Monday, October 28, 2019

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

VOLUME CLIV, ISSUE 38

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. releases naming, gift acceptance policies Corporation approves revisions to policies, accepts $57 million in gifts, pledges

“Conversations on our campus and nationally have made clear the need to share more fully the principles and practices that guide decision-making when Brown is engaged in discussions with prospective donors about gifts,” said President Christina Paxson P’19 in a press release.

In a campus-wide email Oct. 27, Paxson announced that the Corporation had approved a number of revisions to the Gift Acceptance Policy and Naming or Renaming University Buildings, Spaces, Programs and Positions Policy.

The revised version of the gift acceptance policy now contains elements

HERALD FILE PHOTO

The changes to University policy on gift acceptance and the naming of spaces followed the annual fall Corporation meeting. that “were understood as foundational but weren’t articulated previously,” wrote Assistant Vice President for News

by Brown student groups against the role of Warren Kanders ’79 P’23, owner and CEO of Safariland, at the University.

and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald. The policy newly states that “the University is committed to transparency and will share information about the receipt of gifts in a manner that best serves the interests of both the University and respects the wishes of donors,” an example of “new language that contextualizes long-standing principles underlying gift acceptance,” Clark wrote.

These revisions follow both recent controversy surrounding the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s anonymous donations to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as protests

Kanders is a member of the advisory council for the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.

In a Sept. 12 op-ed, six University students and alums who are members of the student collective Warren Kanders Must Go wrote that the University must “devise, implement and publicize strict procedures for ethical gift review, with the substantive involvement of students, faculty and staff.” The Herald also published a Sept. 23 editorial in re sponse to the local and national debate arguing that “Brown must further clar-

Comedy-drama series ‘Modern Love’ falls flat

BY KATHERINE OK SENIOR STAFF WRITER Based on the popular New York Times weekly column of the same name, “Modern Love” was released Oct. 18 on Amazon Prime Video, boasting the faces of Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway and Dev Patel.

The column Modern Love began in 2004 and continues to feature personal sagas of love, empathy and intimacy in all forms. Eventually, it was adapted into a critically acclaimed podcast, which invited actors and actresses to read some of the column’s most popular essays. Now, the column has transformed again into an anthology series produced by Amazon Studios.

All eight episodes of the first season are based on actual stories that have

Women’s soccer defeats Cornell 2-0

BY RANDI RICHARDSON STAFF WRITER

TELEVISION REVIEW

Eight-episode series inspired by NYT column features A-list celebrities

SPORTS

Bears lead Ivy League with 12-1-1 record, set to face Penn Saturday

BY DANIEL GOLDBERG AUTHOR TITLE For the first time in its history, the University has published its official policies for gift acceptance and the naming of University spaces and positions.

The Oct. 27 announcement, which followed the annual fall Corporation meeting, comes as universities nationwide face pressure to increase transparency about their financial relationships.

The Corporation is the University’s highest governing body.

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

been featured in the column, albeit with slight creative liberties. But despite the show’s attempts to chronicle different embodiments of love — self love, platonic love, old and young love — “Modern Love” fails to say anything meaningful on why this “love” is important, or exactly what love is. Instead, the show commodifies the amorphous concept of love into the cheap sparks of theatrical meet cutes.

Episode three, titled “Take Me as I am, Whoever I am,” serves as one of the most guilty examples of the show’s vapidness. Actress Anne Hathaway plays Lexi, an entertainment lawyer who struggles with bipolar disorder.

As the episode follows her theatrical highs and vulnerable lows, “Modern Love” appears to set the stage for a conversation on mental illness and self-love. But the show stilts itself by packing weighty, complex topics into thirty minutes — all while posing itself as a “feel-good” show meant to make audiences laugh, cry and maybe, believe

SEE LOVE PAGE 4

SEE GIFT PAGE 8

The women’s soccer team entered Saturday’s game against Cornell leading the Ivy League with an 111-1 record and a dominant presence on the field.

To start the matchup, the eighthIvy-ranked Big Red stood in the patch and took a defensive approach, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bears from earning a 2-0 shutout victory to extend their winning record to 12.

Right off the cuff, Cornell’s defensive strategy was evident, as they declined to kick the ball back to their own team and instead floated it over to Brown to relinquish possession.

The Big Red’s main goal was to stop Brown from scoring one.

Not even two minutes into the game, Cornell’s strategy proved unsuccessful. Sydney Cummings ’21 sent a long ball from the back field to the front, and Star White ’21 and Brittany Raphino ’23 sprinted after it, outpacing three Big Reds. Raphino

wound up with possession. Cornell goalie Chrissy Mayer respected her scoring power a little too much, and ran off her line in hopes of catching the ball off the dribble instead of after a potential shot attempt. But Raphino took advantage of Mayer’s lapse in judgment. She shot high as Mayer dove for the block and netted the ball home.

“She made a mistake there,” Raphino said about Mayer’s play.

An early score made the next 15 minutes a string of back-and-forth possessions with neither team in absolute attack mode. And even when Cornell did execute with purpose, Brown’s backline held firm. Any Big Red ball inside the box soon became a Brown ball going the other way, despite the Bears’ flat level of play.

Cornell “had a lot of (scoring) opportunities,” said Lauren Hinton ’22. What “helped us a lot was staying disciplined with our clearances and following the second ball every time when it would pay off for somebody.”

With around 30 minutes remaining in the half, a competitive spirit reinvigorated the game. Cornell sent in a long free kick, and Brown headed it away to Big Red midfielder Evan-

SEE SOCCER PAGE 2

SPORTS

Football faces heartbreaking loss against Cornell One play from victory, Bears drop 18th straight Ivy game, face Penn next week

BY RYAN HANDEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER In an intense Saturday matchup against Cornell, the football team was just one first down away from snapping its Ivy losing streak, which began in 2016. Facing fourth and six deep in Big Red territory with less than a minute remaining and a one-point lead, Bruno had the opportunity to run out the clock. But instead, quarterback EJ Perry ’21 was sacked for a 16-yard loss, and Cornell drove down the field to set up a game-winning field goal.

Nickolas Null’s 41-yard attempt clanked off the goalpost, but still found its way through to hand the Bears a 37-35 defeat.

“Really happy with the kids’ effort, the execution keeps getting better each week,” said Head Coach James Perry ’00. “Obviously, super frustrating to lose a close game, but we’ll look for-

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Bears sought their first Ivy conference victory since 2016 going into Saturday’s game but lost 37-25 against Big Red. ward to (our next opponent).”

Brown (1-5, 0-3 Ivy) and Cornell (2-4, 1-2) both came into Saturday’s matchup searching for their first conference victory of the season, and the high-stakes contest came down to the wire. Cornell’s standout placekicker Null got the Big Red on the scoreboard first with a 38-yard field goal on his team’s first drive. On Brown’s first possession, EJ Perry got off to a rough start, throwing a pick to Cornell’s Jelani Taylor. But Perry settled in,

News

Sports

Commentary

Arts & Culture

TEDxBrownU focuses on theme of boxes in lectures by students, alum, faculty Page 2

Despite aggressive play, Bears tie with Big Red after loss to College of Holy Cross.

Page 3

Meszaros GS: We should not dismiss astrology, but rather consider historic developmentPage 6

Renowned artist known for portrait of Obama joins RISD board Back

and calmly led the Bears on a 70-yard touchdown drive just minutes later, capped by a 29-yard scoring toss to receiver Scott Boylan ’21 that gave Bruno a 6-3 lead.

“Everyone’s getting acclimated to the offense,” EJ Perry said. “We’re starting to be able to play fast within it, and be able to get a lot of plays and a lot of points.”

The Big Red responded in force,

SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 6

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

UNIVERSITY NEWS

TEDxBrownU speakers step out of the box Over 450 attendees heard eight speakers last Friday, including students, professors, alum

BY CAELYN PENDER STAFF WRITER TEDxBrownU broke out of the box last Friday, which saw attendance numbers grow over four times from last year and each speaker centering their speech around the theme of “boxes.” “(The theme) can be interpreted in so many different ways,” said TEDx President Julianna Liu ’20 to The Herald. “You can have literal physical boxes, you can have stereotypes, … you can have people breaking out of boxes, breaking out of stereotypes, thinking outside the box. We use the word boxes in so many everyday sayings that we don’t really think about.”

TEDxBrownU is hosted annually

by University students as an independent offshoot of the internationally recognized TED conference. This year’s event, with more than 450 attendees, showcased eight student, professor and alum speakers in the Salomon Center.

Their speeches touched on issues such as socialism, health agency and mental health stigma.

Each speaker interpreted the theme in their own way, focusing on literal, figurative or metaphorical boxes. For instance, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Geoffrey Capraro’s speech was inspired by a literal box — the NaloxBox — that he co-created with Claudia Rébola, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, to help combat the opioid crisis.

SOCCER FROM PAGE 1 thia Spyredes, who sent in a formidable shot that Kayla Thompson ’21 had to work to block. She dove and slapped the ball to another Cornell foot, and the backline pounced and came up with it.

“If things didn’t go our way initially,” Hinton said, “we stayed disciplined and kept working through the play.

We also had (Thompson) being great today, just catching a lot of balls for us and helping to direct.”

This play sparked momentum on both sides, as each team produced more shot attempts and increased defensive pressure. Both goalies racked up saves, defending their nets as a last resort after balls passed through the backlines. If they did not make a block, then shots came in too wide.

Brown looked to find its footing and settle into a rhythm that generated more goals.

The last five minutes of the half saw Cornell mount attacks that had Bruno on its heels and forced Thompson to make difficult saves from solid shot attempts. It also featured a lot of fancy footwork by Bears that resulted in turnovers or misplays. Cornell competed as if they had nothing to lose, and Brown played as if it came into the game ready for a steam roll that it hadn’t yet achieved.

“We wanted to come out strong early, and I think we did just that,” Cummings said. “After we struck that goal, we sat in too much. We weren’t bumped up enough in the midfield and played down to (Cornell’s level) and let them dictate play. We regrouped at

A NaloxBox is similar to an emergency defibrillator in form, but contains Naloxone, an emergency drug used to treat overdose victims.

“I want to spread the message that anyone (in the audience) can be the hero, that’s one of the main messages,” Capraro told The Herald. “Recovery is possible but addiction is a really difficult disease. People need to be given second, third, fourth chances.”

Madeline Griswold ’21 spoke about the common view of computer scientists as one type of person — “some sort of nerd.” She wanted to inspire people to break outside the box of what they think a computer scientist should look like.

“I’ve seen lots of misconceptions of what it means to code and what it means to be a computer scientist, and oftentimes media portrayals of computer science are completely wrong,” Griswold said. “I’m trying to prove that computer science is more than that, and you don’t have to look like that to code.”

Kaitlan Bui ’22, on the other hand, focused on both literal and figurative boxes. She spoke about a project she has been working on since her sophomore year of high school. When Bui finds herself overwhelmed with emotion toward another person, she will write them a letter, seal it without rereading it and set a time to give it to them in the future. She stores these letters in a box in her room.

“I think (not rereading or rewriting) makes it truly vulnerable because … a lot of times when we text, email, even write a letter, we curate it, we go back and we look,” Bui said. “It becomes a lot more of ‘how am I presenting myself’ rather than ‘I’m just going to give you

what I want you to know.’”

Bui utilized her project at the TEDx event to encourage vulnerability and reflect on how people infrequently open themselves up to others.

“We often keep our ideas and thoughts to ourselves, kind of like place it in a box …” Bui said. “What happens if we open up that box a little bit?”

In the past, the TED license obtained by the TEDxBrownU organizers restricted the event to 100 attendees.

This year, they were able to obtain a license without a cap on attendees because Head of Operations Michael Chen

’22 attended official TED events in the past. Chen hopes to bring other TEDx student organizers to an official TED event in 2020 so that they can continue to work with the larger license.

RISD student Danielle Williams attended the conference to support her friend and speaker Yunni Cho ’21, whose speech was titled “I Am Not a Robot.” Williams found that she enjoyed many of the other speeches as well, particularly Jessica Burbank’s MPA ’19 speech about the benefits of the United States shifting toward a more socialist economy.

“I had never really heard much about (socialism) like she presented it,” Williams said.

Another attendee, Katie Dvonch ’23, attended the conference to support Griswold but was also intrigued

by Burbank’s speech.

“I’m taking an econ class this semester, so a lot of it lined up with what we’re learning about in class now,” Dvonch said. “The stuff she was talking about was super relevant and also out of the box.”

halftime, and everybody was in agreement. Our goal (going) into second half was to be better.”

The second half opened with routine quarrels that sent balls the other way. Cornell’s backline rose to the occasion and mirrored Brown’s in its defensive pressure and stoppages of plays.

“We knew that Cornell wasn’t going to be the best,” Raphino said, “and we shouldn’t have dropped to their level, but we did. So we just have to focus on coming in ready like there’s a title on the line.”

During the 60th minute, Cornell’s Victoria Bubrick tackled Ava Seelenfreund ’23 along the right wing, and

the referees rewarded Brown with a penalty kick. Raphino took it patiently, waiting to shoot until what felt like a lifetime after the whistle was blown.

Her ball kissed the back of the net, giving Bruno an advantage of two to close the game.

“As we are successful from week to week, the pressure (to perform) just

builds more and more and more,” Hinton said. We’re “expected to perform every game and have a target on our back. Every team in the Ivy League wants to beat us.”

The Bears hope to withstand Penn’s shots at the targets on their backs during Saturday’s home game, which also serves as the team’s Senior Night.

COURTESY OF XINZHE CHAI

The theme of the conference was “boxes.” Under this banner, speakers touched on issues such as socialism, health agency and mental health stigma.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Saturday’s victory with goals from Raphino ’23 extended Brown’s winning streak to 12. Big Red ranks last in the the Ivy League conference.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

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SPORTS

Men’s soccer fights to double-overtime draw with Cornell Bears score in 22nd minute, fall to 1-1-2 in conference play following Tuesday’s loss

BY SAMANTHA MESSING CONTRIBUTING WRITER Coming off of a heartbreaking loss against the College of the Holy Cross Tuesday, the men’s soccer team took to the road to battle Cornell.

Bruno came out strong with the opening goal in the 22nd minute, but the game ultimately ended after double overtime in a 1-1 tie.

The Big Red (7-5-1, 1-2-1 Ivy), which was coming off a 3-1 loss to Yale and is currently ranked seventh in the Ivy League standings, started the game with fast-paced, physical tactics. However, the Bears (2-8-3, 1-1-2) dominated play, high pressuring the Big Red and forcing its defense to clear balls out of play.

“The game was very physical, just like all conference games,” said Jack Hagstrom ’19.5. “We created many chances on the counter-attack by getting crosses in the box.”

Both teams did their offensive damage in the first half, with Brown taking the lead off of a goal from midfielder Derek Waleffe ’22 in the 22nd minute.

Co-captain Jackson Goebel ’20 served the ball across the face of the net and Matthew Chow ’20 redirected it back

to the top of the 18-yard box for the finish. Waleffe’s composure allowed for a clean strike that rocketed the ball into the back of the net.

Six minutes later, Cornell’s John Scearce evened the score with a header goal off a long throw-in. The goal was heavily contested by the Bears, with two defenders and goalkeeper Maxwell Waldau ’22 high pressing the attackers.

“We let in an unfortunate goal on a play we can’t allow to happen going forward,” said Rodrigo D’Andrea ’20.

“But overall, the tie (on the road) was a good result as it keeps the chances of winning an Ivy League title alive.”

The rest of the half passed scoreless, with both teams utilizing their wingers to bolster their defenses. At halftime, Cornell held advantages against the Bears in both shots and corner kicks.

Head Coach Patrick Laughlin “was very positive at half time, although he made some minor adjustments,” said Will Mims ’21. “We needed our forwards to step up onto their center backs to limit the time they had to send balls in behind our back line.”

The Bears had some chances in the second half with two corners and a free kick, but all three went unfinished. Cornell outshot Brown 6-4 in the half, but the Bears’ defense successfully held off the Big Red’s attack and earned the edge in corners 2-1.

“Our defense did a nice job at handling their offense, although Cornell put a lot of numbers forward,” Hagstrom

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

A draw on the road kept Bruno’s hopes of winning the Ivy League Title alive. The 1-1-2 Bears currently sit in 5th place, four points behind conference leader Yale. said. “Waldau also made some big saves as goalkeeper.”

During the first overtime, co-captain Daniel Schiller ’20 almost secured the victory for the Bears with a strike aiming just below the crossbar, but it was punched out by Cornell’s goalie.

“You can see the intensity rise in each Ivy League game,” Mims said.

“Everyone knows the importance and the opportunity of each play, each half and each game.”

The second overtime involved even more action. The Big Red earned four corners, and Waleffe found the back of the net on a header, but it was called back for a foul.

After 110 minutes of play, the final buzzer rang on the 1-1 tie. Hagstrom was positive about the team’s prospects.

“We would have liked to get the win,” he said. “We are pleased to get a tie and come away with a point on the road.”

Before returning to Ivy League play,

the Bears will travel to the University of Massachusetts Lowell for their final non-conference game Wednesday.

Next, the conference race will heat up as Bruno hosts Penn Saturday at Stevenson-Pincince Field.

“We are playing our best soccer of the season, so we are confident going into these next games,” D’Andrea said.

“Going forward, every game is a mustwin, starting with our next home game against (Penn).”

ARTS & CULTURE

World-famous street artist Shepherd Fairey joins RISD board, paints 100th mural Known for 2008 ‘HOPE’ portrait of Obama, Fairey reflects on beginnings of his career

BY EMILY TENG SENIOR STAFF WRITER “Brilliant, original, thorough, quirky and funny.” Rhode Island School of Design Senior Lecturer Tom Roberts read to audience members his evaluation of then-college sophomore Shepard Fairey, who took his “Social Commentary and Propaganda” course in 1991.

Three decades since graduating from RISD and over a decade after he rose to fame with the 2008 “HOPE” portrait of former President Barack Obama, world-renowned contemporary street artist Fairey returned to his alma mater Oct. 21 to kick off the 30th anniversary of Obey Giant, his street art campaign that started in Providence in 1989.

A collaboration between RISD and Providence cultural center AS220, the Monday event began with opening speeches by RISD President Rosanne Somerson and AS220 Youth Director Anjel Newman. Their welcoming introductions preceded the screening of a 15-minute documentary on Fairey’s life and a conversation between Fairey and Roberts. Both segments delved into the monumental moments in Fairey’s last 30 years of work — from a young RISD graduate who slapped iconic “Andre the Giant” stickers around Providence to a father of two daughters who now reflects on the social and political impacts of his work.

Ever since his 2008 “HOPE” portrait of Obama, Fairey has continued

to engage with social justice issues and political movements. The artist recently collaborated with non-profit organizations to advance grassroot movements that advocate for progressive social change. “This work is so aligned with RISD’s strategic plan at the moment,” Somerson said at the event. “It’s really wonderful to see an alum doing this incredible work in the world.”

Fairey recently became a member of the RISD board of trustees, adding another position to his long list of titles, Somerson announced. He went on to describe Fairey as a “contemporary street artist, graphic designer, graphic illustrator, DJ and founder of Obey Giant art and OBEY clothing.”

Fairey graduated from RISD in 1992 with a degree in Illustration. Recounting his experience at the school, Fairey praised the quality of RISD’s liberal arts courses but recalled a divide between artistic disciplines that he said was “unhealthy.”

“I took as many screen-printing courses as I could, but there was this idea that as a major in Illustration, that I was somehow an interloper in the screen-printing studio. I think that was an unhealthy attitude,” Fairey explained to The Herald. As a trustee, the artist wants to promote increased interaction between different departments that allow RISD students to be more interdisciplinary in their artistic practices.

“I’ve always utilized what I call the ‘inside/outside strategy,’” Fairey said.

“When the system shuts me out, I’ll just figure out a way to work around it, but when I can infiltrate the system and try to make it better, I will.”

Now based out of Los Angeles, Fairey sees his artistic development

LEON JIANG / HERALD

Fairey rose to fame as a result of his 2008 “HOPE” portrait of President Barack Obama and has continued to engage with social justice issues and political movements. at RISD as connected to the city of Providence, where he remained for five years after graduation. “I liked Providence. I liked not just the RISD community, I liked the whole Providence community. I felt like there was a lot of this do-it-yourself creative spark,” he said.

“Providence has this camaraderie where a lot of creative people would help each other out.”

After graduation, Shepard ran a small screen-printing studio in Olneyville that he started in the summer after his junior year. While in the city, he started “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” — a street art campaign that distributed his hand-designed stickers of then-famous professional wrestler “Andre the Giant.” The sticker campaign quickly spread to other cities across United States.

“In more traditional art realms — let’s say New York City — me making this quirky ‘Andre the Giant’ sticker

may have been looked down upon or not taken seriously. Here, the novelty factor of it seemed to connect a lot (of) people,” he said, adding that the response to the campaign ranged “from highbrow to lowbrow.”

While in town for the event and his pop-up gallery — “Facing the Giant,” open on 233 Westminster Street until Nov. 16 — Fairey decided to paint his 100th mural in downtown Providence, continuing his 30th anniversary celebration.

“A lot of the murals I’ve been making for the last few years have been taking the approach that I used — simplifying things to their most iconic essence and using a limited color palette — to its next phase,” Fairey said. “I’m including patterns, and texts and geometrical elements, portraiture, in this mural, where I hope there is a sense of movement.”

Located on the wall of the Found-

er’s League building downtown, the large mural now features a portrait of Newman — executed in characteristic Fairey style. Geometrical triangles point to Newman’s face, which is outlined with bold yellow, blue and orange color blocks. Newman is known among Providence artists for his creative vision and his ability to bring people together around art.

“I wanted to focus on what AS220’s philosophy is, what I think is valuable of what it does for the community — but also (on) a person who is emblematic of the organization and a success story within the organization,” Fairey said.

On the side of the portrait “creativity is the mechanism of self-liberation,” a phrase Newman once said, is stenciled in black letters.

“If creativity is the mechanism of self-liberation, then it can also be the mechanism, by ripple effect, of societal liberation,” Fairey added.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

LOVE FROM PAGE 1 in love. The result is a tacky fantasy that skips over the nuances of bipolar disorder, instead portraying it as something that simply impedes Lexi from properly seeing her hot date.

The season concludes in the eighth episode with a montage that reveals that all of the characters exist in the same overarching narrative. They are shown to have mostly resolved their issues, seemingly through couples therapy, finding new boyfriends or settling into beautiful Manhattan apartments. They all live parallel lives, connected by this one elusive, yet all-powerful thing called love. It is a mawkish, forced point that positions itself as truth and insight, obviously playing into the show’s tagline, “Love will find its truth.”

The shallowness of “Modern Love” is particularly surprising because the original column is praised for its nuance and depth of understanding people’s diverse experiences of love. But perhaps this is because the series steps into a sort of uncanny valley, with celebrity actors and sentimental soundtracks, where the show’s narratives become shams of original experiences.

The show’s failures do not mean that all romantic comedies are guilty of commodifying love. In the last ten years, a number of rom-com’s, like “Punch-Drunk Love,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, stand out as narratives that uncover avenues of love’s pleasures,confusion and overall humanity. “Modern Love,” on the other hand, quarantines itself into a hyper-safe familiarity, taking no risks and offering no new vision of exactly what love is. Instead, the show’s depiction of this powerful emotion consists of A-list celebrities performing a one-dimensional, circuitous love.

COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS

“Modern Love” attempts to focus on the tribulations and joys of various New Yorkers’ experiences with love in modern-day society. The starstudded cast includes Tina Fey, Anne Hathaway and Dev Patel.

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Exhibition Opening and Artist talk Oct 29, 5:30 PM at Granoff Center

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

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Workshop - Working with Slurm 12:00 P.M. 180 George Street

David Gottlieb Memorial Lectureship 2:00 P.M. Barus and Holley

Theory Seminar - Eduardo Azevedo 4:00 P.M. Robinson Hall

How to Get Involved in Research 7:30 P.M. Friedman Hall

TOMORROW Gender Inclusive Training for Students 10:30 A.M. 121 South Main Street

Perspectives on Running a Grassroots Organization 12:00 P.M. Watson Institute

Dean in the Commons 5:00 P.M. Engineering Research Center

Nurturing Alignment Presents: Space to Grow 5:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Q U OTE OF T H E DAY

S U D O KU

“If creativity is the mechanism of selfliberation, then it can also be the mechanism, by ripple effect, of societal liberation.”

—Shepherd Fairey, street artist and RISD graduate SEE ARTIST PAGE 3

WI L D CARD C R O S SWO RD RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 8, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Eva or Juan of Argentina 6 “Taking you places” premium movie channel 11 Suffix for hero 14 ’60s-’70s Twins great Tony 15 Nest on a cliffside 16 “Friends” actress Courteney 17 Many a coffee shop, vis-à-vis Internet access 19 Corner PC key 20 Subj. for immigrants 21 Synagogue 22 Cowpoke’s seat 24 Flightless South American bird 26 Scottish hillside 28 “... believe __ not!”

29 Hairstyling immortal Vidal 31 “Ship out” alternative 34 Humble home 35 1980s secretary of state Alexander 36 False show 37 “No need to hurry, is there?”

41 “__ ’nuff!”

42 Move, in Realtorspeak 43 “In __ Shoes”: Cameron Diaz flick 44 Meddles (with) 46 “Pretty please ...”

50 GPS choices 51 Pinnacle 53 Geologic periods 54 Extensive property 57 Sorrowful cry 59 Slangy “OK” 60 “Wheel of Fortune” purchase 61 Genderdetermining heredity unit 64 Mauna __: Hawaii’s highest peak 65 Harbor cities 66 ESPN analyst Garciaparra 67 Bachelor in personals, briefly 68 Early stage 69 Extends across

DOWN 38 The Twins, at 48 Like a single1 __ that be: Minneapolis’s performer show authorities Target Field 49 Leads, as to a 2 Inventor Otis 39 “Born Free” lion seat 3 Remington 40 Press for 52 Garçon’s weapons 41 Windex targets handout 4 Egg: Pref.

45 Free TV ad 55 AutoCorrect 5 Casual 46 Words before target turndowns “Can you give 56 Keynes’s sci.

6 Second-largest me directions?”

58 Male heirs planet 47 Cellist who 62 Appt. book 7 Physicist Nikola performed at rows 8 Dadaism founder Steve Jobs’s 63 Soak (up), as 9 Spanish rivers funeral gravy 10 Greek letter that seems like it ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: should be last 11 Summer refreshers 12 Hardly an amateur 13 Quote in a book review 18 “How frustrating!”

23 Chip go-with 25 Pale as a ghost 27 “La Bamba” co-star Morales 30 Very strange 32 Car headlight setting 33 Strike a bargain 35 “The Newsroom” channel 37 Request for the 04/08/13 xwordeditor@aol.com latest update

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

By C.C. Burnikel (c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

04/08/13

Tealuxe, a once-popular off-campus destination for tea and coffee, closed up shop this summer. Now, the windows of the former Tealuxe are decorated with graffiti cartoon dogs and designs.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 1 scoring 17 straight points to take a commanding two-possession lead.

First, Null notched another field goal, this time from 29 yards out. Then, Cornell quarterback Richie Kenney and his receiver John Fitzgerald connected three times in one drive and finished the job with a 12-yard scoring connection. Finally, an attempted pooch punt by EJ Perry was blocked by the Big Red, and returned 46 yards for a touchdown. The Bears found themselves in a familiar situation — losing to their Ivy League foe.

Brown was able to cut Cornell’s lead

to eight before halftime, as EJ Perry found Jakob Prall ’20 in the end zone with just four seconds left in the second quarter. Coming out of the locker room, Bruno drove down the field again and scored with the first career rushing touchdown by Omari Garry ’23. But for the third consecutive time, Brown failed on their two-point conversion attempt and remained behind 20-18.

Brown and Cornell then traded rushing touchdowns, with Allen Smith ’22 finding the end zone for the Bears.

Cornell running back SK Howard then scored his second touchdown of the afternoon for the Big Red, rumbling 40 yards to give Cornell a 34-25 edge

as the third quarter drew to a close.

The Bears then set out on what appeared to be an improbable comeback.

With seven minutes left, EJ Perry found Demitri Jackson ’20 for a nine-yard touchdown to cut Bruno’s deficit to just two. A drive later, Cornell’s David Jones muffed Brown’s punt, and the Bears recovered. Brown capitalized on the short field position with a goahead 35-yard field goal by Dawson Goepferich ’20 with four minutes left.

Bruno stopped Cornell on fourth down on the following possession, and just needed to run out the clock to win their first conference matchup of the year.

Unfortunately for the Bears, they

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were unable to put the finishing touches on the victory, as EJ Perry was sacked on the fourth down play with 42 seconds left.

“The idea is, on one hand you get a chance to get the first down, the other hand, at a very low risk, you get to pin them deep in their own territory,” said James Perry about the decision to go for it on fourth down rather than attempting a field goal to extend the lead. “That is not what happened, we went backwards.”

Kenney led a dramatic last-minute drive down the field to set up Null’s game-winner. Just one play from their first Ivy League win in 18 tries, the

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019 Bears once again left empty-handed.

Kenney “made some really good throws. We had a lot of one-on-one matchups that didn’t quite go our way,” said defensive lineman Michael Hoecht ’20. “It always seems like it comes down to the very last play, but … that game was actually won or lost more in the first half than it was in the second half.”

Bruno will get another shot at an elusive Ivy League victory next week on the road against Penn. The Bears and the Quakers are the only two remaining Ivy League teams with winless conference records.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

The historical case for astrology

BY E. L. MEZAROS STAFF COLUMNIST Questioning the validity of astrology and its place in modern conversations may seem straightforward — after all, as Jamie Flynn ’20.5 stated in his recent opinion, “astrology is pure pseudoscience.” But as Allie Arnold ’20 pointed out in her response to his column, the matter is complicated by ideas of identity and community formation. As we seek to evaluate the place of astrology in the modern world, it’s worth considering not only who it’s for but also where it came from. Astrology is rooted in ancient knowledge and distant cultures — and at its conception, it was less distinguishable from science. Understanding where this practice came from, which contextualizes modern usage, can help to further make the case for the place of astrology in the modern world.

Our earliest records of astronomy are immediately entangled with astrology. Observations of the night sky from ancient Mesopotamia are recorded in texts like MUL.APIN and the Astronomical Diaries. But these scientific observations were also coupled with lists of omens, like the cuneiform text called Enūma Anu Enlil, to explain what the astronomical phenomena might mean. The development of the zodiac — the basis of much modern astrology — also provided a method for observing the altitude and azimuth of planets. So, does it belong to astrology or astronomy? And how do we interpret the fine-tuning of skills of observation, record-keeping and analysis that aided both

astrology and astronomy, but are also requirements for the modern scientific method? Since ancient cultures often performed astronomical observations with astrological motivations, disentangling the two practices can become complex.

Ultimately, this division, the tidy categorization of either astronomical science or astrological mysticism, is neither easy nor helpful.

Calling astrology “fake” or “nonsense” becomes

of a planet within a particular constellation rarely makes headlines. But writing off the entire practice of astrology prevents us from seeing the complete picture of how we arrived at our understanding of the cosmos.

I don’t think my libra-ness defines who I am as a person or predicts any event for my future.

But I can respect that there are individuals and communities who rely on such ideas as markers of inclusion and ways of dealing with the world.

“As we seek to evaluate the place of astrology in the modern world, it’s worth considering not only who it’s for but also where it came from.”

more difficult because its study was integrally related to the astronomy that brought us models of cyclical planetary motion. Asserting that astrology is a pseudoscience refuses to acknowledge the very origin of astrology as integral to the development of the science of astronomy. In fact, distinguishing between the two in an ancient context can be not only difficult but can prevent a full understanding of ancient scientific knowledge.

Differentiating astronomy from astrology certainly becomes easier in the modern period.

We don’t, as a whole, view eclipses as ominous anymore. The interpretation of the placement

More than that, I can respect their practice by understanding that horoscopy, genethliology and zodiacal information are informed by the history of scientific investigation. In her column last week, Arnold reminded us that “Even if the impetus for these conversations is pseudo-scientific, it doesn’t mean that the conversations themselves are unimportant.” She’s right, of course, that the role of contemporary astrology goes beyond questions of its scientific status. But her idea is also incomplete, because given the history of astrology, we can further legitimize the people and groups who practice it currently.

The “scientific” nature of astrology should be secondary to its importance among modern communities. But the question of whether it is “scientific” is important to me, especially, since I study the history of astronomy — including astrology! — as a PhD student of the history of science. I find myself frequently having to campaign for the validity of including astrology in my research. Using a historical perspective to question astrology’s position as “pseudoscience” can bolster the argument for respecting those who find astrology useful for confronting oppressive institutions.

So if people and cultures want to discuss where the sun was rising against the backdrop of fixed stars on a particular day, let them. It’s a discussion informed by a modern mysticism, sure, but also by an ancient science. Understanding this history allows us to see just how related astronomy and astrology are and can help us contribute to a conversation rather than dismissing fields entirely.

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.

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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

University should continue athletic recruitment To the Editor: Rebecca Aman’s (‘20) column argued that Brown and the other Ivy League schools should end athletic recruitment in their admissions processes. This proposal is unrealistic and would only serve to make Brown less dimensional than it should be. Brown already has regimens in place to assure that students enjoying and flourishing in athletics are representative of the student body at large. The

Admission Office needs to create a community that comprises all the cohorts of students that Brown deems appropriate and “representative”: the progeny of faculty and staff; diversity candidates; qualified children of alumni; musicians; STEM-oriented applicants; international applicants; and even journalists to write opinions for The Herald.

In light of Brown’s over-all last place record in sports since the Ivy League’s inception, there can be no accusation that we have

focused inordinately on athletics — take that contention to Princeton (which pasted 65 points on us on the football scoreboard Saturday and religiously garners League/National titles annually). When Harvard, Yale and Princeton adopt Aman’s premise that athletic preferences are undemocratic or inequitable — and they never will — only then should Brown reconsider whether students recommended by our coaches should merit admission to Brown.

Otherwise let us consider it a healthy and war-

ranted practice to identify, out of some 43,000 applicants, those who will contribute to a diverse community that embraces all sorts of histories, backgrounds, interests and achievements — including athletics.

By Kevin A. Seaman ’69

8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

Notable Events this week at Watson

GIFT FROM PAGE 1 ify its ethical guidelines for donations.”

The published gift acceptance policy states that a gift’s acceptance “does not imply nor mean that the University endorses or approves of the donor’s views, opinions, businesses or activities.” Earlier in the year, Paxson said in a Feb. op-ed that using the rejection of gifts to take sides in social or political issues would be contrary to Brown’s value of intellectual freedom.

In order for a gift to be accepted, it must be aligned with “Brown’s mission of education, research and scholarship,” according to the revised policy. A gift will not be accepted if the donation was acquired illegally by the donor, if it compromises the academic freedom of the community or if “being associated with the donor of the gift could inflict damage to the University’s reputation, standing or integrity or be contrary to University values.”

The policy also allows for the University to treat gifts as anonymous, but not with the purpose of “shielding the University from damage to its reputation or disguising a gift which it would otherwise not have accepted.”

The revised policies were informed by “feedback and input (Paxson) received on the polices from student and faculty leaders,” Paxson wrote. By making the policies available to the public, the University is “fulfilling a commitment to greater transparency” in the University’s naming and gift acceptance practices, she added. The policies can be viewed on the Corporation website.

During the meeting, the Corporation also accepted over $57 million in gifts and pledges that will go toward financial aid, endowed professorships, graduate education, the performing arts, athletics and academic programming.

The Corporation also approved the

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2019 establishment of seven new endowed positions and four University spaces in recognition of the gifts.

The Corporation also received a report on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Integrity in Admissions, which Paxson formed in spring 2019 after the national college admissions scandal revealed corruption in several colleges’ admissions processes, The Herald previously reported. The committee, co-chaired

by Senior Fellow Maria Zuber MS’83 PhD’86 P’11 and Provost Richard Locke P’18, was formed to ensure that the University has “adequate safeguards to protect the integrity of the admissions process, particularly around athletics recruitment,” and that admission is accessible to students of all economic backgrounds, Paxson wrote. A report on the committee’s progress will be released to the community within the semester, she added.

In addition, several students met with Corporation members on Oct. 24 and 25 in informal discussion groups to “increase communication and engagement between trustees and fellows and the student body,” Paxson wrote.

The Corporation also received updates on the Lincoln Field Building renovation, “which will create improved space for research and teaching” in the Earth, environmental and planetary science departments, Paxson wrote.

The Budget and Finance Committee also authorized construction for “the health and wellness center and residence hall” along Brook Street, across from Pembroke Field. Construction will begin later this semester.

The Corporation also welcomed twelve new trustees and two new fellows, and approved the appointment of four faculty members to named chairs.

Fifth and Final Cycle: C.D. Wright’s Americas C.D. Wright’s poetry is justly celebrated for its inimitable blend of avant-garde forms and Southern regionalism, encompassing the language, customs, and landscapes of the Gulf South and the Ozark Mountains, where she was born. Yet these poems, alongside her under-appreciated editorial and translation work with Forrest Gander, also includes subterranean currents of relation to the literary cultures of Mexico, Chile, the Caribbean, and the transnational perspectives compelled by the age of NAFTA (especially the rapid expansion of competing Arkansan perspectives like those of the Waltons and the Clintons). This talk will outline a way of understanding Wright not only as a regional American poet but as a hemispheric “poet of the Americas,” in a complex network of relation with writers as various as Besmilr Brigham, Kamau Brathwaite, Valerie Mejer, and Raúl Zurita, and with the uneven histories of globalization against which she posited some of her indelible poetic ideas.

The third annual C.D. Wright Lecture presented by

Harris Feinsod Harris Feinsod is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Northwestern University and is the author of The Poetry of the Americas: From Good Neighbors to Countercultures. He holds degrees in Comparative Literature from Brown (AB) and Stanford (PhD).

Though her work is deeply connected to the Ozarks, C.D. Wright spent significant periods in New York and San Francisco before moving in 1983 to Rhode Island, where she taught at Brown University. With her husband, poet Forrest Gander, she ran Lost Roads Publishers for over twenty years. Among her honors are a MacArthur Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, a Robert Creeley Award, and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2013, she was elected as a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

“Poetry is a necessity of life,” Wright said. “It is a function of poetry to locate those zones inside us that would be free, and declare them so.”

Tuesday, 29 October 2019 at 7 pm McCormack Family Theater, 70 Brown Street

Sponsored by Literary Arts at Brown and made possible by contributions made to honor the life and art of C.D. Wright