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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

VOLUME CLIV, ISSUE 48

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Student veterans discuss navigating campus Small but growing military community struggles with academic transition, acceptance

METRO

In Providence, Pete Buttigieg rallies students Pete for America allocates 200 free tickets to University students

BY TYLER JACOBSON STAFF WRITER In July 2018, Katie Yetter ’22 was stationed in Japan, working as an aircraft mechanic for the United States Marine Corps. One month later, Yetter began her first semester at Brown. “My transition was difficult — leaving my family in the Marines (and) coming to a school that I’ve never been to, in a city that I’ve never been to,” Yetter said. “And I’ve never lived in a city before.” Yetter is not the only student who served in the military before coming to the University. Currently, there are 21 student veterans on campus, said Kimberly Millette, program director at the Office of Military-Affiliated Students. And Yetter is far from the only student veteran who struggled with their transition to Brown. The Herald spoke with four student veterans about their experiences at the University. Tiara Young ’23 — who served in

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

BY OLIVIA GEORGE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SUMMER ZHANG / HERALD

the Marine Corps as an avionics calibration technician — came to the University this fall in a U-Haul with her infant daughter, Abi, and a dream of going to medical school. On weekdays, Young goes to class from nine until noon, works in OMAS from noon to five, then picks up her daughter from daycare and returns to her home in East Providence. “The veteran community has made that transition easier,” Young said. Having other student veterans on campus has “felt more like the community in the Marine Corps. … Maybe it’s the humor or maybe it’s the way we understand each other.” Student veterans often turn toward

SPORTS

each other for support. Yetter said that the other student veterans “put my fire out. I get all worked up when I speak my mind. … They will always have my back, and that is something you hear in the Marine Corps. And that’s extremely important to me.” Joel Fudge ’20, who served in the Marine Corps, appreciates that student veterans communicate well with each other. “It might be a really small community, but it’s really supportive.” But fitting into the larger University community has sometimes been difficult for student veterans. Young remains hesitant to tell other

SEE VETERANS PAGE 2

Sunday night, Pete Buttigieg became the first Democratic presidential candidate competitive in national polls to visit Rhode Island since the race ramped up this year, speaking to hundreds at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Providence. At the event, which was closed to the media, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, offered a message of unity — stressing the importance of healing the wounds of a divided nation and the responsibility of local politicians to drive politics on a national scale, according to Phillip Yang ’21. A South Bend native who interned in Buttigieg’s mayoral office over the summer and attended the Sunday event, Yang is now a co-chair of Bruno for Pete, a collective of University students supporting Buttigieg that is currently

seeking recognition from Undergraduate Council of Students as an official student group. Buttigieg’s campaign provided 200 free tickets to the event for University students, according to Josh Neronha ’22, Bruno for Pete’s other co-chair. For the general public, ticket prices for the self-described “grassroots fundraiser” began at $15 for students and extended to $500 each at the “champion” level. All tickets were sold out prior to the event, according to the campaign’s website. Pete for America had originally provisioned 25 complimentary tickets for University students, but after Bruno for Pete reported that over 200 students had indicated interest in attending the event, the campaign expanded their offerings dramatically, Neronha said. At 37, Buttigieg is the youngest candidate vying to be the Democratic nominee. Positioning himself as a bridge between liberal rivals Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden, he has rooted his campaign in the notion

SEE BUTTIGIEG PAGE 4

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Men’s hockey topples Graduate Center Bar turns 50 Colgate 4-1 on the road Undergraduates, grad students, alums Kania ’21 makes 42 saves, three Bears score in victory Saturday BY ALEXANDRA RUSSELL SPORTS EDITOR The men’s hockey team continued conference play on the road this weekend, claiming a 4-1 victory over Colgate University Saturday after falling to No. 4 Cornell 4-1 Friday. Saturday’s win featured a formidable performance in net from goaltender Luke Kania ’21, who made 42 saves to power the Bears past the Raiders. Justin Jallen ’22 notched a pair of goals, and Tristan Crozier ’22 and Michael Maloney ’22 each scored their first tallies of the season against Colgate. Brown 1, Cornell 4 Friday night, the Bears (2-2, 2-2 ECAC) equalized the game at one in the second period, but the Big Red (4-0, 2-0) responded with three un-

answered goals to secure the victory. Cornell opened the scoring late in the first period as forward Alex Green sent a shot from the slot past goaltender Gavin Nieto ’20. The Big Red continued to exert offensive pressure on the Bears in the second stanza, but an athletic save from Nieto in the fourth minute kept Cornell on its heels. Nieto dove forward in the crease and grasped the puck with his catcher in mid-air to deny Tristan Mullin’s bid to widen the Red’s advantage to two. He would finish the contest with 28 saves. Bruno evened the tally three minutes later, as Zach Giuttari ’20 took a shot from the point that was blocked before bouncing off the skate of Brent Beaudoin ’20 into the Cornell net. Jallen also recorded an assist on the play. The Big Red notched goals in the ninth and twentieth minutes of the period to reclaim the lead. The home team extended its advantage a minute into the third frame, when Morgan Barron scored on the power play to set the tally at 4-1.

SEE M.HOCKEY PAGE 6

find community, conversation in GCB BY MAISIE NEWBURY CONTRIBUTING WRITER When the Grad Center Bar opened in 1969, students knew it as the “jelly bean lounge” with brightly colored seating and decorations, said Joe Petteruti ’69. “It was quite fabulous and beautiful,” Petteruti said. As the bar celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, its aesthetics have changed drastically. Now, the only sources of light in the otherwise dark room are blue lights hanging from the ceiling and twinkly string lights framing the space. Posters about Rhode Island and maps from around the world cover the walls. Still, today’s GCB continues to play the same integral role in student and alum life that it did in 1969: bringing people together. “I meet my friends there every Friday night,” said Jordana Siegal ’20. “It’s a place people like to come back to.” With pool tables and special-

MATTHEW ISHIMARU AND MICHAEL BASS / HERALD

The GCB celebrated its 40th birthday with live music and ice sculpture, but manager Susan Yund is not sure if she wants to celebrate this way again. ty cocktails — including the “Brown University” and “Nor’Easter” — the GCB draws customers for all sorts of gatherings, such as alumni weekend or graduate student recruitment events, 21st birthday parties or just a regular Friday night. In the 1960s and 70s, the space was primarily used by graduate students because undergraduate students spent more time in the bars housed in fraternity basements, Petteruti said. When the Rhode Island drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984, the basement bars closed. Today, undergraduates flock to the

Arts & Culture

Sports

Commentary

Aerial Arts and Acrobatics performed its fall showcase Saturday in Alumnae Hall Page 2

“10:10” a cappella concert united groups to support Community MusicWorks Page 3

Women’s hockey breaks five-game losing streak in home-opener win vs. RPI Page 4

Shanmugam ’23: There are better ways to combat wealth inequality than a wealth tax. Page 7

bar, which helps to “recreate the Ratty experience” of spontaneous interactions with classmates, Siegal said. Since many upperclassmen live off campus, there are fewer opportunities for them to gather after classes, and the GCB provides one. The GCB also grants newly-legal students a chance to experiment safely with bar culture, since the customer base is primarily the Brown and RISD community. “Most of us are learning how to go to bars as we turn 21,” Siegal said.

SEE GCB PAGE 8

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

Aerial Arts and Acrobatics fall showcase wows audience

Team members showcase talent on silks, trapeze during Saturday night event

Caira’s blue lit stage, Yun’s piece was washed in pink and purple spotlights, opposing the more melancholic tones of Caira’s performance on the lyra. Credit-

all the moves that I wanted to do, and then once I had the list, I tried to figure out which should go first and which should go after.” For Yun, deciding on

cesses of first-time performers provides insight into the diversity of the approaches of the artists that the club has recruited this semester. Clifton, one

ing Charis Edwards ’21, the lighting and sound technician, for crafting the piece’s atmosphere, Yun said that she intended to have “something tropical and floral” to complement her melodic piece. As a first-time performer, Yun described the process behind creating her trapeze performance: “It was actually a very quick decision. … I wrote down

her choreography preceded her music selection of “Flower Dance” by DJ Okawari. By contrast, Riki Fameli ’23, also a first-time performer, said that he found it easier to choose the music for his solo lyra performance first and then fine tune his choreography to the music’s rhythm. This variation in the creative pro-

of the directors of the Fall Showcase, remarked that they “brought in a lot of new people this year” as part of the club’s attempt to hold “a bigger production for the fall than we typically do.” Selling tickets to the performance, upgrading to a larger venue — Alumnae Hall instead of Ashamu Dance Studio — and holding an open audition, speak

to the executive board’s determination to “go bigger.” Clifton was impressed by the level of dedication all the performers showed this year, especially by the new recruits: “People seem very dedicated this semester … and willing to learn new things. We have a fair number of people with dance experience which is exciting because they can add that into their routines.” Yael Braverman ’20, the executive board’s publicity chair, echoed Clifton’s sentiments as she remarked that the showcase “differed a lot” from previous years, and that the new initiative to expand the winter show is something “we hope to continue in the future.” As a performer herself, Braverman explained how this show was different for her personally as well, as she “helped more with planning and organizing it (as well as performing) which made it a lot of fun. Before I was more excited for my routine but this time I was really very excited about everyone who went on.” Clifton, too, expressed these sentiments: “its exciting when people are like ‘oh this isn’t going to work out’ and then they realize that … they’ve created something very beautiful.” This effort was appreciated by the audience, who responded enthusiastically throughout the show and gave a standing ovation at its conclusion. Connor Kalāhiki ’23 described himself feeling “dumbfounded by the pure talent and skill that was showcased. … Each moment brought with it suspense, thrill and exaltation.”

Yetter said she knows veterans who have been called Nazis for speaking about their beliefs. “The hardest part is feeling like an outcast,” Yetter said. “Students assume, ‘You’re in the military, you did all these bad things,’… I want more than anything during my time here to change this perspective.” Adjusting to academic life on campus also proved difficult for student veterans interviewed by The Herald.“There’s not really a sense of advising for non-traditional adult students,” Yetter said. “We don’t have the same stress levels. I’m worried about if I can pay my rent or if I can get my food for next month. I work two jobs and four jobs over the summer.” Joel Fudge, an environmental studies concentrator, lives in Warwick, R.I. with his wife Aimee Fudge ’20 and their dog, Roux. For Joel Fudge, the veteran and environmental science communities — which are both relatively small — were his main friend groups when he first came to the University. Joel Fudge “wanted to get to know more students at Brown,” which inspired him to become a Brown Outdoor Leadership Training leader over the summer. “BOLT was one of the first

experiences I did at Brown, and it was one of the best experiences,” Fudge said. He “went from knowing maybe 50 people” to not being able to walk through campus without saying hello to people he has met. “I’ve tried to make it so that my experience is close to a regular student’s,” Fudge said. “I want to get a little of that experience.” For student veterans interviewed by The Herald, transitioning to academic life at the University was also a major adjustment. Students who enroll at the University right after high school “have academically prepared for Brown,” Millette said. “They’re going to great schools, they’re getting great scores (and) they’re the top of their class. That isn’t always the case for veterans.” She added that while some veterans have taken classes during or after their service, many haven’t been in school for “five to ten or more years.” Before arriving at the University this fall, Young hadn’t attended high school since 2013. The hardest part of her transition to the University has been “trying to remember everything from six years ago,” she said. Conall Finn ’22, who served as an

Arabic language analyst in the Army, felt similarly about his transition back to academic life. The toughest part was “getting back into the academic grind. I had the language classes, but studying for those is much different than studying for a math class, so that was something I had to get used to: doing homework (and) studying for tests.” Student veterans interviewed by The Herald credited the work of Millette and OMAS with improving their experience on campus. “Millette been extremely helpful,” Joel Fudge said. “I’m able to walk into her office with a problem, and I know she’ll get to it.” Young added that OMAS helped her find new communities when she first arrived on campus. “My role is for the students — to be the support they need (that) they may not feel sometimes on campus,” Millette said. “Not only do I have an open-door policy that they can talk to me whenever they need, but I’m also creating programs to allow them to connect with other individuals on campus so that they see that I’m not their only supporter.” Thanks to Millette’s work, OMAS

moved over the summer from its prior space in Faunce House to its more accessible current location in Vartan Gregorian Quad, Finn wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. Some student veterans interviewed by The Herald said they have also found support beyond OMAS. “My professors know I’m a parent and a veteran, and they worked with me, especially when midterms came,” Young said. When Young’s daughter had pneumonia early in the semester, one professor offered to watch her if she was sick during the class’s midterm. While student veterans interviewed by The Herald have found support around campus, they emphasized the need for continued communication to better integrate veterans into the University community. “So many people that come to Brown don’t have any interactions with people in the military at all,” Finn said, adding that he had never met anyone in the military until he enlisted. “It is so important for conversations to happen,” Yetter said. “I started off hating the military. But through other Marines sitting down with me, it made me fall in love with it.”

BY CHANIKARN KOVAVISARACH STAFF WRITER The University’s Aerial Arts and Acrobatics team performed their Fall Showcase Saturday, presenting a series of visually stunning individual and collaborative pieces in Alumnae Hall. Audience members cheered and applauded throughout the show, which was split into two acts. Opening with a Shrek-themed performance by Elizabeth Clifton ’21, Emma Dennis-Knieriem ’21, Sean Garrett ’18 and AJ Marks ’22, the showcase continued with individual pieces — save one other group performance — for the duration of Act I. After the intermission, Act II resumed exhibiting the group’s remarkable display of strength and skill with an array of partner and individual pieces, before ending with two group pieces. Performers displayed their aerial expertise on the lyra — a ring suspended from the ceiling — silks and trapeze, along side floor acrobatics. “Shades of Blue” by Alisa Caira ’22, a Herald opinions columnist, and “Flower Dance” by Claudia Yun GS both utilized contrasting lights in the second act, allowing for a striking transition between their performances. Following

VETERANS FROM PAGE 1 students on campus that she is a veteran. “I don’t think anyone knows I’m in the military unless I say it,” she said. “I don’t know how they would view (me) or how their perception of anything I said would change.” One incident on Veterans Day 2016 — when some students ripped American flags out of the ground before the University’s annual Veterans Day ceremony — has made Young “cautious” to reveal that she is a veteran. Other student veterans interviewed by The Herald felt similarly about the incident. “When I think about narrowing the (civilian-military) divide, I think about reminding civilians that the individuals in the military … are people too,” Millette said. “A lot of times, it’s very common to see a student veteran feel ‘othered’ because another student said something about the war, or maybe about the Presidential administration or maybe about the institution of the military itself, without seeing them as a person who sacrificed their minds, their bodies and years of their life for everyone.”

SARA RUNKEL / HERALD

The Aerial Arts and Acrobatics fall showcase, which began with a Shrek-themed performance, featured both individuals and group pieces on the lyra, silks and the trapeze, spread over two acts.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

ARTS & CULTURE

‘10:10’ concert unites a cappella groups in support of local organization

REBECCA CARCIERI / HERALD

The Ursa Minors, pictured above, were one of ten groups to perform on Thursday night in support of Community MusicWorks. The organization was founded in 1997 by Sebastian Ruth ’97 with funding from the Swearer Center. The “10:10” concert was the first time a student group has held an event to benefit the organization.

Ten a cappella groups sing in concert to benefit Community MusicWorks BY REBECCA CARCIERI CONTRIBUTING WRITER Ten a cappella groups came together Thursday night in support of local music education organization, Community MusicWorks, for the “10:10” a cappella concert held in the Friedman Auditorium of Metcalf Research Building. All of the proceeds from “10:10” — which sold pre-sale tickets for $3 and $5 at the door — were donated to Community MusicWorks. Community MusicWorks is an organization that aims to “create cohesive urban community through music education and performance that transforms the lives of children, families and musicians,” according to their website. The organization was founded in 1997 by Se-

bastian Ruth ’97, now a professional violist and violinist, through funding from the University’s Swearer Center for Public Service. Now, over 125 students who participate in Community MusicWorks are taught how to play a string instrument such as the violin, cello or viola, by 13 resident musicians. The musicians also mentor students, organize events and perform as an ensemble in the greater Providence area. The 10 groups that performed at the concert are all involved in the Intergalactic Community of A Cappella, an organization that oversees a cappella activities on campus. At the concert, each of the groups — The Higher Keys, The Brown Derbies, Harmonic Motion, The Bear Necessities, Brown Madrigal Singers, The Jabberwocks, The Ursa Minors, The Chattertocks, The Alef Beats and Brown’sTones — each sang one song, ranging from an Israeli pop song “Ad Sof Haolam,” by Amir and Haim Moshe, to “Bottoms Up” by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj.

The event was organized by Colin MacFaddin ’21, the assistant music director of The Bear Necessities and the Intergalactic Community of A cappella’s president, fondly referred to as the “Czar” of a cappella. After being elected to his position, MacFaddin knew he wanted to organize a concert that would bring the IGCAC groups together for the first time while simultaneously assisting a local music-related organization. “We’ve recognized there (are) a lot of barriers when it comes to getting into music, especially when it comes to singing groups and a cappella. We kind of wanted to address this in any small way we could,” MacFaddin said. Over the summer, MacFaddin did research to find an appropriate organization for the benefit concert, finally contacting Community MusicWorks because they were based in Rhode Island and specialized in music education. While the University has partnered with the organization before through the Brown Arts Initiative — who will

host a Community MusicWorks concert in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts this coming February — this is the first time that a student group has held an event to benefit the foundation, said Kelly Reed, the organization’s managing director. The foundation “felt very pleased and honored” when they were approached about the benefit concert, Reed added. Katherine Beggs ’22, the music director of The Chattertocks, thought the concert went well. “I just really liked hearing the other groups. All of us have never collaborated before and it was just really cool to hear everyone and see the diversity in all of the songs and groups” she said, emphasizing that The Chattertocks were excited to be included in the event. Amit Chakrabarti ’21, the music director of the Brown Derbies, noted that some groups occasionally collaborate with each other, but usually only two or three groups at a time, such as the Smoked Salomon concert the Brown Derbies hold with The Chattertocks an-

nually as their first concert of the year. However, this concert showed great unity among the groups, something Chakrabarti was happy Community MusicWorks was able to see. “For me, it’s not only the power of being in a friend group, but also working towards something together,” he said of his group’s dynamic. The feeling of camaraderie among the individual groups, as well as in the Intergalactic Community of A cappella as a whole, is essential to the a cappella experience, Andrea Qi ’21, president of Harmonic Motion, said. “Once you get in, there’s automatically a group of people who will love and support you no matter what. You don’t have to try hard, there’s just a family there already,” she said The concert and feelings of unity resounded well among audience members. Attendee Daniela Carney ’22 enjoyed the concert, but especially liked seeing the vibes of the different groups. “It was a nice way to get to know them,” she said.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

SPORTS

Women’s hockey defeats RPI 2-1 in home opener Bears break five-game losing streak with victory over Engineers this weekend BY AMELIA SPALTER STAFF WRITER The Bears returned for their home opener after five losses on the road to defeat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2-1, earning their first victory of the season. The following night Bruno fell to Union College 1-4 on home ice. “I think being home always has an impact,” said Head Coach Carisa Wahlig. “You’ve got your family, friends and your own routine. It definitely makes a difference.” The first frame was dominated by RPI (0-9-1, 0-3-0 ECAC), with the Engineers scoring the initial goal of the match on a power play. But thanks to the efforts of goalkeeper Calla Isaac ’20, it would be their only score in the competition. Isaac posted a 0.968 save percentage, stopping 31 shots over the course of the night for the Bears (1-60, 1-3-0). Her performance this weekend bumped her to the fourth highest amount of saves in the league this season at 155.“I just took it one goal at a time. …There was a lot of traffic in front of me,” Isaac said. “As a goalie, you have to be able to brush off (letting a goal in) because if you get down, that impacts the whole team.” Despite two power plays and winning more than half of the face-offs, Bruno was unable to slide one past the Engineers in the first period. As the Bears skated into the second stanza, the momentum seemed to shift

BUTTIGIEG FROM PAGE 1 of generational change. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week demonstrated Buttigieg to be a top contender for the nomination. The survey put Biden at 28 percent, Warren at 23 percent, Sanders at 17 percent and Buttigieg at 9 percent. No other candidate broke 2 percent. Buttigieg, who counts Providence

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Goalkeeper Calla Isaac ’20 stopped 31 shots Friday to bring her total saves to 155 for this season, the fourth highest in the league. The Bears will look to start a new winning streak when they take the ice against Colgate University on Friday. in Brown’s favor. Despite a torrent of Bruno shots, the first fifteen minutes of the period passed scoreless. The Bears finally managed to surge onto the scoreboard when forward Lizzy Gross ’22 intercepted an RPI pass and rocketed the puck into the net to tie the score at one. Maybelline Beiring ’20, who leads the squad in assists this season, also assisted on this goal. “We’ve persisted with the mindset of playing simple hockey,” said Gross. “It was a classic play — one (that) all of my coaches have been implementing for

years. If you work hard and stay ready for anything, points will come.” The Bears continued to play aggressively, launching 11 total shots in the frame. In the final minute of the period, forward Megan Forrest ’21 took the lead for the Bears off of a coast-to-coast assist from Jacquie Tam ’22 for Brown’s second goal of the match. Forrest leads the team in blocks and game winning goals this season. The slim advantage marked Bruno’s first lead of the season. “Our biggest issue has always been getting quality scoring chances, and we

finally managed to go in that direction tonight,” Gross said. “Hopefully, this is the start of what could be a turnaround season for us.” The third stanza was a defensive showdown, as RPI turned up the heat in an attempt to melt Brown’s lead. Isaac stayed consistent between the goalposts, stopping all 10 of RPI’s shots. “The biggest challenge is seeing shots from the point … but I just try to stop every shot every night,” Isaac said. The Bears held to their narrow lead as the clock ran down, batting the puck

back and forth across their offensive zone to minimize RPI’s shooting opportunities. “Possessing the puck in that last minute and a half was crucial for us,” Wahlig said. “We worked hard, and the girls’ hard work has been the biggest facet to our success this year.” “We entered the season with a totally different mindset,” Gross said. “We’re ready to work hard.” Brown will head to Colgate University to face the Raiders Friday.

Mayor Jorge Elorza and City Council President Sabina Matos among his supporters in Providence City Hall, has been a formidable fundraiser in the Ocean State. As of Sept. 30, he had pulled in $85,000 from R.I. donors — more than any other presidential candidate, according to public data from the Federal Elections Commission. Warren and Sanders were the next-best Rhode Island fundraisers, while the other

Democratic hopefuls, including Andrew Yang ’96, continue to lag far behind. Sunday’s event followed a private reception held at Nick’s on Westminster. Among the guests at the reception were Congressman David Cicilline ’83 (D-RI) and Elorza, WPRI reported. The Nick’s on Westminster fundraiser drew sharp criticism from members of the Providence Democratic Socialists of America, who stressed that the

restaurant’s owner, Paolino Properties, is managed by former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino Jr., who has already donated the maximum individual contribution amount of $2,800 to the Buttigieg campaign. “There are no violations of campaign finance laws,” Paolino told Uprise RI when asked to comment on the allegations. “Any expenses that are incurred will be reimbursed by the campaign.”

The Buttigieg campaign could not be reached for comment before press time. A candidate determined to reach young voters, Buttigieg has considerable support on campus. In The Herald’s fall poll, Buttigieg emerged as the fifth most popular candidate among University undergraduates, with 7 percent indicating that they would vote for him if the 2020 primary were held today. “The biggest priority has to be beating Donald Trump,” Neronha told The Herald of his attitude toward the 2020 presidential election. “The Democrats can’t elect someone that will alienate moderates,” he continued. At the event, Phillip Yang facilitated the question-and-answer portion of the event. “It was a surreal moment,” he said of being on stage with Buttigieg in front of a packed crowd. “I couldn’t help but think: ‘This could be the next President of the United States.’” Buttigieg’s visit to Rhode Island follows an unveiling of plans Friday for how his administration will strive to improve college affordability for working and middle-class families. The outlined details included a promise that public college students would attend college for free if their families earn less than $100,000 per year, the Washington Post reported. Buttigieg’s approach to affordable college tuition is distinct from policies supported by Warren and Sanders, who both advocate for free tuition for any student who attends a public college, regardless of family income. The 2020 Rhode Island Democratic primary is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

MICHAEL BASS / HERALD

Sunday night, Providence community members attended a sold-out campaign event for Pete Buttigieg at Veterans Memorial Auditorium downtown. This is the first time a Democratic contender competitive in the polls has campaigned in Rhode Island since the start of the 2020 presidential race.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

CA L E NDA R TODAY

NOVEMBER S

S U D O KU

Transit of Mercury Observing 10:00 A.M. Barus and Holley

Workshop - Version Control with GIT 12:00 P.M. 180 George Street

Veterans Day Ceremony 12:00 P.M. Main Green

Nina Alvarez — The Perfect Immigrant and Other Myths 12:00 P.M. Watson Institute

TOMORROW CIEE Amsterdam Info Session 12:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

Engineering Seminar: Engineering Design Thinking 12:00 P.M. Barus and Holley

Truman Scholarship Info Session 4:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Lecture by Evelyne Trouillot 5:30 P.M. Rochambeau House

Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

“We’ve recognized there’s a lot of barriers when it comes to getting into music. … We kind of wanted to address this in any small way we could.”

—Colin MacFaddin ’21 SEE 10:10 PAGE 1

C O RRECT I ON

CR O S SWO R D

The Nov. 8 article “Students, archaeologists uncover artifacts at ancient Greek site” misspelled the archaeological site, Koutroulou Magoula, as Katroulou Magoula in the subheading. The Herald regrets the error.

BY L I G HT OF TH E N EON WATS ON

ANDREW DING / HERALD

The eerie glow of the Watson Center for International and Public Affairs haunts Brunonians on their late night Jo’s trips: the glow is an increasingly common sight as Providence edges closer to sunless winter.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

M. HOCKEY FROM PAGE 1 Though Brown remained active in the offensive zone and took five shots in the final stanza, Big Red netminder Matthew Galajda held off the Bears to seal the win for Cornell. Brown 4, Colgate 1 The following day, Bruno reversed its fate, posting a three-goal second period to ice out the Raiders (2-5-3, 1-1-0). A scoreless first period saw impressive goaltending from Kania, who made 23 saves in the stanza to fend off Colgate’s attack. “The guys really kept the shots out wide for me and I was able to make some simple saves,” Kania said. “We got through the first period until our legs were under us, and took it to the second period and ran them from there and came out with a good win.” Jallen put the Bears on the board midway through the second frame, burying a rebound from Beaudoin’s initial shot to give Brown the advantage. Crozier doubled Bruno’s lead at the 16:16 mark, scoring on a wraparound after the Bears won a faceoff in the zone. Less than a minute later, Jallen posted his second goal of the evening, sending the puck through the five hole of Raiders netminder Mitch Benson to

extend the advantage to 3-0. In the second period, “we just started following our structure a little bit more — we were keeping our game simple, chipping pucks in and getting behind their (defensemen), and then just working them below the goal line,” Crozier said. “Our skating and getting our feet moving up ice was a big factor in some of the goals as they were on the rush, and we beat (Colgate) up the ice and were able to capitalize on our opportunities.” Tyler Penner scored Colgate’s first goal of the evening early in the third period, tapping in a rebound in front of the crease. But solid goaltending from Kania and an empty-net goal in the penultimate minute from Michael Maloney ’22 secured the victory for the Bears. “We really came together as a team and we found a way to weather the storm,” Kania said. “We came out and scored the first goal, and we attacked them from there and never backed down and never gave them any chance to come back into the game. That’s just something that we’ve got to carry into every game — we’ve got to be the enforcer instead of being enforced.” While special teams featured heavily in last weekend’s contests against Yale, the Bears took just three penalties on their New York road trip. Both teams’ penalty kills went 2-for-2 in Saturday’s

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Luke Kania ’21 made 42 saves in Bruno’s 4-1 victory over Colgate Saturday. The Bears host No. 18 Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend. matchup. “The first weekend it was nice to get some power play goals, but this weekend it’s been good to get some even strength goals,” Crozier said. “That’s refreshing because even strength goals come from hard work, and that’s what we generated.” With a pair of home contests against No. 18 Harvard and Dartmouth coming up this weekend, Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94 emphasized the importance

of consistency, presence and resolve in the team’s preparation. “We just need a consistency of play — being consistent in practice in terms of systematic stuff, our work ethic (and) our trademark style of play,” Whittet said. “Some of it is a learned process to understand how hockey has to work and how much we have to play together in order to be successful in our league.” “All of us are really hungry every day to get to the rink and get to prac-

tice, and especially games,” Kania said. “We’re definitely a fast-paced team that wants to work hard … and make sure we’re playing our game and not worrying so much about the other team. We know that if we take care of our end, we’re going to come out on top more often than not.” The Bears return to Meehan Auditorium to host Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend. Face-off is at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

Wealth taxes: politically flashy but problematic in practice ARJUN SHANMUGAM ’23 STAFF COLUMNIST

Had Elizabeth Warren proposed her wealth tax — a levy on net worth paid only by the wealthiest households in America — ten or twenty years ago, popular opinion probably would have branded her as an unapologetic socialist, consigning her proposal to a different day, a different debate and a different Democratic Party. But that day has now come. In a primary where progressive candidates like Warren dominate the headlines, the Democratic party is making leftist causes increasingly central to its platform, bringing wealth inequality into the spotlight of national discourse. In a country where the top one percent of society controls 40 percent of its wealth, such crusades against inequality are not only politically prudent, but necessary to solving one of our country’s biggest problems. Wealth inequality is extremely harmful to many sectors of American society. It impoverishes our schools, diminishes the political influence of average citizens relative to the wealthy, and leaves society more divided along partisan and cultural lines. Democratic leaders like Bernie Sanders and Warren are right to look for governmental solutions. Over the course of their primary campaigns, they’ve both unveiled plans to tax extreme wealth. Warren’s policy would impose a wealth tax of two percent on households with a net worth of over $50 million, with a one percent surtax for those with a net worth above $50 billion. Sanders’, on the other hand, proposes a one percent tax on households worth more than $32 million. Noble intentions inside, Warren and Sanders are misguided in their proposals. These progressive candidates are setting themselves — and the

government that they hope to lead — up for a litany of legal roadblocks and implementation issues. In their zeal for an infeasible wealth tax, progressives are overlooking more efficient and effective means of combating inequality — perhaps because these alternatives would not be perceived to the same extent as an assault on the rich. The biggest obstacle to a wealth tax is a constitutional one. As it is dreamed up by the Warren and Sanders campaigns, the levy would be collected annually as a percentage of a household’s net worth — the value of its assets minus the value of its liabilities. In legal terms, this sets up a debate with no clear answer: can a wealth tax be deemed a “direct tax?” Such a designation would call its very constitutionality into question, as Article I of the Constitution demands that federal direct taxes be “apportioned” — in other words, that they exact the same monetary toll from each state. But because net worth varies from family to family, a wealth tax as it is currently proposed would demand different amounts of money from each state, making its legality dubious. In the worst case scenario, the wealth tax would be deemed unconstitutional and struck down in court. Precedent really isn’t straightforward here: in Hylton v. United States (1796), Pollock v. Farmers’ Loan & Trust Co. (1895) and Eisner v. Macomber (1920), direct taxes did find themselves on the losing end of the Supreme Court’s ruling — but generations later, sociopolitical context is too different to draw concrete conclusions. In the best and most likely scenario, progressives would face a series of drawn out, expensive legal challenges from the right, pitting liberals’ financial backing against that of well-heeled conservatives, with no guarantee of success. In an environment where election spending and advertising in new media are more important than ever — where political organizations have to

make tough choices about how to spend limited resources — progressives cannot afford to fund a legal saga that could easily bear no fruit. The fight for a wealth tax is an uphill battle. Archaic institutional barriers make it a strategically poor way to address a pressing policy challenge. It is not by chance that just one third of the countries that had wealth taxes in 1990 still do so today. Wealth taxes were common in Europe until policymakers realized that they were tasked with the impossible: assessing net worth. About 38 percent of rich families’ wealth is in assets that are valued in plain daylight by markets: stocks, bonds and other financial instruments. But the

“In their zeal for an infeasible wealth tax, progressives are overlooking more efficient and effective means of combating inequality.”

worth of what remains — art collections, yachts, private businesses — is tough to appraise and easy to manipulate. The proposed duty would also create an obvious incentive to understate the value of each asset; the only point at which regulators would really be able to trust the price of an item would be at the time of its sale. The upshot? April 15th becomes a living hell for the taxman.

For more proof of how insurmountable the task is, consider that even already existing tax law is poorly enforced. In a country where politicians regularly make calls to “abolish the IRS,” the agency would struggle to police and litigate foul play, such as appraisal manipulation and outright avoidance. Indeed, these administrative costs spelled the end for wealth taxes in European countries such as Austria and Denmark. Of course, wealth inequality should not be left unchecked. Less problematic forms of taxation on the rich, such as estate and inheritance taxes, can serve to reduce it. Since in legal terms these levies are considered taxes on the “transfer of wealth” and not direct taxes, they sidestep statutory hurdles. Plus, they take advantage of the same “use it or lose it” principle on which the wealth tax relies, disincentivizing wealth hoarding over generations. Similarly, the headline corporate income tax rate — cut 14 percent by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was the Republicans’ attempt at tax reform back in December of 2017 — has plenty of room to grow and would avoid the Constitutional quagmire of the wealth tax. Progressives are at a crossroads in their quest to stem the uneven economic growth of the past few decades. Wealth taxes have more than enough of the political flash that the primaries demand; in this early stage of the presidential election cycle, candidates can gloss over the practicality of their proposals without much consequence. But if Democratic politicians truly want to remedy one of the most pervasive issues that America faces, they need to revise their strategy.

Arjun Shanmugam ’23 can be reached at arjun_shanmugam@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019

GCB FROM PAGE 1 True to its name, the GCB is “a cornerstone for many graduate students,” said Alastair Tulloch GS, president of the graduate student council. During his first time in the space as a recruit for a University graduate program, he was struck by its intimate and relaxed nature. A community space like the GCB is “something that not all programs have,” Tulloch said. “It was pivotal, and it helped me decide to come to Brown.” The bar is a membership-based non profit organization. While undergraduate students and Providence community members must pay $35 for a year-long membership or $5 per visit, graduate and medical students do not have to pay because they are granted entrance through a bulk membership purchased by the Graduate Student Council. For the staff of the GCB, the fiftieth anniversary feels like quite a milestone. Susan Yund, manager of the GCB, has run the GCB for half its life, and the majority of her staff have worked at the bar for seven to fifteen years. Most of the staff are long-standing employees who “come to stay,” she said. “There’s a sense of community among us,” Yund added. In her 25 years at the GCB, the

greatest change Yund has made to the College Hill institution is expanding the product selection on the menu, which she first did in an attempt to revitalize her customer base. Yund recalled that the bar was in “dire straits” when she first took over in 1994. “The goal was just to keep people coming in the door,” she added. Now, the bar is much busier than it was when she started, especially because of undergraduates in it. For the fortieth anniversary of the GCB, the staff held a big celebration with live music and ice sculptures. But as Yund looks to celebrate the bar’s fiftieth anniversary, she is unsure if a celebration of this kind feels appropriate, given the bar’s current clientele. Ten years ago, the anniversary party did not feel very relevant to students, who have little sense of how the bar has evolved since its founding. But this does not mean that the iconic campus destination’s anniversary will be ignored. “We will be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary, but not with one party on one night,” Yund said. She hopes to mark the anniversary alongside her committed staff, who have more of a stake in the bar’s longevity and history than the students who come and go each year. “It’s a long time for a bar to be around,” Yund said.

MATTHEW ISHIMARU AND MICHAEL BASS / HERALD

Today, the interior of the GCB is different than what it once was. Joe Petteruti ’69 recalled that students called the bar the “jelly bean lounge,” because of its brightly colored decor.

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