SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 34
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Journalists advocate for freedom of speech New discovery could prevent common hospital infections U. researchers find antibacterial coating for IV catheters that could reduce MRSA infections By EMILIJA SAGAITYTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
TIFFANY DING / HERALD
The ACLU of Rhode Island brought together journalists and other experts in a discussion on freedom of the press in today’s political climate and under the Trump administration.
Press censorship, legal protection, public record access discussed during event hosted by ACLU By LI GOLDSTEIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
“If I were writing a lede here, it would be that the Trump administration has shown a blatant disrespect and disregard for civil liberties, which has reverberated around the globe,” said Karen Bordeleau, president of the New
England First Amendment Coalition and former executive editor of The Providence Journal, in a panel discussion Thursday night. The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island hosted journalists and experts in the field at the University in a panel discussion entitled “What Press? Whose Truth?” which featured a candid discussion on the nature of journalism under the Trump administration. Panelists included Bordeleau, New York Times correspondent CJ Chivers, political reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio Scott MacKay and Yale
Law School lecturer Francesca Procaccini. The conversation was moderated by Lombardo Family Professor of the Humanities David Estlund. Bordeleau emphasized that today’s suppression of free speech in political journalism is not unique to the Trump administration. “It should be said that it is nothing new that elected leaders — presidents, governors, mayors, Speakers of the House — have at times had a contentious relationship with the press,” she said, pointing to former President Nixon’s refusal to » See ACLU, page 2
When life-saving drugs wind through catheters and into the drifting current of the bloodstream, sometimes unwanted and even deadly bacteria tag along, prepared to invade and infect vulnerable immune systems. But now, a life-saving drug can be combined with a form of plastic to defend the border between human blood and the IV catheter, fighting infections before they occur. The new antibacterial coating, designed in a study led by researchers at the University and the Warren Alpert Medical School, can slowly release the anti-microbial drug auranofin to kill microbes and bacteria on the catheter’s edge, said Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research) Beth Fuchs. The research has not yet been conducted on human subjects. Fuchs and Professor of Infectious Diseases and Chief of the Infectious Disease Division of Rhode Island Hospital Eleftherios Mylonakis discovered that auranofin can be used to kill bacteria and reduce the rate of bacterial infection in worms. Then, Anita Shukla, assistant professor of
engineering and molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology, led the process of designing the catheter coating to deliver the drug. A common and often dangerous culprit of catheter-related bloodstream infections is MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. These bacteria resist common antibiotics and thus are a challenge to eliminate in the human body, Fuchs said. MRSA is prevalent in hospitals where catheters are typically inserted into patients. While the bacteria are common, infections often occur because catheters provide the bacteria with a gateway into the body, and patients who may already have compromised immune systems can have a harder time fighting off the infections, Fuchs said. U.S. data points to 250,000 catheter-related bloodstream infections per year, she said. Currently, treatment for MRSA and other catheter-based bloodstream infections requires removing the patient’s catheter and then treating the infection with antibiotics administered intravenously for an extended period of time, Mylonakis wrote in an email to The Herald. This new research has shown that a unique combination of auronafin and polymer could be the solution to this problem. Unlike past attempts to make » See CATHETER, page 9
Former National Review Grants award, fund local designers editor stresses compromise Providence Design Reihan Salam talks history, future of crossclass bargaining, onenationism By PEDER SCHAEFER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Former Executive Editor of the conservative National Review Reihan Salam said that before he became an opinions columnist, he was “always a totally insufferable person,” volunteering his opinions. “This was something that really lost me many friends and made me many enemies,” Salam said. “Then I discovered this was in fact a way one could make a living, and I’ve been inflicting my opinion on others ever since.” In a lecture last night at the Joukowsky Forum called “One-nationism and the Future of American Politics,” Salam did inflict opinions on the audience, seeking to explain the role of
INSIDE
cross-class bargaining and one-nationism in recent history and their implications for the future of the United States. Cross class bargaining is when different social classes come together to forge a political consensus. One-nationism, a political philosophy first developed by 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, involves a “functioning society” that “strikes some sort of cross class bargain,” Salam said. Salam was recently appointed president of the Manhattan Institute, a freemarket think tank based in New York City. He has also contributed pieces to The Atlantic and National Affairs, and he has authored two books. His talk featured a conversation afterwards with Wendy Schiller, chair of the political science department, as well as an audience question and answer. As examples of cross-class bargains, Salam pointed to reconstruction in Western Europe after World War II, » See POLITICS, page 9
Catalyst program provides seed funding for local designers By ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A shared warehouse in South Providence contains a maze of construction tools, half-finished wooden furniture, geometric light fixtures and the buzz of five different design studios. “INDO-”,a contemporary furniture design studio founded by two Rhode Island School of Design graduates, is just one that occupies the space. INDO-, founded by Manan Narang and Urvi Sharma, is focused on blending traditional and contemporary styles to create unique furniture. The name INDO-, meant to be read as a prefix, is reflective of the studio’s mission, Narang said. “It’s not complete by itself — it sort of works with another aspect, and
LEON JIANG / HERALD
Founded by two RISD graduates, INDO- creates furniture that blends traditional and contemporary styles. it’s the combination that creates new and peer-to-peer networking” to work.” help design businesses, according to Earlier this semester, INDO- won its website. This year, one winning a grant from the Providence Design studio is owned by Phoebe Neel ’14, Catalyst program, which is led by the and three others are owned by RISD non-profit organization DESIGNxRI. graduates. Twenty-one businesses The grant allocates $10,000 to $20,000 applied. to each of the nine winners, in addiOriginally from New Delhi, the tion to offering “business mentorship, two INDO designers- met at RISD professional development training » See DESIGNXRI, page 2
WEATHER
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
SPORTS Madi Cranford ’21 leads softball to 3-0 weekend with standout performance at the plate
COMMENTARY Schapiro ’19: Brown students should show up in numbers for baseball’s home opener
COMMENTARY Price ’20: Students should not support BDS, Brown Divest referendum
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PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Cranford ’21 slugs softball team to 3-0 week
NICOLE KIM / HERALD
Madi Cranford ’21 collected seven hits and four RBI during Brown’s undefeated weekend. Bruno next takes the plate at the University of South Florida Invitational against Colgate University.
Bears catcher goes 7-10 with a home run at NC A&T Aggie Inviational last weekend By RYAN HANDEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Catcher Madi Cranford ’21 has kicked off her sophomore softball season with a bang, going 14-18 at the plate in Brown’s first seven games. This past week, she led the Bears to a perfect 3-0 record at the North Carolina A&T Aggie Invitational, racking up seven hits and four RBI in the tournament. Cranford had a standout game against North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, in which she went 4-4 and launched a two-run home run. She also put up solid performances in victories over Rider University and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. For her breakout start to the season, Cranford has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: You’ve started off your sophomore season on a very
strong note. Talk about how you’ve improved from your last campaign. Cranford: I’m just a lot more mentally stable at the plate. I’m just thinking, ‘hit the ball.’ The coaching change has definitely helped. (Head Coach Kate Refsnyder) is very strong. She helps me focus, and it’s just been a world of difference. After a 1-3 first week, the softball team reeled off three straight wins at the North Carolina A&T Aggie Invitational. How has the team turned things around? We were a lot more aggressive at the plate and confident in what we wanted to do. The pitching was a lot better; (the pitchers) were very consistent hitting their spots. As a team, we’re just wanting to win rather than fighting to win. Looking ahead to next week’s University of South Florida Invitational, how can you and your team keep up the momentum? As long we just stick with our plans, don’t make any mental errors and stay focused the whole game, I think we’ll do just like (we did) last weekend.
What do you consider your greatest strength as a softball player? I consider my greatest strength to be my energy I bring to the field. I’m always yelling, cheering, making sure everybody’s involved in the game. I feel like my energy helps boost the rest of the team’s energy. Do you have any rituals or superstitions you follow while you play softball? I have a few, there’s actually too many to mention. One big one is I wear the same sliders every game and I don’t wash them. What are your individual and team goals for the rest of the season? Personally, I’d like to just stay consistent with my hitting and catching. For the team, we’re just hoping to have a good showing. We’re trying to get at least middle of the pack as compared to last, and I think we can achieve that. I think we can be in the upper level of the Ivies. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Literary Arts Prizes Literary Arts is accepting applications for a number of prizes that are open to undergraduate and graduate students. Prizes are to recognize excellence in fiction, poetry, children’s literature, innovative writing, translation and language art. Submissions are due by 11:59 pm on 20 March 2019. For more details (and for online submissions) visit: https://brown.edu/academics/literary-arts/literary-arts-prizes-2019 or brown.edu/cw (then look for “Literary Arts Spring Prize Listing”)
» ACLU, from page 1 allow the Washington Post to cover White House social events, as well as former President Obama’s decision not to allow conservative reporters on Air Force One. Even with the precedent of press censorship, the Trump administration has taken attack on the media to a new level, Bordeleau said. “Never before has a sitting U.S. president labelled journalists (the) enemy of the people.” Trump’s highly influential platform as president offers him the dangerous power to normalize vilification of the media not only domestically, but internationally, Bordeleau said, adding that it gives “license to every other leader to do the same.” Procaccini said that the Information Society Project Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School — where she is the Ruttenberg Fellow — seeks to “use the law to protect journalists in the work that they’re doing.” She offered “ways in which legislatures and the courts can better enhance protection for a free press,” such as establishing a federal reporter’s privilege, which would allow journalists to protect the identity of their sources without the fear of federal prosecution. This would ultimately foster greater trust between sources and journalists, she added. United States courts should expand the “little-known” First Amendment right of access, which, she said, gives citizens “the right to know the substance of government proceedings and government information.” While it is currently a constitutional right to obtain transcripts of certain trial hearings, this right should be expanded to include government proceedings like deportation hearings, she said. Chivers discussed the “criminalization of public information,” claiming that government documents have been over-classified and should be more easily accessible to both reporters and the public. Using WikiLeaks as an example,
»DESIGNXRI, from page 1 and decided to stay in Providence after graduation. They plan to use the grant to grow their business and gain marketing experience. “One part is to do what we did last year which is to exhibit work, get more press, get more work out and more eyes on it,” Narang said. “The other aspect is working with a mentor on things that the both of us don’t necessarily have experience on. How do you market yourself?” DESIGNxRI hopes to facilitate growth for the design sector of Rhode Island through the Design Catalyst program, which aims to “make sure that design businesses and designers here are getting opportunities, developing their businesses and making sure more talent thrives here,” said Catherine Chung, the program and events manager at DESIGNxRI. Since 2015, they have invested $635,000 into 30 design businesses in Rhode Island through the program. Funds come from the City of Providence’s Department of Community Development and Real Jobs R.I. With the third largest percentage of creative sector jobs in the United States, Rhode Island’s design sector has experienced significant growth in the past decade, according to Chung. The
Chivers said that a large portion of the leaked documents “should not have been classified in the first place.” When discussing how to uplift and “raise truth,” Chivers said, “we defend truth by calmly and unceasingly reminding the governments that they are they are there to serve us, not the other way around. And the practice of civil discourse, which is the foundation of civil society, demands transparency,” he said. “This means asking questions, filing lawsuits, using shame as a tool against the abusers of our rights. In short, it believes in the agency of the citizenry.” The sharp decline in the number of active journalists in the United States undermines the concept of a free press, MacKay said. Furthermore, the advanced tools of the internet now blur the visual distinctions between credible, reputable news sources and sites that disseminate false information, a dangerous phenomenon that threatens reliable journalism, he added. He also placed the onus on the public to be “better consumers of news,” adding that the current education system fails to properly teach students a basic understanding of the government — teaching to tests on math and science instead of civics and history. Emma Schneider ’22 said that she attended the discussion because she has been interested in the work of the ACLU for a while and is particularly interested in the topic of freedom of the press. “I thought the remarks were really well prepared and really relevant, and they were very responsive to questions and enthusiastic to be here,” Schneider said. Secretary of the ACLU at the University of Rhode Island Kaylee Goyette came to the event because she was “interested in the idea of free press” and wanted to see how the panelists interpreted the First Amendment. University of Rhode Island student Mark Gall said it was productive to “hear the perspective of actual journalists … who are involved in that area of the press.”
sector has grown by 500 businesses between 2007 and 2012, according to DESIGNxRI’s website. “We’re excited to see where this growth will go,” Chung added. Nic Schumann ’14.5 won the Design Catalyst grant last year for his company “Work-Shop.” After meeting his business partner at the University and deciding to remain in Providence, Schumann found that new companies often struggle with having the time or resources available to dedicate to long-term planning. “(The grant) gives space to think about those bigger picture strategic questions,” he said. He added that the grant funding “is super helpful, even though it sounds like it’s sort of a drop in the bucket overall.” Narang, Sharma and Schumann all cited similar motivations for staying in Providence, deciding against the traditional route for a designer: moving to New York City. Providence is “much more friendly in terms of starting your own business,” Sharma said, citing a close-knit and collaborative design community. Narang echoed this sentiment, stating that “you’re not exactly working together, but there’s this sense of community.” While New York’s design sector tends to be saturated with designers, “the barrier to doing impactful work is just significantly lower here,” Schumann added.
In This Issue
Home Is?
Raelee Fourkiller 4
Brown Bear Loners
Caroline Ribet 2 Jordan Hartzell 4
On Belay Robert Capron 5
Red Dead Remembrance pia Mileaf-patel 6
Burrito Bonanza
postCover by Katya Labowe-Stoll
MAR 15
VOL 23 —
ISSUE 19
FEATURE
Brown Bear Loners
A Reflection on Dating and Dating Advice at Brown By caroline Ribet Illustrated by Gaby Trevino
F
rom a casual survey of basically everyone I know, I’ve found that dating at Brown University is tough. No one seems to be doing it right. Between Datamatch, Tinder (and the long list of other, increasingly popular dating apps), casual, serious, or in-between relationships, official dates, and weekend hookups, it’s hard to know what you’re getting yourself into when you put yourself out there. And even though I don’t have any of the answers,
some of my friends, who agree that dating at Brown is hard, have convinced me to write this quasi-dating column. Dating columns, they told me, make the struggles of single life feel just a bit less lonely. Dating columns show concretely just how universal some questions are. In light of this request, I’ve written up a reflection of whatever I have seen work out, for me or others, in the last four years, and the questions in this article represent a mix of serious and silly queries sent to me as very official text messages.
Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, Spring is finally underway! Thanks to the initially devastating hour of sleep that we sacrificed for daylight savings, it is now light even after you trudge out of your endlessly-long 4:00 p.m. seminar and warm enough for your cold-climate friends to compete to see who can wear the fewest layers of clothing possible. In this last march toward spring break, our lives are full of transitions and complexities and finding serenity in whatever we can, and this issue takes us through it all. The feature this week explores the chaos and hilarity and heartbreak of dating at Brown. But does any heartbreak compare to the feeling of arriving at Andrews on the weekend, only to discover an infinitely-long burrito line? Or those pangs of loss that come with finishing video games integral to our childhoods?
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Why am I qualified to write this piece, you might wonder? I’m not, really. But after four years, I feel like I’ve been on the sidelines of every possible Brown University dating iteration and romantic crisis among my friends. Crushes not texting first or back or ever again. Floormates from my first-year unit wondering why doesn’t she like me or fretting about how to ask someone on a date. Friends proclaiming over lunch that “Romance is canceled!”—at least for the next few weeks. Worrying about what to wear
Ways to Celebrate the Ides of March
A&C takes on these challenges, opening our eyes to Providence’s ultimate burrito brunch and the glory of journeying through Red Dead Redemption. Our narratives this week meditate on embracing new places and experiences, with poetic words on finding home in scenes at Brown and a new passion while gripping onto the holds of a rock wall. So, take a few minutes to enjoy postwhile you power through this week of midterms; we hope it revives you with humor and comfort.
Happy reading!
Sara
Feature Section Editor
1. Eat some Caesar salad 2. Say “Et tu, Brute?” to anyone who throws shade at you 3. Roast one of your friends 23 times in a row (lovingly) 4. Get yourself a soothsayer (or at least a fortune cookie from Wong’s) 5. Convince people it’s the Eyes of March, and they’ve been saying it wrong this whole time 6. Eat leftover pie from Pi Day 7. Party hard “among the common people with picnics, drinking, and revelry” (Wikipedia’s suggestion) 8. Settle your debts 9. Look at Ryan Gosling in the political-thriller movie The Ides of March 10. Google what the Ides of March is
and how much eyeliner to put on. Navigating hookup culture. Dating two people with the same name at the same time. Communicating a lack of interest in taking things further. Experimenting with the millennial love strategies proposed in the pages of The New York Times’s “Modern Love” column, like polyamory and open relationships. The closing of those open relationships and the opening of closed relationships. Old flames getting back together after time apart. Couples working to create new dynamics and falling back into old patterns. Heartbreak. Wondering, is it even worth it? How do you ask out a total stranger from your class? Maybe try saying something like, “Hello. I’d like to get to know you better. Would you like to go on a date with me?” I actually have evidence, albeit only a single example, to support this strategy. A good friend of mine was walking on Simmons Quad freshman year when a boy she had never met asked her for her name. He said, “I don’t really know how to say this, but I noticed you in class [it was CS15] … Would you want to get coffee sometime?” “It worked,” she said. “We’ve now been dating for three years.” I feel like I should be dating, and I want to date, but I can’t seem to make it work at Brown. What should I do? First, you don’t have to feel like you should be doing anything. Not dating is as valid a choice as dating, and lots of your peers don’t date. One Brown Daily Herald poll from 2012 found that close to 50 percent of students were not in any kind of a relationship. I was amused to learn that 2.4 percent of students polled said they didn’t know what kind of a relationship they were in—very relatable. By not focusing on dating, you are conserving emotional energy and time that you might otherwise devote to non-romantic quandaries. While you’re not drafting a text that says “u up?” you’re doing other things, like schoolwork, clubs, meditating, going to work, seeing your friends, exercising, and sleeping. “Some people seem to always be in relationships,” pointed out one sophomore I interviewed. “But the Brown culture is very non-conducive to dating. If you hook up with someone, they’ll ghost you and never talk to you again.” Despite this admittedly major issue, there are more than 6,000 undergraduates at Brown, so the odds of at least one person being attracted to you are high. People meet all kinds of ways. A guy in my seminar on Stalinism met his girlfriend at Brown’s gap year dinner. I know a couple that met in the basement of the Rock while searching for the same book. Another former couple I know met awkwardly in the laundry room of Minden while waiting for someone else to move their clothes. After, they went upstairs and made out. A few days later, the guy left a note on the girl’s door with his number, and they dated for most of the year. How does one find love at Brown University when everyone is up to their eyeballs in work? If it’s important to you, you will find time. If
schedules and dating are your thing, you can sync your Google calendars in order to find that one overlapping hour you have between lecture and seminar on Thursday afternoon. People are busy, but worse comes to worst (or, more appropriately, work), studying together at the CIT can be a date… right? When should you send a text saying you just want to be friends, and when should you ghost? Having been ghosted myself, I guess I believe it’s better to be honest from the outset: to say honestly that you are not interested in pursuing anything romantic. At the same time, the “let’s just be friends” text is not that fun to receive (unless you are also not interested—then, what a relief!) Ghosting is only really acceptable when you’ve had very minimal contact—like maybe if you have been on exactly zero dates. But before you don’t send that message, try to think about how the ghostee might feel with an empty inbox.
explicitly, which can be scary. Maybe try asking your friend on a date? Depending on how much doubt you have about your feelings being returned, it can be helpful to just say out loud how much you value the friendship. Getting friendzoned isn’t that fun, but it’s probably more fun than losing a friend to the dating game. How do you get back out there after a tough breakup? I hate to say this, but you know that cliche, only time heals a broken heart? That has been the only universal solution I’ve found in my first and secondhand experience. The only other thing that seems to help people get over their ex is meeting a new, exciting person. This is not to say that a few hours after breaking up is the best time to download Tinder, but maybe once you can get through a few weeks without crying over Jo’s mozzarella sticks at 1:00 a.m., a good first date can help you remember how much fun it can be to meet new people.
Even when I apply all of my amazing romantic theories and well-thought-out advice from my mom and friends, I just can’t seem to figure it out—and I feel like I’ve tried it all. Every stage is hard: single, dating, or in a relationship. I’m not the only one who holds this opinion. “I feel like you should never ghost,” said a cool-looking guy I interviewed on the main floor of the Rock. “It’s better to explain where you’re at, and it’s just the right thing to do. Someone else’s feelings are on the line.” I just sent a “let’s just be friends” text, and it turns out the person actually wants to be friends. What should I do? This actually happened to one of my good friends, and it was really awkward (because she really did not want to be friends). Based on what we learned from this experience, I’d advise that if you actually want no contact with the person, you need to be more upfront in your text. But if you’ve already sent the text and find yourself in this troubling position, a good strategy to avoid hanging out with your new “friend” is just never finding a time that works, or taking hours to respond to messages. How do you take a six-person seminar with your ex? Avoid. Eye. Contact. More generally, running into an ex around campus is inevitable if you leave your dorm. In my experience, it shakes you less each time it happens, a form of exposure therapy that actually works over a long period. And while it’s better not to have a weekly scheduled time to see your former significant other (like your three-hour seminar on semiotics), encounters might happen just because you have a shared club or hobby or spot in the library or crosswalk on Thayer. Take a breath, say “hello” (or “hey,” according to my friend who likes to limit her syllables, even in verbal communication, with her ex), and keep walking. How do you know if the friend that you like likes you back? Odds are that you probably have to say something
Plus, even though being single can feel lonely and awful, and looking for relationships when you’re single can be demoralizing (there’s really nothing like swiping through a hundred Tinder profiles and matching with absolutely no one), no single relationship defines who you are. Companionship and emotional sustenance can come in all kinds of forms, including romantic relationships, but also those with family and friends. Even when I apply all of my amazing romantic theories and well-thought-out advice from my mom and friends, I just can’t seem to figure it out—and I feel like I’ve tried it all. Every stage is hard: single, dating, or in a relationship. I’ve sent the “let’s just be friends” text. I’ve been ghosted. I think someone once pretended to have strep throat to get out of seeing me (you know who you are). I have been filled with self-doubt and enjoyed moments of self-confidence. I have uninstalled and reinstalled Tinder in the same day. I’ve leaned on my friends and broken all my own rules. I’ve called up exes when I swore I wouldn’t (and it’s never led to anything good). I’ve unfollowed, unfriended, deactivated, and deleted. I was in something I dubbed "an affiliationship." I’ve put my phone in the possession of my friends to avoiding sending a text, only to send it instead from my laptop a few minutes later. I’ve been unkind and led people on. I have experiences too embarrassing or too painful to publish in this list. I’ve wondered time and time again if dating—with all of its pain, ups, downs, and seductive draws—is worth it. But at the end of it all, I still have my closest friends who have carried me through everything, a thicker skin, and a collection of stories that weren’t funny at the time but I swore I’d laugh at later. Now, at least, I really am laughing.
“Another way to look at parentheses is like a hug.” “She wants the D...and by D, I mean dinner.”
march 15, 2019&3
NARRATIVE I stretch out my arms, letting every inch of my being be touched Welcoming the day
Home Is?
Looking for Lost Pieces in a New Place by Raelee Fourkiller Illustrated by amy choi Home is wide-open skies; indigo and cerulean blues, mixed with the lightest hues of purple and pink, like cotton candy Orange streaks line the sky, like someone took a paintbrush and ever so delicately blended and mixed the colors to make motion stop and heads turn up The Christian ladies used to say that god created our sunsets, Bold of them to assume I believed in their stories or that we had the same Creator Home is dirt-red colored hands from climbing mounds and falling down once my feet got caught up, after running too fast to catch two boys Wild ones, we shared the same name, their skinny legs and loud laughs and hair that always stood straight up— mimicking their energy and excitement I was always three steps too slow, my legs too short to span the length of their strides Home is the plains; that wind, the endless fields of wheat colored goldenrod, never having enough to do It is sitting on the swingset at two in the morning walking up and down roads with no destination in mind It is looking out for miles and seeing the rolling hills Shouting into the endless and vast sky for no one would hear my screams of anger and pain Home is the river that winds around bluffs and trees, sparkling prettier than a diamond when the sun hits It is the cool that splatters onto your skin when you dip your oar into the water, moving with the current, the bass, the perch It is hearing the shrieks and screams of little ones, splashing, kicking, learning to wade It is the summer Home is the sun, its warmth a familiar embrace that wraps around me when I step out in brisk mornings and the air smells sweet The birds sing morning songs, 4!post–
Home is now caught in small moments When I catch a peek of a clementine and raspberry sky When I pass by that one bush on my morning walk and hear the little chirps welcoming me, birds starting off their day correctly, brilliantly by singing, by thanking the sun for coming again, by saying, “Hello!” It is when I see the beauty and love in my friends’ eyes, shining through the darkness that so easily attaches itself to my spirit Home has found me in this cement block, where structures of steel and sheetrock blind the miles of blue that have marked my childhood It has found a way into my life with bitter touches of wind and gray rains It presents itself As I step into the night and am greeted by the quiet lull of an empty campus and the stars speak to me Words of beauty, revealing what is missed in the frenzy No longer are my screams welcomed into a vast countryside But my whispers are heard
On Belay
Sunday Nights Are for Climbing By Jordan Hartzell Illustrated by Ashley Hernandez We joke that climbers would make the best criminals. No fingerprints! Our identities have been rubbed off onto cold granite and colored plastic holds, but rocks keep secrets best. My hands aren’t that bad, though my pointer fingers feel a little cheesegrater-y—rough, shredded. Tiny rock edges wreck your finger pads, sandpaper grips rip apart your palms, unforgiving walls bruise your knees. That’s part of the fun: the physicality of it all. Yeah, see that little crack? Put your toe in there with your foot sideways, yeah. Okay, now twist it, and stand up on the parts of your toes that are jammed in. Yeah, no, you’re gonna lose feeling, that’s normal. Distance running has taught me to respect Type II fun, the kind where there’s a hill between you and the dangling carrot. But climbing was a new kind of hurt, a little less huff and puff and a little more fear.
Fear of falling, of getting hurt, of not performing well. Fears that are sometimes rational (I’d like to not come crashing to the ground when I let go) and sometimes irrational (I won’t belong here if I’m not good enough). The irrational ones surface less frequently now, but it didn’t start that way. *** Freshman year, when I was a little too familiar with late nights out and not at all familiar with being alone, I spent a Sunday night at Central Rock Gym Warwick. “Sunday Night Climbing”—8 to 11 p.m. I went on a whim, happy to have been included by new friends and eager to avoid homework. It was a 15-minute ride to the gym, which was tucked into the back of a business complex. Big windows revealed a rainbow of routes splashed across gray and dark blue walls. We squeezed rental climbing shoes over our socks, feeling self-conscious as barefoot regulars slipped into their sleek La Sportivas. I sported baggy sweatpants and an oversized cross country tee that bunched up under my harness as I fumbled to tighten the straps. One look, and it was clear that I was a newbie. I felt like an intruder. A staff member taught us to belay—how to pull the rope and manage slack in the line so that the climber has room to move but can’t fall far down the wall when she lets go. There were commands we were supposed to use: Say ‘on belay’ when you’re ready for the climber to start. Then, climber, you should say ‘climbing’ when you get on the wall. Belayer, you respond with ‘climb’ to give the go-ahead. You got it? Don’t worry, you’ll catch on quick. And just like that, we were trusting each other while the beginners among us pretended not to be scared out of our minds. As we eased into the motions of climbing and belaying, time on the wall became time to talk (and not the “Oh, you’re from right outside of New York, that’s cool haha” small talk of freshman orientation). That night, we worked together and tried hard and messed around and failed tragically and laughed and laughed. And I was sold. The first Sunday became the second became every. And then some weekdays. And then Saturday mornings at 7 a.m., when we indulged in trips to fancy gyms in Massachusetts and stopped for bagel sandwiches on the way. Over the following semesters, we honed in on specific climbing styles that suited our strengths: Mark and Isaac loved muscley, overhung routes while Rekha and I sought out balance and flexibility. I learned the language of climbing, how to fit the culture in my mouth without sounding too phony. Yeah, I sent it, but it wasn’t an onsite. I don’t have the beta down yet, but I think it’s a heel-hook on that pinch and then dyno up to the right there. I learned when to curse and when to cheer someone on. What not to say when someone fell. I learned to wear pants with the bottoms cuffed and to tape my fingers so the BandAids wouldn’t come off. I learned how to ask for what I needed from a belayer and take breaks without letting
ARTS&CULTURE go of the holds. I learned that a climber is anyone who shows up and gets on the wall. *** It’s Sunday. I’m wearing a name tag that says “Ask me for a belay!” and giving advice to Central Rock newcomers. Ohmygod I’m stuck and can’t move from here! I know the feeling. I give a reminder to exhale and a pointer for where she might place her right foot. Tell her that she’s safe and won’t fall, that she should trust her body, and that if anyone can do this, it’s her. And a defuser: Hmm, let’s see, can you go (pretend to think about it)…up? *** A good climber notices fear and then wraps something else around it. I think it’s pride in the movement: executing a sequence smoothly, timing a balanced position with my breath, or reaching a handhold that was too far away the last time. Digging into that self that will grit her teeth and grimace before she lets go. If she lets go. *** Tie a figure-eight at the end of your rope and slide the tail through the two hardpoint loops on the harness. Trace the eight back over again (and only throw in a safety knot if the gym manager is nearby). Crack your neck, roll your shoulders. Reach back into your chalk bag to coat your fingers and palms, then shake your hands from your elbows to send a bit of powder into the air (it’ll look cool). Glance up at the climb, and close your eyes to remember how it felt last time. Hands on the start holds. On belay. Look back at the partner or stranger on the other end of your rope. Climbing. Climb.
Red Dead Remembrance Songs and Memories of a Wannabe Cowboy By Robert Capron Illustrated by rémy Poisson 1 - “Far Away” by Jose Gonzalez
There I stand, a broken man, in the annals of a now-closed GameStop. My father senses my
of stories. Where they could go. What they could be. What I could make.
disappointment; he asks if there’s another game I want. I shake my head, as determined as before.
3 - “Cruel Cruel World” By Willie Nelson
My loyalty to this epic cowboy fantasy will not be drained so easily. He scans the shelves, selecting
Eight years. That’s how long it took to make a
a random Guitar Hero sequel he thinks is a worthy
sequel. Prequel, technically—my beloved Marston
replacement. Is he serious? I don’t bat an eyelid. It
would now be a supporting character in a story set
appears he and I have reached an impasse, with me
before the events of the first. A part of me never
on the losing end.
thought it would arrive; the countless delays
Then, salvation arrives. Thank God for post-
kept dashing my hopes. And now, here it is. New
release content—that glorious eventuality when
protagonist Arthur Morgan stares up at me in muted
developers decide they want more money and release
rage, his posture a deliberate mirror of the original’s
needless additions to their games, often horrifyingly
cover. How would he fare compared to Marston?
overpriced and devoid of narrative coherence.
Only time would tell.
Enter Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, a
Were my expectations too high? Perhaps. They
zombie-infused “what-if” scenario crafted by the
were bound to be. The mythical status I had given
main game’s developers and, conveniently, sold
the original made it untouchable. The old me would
separately. I lunge at the box and scan the ESRB
have beaten this new game in a week, would have
rating. No nudity in this version. Well, it’s better
dropped everything to discover the new additions
than nothing.
to the Red Dead mythos. Not today. I am, after all,
I give my father the box. He smiles.
twenty years old. I wish I could tell you I jumped into it and
2 - “Compass (Red Dead on Arrival)” by Jamie
played to my heart’s content. I wish I could tell
Liddell
you I fell in love as I did with the first. That it reminded me yet again of the power of stories and
I cannot answer what my favorite film is. I find
enveloped me in the possibilities of narrative, of
so many elements, scenes, and performances worthy
gameplay, of story and structural mechanics. That
of mention across the medium that I frankly cannot
I felt like a kid again.
fathom a proper answer to the question. Yet, when
Instead, I played a video game.
Exposed breasts—his sworn enemy. The
it comes to video games, I have always known the
I spent hours investing in something that felt...
countless executions, f-bombs, and depictions
answer. I think it always will be the same. Maybe it’s
irrelevant. I had friends outside my door at every
of drug use are fine in my father’s eyes. No, it’s
because finally getting Red Dead Redemption (sans
moment’s notice, assignments I should have been
the threat of exposed breasts—virtual ones, for
zombies) signified a turning point in my childhood;
doing but neglected for that extra ten minutes, lines
chrissakes—that makes him recoil from the
being exposed to virtual breasts is a major kick in the
I should have been learning but put off for the mere
pre-owned copy of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead
pants toward adolescence.
possibility of stumbling across a secondary mission
Redemption I clutch to my chest. Despite my efforts
I still remember the sky. A lone man, lost in the
far off the beaten path. The world I had loved was
to hide it, he’s seen the content warning: His eyes
prairies, the stars scattering the heavens in a sort
still there, refined, beckoning me. But conquering it
found “nudity,” and all hope was lost. My babbles
of compass toward...something. It was all fake, of
felt like an obligation. A nuisance.
and whines are ignored as he orders me to return
course—tiny pixels composed of even tinier pixels.
the box to the shelf. Damn ESRB. You’re worse than
But nothing felt more real.
the MPAA.
I remember my rage at the heartbreaking
By the time I approached the ending, I felt relief. It was nearly done. I had honored my commitment. The twelve-year-old in me was happy. But was I?
You see, these were the olden days. Back then,
brilliance of the ending. The sigh of returning to
physical copies were an adolescent’s only option for
an old save despite knowing the inevitable fate
game purchases; the impending trip to GameStop
awaiting my hero—the scarred and desperate John
meant young gamers such as myself had to extensively
Marston—rendering dozens of hours meaningless
It was over. Arthur Morgan’s tale had been just as
research the titles available, carefully consider their
(unlike John, Mario was never shot to pieces in a vain
bittersweet as the first—and the graphics, gameplay,
length and quality, and, above all, defeat the worthy
attempt to save those he cared about). This gaming
and sheer amount of content had nearly quadrupled
adversary that is parental supervision. Lack of a
experience was something else entirely, impossible
in quality—but I was done with his tale, both literally
credit card made the virtual store inaccessible, so
to replicate. For this soon-to-be-teenager, childhood
and figuratively. Any sadness lingering from the loss of
when a title was finally chosen—within the range
wonder lived on. I was getting older, to be sure. But
his character would be forgotten to make room for the
of your parent’s budget, or your allowance—it was a
even on the hundredth time I descended my favorite
next big narrative death. Perhaps Avengers: Endgame.
momentous occasion. Imagine the heartbreak when
mountain slope, my trusty steed galloping toward
Yet I didn’t regret playing the game for a second. I had
this entire process was rendered for naught by the
the desolate town of Armadillo, the Western whistles
learned a tough but important lesson: for better or for
cruel rigidity of parental law.
accompanying my travels reminded me of the power
worse, video games were behind me. I was moving on.
4 - “Unshaken” by D’Angelo
march 15, 2019&5
ARTS&CULTURE And then, a funny thing happened. The credits didn’t roll; the game transitioned from a black screen to a view of a run-down farmhouse. I sat back, confused. Arthur was gone. What would this post-ending content be? The barn doors opened up. A familiar face exited the stable, hopped aboard his trusty steed. The in-game world had opened up again, calling to me for one last ride. And John Marston did ride, far into the night. The starry sky above. A refurbished world of old lay again at my feet. My mountain path. My legends. I know the wonders of that first childhood experience can never be replicated. I’d be silly to think otherwise. But God, you can come so close. Thanks, Rockstar.
Burrito Bonanza Tailor Shop Luncheonette Is Serving up Sunshine By pia Mileaf-patel illustrated by Rémy Poisson Looking for a breakfast burrito in Providence? Or simply a cool new place to eat good food? Word has it that the Tailor Shop Luncheonette, open during the week for lunch and earlier on weekends for “brunchy stuff” (their term), doles out some of the most creative breakfast burritos in Providence. I headed there with a friend last Saturday to find out what the hype was about. See, breakfast burritos and I go back a long way. In the incident that would secure my infamy for trekking long distances for food, I made my friends drive 45 minutes to get one from an LA coffee shop that was supposedly excellent. Luckily, it really was. And with no line, if you don’t count the drive, there was technically no wait. Even my most anti-going-out-to-eat-food friend admitted she’d made a few solo return trips after she moved to the West Coast. Though a 45-minute drive for a burrito seems like a far cry from the convenience offered at Andrews Commons on Saturdays and Sundays, it’s really not. I’ve only tried Brown’s breakfast burrito one time, and, in the spirit of full disclosure, it was just a bite of my friend’s because I did not have an hour to wait on that line that snakes around the perimeter of the entire dining hall. As an alternative, however, I have been introduced to the breakfast taco by a friend who hails from Austin, TX and makes them with bacon, cheddar cheese, and flour tortillas. And now, Providence offers an a.m. burrito that isn’t a 45 minute drive away and isn’t a dreaded necessity for hungry first years. First impressions were strong. The menu was simple and appealing, and it appeared to change
daily. The coffee was bold, hot, and worth savoring even for weirdos like me who’ll speed drink 11 cups of diner coffee in a row. On the “brunchy stuff” menu, we saw two breakfast burritos, a regular burrito, a breakfast sandwich, and an array of taco options, including a Korean vegetable taco, a sweet potato taco (in the manner of Wes Avila’s famed Guerrilla taco truck), and a breakfast taco. Sides were caramelized breakfast potatoes, and I honestly don’t remember what else, because those potatoes overshadowed the rest of the list. When we were looking at the Tailor Shop menu, seeing the words “breakfast taco” sparked my interest. Without the benefit of Texan sunlight, how would it compare to my friend’s recipe? It was true that outside, on Broadway in Federal Hill, the ground was icy slush. But inside the lunch-counterstyle restaurant, Providence sunbeams were warm enough to make its inahbitants glow. They leaned over colorful, slow-fashion plastic dishes holding delicious Tex-Mex-inspired breakfasts. My friend and I went half-and-half on both of the breakfast burrito options, and—why not?— ordered the breakfast taco, too. It came as a corn tortilla, filled with delicious crispy breakfast potatoes and caramelized onions, sprinkled with scallions, and topped with scrambled egg that, in the best way, was more sauce than egg—like breakfast aioli. We told ourselves this would be the best way to try the potatoes. I could only hope my breakfast-taco-slinging Texan friend would agree. One burrito was filled with fried sweet potatoes and vegetables, scrambled together in a mix that included soft scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, rice, and beans. The other folded in crumbles of mild chorizo and sauteed red pepper alongside the
“Consume a God donut and you will understand the yeasty truths of the universe.” Claribel Wu, “Misprint Multiverse” 3.16.17
“Bill Gates founded Microsoft at 20; the only thing I’ve found is dirty teacups.” Rebecca Ellis, “a quarter-life crisis” 3.17.16
6!post–
egg mix. Both came wrapped in grilled, soft flour tortillas, warmed up with the perfect amount of char, and carefully tucked to hold the insides. The hot sauce on the side—a fan favorite so beloved that several patrons were seen requesting extra cups— was tart and spicy and paired excellently with the rest of the burrito fillings.
We told ourselves this would be the best way to try the potatoes. I can only hope my breakfast-taco-slinging Texan friend would agree. If you’re curious about what Tailor Shop Luncheonette is up to, Instagram is a good way to find out. They’re using social media benevolently, dotting your day with pictures of warm, appealing food. And it’s not all burritos. In January and February, they posted about soups, stews, and deli items, like chicken noodle soup with homemade, hand-pulled noodles and a turkey meatloaf sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto. In addition to its own menu, Tailor Shop Luncheonette has hosted a pop-up dinner with two of the cooking magic geniuses behind North Bakery’s savory menu (closed 2018—devastating). All in all, there are some pretty cool food things happening in PVD, and checking out Tailor Shop Luncheonette is a great place to start if you want to get involved. It’s also a great place to load up on cheesy eggs in a soft tortilla, with the most excellent breakfast potatoes you can find on Broadway.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anita Sheih a FEATURE Managing Editor Sydney Lo Section Editors Kathy Luo Sara Shapiro Staff Writers Sarah Lettes Caroline Ribet
NARRATIVE Managing Editor Celina Sun Section Editors Liza Edwards-Levin Jasmine Ngai Staff Writers Danielle Emerson Abbie Hui Naomi Kim Anneliese Mair Kahini Mehta
SOCIAL MEDIA Caleigh Aviv Camila Pavon
ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Julian Towers Section Editors Griffin Plaag Emily Teng Staff Writers Rob Capron Kaela Hines Pia Mileaf-Patel
Want to be involved? Email: post@browndailyherald.com!
HEAD ILLUSTRATOR Rémy Poisson BUSINESS LIAISON Saanya Jain
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NEWS
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019 • PAGE 9
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Hip-hop artist Akua Naru discusses rap, race with Prof. Tricia Rose Rose, Naru converse during third installment of Hip Hop Lecture Series Thursday By ALLIE REED UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
When Hip-Hop Artist Akua Naru and Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies and Director of the Center for Study of Race and Ethnicity in America Tricia Rose MA ’87 PhD ’93 met for the first time, Naru thought Rose was angry at her. In Naru’s first album, “... the journey aflame,” she illegally used a portion of an online panel Rose spoke on in a song. “She was spitting fire,” Naru said of Rose’s online lecture. The women discussed the evolution of hip-hop over the past few decades during an event hosted by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America and Rose. The conversation was part of the Hip Hop Lecture series, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the release of Rose’s foundational text “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America.” Naru became a fan of Rose’s work after reading the book. She decided to incorporate Rose’s voice into her song, “The Journey,” because it provided a “really good frame” for the
story Naru was trying to tell. Though she did not ask for Rose’s permission to use the clip, Rose was grateful Naru did “something useful” with her lecture. Rose discovered Naru had used the clip through Twitter, and tweeted at Naru to ask her to meet. Now, Naru and Rose have formed a friendship based off their shared interest in hiphop. For Naru, “hip-hop was a lived practice.” As a child, she loved to read, write and travel. She had no formal musical training, and still doesn’t “know any notes or chords,” Naru said. Her family supported her poetry, and her transition into hip-hop came naturally. “At some point, I (just) couldn’t do anything else,” she added. Naru is an independent artist and has released four albums so far. Much of her music is inspired by the works she has consumed; one of her songs, “Toni Morrison,” was written to celebrate the author’s influence on Naru’s life, giving Morrison “roses while the world can still smell them.” “Sometimes I write what I’m looking for,” Naru said of her song, “The World is Listening,” which names many famous female rappers, and celebrates “these women who’ve contributed so much to this global culture.” Naru and Rose also discussed how many other artists center their songs around negative emotions. “Rage that
ALLIE REED / HERALD
Professor of Africana Studies Tricia Rose MA ’87 PhD’93 (left) and hip-hop artist Akua Naru (right) discussed the evolution of hip-hop over the past few decades at an event Thursday afternoon. can be generated” by the suffering of “living in certain bodies can be all consuming” and insidious, Rose said. “It looks like resistance when you’re mad all the time, but you’re just burning yourself up,” she added. While the experiences of “pain, sadness (and) frustration” are important emotions to feel and reflect on, so too are “joy and laughter,” Naru said. “Suffering is not all of our experience.” Her music explores the full spectrum of the human experience, rather than
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
University researchers developed a coating for IV catheters that would fight potential MRSA and related bacterial infections common in hospital settings. The coating is made up of a drug and a plastic polymer.
» CATHETER, from page 1 antibacterial catheters, this invention allows the drug to be released from a period as short as one week to as long as 26 days, Fuchs said. Delivering auranofin slowly is especially important given the fact that some catheters may need to be kept in place for a substantial period of time, which increases the likelihood that an infection can occur after insertion. Because blood is water-based and auranofin is hydrophobic, or waterfearing, the researchers knew the drug would release gradually into the body at sites prone to infection, Shukla said. Because the drug is delivered slowly over time, the amount of medication a patient needs to treat an infection may go down. In turn, this may reduce the growth of drug-resistant bacteria because these bacteria develop their resistance over time and to higher doses of drug exposure, Fuchs added. The drug may also be able to
prevent the formation of biofilm, which is the collection of bacteria that can stick to plastic catheters and collectively withstand antibiotics, Fuchs said. Currently, it is quite difficult to maintain clean catheters. Auranofin’s antibiofilm properties are “really one of the most desirable features” of the catheters, and without that particular drug, the coating is not as effective, Shukla said. When the team tried to use a different drug — vancomycin — the catheter did not exhibit the same properties. The collective benefits of this particular coating mean that this invention is “perhaps more successful than some of the previous attempts” to make antibacterial catheters, Shukla said. To test the efficacy of the catheters, the researchers soaked them in a solution containing MRSA and used bioluminescent MRSA to determine how well the coating killed the bacteria and prevented biofilm formation, Shukla said.
“It’s been really great working with the people over in the hospital” and “getting to learn more about the different perspectives of both type of researchers … It brings together a lot of different expertise,” Shukla said. The researchers now hope to take the in vitro experiment from the Petri dish and apply it to mouse models, Fuchs said. Researchers also aim to test other drugs in an effort to discover those that could target bacterial infections that do not respond well to auranofin. The researchers have not yet “seen any adverse effects;” the drug is FDAapproved. The team was “very pleased with the results.” Beyond catheters themselves, the team’s combination of drug and polymer could also prove effective on materials like orthopedic implants, Shukla added.
just “one thing.” Naru credited Rose for challenging her to “think about carving space for joy.” Rose then turned the conversation toward the “hyper-sexuality of women in hip-hop,” and whether that is a “freedom or a constraint.” “Sex sells” in the music industry, Naru said, adding that the objectification of female bodies in mainstream hip-hop culture is hard to overcome. Referencing City Girls’ “Twerk” featuring Cardi B music video, Naru said,
“you can’t really get more butt naked than butt naked. What is next?” Rather than empowering women, this objectifying culture forces them into a path that is disguised as a choice, she said. The sexualization of women “will never die out.” Naru hopes “we don’t forget what hip-hop has meant for so many, what it still means and what it can continue to mean.” In an increasingly digital era, “the entire world is watching,” Naru said.
» POLITICS, from page 1
cross-class bargain to form “a durable basis for a new politics.” In discussion with Schiller, the two debated about the place of a shared cultural identity in the United States and how the glue that once kept the United States together is fraying. In response to Salam’s idea of a new cross class bargain, Schiller questioned what role marginalized groups could play in such a compromise. When asked after the event about the capacity millenials and college students have to bargain and compromise, Salam told The Herald “I think this habit and practice of bargaining is a product of necessity. And whether you do it or not is less about the generational cohort and more about the environment in which we find ourselves.” He mentioned that a “politically monolithic” community like Brown, where many people share similar political views, “is not necessarily a place where your world is going to be stresstested. That’s not the ideal place that (bargaining skills) emerge.” While he acknowledged that building those bargaining skills is difficult, he recommended trying to “talk to intelligent and thoughtful people who don’t share your (views), that’s a good thing to do.” After the event, Dominique Kercy ’19 and Chinenye Uduji ’19 both said they were interested to see a more conservative speaker on campus and to learn from those who don’t share their viewpoint. “I think it’s interesting to get a more robust image of what identities a conservative might hold,” Kercy said. “I’m not going to sit here and say I necessarily agree with a lot of what was said,” Uduji said. “But I think it helps me understand where those people are coming from so you can help craft appeals that would be more supported by those who are conservative.”
highlighting Denmark and Switzerland as small countries that had to make bargains out of necessity. Salam emphasized the idea of the “paradox of vulnerability,” in which individual countries that are smaller, less powerful and more vulnerable are more likely to engage in cross-class bargaining than larger and more powerful countries. “So when you think about the habit and practice of forming those bargains,” Salam said, “in American life, that hasn’t always been the most vividly present thing in our politics.” Salam said that the United States has occupied a powerful and relatively safe place in the world for decades, reducing the pressures that encourage internal bargaining. But now the United States is having to face external pressures again. “I would argue that right now the United States is in a very different position then it has been in previous decades,” Salam said. “We’re going through right now what you’d call a triple transition.” An aging population, an economy switching to more automation and service work and the growing strength of other countries in the world, such as China, are all forces that are making the United States vulnerable, Salam said. “That’s going to expose the United States to the kind of vulnerability that our political culture is not accustomed to,” Salam said about the triple transition. “The interesting question is, what will be our response to that? Will we build up the muscles that allow for some kind of cross class collaboration, or will we fail to do so and find ourselves mired in new kinds of chaos?” He pointed out the “thermostatic reactions” of the American voting public between liberalism and conservatism as a sign of increasing vulnerability. As a result, the United States needs a new
COMMENTARY PAGE 10 • FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Saying goodbye to science heroes E.L. MESZAROS STAFF COLUMNIST Recent movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up have pushed us to hold the perpetrators of sexual assault accountable. But the more we had admired the accused, the more reluctant we are to address the allegations of assault. One instance where those who support movements like #MeToo have been particularly hesitant to do so is with celebrity scientists like Richard Feynman and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Because these men represent science — something we hold to be above reproach — the men themselves have largely escaped critique for their transgressions. If we want to continue to hold perpetrators of sexual misconduct responsible, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to science and those who seek to represent science in popular culture. To address this, we must stop buying into the “Great Man” theory of science — which associates scientific achievement with individuals — and let science speak for itself. Richard Feynman is often praised as a frontman for physics. His memoir “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” and his series of lectures are used by professors and teachers to introduce begrudging students to physics in an approachable way. Yet Feynman’s teachings, and especially his memoir, portray his misogynist worldview and the sexist actions of a man who did not value women. He devotes an entire chapter to describing how to pick up women at a bar. While a professor at Cornell, he attended dances meant for
undergraduate students — ultimately deciding to act as if he was another undergraduate student in order to charm women. Beyond his own admission, FBI files revealed that his second wife accused him of abuse. Uplifting his work as the pinnacle of approachable physics also condones his behavior and treatment of women. Pop-scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson is similarly problematic. Allegations of sexual harass-
If science is a bastion of misogyny and rife with harassment, then how can we in good faith encourage more women to pick up STEM fields? ment were raised against him in 2010, and more women came forward at the end of last year. These accusations span a wide swath of time — one woman accused him of drugging her in grad school, and more recently, women, including his former assistant, have accused him of unwanted touching. Yet despite these allegations, which Tyson denies, the scientist is still an active celebrity and representative of the astrophysics community. Though he has faced some repercussions amid allegations — the producers indefinitely delayed Season 2 of his show “Cosmos” in order to investigate — his fanbase has remained largely intact. The work that these scientists have done to popularize science in mainstream discourse
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stories of the lives of these men rather than stories of science’s development. Viewing scientific discoveries as the products of a few men underplays the difficult and often unpublicized work it takes to get to the point of discovery. It rests entire disciplines on the shoulders of individuals who, being human, are inherently flawed. If you build up science on the reputation of one practitioner, then the field lives and dies with the actions of one individual. By promoting these toxic men as representations of science, we actively work to discourage not only women but all victims of assault from engaging in the science that these men promote. If science is a bastion of misogyny and rife with harassment, then how can we in good faith en-
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is valuable, but continuing to highlight their achievements in light of their harassing behavior condones misogyny and assault. Moreover, teaching physics or astrophysics by focusing on these educators — on the scientists and not the science — subscribes to the problematic “Great Man” theory of science history. The “Great Man” theory suggests that scientific progress is driven by a few individuals, predominately white men, and therefore tells
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courage more women to pick up STEM fields? We need to let go of science’s Great Men myth. Part of this is learning to focus on new scientists. We need to center women in our stories, especially women of color, to create a version of science that actively engages those who have previously been neglected. Changing the masculinity-focused environment in which pop science develops will improve a culture ridden with misogyny and harassment. But ultimately, we need to steer away from prioritizing personalities over scientific concepts. Only through this shift can we lessen the association between ideas and the people espousing them. Pop-culture scientists like Feynman and deGrasse Tyson have inspired many students to be interested in science concentrations or curious about science disciplines. While their teachings may be valuable, letting go of these problematic heroes can pave the way for new scientists that are more representative of the scientific community we want to foster. Otherwise, we will be stuck with the current system that allowed these problematic men to flourish in the first place. It’s time to say goodbye to pop-science idols and start developing new methods for public scientific engagement.
E.L. Meszaros GS can be reached at e.l.meszaros@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019 • PAGE 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Brown baseball deserves your attention for a day JAMES SCHAPIRO SPORTS COLUMNIST
Even if you love playing baseball, it can’t be easy to play at Brown. In less than three months, the team plays a 40-game season. The Bears fly around the country in February, from Kentucky to South Carolina to Florida looking for warm places to play. Then, in March, they settle back down in Providence and get into the heart of their schedule. Over Brown’s spring break, as most of us relax, the baseball team is scheduled to play eight games in nine days. And the players aren’t exactly recognized for their hard work: Last season, only 220 fans attended the Bears’ home opener, according to the Brown Athletics website. This year, I’d like to make a request of the Brown community: Let’s change that. Let’s make that number higher. Baseball season opens today at 3 p.m. The stadium is approximately 100 yards from the Nelson Fitness Center. It’s even supposed to warm up to a high of 56 degrees. So please, let’s show up in force, and let’s give our baseball team the support it deserves. If you’re already a baseball fan, you hardly need to be convinced. It’s a
baseball game for you to watch, free of charge, blocks away — why aren’t you there already? The grass will be green, the crack of the bat will be thunderous, the camaraderie will be palpable. This is the stuff we live for. It’s not professional baseball, of course; no one said it was. But Brown is your school and our baseball team has a game, and if you’re a baseball fan, watching our team take the field for its first home game of the year is just about as fun as it gets. And even if you’re not a baseball
Caveat: Yes, it might rain. But Head Coach Grant Achilles says that a window has opened up in the forecast, a perfect window for a baseball game. Take him at his word. I have been to several home Brown baseball games over my three baseball seasons here, and the fact is, support for the home team is often paltry. Usually you’ll find the same kinds of fans in the crowd. There will be lots of fans of the opposing team, for one, who somehow coordinated to take over our stadium and cheer obnoxiously
They’re almost always wrong, of course: They’ll bluster on and on and eventually you’ll realize that they have no idea what they’re talking about, and probably couldn’t tell an infield fly from a horse fly. They’re infuriating nonetheless, and I’ve only had to sit in the stands with them. But having to play baseball — to step into the batter’s box and tune out the rest of the world with ridiculous, inhuman focus on a ball rocketing toward you at 90 miles per hour or higher — while also listening to these opposing fans
So please, let’s show up in force, and let’s give our baseball team the support it deserves.
fan, Opening Day has something for you. Make a day of it! Bring a picnic and a blanket and set up camp in the stands. Students get in free, after all, so there’s plenty of space. Round up a few friends, hunker down in the bleachers and cheer for your school. And even better, it’s all too easy to celebrate the special occasion with themed snacks — CVS sells peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Trust me: This is the kind of stuff I know.
for the visitors. Several of these fans will be wearing sunglasses and old, battered windbreakers in the visiting team’s colors. These fans will chatter nonstop to anyone who will listen — and many people who won’t — about how well they know baseball, how bad Brown is, what a joke our whole program must be, how laughable our pitcher’s motion looks, how improper it was the way our infielder just fielded that ground ball.
blather on uncontested? I can’t even imagine. And that’s why we need to show up for our team. Baseball is a beautiful game, but it’s also an incredibly difficult one. All the unseen work that goes into playing the game successfully — or even making the attempt — deserves recognition, and there’s no better way to recognize our players than to show up in droves for the first game of their season. And the chance
to vanquish the loud, obnoxious fans from opposing teams is just a bonus. It’s the best feeling in the world, but it’s just a little something extra, a reward fans sometimes get if they stick by their team for long enough. So come on out. 3 p.m. Bring friends, food and game-ready baseball chatter, and come give our players a boost as they set out on the marathon that remains of their season. We only get so many opportunities to watch baseball, and even fewer to cheer on Brown teams in person. Don’t miss this chance to do both. I’ll be there — come by and say hello. I’ll be the one in the front row holding peanuts and Cracker Jacks, wearing the Brown baseball sweatshirt and cap. I’ll be chattering away in support of my team, occasionally looking around in frustration at bombastic opposing fans, but always able to contain my anger, suffused with happiness that I’m finally watching baseball again.
James Schapiro ’19 can be reached at james_schapiro@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
BDS: A wolf in sheep’s clothing KYLE PRICE
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Shortly after the United Nations voted in 1947 to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, the Arab world was incensed. Syria’s then president Shukri al-Quwatli threatened to “eradicate Zionism.” The Egyptian king Farouk declared that the Jews would soundly be driven from Palestine. General Secretary of the Arab League Azzam Pasha claimed that “We will sweep them into the sea.” Seventy years later, many Jews continue to endure the reality of maltreatment on the basis of their religion. In 2017, 938 of the 1,564 total anti-religious hate crimes in the United States — 60 percent — targeted Jews, who number fewer than 2 percent of the country’s population. In this context, I am deeply concerned about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which promotes various forms of boycott against Israel, ostensibly on the grounds of defending human rights and denouncing imperialism. This anti-Zionist movement is in some ways the buttoned-up, modern cousin of millenniaold antisemitism. Anti-Zionism, opposing the political movement of Jews to self-determination, may not always manifest in antisemitism, but it often can in the case of the BDS movement. The Jewish people have long sought to achieve freedom and peace in their ancestral home, Israel. Yet the BDS movement rejects the existence of a majority Jewish state and applies egregious double standards to Israel’s actions, all while remaining silent on far more atrocious human rights violations. Now, BDS has come to Brown in the form of the campaign #BrownDivest. While #BrownDivest posits that it does not advocate for a “political solution,” per a statement on its website, the
group undeniably invokes BDS, a group whose advocacy suggests inherently political changes to Israel. On March 19, the Undergraduate Council of Students will open online voting on a referendum to “divest all stocks, funds, endowment and other monetary instruments from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine,” according to the referendum’s official wording. Thankfully, regardless of the vote’s outcome, it is unlikely the University will ever adopt its mandate. The UCS resolution is merely a recommendation aimed at influencing the Universityhired portfolio managers who invest Brown’s endowment. In reality, no professional fund manager worth his or her salt would exclude the mul-
Arab-Israelis have sat on the country’s Supreme Court. Until its dissolution last month, the third biggest party in the Knesset was the Joint List — a vocally anti-Zionist party — which 82 percent of Arab-Israelis support. Israeli laws in no way resemble the state-enforced discrimination in apartheid South Africa, which entirely disenfranchised its black minority population. What apartheid state would be so ineffective at enforcing apartheid? And what is Israel’s record on issues that progressives often care about? In Israel’s most recent elections, progressive parties came to power in a number of municipal districts, touting policies such as women’s rights, same-sex marriage and adoption. As part of its agreement to the Paris
I implore us all to vote against this misguided referendum, not for what it may do but rather for what it symbolizes. titude of companies that partake in Israel’s thriving economy from a portfolio. Regardless, the referendum prompts an interesting thought experiment. Why is it that so many self-described progressives, including some members of the Brown student body, denounce Israel and its stakeholders? What is the root of the connection between anti-Zionism and certain blocs of progressivism? Many will justify anti-Israel sentiment on the basis that Israel engages in apartheid, a system of state-sanctioned segregation and oppression by race or ethnicity. BDS’ mission statement explicitly claims to stand against “Israeli apartheid.” Yet, 14 percent of members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, are Arab-Israeli, just below their 21 percent share of the Israeli population. Two
climate accords, Israel promised to maintain the same levels of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030. How are we doing on that front? Double standards abound. This is not to depict Israel as a flawless state. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are a disgrace to Israel’s espoused liberal values. Israel’s belligerence against neighboring Palestinians, even in attempts to defend itself, is often excessive. Its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has recently tacked to the Trumpian right. BDS criticizes Israel for these issues, but the movement’s commitment to holding alleged human rights abusers accountable is not consistent. BDS is damningly silent on China, which has been accused of killing or imprisoning one million Uighur Muslims. You would be hard-
pressed to find an on-campus movement denouncing Myanmar for exterminating the Rohingya. Where is the resolution requesting Brown divest from companies involved in Saudi Arabia, one of the United States’ biggest allies, for its treatment of women, journalists and the Yemeni people? Proponents of the BDS movement focus on Israel’s flaws and paint the country in broad strokes in an effort to delegitimize it. Regardless of your view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, BDS is not the answer. BDS rejects Israel’s right to exist, a claim so uncompromising that it runs counter to basic academic values of promoting engagement around intractable issues. Student governments should pass resolutions championing engagement between Israelis and Palestinians rather than resolutions that silence one side of the issue. BDS is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It masquerades as a noble display of support for oppressed people while concealing its intentions to demonize the Jewish state. Like every other country in recorded history, Israel has imperfect policies. But unlike its neighbors, Israel has the democratic framework to continuously improve these policies. Though supporters of #BrownDivest may believe their intentions are virtuous, dichotomizing this issue grossly distorts contemporary politics. I implore us all to vote against this misguided referendum, not for what it may do but rather for what it symbolizes.
Kyle Price ’20 can be reached at kyle_price@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
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