know keenly the lack of instrument storage,” he said. “It’s not humidified and it’s not climatecontrolled, which is really damaging for the instruments. The new space

will have proper climate-controlled storage facilities for instruments and the sheet music.”

Centralizing the arts The PAC will centralize the rehearsals and performances of the orchestra and other groups on campus into one space, which will ultimately benefit the perception of arts at the University, Pula said. “Some of the inaccessibility around art can be bottlenecked by the lack of spaces and the fact that some spaces are shared by more groups than they can handle,” he added.

The new space will also attract more outside performers to the University, Naftol said. “(The orchestra) can invite more ambitious soloists and visiting artists to come,” he said. “We can book them on a stage in which they can really be received properly, which hopefully will increase Brown’s role in the arts, certainly in Rhode Island, but also on the national scale.”

This centralization of arts is an affirmation of their importance in the curriculum, Duda said. “In the performing arts community and in the music community, there’s a lot of desire for more resources and more institutional support, and it sounds like this project comes along with the administration taking the arts more

seriously,” she said.

Generally, the new PAC will bring more visibility to the Music Department, Gooley said. “The Music Department has about 160 to 180 events per year … but sometimes people don’t realize how busy music is at Brown because the locations where we rehearse and perform are a little off-center.”

When compared to the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts’ role as a “laboratory space,” the new PAC will be built around the spectator experience due to its main hall and transparent nature, Gooley said. “I was completely enamored (with)the look of the building,” Gooley said. “It’s very modern, and it has a very open feel because there’s a lot of glass on the exterior.

They designed it to be able to see into the hall from the outside so you can see what’s going on, and that gives a sense of the liveliness and activity of the arts at Brown.”

Though the current student body will not have a chance to use the space given its expected completion date of 2022, Seto said that students are excited about the addition to campus nonetheless. “Even among the students who will have graduated by (2022), there is a real sense of excitement that this is happening and this will be a great thing for the arts here,” he said.

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TODAY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

f r o s t y j o i n s s a f e wa l k

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Assorted Roasted Mushroom Pizza, Grinder, Baked Pasta, Pho Bar, Queen’s Green Salad, Po’ Boy, Wok JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Spicy Chicken, Asian Salad, Cheeseburger, Cobb Salad

Frittata and Breakfast Sandwich Bar, Chunky Beef Chili

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Country Wedding Soup, Pesto Chick’n Strips,Tunisian Style Grain Bowl, Blondie Bars

Carne De Porco Alentejana, Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, Brazilian Chocolate Cake

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Lime Balsamic Grilled Chicken, Mac and Cheese Bar, Blondie Bars

Chicken Soup with Tortellini, Italian Chicken Parmesan, Chocolate Brazilian Cake

sudoku

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

After classes were canceled for half the day on Monday, snowmen sprung up around campus. This snowman guards over the perilous walk to Andrews Commons.

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

crossword

“Having a flexible space that allows not just for orchestra concerts, but has the potential to work with

”

other types of collaborators, is really exciting.

— Mark Seto, conductor and director of the University Orchestra

See PAC on page 1.

C L A R I F I C AT I O N The March 5 article “Mezcla captivates crowd in Spring Showcase” described “a more classical number in which members in Victorian-style dresses balanced candles on their heads.” In fact, that piece is from Veracruz, Mexico, so it is more accurate to state that “members balanced candles on their heads, dressed with inspiration from Veracuz, Mexico.” The Herald regrets the error.

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Ash Wednesday Masses 12:00 P.M. Manning Hall

EAS DUG Social 3:00 P.M. Gerard House

Free Pizza and Focus Group 3:00 P.M. Sarah Doyle Women’s Center

Brown Venture Prize Pitch Night 6:30 P.M. Hillel

TOMORROW Perception and Action Seminar Series 12:00 P.M. Metcalf Research Building

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COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

The URC must do more to support graduate students of color KATHRYN THOMPSON GS, JJ LOMAX GS, MELAINE FERDINANDKING GS op-ed contributors

In 2017, the Brown University Graduate School welcomed its “most diverse class to date,” boasting that 12 percent of incoming graduate students identified as members of a historically underrepresented group.

This increase followed the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan’s goal to increase the numbers of HUGs within graduate programs at Brown. The growth in graduate student diversity here at Brown is an enormous step in the right direction and has been a source of pride throughout campus, even touted regularly by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost.

Despite Brown’s public commitment to diversity and inclusion, however, the University Resource Committee has failed to institutionalize funding and support for three programs that serve to support HUG applicants and students in graduate programs at Brown.

The improvement in HUG representation since the DIAP’s implementation about three years ago can be largely attributed to three opportunities directed by the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion in the Graduate School. Before students begin their graduate coursework at Brown, they can take advantage of Diversity Preview Day, a preliminary campus visit for HUG potential students during application season to explore opportunities specific to underrepresented groups. In addition, there is a Graduate Students of Color Orientation, which welcomes new graduate students to Brown and provides an introduction to the support structures and resources available to them.

After these same students arrive on campus, they are supported by a third diversity initiative, the GSOC RESET Series, which helps students navigate issues specific to HUGs. Created by

the Office of Associate Dean Marlina Duncan and aided by the efforts of other on-campus partners such as the Brown Center for Students of Color, these programs were designed to recruit and retain graduate students of color who face challenges related to their unique identities.

Despite the success of these programs, when the URC released their approved budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, the budget did not include funding for any of the aforementioned programs for the second year in a row.

While these programs were given

ate student Sarah Davenport PhD ‘24 states: “As a student from a historically underrepresented background and also as a student arriving from a state school, I was very hesitant to apply to Brown because I thought I would not be admitted and, even if I did get in, I was afraid I would not fit in. However, after attending Preview Day I decided I would not only apply to Brown but also Brown would be at the top of my list. At Preview Day, I connected with an individual who would later be a colleague in my PhD cohort. Additionally, I was able to connect with other students of color who have be-

more questions than answers. If it is proven that these initiatives are working, why is the administration continually choosing not to invest in us?

Why, as students, do we have to tirelessly argue — to the point of exhaustion — that these initiatives for graduate students of color are important?

That we are important?

This situation is made all the more frustrating by the knowledge that the URC is not unfamiliar with the idea of diversity programming. In their 2019-20 budget, the URC frequently highlights the International Student Orientation as a “community-build-

If the URC really cares about their students of color, they will put their money where their mouth is and stop treating graduate students of color like just numbers in their diversity quota.

pilot funding to determine their value, the URC has since failed to extend ongoing funding for these initiatives, which clearly shows that the University has yet to appreciate their merit and, by extension, the merit of its graduate students of color. This sentiment is best exemplified by the fact that the amount of funding allocated for Graduate Student Diversity Initiatives has remained relatively unchanged for the past three years, in spite of the fact that the number of students who identify as members of HUGs has increased from 12 percent of the incoming class in 2017 to 14 percent in 2018.

As members of a historically underrepresented group, we know firsthand how meaningful these programs and initiatives are. Of Preview Day, first-year Anthropology gradu-

come my close friends, classmates and study partners. Preview Day is not simply about getting students to apply, it is about putting Brown at the top of the list for students of color applying to graduate school and establishing long term relationships that are essential for our success.”

Given the proven effectiveness of this type of programming, we are troubled by the hesitation on the part of the URC to institutionalize funding for these events and others like them. Students from historically underrepresented groups have proven time and time again that they are accomplished researchers who accrue millions in grant funding and garner academic awards for the University, a fact that the University is so inclined to exploit and advertise for their own benefit. So with this, we are left with

ing initiative” and allocates $125,000 to this event, while simultaneously denying funding for a similar opportunity to students from historically underrepresented groups. Thankfully, for the second year in a row, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity saw fit to right this wrong. After considerable effort on the part of Duncan, Provost Richard Locke P’18 and OIED Vice President Shontay Delalue allocated $50,000 to facilitate Diversity Preview Day and GSOC Orientation for the 2019-2020 academic year.

It should be noted that we are not only writing this op-ed to request institutionalized funding for these programs but also because this particular issue is as an outgrowth of a larger root problem. Before Brown can meet any of its ambitious DIAP goals, we

must make fundamental changes to current campus climate and culture, starting with the administration. As the number of HUG students continues to rise, the University must follow through with their pledge to diversify and include. If one of the stated goals of the University DIAP is to double the number of HUG students, what is being done once these students are finally here?

It is not enough to attract potential students with photographs of “diversity” on the Main Green in brochures or by sprinkling terms like “most diverse class” on the university website. Administrators must demonstrate that they care about these issues by outlining concrete plans to hire additional faculty, support affinity groups at the undergraduate and graduate level and, of course, encourage and support programming proven to increase and retain the numbers of HUG students pursuing degrees at Brown.

By ignoring these issues, the URC not only conveys a seeming lack of interest in continued support for their graduate students of color but also minimizes the importance of our presence on campus. The university benefits tremendously from the unique research of graduate students of color and in return, we simply ask for respect and support for programming that helps our students adjust to graduate life at Brown. So, if the URC really cares about their students of color, they will put their money where their mouth is and stop treating graduate students of color like just numbers in their diversity quota.

Kathryn Thompson GS, JJ Lomax GS and Melain FerdinanKing GS can be reached at kathryn_thompson@brown.edu, jeremy_lomax@brown.edu and melaine_ferdinand@brown.edu, respectively. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

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