Issuu

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 42

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

University launches new website Faculty recommend eliminating

payment-based early graduation During faculty meeting, Paxson addresses college admissions scandal, divestment referendum By CELIA HACK METRO EDITOR

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

The University launched a redesigned home page as part of the first phase of the new brown.edu website, which aims to improve user experience. The website was last redone nine years ago.

First phase of launch includes new homepage, 50 linked sites, addresses accessibility issues By BECKY WOLFSON STAFF WRITER

The first phase of the new brown.edu website launched yesterday, featuring a new home page and over 50 more accessible and updated sites linked to the core University website. The University decided to launch the website “because the old site needed a solid refresh,” said John Spadaro, deputy chief information

officer of Computing and Information Services. Given that the website was last redone in 2010, “the new website will be a much more modern take on how people expect websites to work in 2019,” he added. With this new launch, the University hopes to address accessibility issues that have arisen since 2010 to ensure that the entire website is compliant with federal requirements such as the accessibility standards in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University needs “to comply with (these standards) not just because of federal rules, but because it’s the right thing to do,” Spadaro said. “We want anyone to be able to access our website.

… The world is different today than it was nine years ago in terms of expectations of being on your phone, and if you are visually impaired, those are really important elements for modern design.” “From a CIS perspective, we need to make sure the website performs no matter where you are in the world, that it works crisply and accurately every time,” he said. The goals for the new website also include creating an “outstanding user experience,” Vice President for Communications Cass Cliatt wrote in a community-wide announcement. Joel Pattison, director of Web and » See WEBSITE, page 2

Faculty passed a motion recommending the Corporation revise current policies regarding degree requirements, including eliminating payment-based accelerated graduation, during the faculty meeting Tuesday. President Christina Paxson P’19 also responded to an op-ed written by nearly 100 faculty members that rebuked her response to the Brown Divest referendum’s passage and spoke about the national college admission scandal. Payment-based accelerated graduation allows students to graduate one semester early by paying for the final semester of University. “We have a policy right now that allows for some students, those who can afford to pay for a full semester of unaided tuition, to complete their degree early,” said Dean of the College Rashid Zia ’01. “We don’t think that aligns with our academic vision or our values (and) our hope of having an inclusive campus.” For students that still wish to graduate early, faculty voted to recommend a “petition process for students facing

exceptional circumstances,” according to Zia’s presentation. For example, a student with a family medical emergency or post-graduate opportunity that requires expedited graduation could petition to graduate up to two semesters early. The “petition process is not just available to wealthy students who can afford to pay it,” Paxson added. The recommendation also included limiting advanced standing to one semester for non-transfer and non-RUE students — meaning students would not be able to graduate more than one semester early based on AP exam scores, international certificate program exam credits or college credits from an approved program of study at another institution. “There is some concern that we have a practice that would allow students to graduate entirely a year early simply on the basis of AP courses,” Zia said. In addition, Paxson responded to an April 2 Op-Ed titled “When Brown students speak, the University should listen: A faculty letter in support of student activism,” written by 98 faculty members. They expressed concern with Paxson’s response to the undergraduate body’s vote in support of a referendum asking the University to divest from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine. The letter said Paxson’s statement was “stifling » See GRADUATION, page 2

Humanity making progress, Spring 2019 Herald poll results Paxson approval falls say Pinker, Krugman

By JACKSON TRUESDALE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

By JACOB LOCKWOOD AND CATE RYAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND SCIENCE AND RESEARCH EDITOR

1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christina Paxson is handling her job as the president of the University? 7.7% Strongly approve 39.1% Somewhat approve 21.6% Somewhat disapprove 3.4% Strongly disapprove 28.2% No opinion 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Undergraduate Council of Students is handling its job? 8.3% Strongly approve 32.4% Somewhat approve 7.4% Somewhat disapprove 2.1% Strongly disapprove 49.9% No opinion

Between fall 2017 and spring 2019, President Christina Paxson’s approval rating decreased. 70% 61.9% 60 50

46.8%

40 30

19 20 g r in 8 Sp 201 18 ll 0 Fa g 2 r in 7 Sp 201 7 ll 01 Fa g 2 r in 6 Sp 201 6 ll 01 Fa g 2 r in 5 Sp 01 5 ll 2 01 Fa g 2 r in 4 Sp 201 14 ll 0 Fa g 2 r in 3 Sp 201 13 ll 0 Fa g 2 rin

INSIDE

12.6 percent since last spring, 51.5 percent think legacy should not affect admission

Is humanity progressing? In short, yes. Acclaimed cognitive scientist Steven Pinker and Nobel Laureate economist Paul Krugman discussed why this is the case during the Brown Political Theory Project’s Janus Lecture Tuesday. Defining his approach to this question, Pinker said progress consisted of “life, health, sustenance, prosperity, peace, freedom, safety, knowledge, quality of life (and) happiness.” Turning to data, Pinker presented global trends in each of these areas. The graphs covered different spans of time with some showing changes

over the last century and one showing growth over the past two millennia. Several graphs ended in 2016. Some graphs showed increases in life expectancy rates, education levels, literacy rates, IQ scores and classical liberal values. Other graphs showed falling rates of child mortality, extreme poverty, famine, homophobia, racism and suicide. Pinker also used the graphs to highlight exceptions to global trends. For example, while the global suicide rate has declined recently, the United States recently has seen its rate rise, according to Pinker’s data. At the same time, his data showed the global population appearing to grow happier. After presenting his data, Pinker argued in favor of humanism and rationality, saying that progress is not inevitable. “There are alternatives to humanism, such as religious morality, authoritarian nationalism and » See PROGRESS, page 3

Approval Rating

Political Theory Project’s Janus Forum features eminient psychologist, economist in conversation

Semester

SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD

3. Should Brown consider legacy status in student admission? (i.e. having a parent, grandparent or sibling who attended Brown) 29.6% Yes 51.5% No 19% No opinion

4. How likely are you to live or work in Rhode Island after completing all of your higher education? 1.5% Very likely 14.4% Somewhat likely 31% Somewhat unlikely » See POLL, page 4

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

NEWS City Council proposes ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags, omitting individual fines

NEWS Rep. Cicilline adds campaign transparency amendment to House voting reform bill

COMMENTARY Thomas ’21: Students should support emotional health by addressing academic burnout

COMMENTARY Calvelli ’19: Legacy admissions are symptomatic of hereditary privilege in higher education

PAGE 2

PAGE 3

PAGE 7

TODAY

TOMORROW

61 / 36

51 / 29

NEWS

PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

City Council proposes Providence-wide plastic bag ban City Council suggests ban on most single-use plastic bags, fee on businesses for violations By OLIVIA GEORGE STAFF WRITER

City leaders are on the verge of banning single-use plastic bags in Providence, following the lead of ten other Rhode Island municipalities that have done the same. A proposed city ordinance would make it illegal in most cases for businesses to provide plastic carryout bags to customers in any sales transaction or for other use in the city. The ordinance is a part of an effort to curb litter, protect the state’s marine environment and reduce emissions by encouraging the use of reusable bags. While the ordinance would ban most types of single-use plastic bags, bags used for dry cleaning and wrapping frozen meat or fish would be exempted. If approved, the bag ban would begin six months after its passage. Last year, the Providence City Council approved an ordinance that would have charged customers a minimum of 10 cents per single-use bag used in lieu of a resuable alternative. But Mayor Jorge Elorza vetoed the ordinance, citing community concerns that the bag fee would disproportionately

affect low-income consumers. “While I support the intentions and goals of the policy, a critical step in the process was skipped: robust community engagement and public discourse,” Elorza wrote his veto letter to the Council last year. The Providence City Council’s Finance Committee endorsed a revised version of the ordinance March 21 that omits the 10 cent fee but would include fines for businesses. Retailers found offering single-use plastic bags would be fined $50 for their first violation and $100 for all subsequent offenses. Elorza supports the new version of the ordinance, according to Ben Smith, the Mayor’s deputy director of communications. “The administration applauds the members of the City Council for working to ensure that this ordinance considers the impact it will have on all Providence residents,” Smith wrote in an email to The Herald. Despite support from City Hall, some community members worry that the revised ordinance does not go far enough to address the city’s environmental concerns. Deborah Schimberg ’80, P’05 MD’19, P’14, an advocate with Zero Waste Providence, said she fears that the decision to remove the 10 cent fee will discourage consumers from investing in reusable bags. “We are really trying to get people to use reusable bags.

So, just making it so that (consumers) can switch to paper doesn’t accomplish that,” she said. Schimberg also voiced concerns about the price of the paper bags that will mostly likely replace plastic bags in stores. Paper is more expensive than plastic, and Schimberg believes that the burden of higher cost will fall disproportionately on small businesses, a cost that could be passed on to the consumer. If the Office of Sustainability determines that a particular business would face undue hardship under the ban, the ordinance allows year-long exemptions at the office’s discretion. “The Retail Federation does not have a position” on the proposed bag ban, according to Mike Blazek, vice president of communications for the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Barrington became the first municipality in Rhode Island to enact a plastic-bag ban in January 2013. Since then, nine other communities including Newport, Block Island and Bristol have all instituted bans. With communities across the state embracing bag bans, many are hopeful that statewide legislation to this effect could be successful. Sen. Josh Miller of Cranston, Providence and Rep. Carol McEntee of South Kingstown, Narragansett have introduced legislation this year that would ban single-use plastic

» WEBSITE, from page 1 Digital Communication Strategy is most excited about “new features that will hopefully make the website easier to navigate,” in conjunction with new digital content like “videos, photographs and student profiles.” The website’s new digital content has already enhanced the experience of some of its users. “My first opinion is that the new website feels more mobile friendly and everything fits in the screen,” said Serene Akkawi ’19. “I like the layout of the photos and how you can swipe through the videos that automatically play.” The rebuild project started in spring 2018. The first part of this project was “building the technical infrastructure (and) overriding design … to make the

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Paxson defended her position on divestment at Tuesday’s meeting. Faculty also voted to recommend a petition process for early graduation.

» GRADUATION, from page 1 student activism.” “I’m a strong defender of freedom of expression on this campus, and I get that student activism has done tremendous things for Brown,” Paxson said. “By writing that letter (I didn’t) mean to say I don’t value activism and I don’t value student expression. I was really making a much more narrow point, which was matters of investment are not decided through political opinion and popularity, they’re decided on principle.” Paxson also addressed the national college admissions scandal, which prompted the University to conduct a

“case-by-case review” of every varsity athlete. The review concluded that the University was not involved in the scandal, The Herald previously reported. “The scandal has spread beyond this scandal per se, and it’s raised a whole host of issues around the fairness of admissions,” Paxson said. “Some of these were floating around anyway — people (are) talking about legacies and athletes (and) whether tests scores really reflect the qualifications of students across the income distribution.” In response to these concerns, Paxson plans to form a group of faculty at the University that will look into the integrity of the admissions process, as well as issues of access and equity in the admissions process.

HANNA RASHIDI / HERALD

bags across the state. Last week, New York State lawmakers became the second state to approve a statewide ban on most types of single-use plastic bags from any sales transactions, after California banned

single-use bags in 2016. Hawaii does not have state-wide ban, but every county in the state has banned their use. The proposed ordinance is expected to go before the full City Council later this month.

site work,” Spadaro said. This initial phase was completed with the launch of the new website. By phasing the launch rather than relaunching the entire website at once, costs are minimized, Pattison said. “There are some costs being funded centrally by the University.” During this initial phase, there were at least “30 individuals contributing time and effort to the relaunch each week,” Pattison said. This launch is the result of a partnership between the Office of University Communications and CIS. OUC manages design, content, strategy and user experience, while CIS provides technological development support. The website rebuild fits directly with the mission of the University’s Digital Transformation Initiative, which

aims to enhance the University’s web presence and improve its accessibility, Spadaro said. “This is really the starting point, not an endpoint,” Pattison said. “We are working with the Provost and executive leadership on (the other) websites.” In the next two years, the University plans to continue rebuilding over 200 of its official websites. In rebuilding the rest of the sites, Spadaro anticipates putting content into the new brown.edu framework in an orderly fashion from website to website. Prior to the launch, community members were warned of the potential for brief delays or disruptions that may occur with web traffic. If community members encounter persisting errors, Cliatt advised them to email web@ brown.edu.

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Rep. Cicilline ’83 adds to national voter registration bill U.S. House passes bill addressing voting ethics, access, Cicilline pushes transparency in campaign donations By DYLAN CLARK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping voting reform legislation last month with the “For the People Act,” which would institute voting reforms at the federal level. If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, it would require states to implement automatic voter registration, federal workers to receive the day off on election days and presidents and vice presidents to release their tax returns, among other reforms. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-RI, added an amendment to the bill called the DISCLOSE Act, which would increase transparency within the federal election campaign donation process by requiring elected officials to publicize donor information. This is not the first time Cicilline has made efforts to change the influence of money in politics. The representative established the city of Providence’s first ethics code and made history by foregoing campaign contributions from city

employees. He also wrote legislation to enact automatic voter registration in the previous Congress, though it did not pass. While the bill would bring changes to many states across the country, Rhode Island has already instituted many of the reforms central to the legislation, said John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. For example, Rhode Island has already approved automatic voter registration and passed laws requiring state officials to file independent financial disclosure forms. State legislators and the Secretary of State have also put forward a litany of reforms at the state level to increase voter turnout and candidate accessibility, including proposals to institute early voting, The Herald previously reported. But on the national stage, the ambitious bill is unlikely to garner enough support to become law in the current political climate. Despite strong and unified Democratic support for the legislation, President Donald Trump has already promised to veto the bill if it were to pass the Senate. The White House stated that the bill “chills free speech by creating requirements that would limit the ability of Americans to participate in advocacy without undue compliance costs and without fear of public reprisals.”

"opt-in” registration system to “opt-out.” The latter portion of the reform would mean that elegible voters are automatically registered, but can opt-out of the system if they would like.

SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD

But the bill is unlikely to even reach the Senate floor. “It has zero prospects of moving forward in any way in the Senate,” said Richard Arenberg, senior fellow in international and public affairs and visiting professor of the practice of political science. Arenberg cited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s, R-KY, staunch opposition to campaign

finance reform and stressed that it is highly unlikely that the Republican majority will negotiate with Democrats to create a bipartisan bill. “One of the difficulties historically with this sort of legislation is that both parties are very quick to analyze exactly how it affects their electoral prospects,” Arenberg said. Many of the reforms

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

Acclaimed cognitive scientist Steven Pinker and Nobel TIFFANY DING / HERALD Laureate economist Paul Krugman presented yesterday.

» PROGRESS, from page 1 populism,” which oppose progress as he defined it, he said. Picking up where Pinker left off, Krugman said the broad question of whether humanity is progressing was actually a two-part inquiry. He asked the audience, “Have we progressed?” and “Will we continue to progress?” While Krugman agreed with Pinker that humanity has been progressing over the course of history, the future

still worries him. Citing “episodes of retrogression” in human progress, Krugman argued that such setbacks can recur. “The fact of our progress is real (as is) … the chance that it goes into reverse,” he said. Krugman and Pinker both then expressed a sentiment that every decade people perceive humanity to be on “the edge of a precipice.” To maintain human progress, the two speakers said policymakers cannot dismiss or ignore scientific

findings. Politicians should not blame “evil people” for problems but instead take responsibility for their own “ignorance and not knowing how to solve our problems,” Pinker said. At the same time, Krugman said he felt that some politicians “are doing the wrong thing because they believe things … that are simply not true.” To combat this, Pinker insisted on the importance of improving the quality and accessibility of education

proposed in the bill would increase voter turnout, and Republicans tend to do worse in high-turnout elections, he added. The act does serve a purpose even though it has little chance of passing, Marion said. “Now we have model legislation on a whole host of reforms that reformers on a state level can turn to.”

and “elevating the quality of discourse in the public sphere, including newspapers.” Pinker urged students in the audience to use their education to tackle pressing issues. To that end, Pinker said he felt “disappointed to see so many people going into finance,” which prompted the audience’s applause. “These really smart students (are) figuring out how to make some very, very, very rich people even richer, as opposed to figuring out ways of carbon capture and storage (and) Alzheimer’s disease,” Pinker said. “Also, vote,” Krugman added promptly, to further applause. During the question and answer session, Bilal Memon ’22 asked Pinker whether he agreed with the “characterization of Western Europe saving the world” given the association of rationalism and humanism — two ideas essential to progress in Pinker’s paradigm — with the region. Pinker responded that “it is a mistake to equate Enlightenment ideas with Western ideas” without acknowledging other Western ideas like fascism and communism. After the lecture, Memon said he found Pinker’s response inadequate. “By centering the Enlightenment as a historical period in the discourse about rationality, you are centering a white narrative and centering a Western European narrative and ignoring the other intellectual traditions which have contributed to progress,” he said. But, Pinker told The Herald, despite the differences between people from diverse backgrounds, the “common denominator ultimately has to be our rationality and our consciousness, our ability to suffer and flourish.” “What’s going to happen in 2050 very much depends on what we do now,” Pinker said, “and on the results of thousands of conversations such as the one we’re having now.”

NEWS

PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

5. How often do you interact one-onone with professors? 8.6% Daily 29.5% A few times per week 33.3% A few times per month 24.9% A few times per semester 3.7% Never 6. How often do you go off College Hill and into other areas of Providence? 5% Daily 32.1% A few times per week 45.6% A few times per month 16.2% A few times per semester 1.1% Never 7. What do you do when you go off campus into the Providence community? (Circle all that apply) 1.6% I don’t go off campus 79.9% Eat at restaurants 55.4% Grocery shopping 42.7% Retail shopping 35.5% Volunteer work 7% Paid work 60.9% Entertainment 27.3% Sightseeing 13.5% Other 8. Do you believe that the anonymous Facebook page Dear Blueno is a positive or negative contribution to student life? 9.6% Very positive 34.1% Somewhat positive 21.2% Somewhat negative 10.3% Very negative 24.7% No opinion 9. How strongly do you agree with the following: Brown is committed to diversity and equity. 15.9% Strongly agree 53.4% Somewhat agree 20.6% Somewhat disagree 6.4% Strongly disagree 3.7% No opinion 10. How much influence do you think students’ voices and opinions have on administrative decisions at the University? 7.8% Significant influence 45.7% Some influence 35% Little influence 4.1% No influence 7.5% Not sure 11. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each weeknight? 2% Fewer than 4 hours 22.6% Between 4 and 6 hours 65.6% Between 6 and 8 hours 9.2% More than 8 hours 0.6% Unsure 12. On average, how many hours per week have you worked for pay this semester? 45.9% 0 hours 17.3% 1 - 5 hours

The poll was conducted over the course of two days from March 13 - 14. The margin of error is 3.1 percent with 95 percent confidence. The margins of error for specific subsets are as follows: 4.1 percent for females, 4.5 percent for males, 5.2 percent for first-years, 5.5 percent for sophomores, 7.1 percent for juniors, 7.4 percent for seniors, 4.6 percent for students who receive financial aid and 3.9 percent for students who do not receive financial aid. The sample of undergraduate students who took the poll is demographically similar to the student body. The sample was 44.9 percent male and 54.2 percent female. First-years made up 33.8 percent, sophomores 30.4 percent, juniors 18.6 percent and seniors 17.1 percent of the poll. Of the students polled, 32.7 percent receive grants from the University covering some costs, 9.7 percent receive grants covering all costs and 57.6 percent receive no financial aid. Varsity athletes made up 10.2 percent, while non-athletes made up 89.8 percent of the sample. Of students surveyed, 79.4 percent identify as heterosexual, 6.6 percent as gay, 11.7 percent as bisexual and 2.3 percent as other. Those involved in a Greek life organization made up 16.5 percent, while non-Greek affiliated students made up 83.5 percent of all surveyed. In the sample, 53.4 percent identify as white, 36 percent as Asian, 10.2 percent as Hispanic, 9 percent as black, 0.4 percent as American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.6 percent as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 3 percent as other. The percentages add up to more than 100 percent since some students selected more than one race/ethnicity. Students surveyed also marked their concentration area(s): 30.3 percent are in the humanities/arts, 24.4 percent in life sciences, 34 percent in physical sciences, 17.1 percent in business (BEO or economics) and 22.9 percent in social sciences (not including BEO or economics). Of the students polled, 13.4 percent are legacy students, meaning they have a parent, grandparent or sibling who attended Brown, while 86.6 percent are not. First-generation students made up 16.6 percent of students who took the poll and non-first-generation students made up 83.4 percent of the sample. Statistical significance was established at the 0.05 level. All cross tabulations are statistically significant. University News Editor Jacob Lockwood ’21 and Science and Research Editor Cate Ryan ’21 coordinated the poll. The poll was conducted on campus by Herald section editors, senior staff writers and other staff members. Over the next few weeks, The Herald will release a series of articles about individual poll questions.

percent who identify as legacy students agree that legacy should be considered in college admission decisions, while 26.5 percent of non-legacy students indicated approval of legacy consideration. First-generation students indicated lower approval percentages, with ation in admission.

100%

No Yes

80 60

59.8% 54.0%

49.8%

48.5%

34.8%

30.9%

26.5%

22.6%

20 0

Legacy

Not Legacy

First-Generation Not First-Generation

Polled students were asked to answer the question “How strongly do you agree with the following statement: Brown is committed to diversity and equity.” The percentage of students who agreed with the statement decreased 55.7%

17.9%

Financial aid recieved

53% Very unlikely

15.5% 6 - 9 hours 11.8% 10 - 15 hours 3.6% 16 - 20 hours 5.8% More than 20 hours

17.2% 4.4% 4.9%

None

No Opinion Strongly Disagree

52.2%

13.9%

23.5%

8.3% 2.2%

Grants Covering Some Costs

Somewhat disagree Somewhat Agree

11.5%

43.8%

31.3%

11.5% 2.1%

Strongly Agree

Grants Covering All Costs 0

90 100%

Student opinion Source: The Brown Daily Herald

opinions of the Dear Blueno Facebook page, while only 33.5 percent of seniors indicated positive opinion.

Students polled

» POLL, from page 1

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

100% 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

31.8%

17.6%

No Opinion Negative

25.4% 34.7%

Positive

57% 33.5%

First Year

Senior

Source: The Brown Daily Herald . Of the remaining students, over 40 percent approved of UCS, while less than 10 percent dissaproved of the organization.

7.4% 2.1% 8.3%

49.9%

Strongly disapprove Somewhat disapprove Strongly approve Somewhat Approve No Opinion

32.4% SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

s i d n e y f r a n k lo o m s l a r g e

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Spicy Sausage and Garlic Pizza, Steamed Fish with Papaya Salad, Po’ Boy, Chef ’s Choice Fried Rice JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Chicken Wings Bar, Southwestern Bean Burger

BYO Grain Bowl, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Caribbean Style Grain Bowl, Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken, Meat Lover’s Pizza

Garbanzo Bean Salad and Watercress Sandwich, Spinach and Bacon Mac and Cheese

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Baked Meatball Tomato Alfredo Pasta, Tomato Basil Pie, Udon and Vegetable Salad

Italian Special: Antipasto Bar, Chicken Piccata, Stuffed Shells with Meatless Sauce

sudoku VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Life science building Sidney Frank Hall gets its name from American businessman Sidney E. Frank who attended the University for a year before he had to drop out due to financial difficulties.

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

“We should be talking more about the effects of immigration on public health and that all of us have a

”

responsibility to speak out … not just academically.

— Abdullah Shihipar GS

See immigration on page 8.

crossword

calendar TODAY

APRIL

Presentation Skills Capstone 9:00 A.M. South Street Landing

Quaker Meeting for Worship 12:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

Community Mindfulness Session 12:30 P.M. 121 South Main Street

Artist Talk: Guerrilla Girls 5:00 P.M. Solomon Center for Teaching

TOMORROW

Wellness to GO: Food Psychology 12:00 P.M. 121 South Main Street

Public Health Research Day 1:30 P.M. Alumnae Hall

DiversiTea 4:30 P.M. 38 Charlesfield Street

Reading: Mary-Beth Hughes 5:30 P.M. McCormack Family Theater

NEWS

PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Gun control, reform bills debated in R.I. Senate Senate Judiciary Committee hears testimony from supporters, critics of 11 bills By SOPHIE CULPEPPER METRO EDITOR

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard impassioned testimony from supporters and critics of gun reform Tuesday, as the committee considered 11 bills addressing gun safety and access in the state. At the State House, the crowd of protesters wearing yellow in support of gun ownership far outnumbered those wearing red and orange in support of gun control. Most testimony focused on three of the eleven bills, which were sponsored by Governor Gina Raimondo and Attorney General Peter Neronha. One of these bills would ban assault weapon access, another would prohibit firearms within 300 feet of a school and the last would outlaw large capacity feeding devices. Companion House bills were heard two weeks ago, The Herald previously reported. The Attorney General also sponsored four other bills that would regulate weapon use and possession — defining and limiting accessibility of guns undetectable by security devices, punishing individuals for failing to report stolen firearms, requiring secure

storage of guns and preventing firearms from being procured on behalf of someone prohibited from possession. The Committee also heard a bill that would grant the Attorney General’s office exclusive power to issue pistol and revolver carry permits, and another that calls for summarizing gun sales and transfers on a monthly basis. While ten of the bills discussed Tuesday are generally supported by advocates for gun control, the Committee also heard a bill supported by members of the National Rifle Association, which would legalize the possession of tasers for individuals over 18. Vice President of the Rhode Island Second Amendment Coalition Michael O’Neil spoke against several of the bills and in favor of the taser proposition. He criticized the suggestion of creating a registry of gun owners as a potential violation of state and federal laws prohibiting government firearm registration. Secretary of the Rhode Island Revolver and Rifle Association Brenda Jacob defended guns as foundations of culture and community. “When you start reading (the assault weapons ban), it lists every single rifle that we all own,” she said, explaining that her son’s threaded barrel rifle would be banned under the bill. As a shooting instructor for women, she views guns as means for women to protect themselves from domestic violence.

SOPHIE CULPEPPER / HERALD

While 10 of the bills discussed Tuesday are generally backed by advocates for gun control, the Senate Judiciary Committee also heard testimony on a bill supported by NRA members, which would legalize the possession of tasers. “I’m very passionate about it because I’m a product of the firearm community; I grew up in it,” she told The Herald, adding that “there is no one that is more against gun violence than the gun community.” Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence Linda Finn testified in favor of ten of the bills, excluding the bill regarding tasers. During her testimony, Finn said that this year — the sixth year of R.I. legislative advocacy for increased gun control — is the first time both bills have majority support in the House and Senate. Colonel James Manni of the Rhode Island State Police also testified in support of the three most high-profile bills. “I’m a responsible gun owner. I believe in the second amendment. I’m an NRA member, and I’ve used firearms for

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probably 45 years, from a very early age. I shoot recreationally, maybe every week, sometimes twice a week,” he said. Last year, Manni co-chaired the Governor’s Working Group on Gun Safety, which brought together leaders across disciplines to design gun safety legislation. “In my law enforcement career, I’ve seen the good side of firearms and I’ve seen the bad side,” Manni added. Reverend Jamie Washam of the First Baptist Church in America expressed support for legislation emphasizing gun safety and is especially focused on keeping guns out of schools. “As religious people, we have the thoughts and prayers angle really covered, and we want to push our legislators to legislate,” she said. About half a dozen University students from Thoughts Prayers Action

Directors Sales: Bersabel Yifru Finance: Rudra Srivastava, Reynaldo Blandon Strategy: Edwin Farley

attended the event. Lily Gordon ’21 was one of the founding members of the University’s chapter of Thoughts Prayers Action, which was established in the wake of the Parkland Shooting to advocate for gun safety. She found there were “less people than usual” present at the State House compared to the House hearing two weeks ago but felt compelled to show up Tuesday to express the importance of the bills for protecting marginalized groups. “Those bills won’t be able to legislate away hate — people are still going to be anti-Semitic, people are still going to hate the LGBTQ+ community — but we do have the capacity to limit access to the kinds of weapons that are used in massacres.” No vote was scheduled for the bills by press time.

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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Extinguishing burnout QUENTIN THOMAS staff columnist There’s a saying at Brown: it’s midterms season until it’s finals season. And while this may seem like an exaggeration for comedic value, it’s much closer to reality than one might think. Regardless, it remains completely true that Brown students are busy. I have observed that students at Brown are open about their workrelated stress; they are comfortable letting people know when things are getting hectic. I think this honesty is great, and I appreciate the authenticity of the Brown student body. Yet, even though it’s nice to have a kind of solidarity with peers about chaotic schedules, I’m thinking about what we can do beyond just saying “same” or “I feel you.” How do we support and show up for each other when we’re all going through it? This question is worth exploring and doing so will prove to be in everyone’s best interest. It’s safe to say that everyone experiences times of heightened stress, anxiety or fatigue. While we accept these ‘ruts’ as a part of college life, feeling this way for a pro-

longed time period demands more serious attention. Burnout is a legitimate concern for high-achievers, the kind of students Brown attracts. The stress of multiple exams in a week, a paper here, a project there, and other challenges that seem to always arise at the worst time can ultimately lead us to a point where

Lending an open ear is another common way we offer support. But not everyone is equally likely to talk about their struggles, and not everyone has the bandwidth to listen to others all the time. Society informs how we move through the world, for better or worse. Men, for example, are tradition-

on women. This is a manifestation of how women are socialized. In a 2018 New York Times article, Kristin Wong illuminates this dynamic; she uses the term “emotional labor,” which encompasses the psychological duties expected of women that go largely unnoticed. One example of emotional labor is “sur-

Yet, even though it’s nice to have a kind of solidarity with peers about chaotic schedules, I’m thinking about what we can do beyond just saying “same” or “I feel you.”

we completely shut down. Knowing this, we do what we can to avoid that point. As I mentioned earlier, solidarity is a common way I’ve seen Brown students try to support peers during trying times. However, in a 2018 column, Chanel Johnson ’20 warned us about the potential consequences of this method, citing specifically its ability to exacerbate existing exhaustion. With this in mind, we should reconsider what it means to be supportive.

ally not socialized to open up and be vulnerable. So while the tendency to address burnout through conversation can be helpful, this tactic risks leaving some men behind, for whom talking about their feelings would be a departure from the norm. The rigid nature of conventional masculinity impacts men’s ability to support others and their willingness to seek help when they need it. Conversely, the expectation of managing others’ feelings and listening to their problems largely falls

face acting,” when the emotions one displays, such as empathy, do not match their true feelings. This disparity has tangible effects; Wong cites the American Psychological Association’s yearly findings that women consistently report higher stress levels. Even when men do subvert gender norms and reach out for emotional help, they can in fact reinforce harmful dynamics. It can be all too easy for men to demand emotional labor from women with-

out intending to do so. With all of this in mind, it’s important to think critically about how we can best support the people we care about — and to acknowledge that proper care can look different for everyone. One thing that might not come to mind immediately but is incredibly important is self-care. In her September 2018 column, Rebecca Okin ’19 implored us to devise self-care strategies that can actually recharge our batteries. By striking a balance between self-care and mutual support, we can be conscientious of others’ emotional needs while simultaneously preventing the perpetuation of destructive societal norms. Collectively working to rejuvenate ourselves will not only ease our own stress and anxiety, but will also allow us to be there for our friends without it contributing to our own burnout.

Quentin Thomas ’21 can be reached at quentin_thomas@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

The real problem with legacy admissions AIDAN CALVELLI staff columnist At Brown, student activists have long called for an end to legacy admission. And there has been righteous outcry over The Herald’s report that Brown’s Office of Advancement gives special access to children of “alumni, parents and friends.” Still, I think focusing on the unfairness of legacy admission misses the forest for the trees. Don’t get me wrong: Brown should give legacy status no weight in admission decisions. It says nothing about an applicant’s intelligence or ability. And it makes our already inaccessible admission process even more skewed against students without personal connections. But the advantages of being a legacy are just a symptom of a more fundamental problem: the children of elite college graduates have numerous advantages when applying to join those elite universities themselves. Even if a Brown legacy applicant didn’t get special consideration at Brown, they’d still likely be well-positioned to go here, or to Harvard, or Williams or NYU … or any of the other schools in the top echelon of American higher education. That structural inequality — wherein a parent’s privilege shapes a student’s success — is a fundamental challenge to education’s perceived role as a societal equalizer. Part of the problem comes from wealth. Elite colleges, as they are proud to advertise, do well by their graduates. The promise of future earnings is a big draw for many students. Along with some technical and engineering schools — who attract a different kind of student and don’t carry the same social status as more traditional universities — the list of

colleges with the highest earning graduates largely matches existing college rankings. Going to an elite school doesn’t guarantee anyone a huge payday. But when the last five presidents and current nine Supreme Court justices all hold diplomas from schools in one notorious “sports conference,” it’s a reminder that educational pedigree is a convenient route to power. This matters because having parents with money is a huge advantage for college applicants. Colleges need to accept enough students that can pay full tuition; even with

University even used to provide three hours of special college admissions counseling to the children of alums through the Alumni College Advising Program, even if they were not applying to Brown. That program, though it will be discontinued after this summer, is a perfect example of how legacy admission is just a fraction of the problem. Going to Brown gets your kids in the door of going to any [insert similarly elite school name here]. Having a parent who knows the ropes is an invaluable resource; even if your family name isn’t also the name of

But when the last five presidents and current nine Supreme Court justices all hold diplomas from schools in one notorious “sports conference,” it’s a reminder that educational pedigree is a convenient route to power.

need-blind admission, admission officers know that the kid of a Yale-educated lawyer is likely not going to require much financial aid. Students with elite-educated parents often have access to the kinds of resources that make for successful applications: private school pedigrees, illustrious service trips, admission counseling, tutors … the list goes on. Aside from financial resources, the status of having a parent with an elite degree confers its own set of benefits. At Brown, an alum connection might be enough to get an applicant a one-on-one professor meeting and a special note to the Office of Admission. The

a dorm, it pays in innumerable ways to come from a family where the admissions game is familiar, not riddled with mysteries. None of that changes if legacy admission is discontinued. If colleges, especially elite ones like Brown, want to truly be the engines of social mobility like they claim they are, they need to radically rethink their role. Elite colleges claim to be fair because they are meritocratic, taking those talented students from a diverse set of backgrounds who have the most talent and promise. Really, the schools operate more like this: admit mostly

rich kids (Brown has more students from the top 1 percent than the bottom 60 percent of the income distribution), tout a commitment to diversity while enrolling grossly under-representative levels of low-income and students of color, give them all an elite pedigree (and a decent education, to be sure), and repeat. Quietly, that pedigree reifies and reproduces itself, as the graduates propelled into society’s upper crust then seek to maintain that status. What results isn’t a meritocracy in any meaningful sense. It is, as Excellent Sheep author William Deresiewicz calls it, a “hereditary meritocracy”— a self-contradictory term indicative of the mental gymnastics our privileged classes need to do to justify their outsized influence in our lives and in our schools. I’m not convinced that higher education should be a meritocracy. There’s a case to be made that it should much more explicitly be about providing a gateway to opportunity for underprivileged students everywhere. But if universities are going to try to act like they reward merit, let’s not just get rid of legacy admission; let’s make sure our universities are really open to all — not just those who already have fancy diplomas hanging on the walls of their family’s living room.

Aidan Calvelli ’19 has parents who attended elite northeastern liberal arts colleges, and recognizes that is largely why he is in a position to write this column at Brown. He can be reached for comment or called a hypocrite at aidan_calvelli@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

Talk discusses effect of policy, rhetoric on immigrant mental health Barajas-Gonzalez draws from experience, research to form childhood development model By PEDER SCHAEFER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

During her talk on immigrant mental health last night, Assistant Professor Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez, a faculty member in the School of Medicine at New York University, presented a timeline tracking political developments — including 9/11 and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 — against rising deportation detainment levels. The timeline showed a sense of rising danger for immigrant communities, the central theme of Barajas-Gonzalez’s talk at the School for Public Health, called “The Threat of Immigration Enforcement: Understanding Impact on Child Well Being.” She demonstrated how changes in political rhetoric and policy have led to greater levels of stress and anxiety in immigrant communities. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Barajas-Gonzalez grew up in California but traveled back to Mexico during summers to see family. Her academic research has been focused on childhood development and parenting, but after the 2016 elections she said she felt the need to focus more on immigrant communities and began pursuing research linking childhood development and immigration. “When Trump announced his candidacy, he used words that I haven’t felt in a long time,” said Barajas-Gonzalez,

adding that she felt like “somebody (didn’t) want me around.” Barajas-Gonzalez laid out evidence showing the connection between rhetoric, policy and immigrant communities’ health. Combining the academic research on rising stress levels with her own experience with childhood developmental models, Barajas-Gonzalez was able to create a model that shows the variety of factors that impact childhood development within immigrant communities. Her model shows that changes in social rhetoric, law and policy can impact ecosystems that are important for childhood development, including schools, the home environment and interactions with peers. One example she used drew from her work with LINKS, a research study and partnership with New York City public schools that focuses on immigrant families. BarajasGonzalez said that the relationship with schools and families was “business as usual” until 2016, when teachers started to report that their students were more anxious. She quoted some first and third grade teachers who said they were observing increased aggressive behavior and bullying, as well as misinformation that was causing confusion and anxiety in school. From this teacher feedback, Barajas-Gonzalez helped create workshops with parents that could give them the knowledge and tools to help their children understand the immigration situation. She also discussed the changing societal rhetoric and policy surrounding immigration. She cited a number of academic papers that show a clear link

between divisive and hateful speech and the rise of anxiety and stress in immigrant populations. One particular study showed that birth weights decreased dramatically after an immigration raid within one community, demonstrating the impact of immigration stress on pregnancy. “You’ve got changes in policy, you’ve got uncertainty due to the way that things are being communicated and you’ve got a significant increase in the number of people being detained on any given day,” Barajas-Gonzalez said. “You have changes in the communities that are most vulnerable.” After Barajas-Gonzalez spoke, Carl Krueger, a staff lawyer with Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, talked about the immigration situation in the state. He said that there are around 40,000 undocumented immigrants in Rhode Island and that the number of deportations per year in the Boston area — which Rhode Island is a part of — has steadily increased from 2016 to 2018. One new development Krueger mentioned was the recent use of Central Falls’ Wyatt Detention Center as a site for immigrant detention. He said that around 100 immigrants from the southern border were being held there, and that protests against that use of the facility are now occurring. “We should be talking more about the effects of immigration on public health and that all of us have a responsibility to speak out … not just academically,” said Abdullah Shihipar GS, a master’s student of public health who helped organize the event. Rocket Drew ’22 said that he was

COURTESY OF KENNETH ZIRKEL

Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez (top) is a professor at New York University. Lawyer Carl Krueger (bottom) also spoke about immigration. driven to the talk because of a class he was taking on linguistic anthropology. “I appreciated that they talked specifically about language,” including “Trump’s tweets and the power that language has in this unique political moment,” Drew said. Near the end of the talk,

Barajas-Gonzalez and Krueger discussed what can be done to change the current situation and put immigrant communities on stronger footing. Both agreed that policy change was key. “We really need policy change,” Barajas-Gonzalez said. “Nothing else is really going to matter.”

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