Friday, November 22, 2019

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

VOLUME CLIV, ISSUE 56

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

METRO

Fossilizing mineral found at 2020 Mars rover landing site

R.I. public universities propose tuition increase

U. researchers locate hydrated silica that could show signs of life on red planet BY EMILIJA SAGAITYTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER Identifying life on Mars may be within reach thanks to University researchers’ new findings of hydrated silica on the red planet. The answer to the question of extraterrestrial life could lie buried in this compound, preserved for future analysis by the 2020 Mars rover. Hydrated silica could encase the fossils of life forms that ages ago floated in the lake believed to have once filled the Jezero crater on Mars. Researchers discovered the presence of the hydrated silica deposits while analyzing the mineral composition of Mars’ surface in Jezero, Northeast Syrtis and Midway — once considered potential landing sites for the 2020 rover — using space imaging techniques, lead author of the study Jesse Tarnas GS and co-author Mike

Bramble GS said. The discovery was significant given the compound’s capacity to preserve life forms. The team, most of whom work in the lab of John Mustard, professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and professor of Environmental Sciences, used data from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, which creates high resolution images to determine the geological makeup of the sites, Bramble said. The camera employs red, green and infrared light to capture photographs of the different regions of Mars. The exact minerals that compose each location on Mars’ surface, however, were identified through the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, Bramble said. The Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling Mars since 2006 and is a spacecraft designed to gather information about potential landing sites, according to NASA’s website. CRISM uses a technique known as reflectance spectroscopy, in which infrared light — that has wavelengths exceeding those of visible light — beams

SEE MARS PAGE 9

Tuition hikes still need approval from Governor Gina Raimondo BY KATIE CHEN STAFF WRITER Tuition rates may be on the rise for students at Rhode Island’s public post-secondary institutions. Recently, the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island all proposed increases to in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees, which were approved by the Rhode Island Board of Education. But according to Timothy DelGiudice, chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education, the proposed increases still need to undergo approval from state officials. “As with all budget requests, the Office of Management and Budget will review them and (Governor Gina Raimondo) may submit them as part of her budget in 2020,” he said. At URI, the proposed increase for instate tuition is 2.6 percent, which translates to a spike of $322, resulting in a new annual tuition rate of $12,922. At RIC, the proposed increase for in-state tuition is

SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD

7.1 percent, which translates to a hike of $681 annually to reach a total of $10,260. At CCRI, the proposed increase for in-state tuition is 3.4 percent, which translates to a rise of $160 for a total of $4,860 annually. According to URI spokesperson Linda Acciardo, “the increase is reasonable.” URI monitors the Higher Education Price Index, which forecasts inflation for American colleges and universities, and “takes into account inflationary increases in higher education.” URI found that its tuition in-

SPORTS

Losing streak snapped, football focuses in on Dartmouth Head Coach James Perry ’00 wins first Ivy game with help from record-setting QB

crease is comparable to the current 2.6 percent increase in HEPI, she said. Acciardo added that URI has the second lowest in-state tuition among the six New England public land grant institutions, only lagging behind the University of Maine. Amy Kempe, director of marketing and communications at CCRI, said that CCRI tuition remains “well below the Pell level,” which is a federal grant given to

SEE TUITION PAGE 9

UNIVERSITY NEWS

51 for 51 rep. talks D.C. Statehood

D.C. Statehood Coalition presents to ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters at U.

BY TESS DEMEYER SENIOR REPORTER If you listen closely, you can almost hear it. A cleat colliding with a football, a thud of a running back diving into the end zone, a collective roar of celebration. It’s the sound of Brown football defeating Columbia 48-24, the sound of a senior class notching its first conference win since its rookie season and the sound of a 1,099-day Ivy League losing streak snapping. Co-captain Nick Allsop ’20 went into the game fully aware that Columbia “thought they were just going to roll over us.” But with a scoop and score on the second play of the game, the Bears’ right guard felt the team “went out and just, from the jump, punched them in the face.” Columbia never recovered from the initial blow, trailing Brown for all 60 minutes of play. Though the Lions nearly orchestrated a comeback in the second quarter with a 17-point surge, co-captain Michael Hoecht ’20 felt “there was something different

about that game, where even as they started to score, you could still feel the energy on the sideline.” The next time Brown scored it felt like a statement. With just under two minutes left in the half, running back Allen Smith ’22 rushed 70 yards, untouched, into the end zone. The success of the call on 4th and 1, the result of an emphasis in practice on the inside zone play that the offense struggled to execute against Yale the week prior, signaled that a Saturday afternoon finally belonged to the

Sports

Science & Research Metro

Allen Smith ’22 leads football to win over Columbia with 113 rushing yards Page 2

University researchers test nonoparticle therapy system for rare cancer treatment Page 10

BY COREY GELB-BICKNELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

offense in a single season, knocking his uncle Head Coach James Perry ’00 out of the top spot. Though neither was aware that the quarterback had surpassed the mark during the game, EJ joked “it’s obviously good to best your uncle” afterwards. As the final seconds ticked away and the offense got into victory formation, Allsop remembers feeling a sense of relief. When veteran linebacker Brendan Pyne ’20 was shaking

Members of the American Civil Liberties Union, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, League of Women Voters and more gathered to hear arguments in favor of making Washington D.C. the 51st state from D.C. Statehood Coalition member Elinor Hart Wednesday. “I would like to have the same rights that you have,” Hart said to the small group over lunch at the University’s Faculty Club. Currently, D.C. residents do not have senators, lack voting members in the House of Representatives and are unable to control their budget or pass laws without possible congressional interference, according to 51 for 51, an organization that also works in favor of D.C. statehood.

SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 2

SEE D.C. PAGE 9

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Head Coach James Perry ’00 continued to turn the Brown football team around with his first Ivy win, a blowout defeat of Columbia. The Bears will take on Dartmouth in their final matchup of the season. Bears. When Columbia pulled off a double flea flicker to come within three at the start of the second half, the momentum appeared to swing in the Lions’ favor. But Allsop said the offense went out with a “we’re gonna go score anyway, so it doesn’t matter” mindset, and the Bears responded by posting 21 unanswered points. On the last touchdown of the game, EJ Perry ’21 broke the program record for most yards of total

High schoolers pitch business ideas following program held by YEP Back

TODAY TOMORROW

56 / 29

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

SPORTS

Smith ’22 fuels Bears to victory over Columbia with 70-yard run Sophomore running back records second 100-yard rushing game of season BY AMELIA SPALTER STAFF WRITER Running back Allen Smith ’22 helped lead the Bears to victory over Columbia Saturday, rushing 13 times for 113 yards, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season. Smith had two touchdown runs of five and 70 yards, respectively, to help secure Bruno’s first conference victory in three years. His 70-yard touchdown gallop was the third longest carry in the league this season. Smith led Bruno in rushing with 171 yards on 41 carries his rookie season before three broken ribs put him out for the remainder of the year. He came back strong this season, leading the team with eight rushing touchdowns. He is second on the team in yards gained at 522. For his efforts against the Lions, Smith has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: What has it been like playing under two different head coaches in two years? Smith: It was difficult, because being recruited by (Former Head Coach Phil Estes) was a big reason that I chose to come to Brown. To have him leave almost immediately after I came created a lot of questions about what was coming next. Looking back, it was something that needed to happen. It was frustrating under the circumstances —that I committed to Brown because of the old coach — but this year has been fun. It’s been a time of adversity and we’re all embracing the challenge. We have fun with (Head Coach James Perry ’00) and his staff. He brought some great guys with him and has been embracing a culture that we’ve completely bought into. That culture is the reason we’ve begun to find more and more success this year. All these guys want to win, (and) we’ve worked our butts off. We know

FOOTBALL FROM PAGE 1 hands with Columbia players after the game, he almost didn’t want to because he was teary-eyed. “It was emotional because the Ivy League games are what’s important,” Allsop said. “It’s a different feeling when you beat an Ivy League team, and since we hadn’t done it in so long, it was surreal.”

we’re going to do what we have to do, and we’re going to do it at a million miles per hour, no matter what else is going on. What was the most challenging part of the game against Columbia? Pretty much the whole second quarter. The offense scored 21 points in the first quarter, and then we were struggling offensively for a few drives, and it seemed like Columbia might have a comeback. Those drives at the end of the first half were where we really could have taken the game out of their reach, but we just weren’t scoring. Besides last weekend, what has been your favorite game this season? I have to go with Harvard. It was a Friday night game which is always super cool. I’d never actually played in (Harvard Stadium). Plus, that was a nationally televised game on ESPN — you’re always going to be up when you’re on national television. You broke three ribs at the end of last season. How did that impact your transition into this year? I’ll be honest, at first it really got me down. I kept thinking about how right as my season is starting, and I’m beginning to get real playing time, I get hurt. But I didn’t stay down. I committed myself to getting healthy. I decided I was just going to train my butt off and use getting hurt as motivation to become stronger and prove myself. I wanted to be able to put everything out there for my team. If you had to switch positions, what would you play instead of running back? I played a lot of defense in high school — I was a strong safety. I really like hitting people, so that was always fun (and) I miss that. Either strong safety, or quarterback, because they’re in command of the game.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Smith ’22 is currently seventh in the Ivy League in rushing with 522 yards on 106 attempts. He and quarterback EJ Perry ’21 lead the Ivy’s second-ranked rushing attack behind only Dartmouth. vorite team, but even though they’re in our division, I have to say the Baltimore Ravens are looking really good. I’d say probably Baltimore and (the San Francisco 49ers).

What’s your prediction for this year’s Super Bowl matchup? The Pittsburgh Steelers are my fa-

You say in your Brown Athletics bio that you enjoy playing video games. What have you been playing this season?

Right now, I’ve been grinding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but my alltime favorite is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 changed the multiplayer experience from version one. The style people played in saw a huge shift. A while ago I also thought I was going to be a Twitch streamer on Fortnite. It only lasted for a little bit, but I was streaming on

The locker room after the victory was exactly what the team decided to embrace at the beginning of the season: absolute chaos. Players and coaches jumped like kids in a bouncy house and sang the University fight song at the top of their lungs. But for Coach Perry, there was more to celebrate than finally clinching that elusive Ivy W. The Bears who knocked off

Columbia are “really light years from” the team he inherited last December, and he credits the seniors for “paving the way for something special.” Hoecht, who will be among the 22 seniors playing their final game in a Brown uniform Saturday, also feels the team is on track to return to its former glory. “I’m really proud of everything

this team’s done and just the tremendous amount of steps forward that we’ve taken. Since Dartmouth last year to now is night and day,” he said. “Just where the program is culturewise, the development of kids. This program is definitely headed in the right direction, and there are going to be a lot of wins in the future.” With only Dartmouth remaining

Twitch for a while.

on the schedule, Brown has a chance to end its season on a high note. If the Bears defeat their rivals, the Big Green cannot be outright Ivy League champions and will have to share the conference title. Ask Allsop what it would mean to cap off the year with a win and the answer is simple: “It’s our Ivy League championship.”

What are you concentrating in and what do you want to do after Brown? I’m BEO-Econ, and I’ve always wanted to start my own business and be an entrepreneur. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In This Issue

Anything But

KAITLAN BUI 3

Three Good Things

GAYA GUPTA 2 DANIELLE EMERSON 4

At the Pocket-Size

DAVID KLEINMAN 5

The Value of Addams Family Values GRIFFIN PLAAG 6

Music Roulette

postCover by Iris Xie

NOV 22

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VOL 24 —

ISSUE 11

FEATURE

Three Good Things

Making To-Do Lists Something to be Grateful For BY GAYA GUPTA ILLUSTRATED BY RÉMY POISSON

M

y to-do lists piece together my past. Above reminders to turn in my math homework on time, nagging notes to go to the gym and clean my room, and the boxed due dates for essays and projects is my list of “three good things”—three things I’m grateful for on that particular day. I write all of these lists in a small black Muji notebook, and when I flip through its pages, the top of each list is a snapshot into the past months, reminding me of the little things

that kept the days from blurring together. In high school, my three things often revolved around my beloved car, my friends, and the Driftwood Deli sandwiches that we would race off to get during lunch. When I was a junior and overwhelmed by my parents’ impending divorce, the lists included more and more phone calls and FaceTimes with my sister. During my senior spring, I recognized how grateful I was for the teachers who understood that we were

checked out and let us revel in the trivialities of the last weeks of high school. Recently, I’ve been grateful for the kittens and bunnies who appeared on Wriston Quad when it was raining and cold and miserable, for the friend who put me to bed with a glass of water and Advil in preparation for the next morning’s headache, for the classmates whom I spend an ungodly number of hours with in Barus and Holley until we finish our engineering

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, We’ve made it! Well, sort of. There are still finals, but ignorance is bliss so, for all intents and purposes, congratulations for making it to Thanksgiving! Whether you’ve been chilling these past weeks or have just come out of midterm hell week like I have, you deserve this break. Between the depressing weather, the 4 a.m. cram sessions, and the never ending cycle of sickness that seems to pervade this campus, it’s rightly time to hit the pause button on school. So I hope you take this break to relax (or at least try to), spend time with friends and family, and take the opportunity to read that book or start that hobby you said you would do at the beginning of the school year when you had the false impression of having your life together. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect, to be grateful for the people and things in your life that bring you genuine happiness and that keep you going. It can be hard to slow down in the face of a million tasks, but I challenge you to find moments of gratitude in the charming chaos of the holiday. Whether you are heading home, staying on campus, or taking a trip, I wish you moments of joy and

2! POST–

Thank You Gifts

laughter. Most importantly, show yourself gratitude with a two-day hibernation, non-dining hall food, and a good ol’ Netflix binge. This week’s issue reflects various meanings and forms of gratitude. Our Feature describes a student’s daily habit of writing down what she is thankful for and the powerful effect it has had on her mental health. Narrative showcases a nuanced reflection of changing sibling relationships and an insightful piece about feeling grateful for the pocketsized aspects of life. Finally, Arts & Culture entertains one writer's ever-evolving relationship with the Addams family through each holiday season as well as another writer’s thoughts on the music he listens to while driving to his family’s Thanksgiving. I hope you find the Thanksgiving spirit while reading this issue. Lastly, I want to express our appreciation of your readership here at post-! With gratitude,

Caitlin McCartney Lifestyle Section Editor

1.

A knuckle sandwich?

2.

An Andrews breakfast burrito (so they get to skip the line!)

3.

Friends who know how to buy good gifts

4.

An override code to a capped class

5.

An A on their final paper

6.

A tea cozy

7.

Spare serotonin

8.

A million dollars

9.

Crocs

10.

The latest issue of post- ;)

problem sets. On my own for the first time, practicing gratefulness has forced me to consider the minute interactions that alleviate the burdens each day brings. My practice began when I took part in the “Thankfulness Challenge” sponsored by Sources of Strength, a national mental health resource program with a big presence at my high school. My English teacher handed out strips of paper a few inches wide called “Thankfulness Posters” on which we were asked to record three things we were thankful for every day for the next 21 days. So, before learning new vocab words or analyzing Othello, we’d spend 30 seconds writing down what we were grateful for and another 30 seconds reflecting on one item on our list, taking care to recognize exactly what it was we felt grateful for. The challenge began second semester of my junior year when I felt weary and exhausted by AP classes and SAT subject tests as well as the college application process looming on the horizon. A stressed-out mess, I didn’t think much of the exercise besides the fact that it provided a brief mental reprieve from everything else racing around in my head. In the beginning, I defaulted to appreciating practical things that were the easiest to recognize, like having food in the fridge, clean running water in the era of the Flint water crisis, and the educational opportunities afforded to me courtesy of my public high school. But soon enough, the science behind the gratefulness practice started to kick in. Writing three unique items became a motivating challenge, and I found joy in recognizing the overlooked bright spots of my days. At first, I was skeptical of trendy mindfulness practices like the Thankfulness Challenge that promise to increase your happiness (as if happiness can be aggregated), but the research is convincing: Practicing gratitude every day can help rewire our brains to focus on the positive instead of ruminating on the negative. For instance, a 2016 study published in Psychotherapy Research found that college students seeking mental health support who wrote “gratitude letters” in conjunction with receiving psychotherapy reported significantly better mental health after just four weeks, even more so after 12, than those who received only psychotherapy. This makes intuitive sense: When we write about the things that made us happy, we feel happier. Yet, in analyzing students’ gratitude letters, the researchers found that mental health improvement wasn’t predicted by the number of positive words or emotions—it was about the lack of negativity. Students with fewer negative emotions or words in their letters were more likely to experience improved mental health. This is comforting to me, that my happiness doesn’t have to rely on exuding positivity; it’s more about shifting my focus away from toxic emotions, holding myself back from jumping into a tempting pit of negativity and self-pity. Aside from improving quality of life, gratitude has been associated with increased life expectancy. A study in 2001 analyzed letters written by young Catholic nuns about to begin their clerical roles. Researchers ranked the letters—reflections on their lives and futures— according to positive emotional content. Sixty years later, 90 percent of the nuns whose letters were ranked highly lived past 85, compared to only 34 percent of those who wrote the lower-ranking letters. In general, people who consider themselves thankful for the people around them get better quality sleep, as indicated in a

2009 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research. If that weren’t enough, gratitude can even help us find love, both platonic and romantic. Expressing gratitude strengthens our relationships; it is associated with greater motivation to work through issues and increased relational confidence. The effects of expressing gratitude ripple through social circles, improving “prosocial” behaviors that benefit every group member. Everyone wants to be appreciated, and a study published in the Personality and Individual Differences Journal shows that expressing gratitude is linked to increased relationship quality, providing opportunities for both members of the relationship to grow closer. I’ve found this latter phenomenon to be especially true. Sometimes I feel embarrassed by my gratitude lists when friends rifle through my notebooks, because I worry it might seem to them like some sappy, trite exercise. I worry, irrationally, that they’ll see their names and cringe, that they’ll think I care more about them than they do about me. But that is never the case. I am met with genuine smiles, hugs, and gratitude in return. The research checks out. People love to be appreciated, to feel noticed. After the 21 days of my first thankfulness challenge were over, I read over my flimsy thankfulness journal, and the past three weeks came to life from the few words scribbled on each line. I recalled the day both my chemistry teacher and I arrived late to class, so I wasn’t marked tardy; the day “Animal” by Neon Trees played on the radio and I belted out all the lyrics while I drove to school; the time I dipped out of class to call a friend in college, and my physics teacher, instead of berating me for skipping class, asked to say hi and talk to my friend (her former student). Memories that would have otherwise been forgotten were captured on those weathered pages. My daily planner replaced my thankfulness journal, and I continued to capture vignettes of my last two years of high school through my lists of three good things. At this point, I have filled many of those Muji notebooks, a few of which I’ve brought to college. Flipping through them reminds me of important dates: Thursday, March 28, 2019—thankful for getting into Brown!!! Tuesday, April 9, 2019—thankful for my amazing ADOCH host and her music recs and my visit to Brown being so gooooood. Monday, June 3, 2019—grateful for graduation and Gunn High School and everything that happened over the past four years. Sunday, September 1, 2019—grateful for Excellence at Brown (pre-orientation) and no longer feeling lost on campus, haha. Friday, October 4, 2019—grateful for Shake Shack and going to the BDW with Jonah to build whatever I want. And these lists will continue. I want them to; including gratitude at the beginning of all my to-do lists is essential to the lists themselves. And, when I occasionally choose to omit the list in order to save space for my tasks on a particularly busy day, I immediately feel a bit guilty. I’ve grown immensely in the way I handle negativity and unhappiness in the past couple of years, and the lists have certainly aided in that. Thanksgiving is no longer the only time I give thanks—every day, when I open my notebook to plan my work, I find my three good things.

Anything But A Story of Siblinghood BY KAITLAN BUI ILLUSTRATED BY ELLA HARRIS

We were anything but two peas in a pod. First of all, we didn’t like the same things; second of all, we didn’t like each other—at least, that’s how we acted. We would “accidentally” step on each other’s shoes, hide each other’s teddy bears, and maliciously embarrass each other in public (I told our friends that he wet his bed every night, and he told them that I made him smell my farts). Kaitlan and Thomas, Thomas and Kaitlan, the brother-and-sister duo that always wound up staring at the wall, arms crossed, impatiently waiting for our timeouts to end. It’s your fault we’re in time-out. No, it’s yours! Dumbo! I hate you. I’d peek around the corner of the wall separating us, leaning just enough to the side to reveal one frowning eyebrow above one glaring eyeball. He’d glower back at me. It was a very dramatic display of fury, but it lapsed as quickly as it flared up; we’d simply get bored. Either I’d lean right or he’d lean left, smiling tentatively and whispering “...sorry...” Then we’d play silent games, quickly hushing each other when our dad emerged from his office suspicious that we were not properly in time-out. He’s coming! Straight backs, arms over chests, noses to the wall. Another three minutes of strained silence. Do you think we should say sorry to Dad now? Yeah. Let’s tiptoe over. Okay. I’ll talk. You be quiet. Okay. And we would go, hand in hand, Kaitlan and Thomas, sister and brother, to redeem ourselves from punishment. *** We saw much less of each other once I entered high school. He was three years younger than me, into baseball and KFC and that sort of thing. I was into K-dramas and volleyball and journaling. Whenever he bounced into my room on an inflatable rainbow hopper ball, I’d plug in my earphones and repeat: Stop bothering me. I need to do my homework. Go away. We used to be anything but accommodating to each other, but after additional rebuking from my parents, he listened. He stopped. He went to his own room and played his own games while I immersed myself in biology, Spanish, YA novels. The house was quieter. I didn’t give myself time to glare at him from my side of the wall, and in the same way, I was never moved to say “sorry.” *** By the time Thomas was a freshman, I was a senior reflecting on my high school experiences and looking forward to moving away for college. The clock was ticking towards my departure, and I realized that my brother and I would never be in the same house again— at least not in the permanent way of our childhood. So, I became the kid bouncing into his room on an inflatable ball, childishly asking him to watch a Disney movie or to go to the park with me. But he only parroted my annoyed response from three years earlier: Stop bothering me. I need to do my homework. Go away. Hurtful words, I recognized,

“I can’t come out tonight. I just lengthened my skin care routine.” “Sleep is an anti-capitalist act.”

NOVEMBER 22, 2019!3

NARRATIVE by liked to joke that I was “homeless” and throw coins at me—yes, I repeat, throw coins.) But, god, I felt so much warmer. Soon, long socks became a staple of my winters. Even now, there’s nothing more satisfying than rolling up a pair of my long socks, the kind that hug my legs and reach all the way to my knees. Ankle socks could never compare: They can’t be trusted to protect me against the biting cold of below-32-degree weather. Thank you, long socks—especially the foxface-patterned pair I’m wearing today. You’ve shielded my legs for years, and in the chill of Providence winter, your work continues.

now that I was on the receiving end of them. But I understood—we might not have been two peas in a pod, but we were still siblings. That’s why I wanted to spend time with him. And that’s why, in that moment, I saw my brother as a reflection of myself. I’m sorry for not realizing it before. I’m not mad at you anymore. Want to hear a joke? Thomas didn’t answer me, but I understood; he had to go through his own phase, and before that phase was over, I was 2,569 miles from home. And I wasn’t staring at a blank wall anymore; a wall of photographs I’d tacked by my dorm room bedside was staring down at me: Thomas giving me bunny ears at graduation, Thomas and me drinking boba, Thomas carrying my backpack in New York City. Out of everyone, I missed him the most. I didn’t expect that. Though I’d regularly text him “how are you,” my phone didn’t regularly ding in response. When it did, the reply would be a skimpy “i’m okay.” I missed him, but he was running on the all-too-familiar high-school treadmill: English presentations, weekend competitions, math tests, more competitions. So I understood. I wish I didn’t, but I understood. When Christmastime came that year—when I returned home for the first time since leaving it— I tackled my brother in a full embrace. “You know, I missed you the most,” I told him. “I missed you too,” he said, with no text pauses or typos in between. I remember holding his hand the entire car ride home from the airport, an admittedly weird thing to do with one’s 16-year-old sibling. But I have to say, it was so nice—a tangible reminder that no matter what, I have a brother. It was a reconciliation of all those moments of siblinghood I had dismissed as a toddler and then a teenager. It was a kind of homecoming, no pun intended. The next four weeks were saturated with 1) evaluating his updated K-pop playlist and 2) listening to his broken-record recitation of “funny” YouTube oneliners. Though I would have scorned all these things less than a year before, I told him the songs were some “fine bops.” I think that was mostly the tenderness of my love—not my knee-jerk opinion—speaking, but I can’t be sure. *** They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but I’m thankful that it only took a temporary separation for me to appreciate my brother. I was (and am) increasingly grateful for all our unintentionally shared moments and lessons on humbling-yet-easy forgiveness—time-out wall or no. I’m even grateful for the burden of responsibility I bear as the older sibling and the burden of expectation he bears as the younger one. These are the valleys we trek through together, hand-in-hand, as only siblings can do. It might have taken a while to reach this bittersweet thanksgiving, but this time, things are different. We’re navigating a new wall of distance, time difference, 4!POST–

doubt. I hope Thomas hears me now, because this time, I think I understand. It’s not your fault we’re so far from each other. You can do it. You are strong. I love you.

At the Pocket-Size A Shortlist of the Simple Things I’m Grateful For BY DANIELLE EMERSON ILLUSTRATED BY CECILIA CAO

long socks Back in high school, I used to stay late after dismissal each day—like, 9 p.m. late. Yes, school rules stated that no student was allowed in the building after 7 p.m. with the exceptions of sports games and parentteacher conferences. But sometimes I’d get lucky and no one would notice me sitting outside the main office. Other days, I’d convince a teacher to let me stay in their classroom. And occasionally, my friend Mykel and I would manage to hide out in the band room (he was a band kid; I was jealous). Those were the best days. But on the evenings I got kicked out—a gruff office administrator locking the doors behind me—I’d huddle near the back entrance, book in hand, reading by the lights of the empty parking lot. As winter approached, being outside became more and more difficult. The only indoor locations open late were gas stations, a Family Dollar, and the local Mormon church (none of which seemed likely to let me stay more than 30 minutes). Granted, New Mexico winters aren't as bad as Rhode Island ones, but cold is cold to a girl with socks for gloves. With mismatched pairs covering my arms and two pairs of long socks underneath my jeans, I’ll admit I looked a little ridiculous, especially with my tearing satchel and worn boots. (Teens who passed

hot chocolate warming my hands In high school, I’d wake up early on Saturday mornings to attend my younger siblings’ cross country meets. We’d all pile into our mother’s car before sunrise and drive to the hosting school. Some weekends, it’d be close by (Ojo Amarillo Elementary School), but other times, the drive was longer (Naschitti Elementary School). Once we arrived, it was always freezing, the cold pinching the tip of my nose and stinging the lobes of my ears. But each cross country meet featured a mini concession stand that sold boxes of popcorn, bagged pickles, water bottles, and, if we were lucky, hot chocolate. The elderly ladies running the stand met each customer with a smile. Sometimes they’d strike up a conversation: “Ayóó desk’aaz, eh?” It’s pretty cold, huh? They were always bundled up, scarves wrapped snugly around their heads. I’d nod, rubbing my hands together. “Aoo’, it’s freezing.” Hot chocolate cost fifty cents; I’d pull out my red ladybug coin purse and hand over two quarters. “Na’ shiyázhí.” Here, little one. I’d take the styrofoam cup gingerly, muttering a quick ‘thank you’ before caving in to the warmth. The heat seeped through my gloves, slipped past my fingertips, and rippled down to my toes. Steam, brushing my cheeks, removed the cold sting from my nose. That tiny cup of hot chocolate turned a frigid morning into a gathering around the fireplace—all before I’d even taken my first sip. I held the cup as we walked around the track before the race, sneaking sips and sometimes passing it to my siblings, sharing the warmth of the pocket-sized hearth in my hands. In taste, feel, and smell, hot chocolate provides the best kind of comfort. Here at Brown, the winter air bites my exposed skin, turning my nose, ears, and cheeks a harsh red. But as I walk around campus, hot chocolate keeps me warm. Whether it’s an early November meet in New Mexico or a late evening walk in Rhode Island, I send hot chocolate my thanks.

ARTS & CULTURE the collection of photos on my wall I’m looking at them now: photos pasted on the wall above my desk along with notes and inspirational cards. Family smiles back at me, their joy captured and preserved. Late at night, I hear their calls—rousing me from my sleep, a low hum in my ears. Something warm passes through the air, prickling the hairs along my arm. If I focus hard enough, I can make out their voices, their laughter. Sometimes I can smell the dirt, the cooking, the cornfields, the aged carpet. Memories upon memories maintained in snapshots.

Ever since I was little, Grandpa has taken every opportunity to give me books. He’s exceptionally good at it, capturing every genre, every age range. One Thanksgiving, however, Grandpa hit the ball out of the park, gifting me a little-known book called Addams and Evil. I’ve already mentioned the Addams Family a fair amount, so allow me to explain. Married couple Morticia and Gomez Addams, their daughter Wednesday, their son Pugsley, and—if you take Addams Family Values as canon—youngest son Pubert live together with Uncle

A few favorites include a photograph of my brother and me riding a bike along a ditch, him on the handlebars and me peddling; my father, caught smiling mid-blink next to his latest art piece; my shímasaní and two cousins picking corn from our fields; my grandfather, sporting black sunglasses and a white button-up, overlooking the scenic land of New Mexico. Some of these photos are frayed at the edges or bent at the corners. But these small blemishes do nothing to diminish the love each image carries. When I reach out and touch them, their surfaces are cold and smooth, one-dimensional. But when I just sit and gaze, I’m met with warmth and comfort. A gateway to the past, a taste of what once was. For these tender moments of remembrance—amidst hectic classes, midterms, and extracurriculars—I am grateful.

Fester, Grandmama, Frankenstein’s-monster-style butler Lurch, and pet disembodied hand Thing. They’ve been the center of multiple live-action TV series, animated adaptations, books, feature films, and one surprisingly good musical—through it all, the family has exclusively worn black. Parodic inversions of suburban WASPs, they rapture in gloomy days and lament sunny ones—they’ve even been known to pour boiling oil on sieging Christmas carolers. Different adaptations have them recognizing their own oddities to varying degrees; for the most part, though, their terrifying, cobwebby, boarded-up mansion is the only world they know. From their perspective, everyone else is either weird or boring. Treatise after treatise has been written on the power of the Addams Family as a challenge to oppressive regimes of normalization. In Addams Family Values, Wednesday proclaims an affinity for murder over compulsory heterosexuality. Even when the family is under attack, they often have nothing but respect for the daringness of their attackers. The hat I bought from The Addams Family Musical demands plainly that the reader “Define Normal,” and that’s the core tenet of all things Addams Family. I’m a fan, but I have to admit I’ve always felt like a bit of a poser. I've never seen the original 1964 live-action series or either of the animated ones; my territory only covers the ’90s movies, the musical, and the fact that I grew up in a family that knows the theme song by heart. I was a hand-me-down Addams Family fan. I didn’t know the deep, ancient lore, like the fact that Wednesday uses a spider as a yo-yo or the multiple rearrangements of the family dynamic. I didn’t—that is, not until one Thanksgiving with my grandpa, when I opened up Addams and Evil. Before diving in, I thought I knew what I had to know about the Addams Family: the basic gist, the canon, the family structure. That’s where the twist comes in: As I learned that day, there is no original Addams Family. They’re evolved creations; no one ever sat down and specifically created Morticia, Gomez, and the rest. The characters weren’t even given names

*** Whether it’s long socks, the kind that reach my knees; hot chocolate in my hands, a tiny hearth togo; or the collection of photos on my wall, displayed haphazardly with letters from home, I’ve never felt more grateful for the small things. And there are other joys: surprise FaceTime calls with my siblings, our best talks always unscheduled; working headphones, because one side inevitably breaks; my little sister’s painted portrait of our cat, Nicole, that I stop to admire every now and then; the pomegranates my friend Roslyn and I share, usually around 1 a.m., and so on. There are big aspects of life to be thankful for—family, friends, education, love. But sometimes, we forget that thankfulness also exists in the day-to-day, at the pocket-size.

The Value of Addams Family Values No Plan, No Problem BY DAVID KLEINMAN ILLUSTRATED BY ANNA SEMIZHONOVA

until 1964; even then, their last name was just their creator’s. In 1938, they began life as random New Yorker cartoons written and drawn by Charles Addams, eventually compiled into Addams and Evil in 1947. Though unnamed, all the classic characters are in these single-panel comics. The woman who would become Morticia emulates a socialite by complaining over the phone about how busy her Friday will be: “It’s the thirteenth, you know.” Pugsley and Wednesday return from camp in pet crates. Fester cackles among sobbing theatergoers. The fundamental culture shock of their interaction with the outside world is crucial to each gag—before they had the space and time of dedicated publications, the writers of the Addams Family had to tell visual jokes with minimal dialogue. When Gomez joyfully reels in an out-of-frame but clearly massive sea creature while other beachgoers run screaming, we don’t need words to know who and what he is, how he’s different from us, and why it’s funny. With no history and no original incarnation, who has played, drawn, or directed them most faithfully is beside the point; they became the Addams Family because we made them the Addams Family. Likewise, on Thanksgiving, my family—and perhaps the greater American family—forms and finds its shape through similarly abstract forces: cultural norms and customs. While the holiday especially is often celebrated without consideration of its origins— and, as Wednesday Addams reminds us, is built on genocide—we probably deserve to have the whole American family ideal burnt to the ground as well. Surely the Addamses would rejoice in the backfire of tradition. On the other hand, though, for the Addamses, family always comes first. It can be hard to feel like part of my own family; since my parents split when I was young, the side of the family I’m with has alternated every year, such that it’s difficult to get a sense of my own comprehensive canon. That might be why I end up hanging out with Grandpa, who tends to have as little sense of what’s going on in my parents’ generation as I do. But the Addams Family doesn’t need a canon. It’s a media property stitched together from one-off jokes and visual gags featuring unnamed characters. Addams Family Values takes a Halloween-esque family to summer camp and has them put on a Thanksgiving play of all things; nonsense is the name of the game. If the world’s most iconically off-balance family was born from even greater incoherence, surely I can revel in the presence of the people I love without needing a greater continuity as a reason to be there. How’s that for giving thanks?

Here’s how my Thanksgiving is supposed to go: One subset of the family will host, the others will drive over, and we’ll enjoy a nice midday meal. Here’s how I’m almost certain it will actually go: All drivers will leave the house 30-60 minutes late, causing lunch to be served one to two hours late, this year’s family drama will either simmer awkwardly under the surface or bubble over, and we’ll all go home exhausted and frustrated, promising ourselves next year will be better. This level of chaos can only be matched by a sequence in a children’s movie from 1993: the Thanksgiving play scene from Addams Family Values. The play takes place out of season at a summer camp, and young Wednesday Addams is told to perform an astonishingly racist caricature of Pocahontas. Instead, she flips the script and starts a raging fire. Her upbeat yet evil camp counselor clearly deserves to have his offensive play ruined. In his desperation to put out the literal and metaphorical fires ravaging his camp, though, it’s hard not to see echoes of my family’s own attempts to salvage the holiday: Both are spectacles as funny as they are disheartening. Often I’ll hang back and observe with my grandfather, just trying to stay out of the way. NOVEMBER 22, 2019!5

ARTS&CULTURE

Music Roulette

A Thanksgiving Family Ritual (With Help from Spotify) BY GRIFFIN PLAAG ILLUSTRATED BY MADDY CHERR

Yesterday, someone tried to convince me that Thanksgiving is the worst holiday, and, well...suffice it to say that words were had. (This someone also happened to be my professor. Goodbye, participation grade.) See, I love Thanksgiving. I love that it presages the magical month leading up to Christmas (a disappointment once it arrives, but a pleasure to wait for). I love seeing my weird coterie of distant cousins come crawling out of the woodwork to eat creamed onions and brown sugar sweet potatoes. I love having a few too many afternoon drinks in my cousin’s bedroom to prepare for the inevitably strained conversation that’ll take place at the dinner table later on. I love fielding the barbed queries from the family’s Breitbart adherents about how “things are going at”—coughs with disgust—“Brown.” I genuinely love observing this weird menagerie: my wealthy, suit-wearing cousin carefully placing gilt name cards (printed on premium ivory cardstock) at the seats of the table, my ex-restaurateur uncle presiding over the kitchen with the mien of a mob boss, my grandfather pouring all of himself (and about five sticks of butter) into a massive vat of mac and cheese. But my favorite part of Thanksgiving has nothing to do with the always-amusing pretentions toward family unity, or even pecan pie (and that’s saying something because—and hear you me—I fucking love pecan pie). As with most experiences, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the music. And no, it’s not that my aforementioned mob-boss uncle is bumping the latest Danny Brown while he roasts veggies (if only). All the music on Thanksgiving happens during the long, gray, cramped car ride from Boston to the Cape with only my immediate family and the game we play on the way down: music roulette. That kind of makes it sound like we’ve created

a kick-ass master playlist of 11 incredible songs and then thrown in one “Stand” by R.E.M., but the real crux of the activity has more to do with a wheel than a bullet. It’s pretty straightforward, really: The five of us (me, my mom, my stepdad Keith, my brother Noah, and my sister Keira) take turns requesting a song we’d like to hear, and the rest of us are obligated to listen and evaluate. You’re not allowed to skip. Sometimes, we decide you’re not even allowed to talk while someone else’s song is playing. You’ve simply got to absorb. There are times when these rules have been almost impossibly annoying (even more annoying than “Stand” by R.E.M.). They have it so that Keith, progressive rock super-nerd (and frequent invoker of “driver’s privilege”) gets to hear a nine-minute song by Porcupine Tree or a lesser-known cut off of Lateralus. Then there was a dark period from about 2015 to 2018 when all seven-to-ten-year-old Keira wanted to listen to was Taylor Swift—and I actually kind of like Taylor Swift, but there are only so many times you can hear “Out of the Woods” before something snaps. I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a Pavlovian response to the phrase; a mere mention awakens in me the nausea of being trapped in the back middle seat of an overcrowded Nissan Altima. One time Noah’s choices consisted exclusively of (currently incarcerated) shock-rapper 6ix9ine. If you’re reading this, Noah, I hope you’ve matured; I really don’t think I can handle another four minutes—four!—of “BEBE.” But these moments seem, somehow, like a fair price to pay. I suppose if I were more critical I could point out that getting control of the aux cord and forcing my entire family to listen to Deftones, or Basic Channel, or even Vampire Weekend (take my word for it when I tell you that my stepdad, an avowed metalhead who looks a little bit like a French-Canadian Varg Vikernes, cuts an amusing figure listening to “Horchata”) functions as a bit of a power trip. But I don’t think it’s so. In fact, the two most delightful parts of music roulette for me are decidedly wholesome. The first bit is that I love showing people music that ends up being impactful to them. Back in 2016,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anita Sheih

“She’s responsible for what can authoritatively be called the biggest Christmas bop ever put to wax: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.’ This, we are all thankful for.” - Griffin Plaag, “comeback queen” 11.30.18

FEATURE Managing Editor Sydney Lo Section Editors Sara Shapiro Erin Walden Staff Writer Anna Harvey

“Perhaps the extraordinary nature of literature lies not solely in the dialogue between the writer and the reader, but the way in which a book lives on its own, breathing and touching the lives of those who enter its radius.” - Divya Santhanam, “a book signing” 11.29.17

NARRATIVE Managing Editor Celina Sun Section Editors Liza Edwards-Levin Michelle Liu Jasmine Ngai

I turned Noah on to the sweet stylings of John Darnielle, frontman of the Mountain Goats. Now, almost every time he sees me, we talk about his most recent discovery in their discography. I’ve taken Mom’s love of Prince and Michael Jackson and leveraged it to develop her appreciation for UGK, Kendrick, and 21 Savage. One time I forced Keith, an avowed critic of any and all post-punk, to listen to “Lucretia My Reflection” by the Sisters of Mercy. Watching him button-mash that little Spotify heart and add it to his music library was nothing short of life-affirming. And I’ve learned that Keira has a mix on her phone called “Griffin songs,” which melts my frozen heart. More than sharing the music I love with my family, it’s receiving love in return that makes me feel fuzzy all over. Call it the holiday spirit. The flip side of this is that I love seeing my family members do the same. I love when my hard-rocking stepdad pulls out a classical guitar composition or an Elliott Smith deep cut to share with all of us. I love when Noah, after hours upon hours trawling through the SoundCloud back catalog, finds some obscure hip-hop or house track that he thinks goes hard. I love when Mom—mild-mannered Mom who doesn’t let us swear in the house—shocks us all and starts bumping some Snoop Dogg. And more than anything (sap alert), I love watching my little sister grow up through her evolving music taste, richer and more diverse every year. We’re a long way now from Taylor Swift power hour, and watching her branch out into uncharted musical territory...well, it’s simply awesome. I’m not sure music roulette would work for every family. If your mother appears exclusively interested in listening to Journey, it might be best to keep your ideas about family music time to yourself. But this year—perhaps my final year living in their immediate proximity—I guess I want to tell my family that I’m thankful for them, for their interests and the time they spend sharing them with me. I’m thankful for having listened to all of that 6ix9i—wait, actually, scratch that. But all those long hours we’ve spent together in transit, getting to know each other better through our music? I’m definitely thankful for those.

Staff Writers Kaitlan Bui Siena Capone Danielle Emerson Naomi Kim Anneliese Mair Grace Park ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Julian Towers Section Editors Nicole Fegan Griffin Plaag Staff Writers Rob Capron David Kleinman

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6!POST–

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

TUITION FROM PAGE 1 low-income students to pay for higher education. The tuition increase at CCRI leaves the school’s tuition as the third lowest in the community college network

MARS FROM PAGE 1

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS in New England, Kempe said. According to John Taraborelli, assistant director of college communications and marketing at RIC, the increase in the proposed budget also includes an investment in the college’s institutional financial

toward the planet and bounces off as a different wavelength that corresponds to the minerals it hits. This returning light is then detected and analyzed. Tarnas, alongside co-author Honglei Lin, had previously created a technique for interpretation of the data that narrowed the size of the regions captured and studied by CRISM. The application of this analysis system to images taken in 2007 from, in and around the Mars 2020 rover’s landing region led to the discovery of the silica compound in the area. “We’re trying to make these new techniques that allow us to think like a rover from orbit so that we can help guide the rover in the best locations to go,” Tarnas said. The imaging technique is reminiscent

This development was exciting at the time since it confirmed beliefs that silica and the stone containing it, opal, existed on the planet, said Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Ralph Milliken, who did not participate in the study. Milliken used CRISM to identify the presence of opal on the surface around the same time. But the conditions under which this silica originated were unknown. It could have formed from extremely hostile conditions not conducive to life, such as acidic or volcanic conditions. In contrast to the formerly identified regions, silica’s presence around Jezero offers the unique opportunity to analyze remnants from a historically aquatic environment, Tarnas said. “We’ve keyed in where the habitable environments are. Now we’ve keyed in

of the technique used in archaeology on Earth, except it identifies individual compounds on Mars instead of underground structures revealed by hydration of soil, for example, Bramble said. Hydrated silica’s hardness and resistance to harsh environmental conditions and dissolution enhances its ability to preserve fossils. “Silica’s really interesting … because it’s better at preserving biosignatures for long periods of time than any other mineral on Earth,” Tarnas added. On Earth, the compound has been known to preserve ancient fossils; the flora and fauna from over 3.4 billion years ago have been found as white imprints in hydrated silica in areas such as South Africa and Australia. On Mars, the material is not unique to Jezero. The Spirit rover detected traces on the other side of the planet in 2008, Milliken said.

where the minerals are that are really good at preserving the biosignatures. Now we just need to send the technology there and ask nature the question by looking and (seeing) what nature presents us with,” Tarnas said. The hydrated silica preserves would have originated in Northeast Syrtis and settled as sediment in Jezero, said Bramble, who helped interpret the images. Once the Mars 2020 rover descends on the red planet in February 2021 after its departure from Earth next July, it will scour the area in search of the hydrated silica, Tarnas said. The rover will proceed to extract and bring home 38 silica samples for further analysis and identification. “The big thing is this mission is going there soon, and so it provides a framework for scientists investigating mineralogy in this region both to help guide

aid, as well as “necessary investments in areas such as academic advising, technology and student support services to enhance student success.” But there are also programs to help students afford a college education, like

9 the Northeast Neighbors program at RIC “which extends a special tuition rate to students throughout New England, Long Island and metro New York City,” according to Taraborelli. CCRI also grants the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship, which

provides a full scholarship to “any fulltime student attending (CCRI) directly from high school” according to DelGuidice. According to Kempe, this program will not be impacted despite the proposed tuition increases.

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

University researchers analyzed images from CRISM to identify hydrated silica at the Jezero crater on the red planet. The Mars 2020 rover will retrieve samples from the site for further analysis. what to look for … and what path to go down to correctly identify what’s on the surface,” Bramble said. “It’s super exciting … to be able to get more detailed information about the mineralogy and the rock types that are present in this location on Mars, because we are sending this big, exciting new rov-

er there … so we’ll actually have the capability to test some of these hypotheses,” Milliken said. Furthermore, if no fossils are found within these samples, that does not rule out the possibility of life on the planet since it may have just been absent in that specific area, or the conditions may

not have been suitable for preservation, Milliken added. But the scientific community and everyone else back down on the ground will have to wait until the 2030s before receiving any official confirmation of ancient life on the neighboring planet, if there is any.

D.C. FROM PAGE 1 With this lunch, Hart aimed to mobilize key organizations in the state, like the NAACP, in order to build a coalition that puts political pressure on Rhode Island’s Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. Since proposals to create another state must pass through both houses of Congress, Hart said that every senator’s vote is essential. Only four New England senators — those from Rhode Island and Maine — have not signaled their support, she said. “I think it’s almost un-American to turn your back on people when they are asking to be heard,” said Micholas Credle, a member of the NAACP and an attendee of Wednesday’s lunch. Credle said he has always been aware of the issue of statehood but now plans “to be an advocate.” On Sept.19, the first hearing on D.C. Statehood in almost 30 years was held in the House of Representatives, according to Vox. Since 60 percent of D.C.’s residents are minorities, as reported by the World Population Report, and the city leans heavily Democratic, the question of statehood has become a partisan issue. Even if the bill in question — H.R. 51 — passes the House, it is expected to die in the Republican-controlled Senate. But to Hart, the question of statehood should go beyond party lines. While D.C. has a nonvoting congressional delegate, the city’s residents are still not represented by voting members of Congress, despite out-

COURTESY OF KEVIN MCCOY

Over 60 percent of U.S. citizens opposed the proposal for D.C. statehood, but almost 80 percent of D.C. residents voted in favor in a 2016 referendum. numbering both Wyoming and Vermont in population, according to The Washington Post. Because of this, Hart believes that “D.C. has the ultimate form of voter suppression.” The Rhode Island ACLU’s executive director Steven Brown recognized that “there is a new strong interest at the national ACLU level at pushing the proposal again ... This is an issue

that’s been on the back-burner for too long.” Jane Coster, president of the League of Women Voters of Rhode Island, also noted her organization’s long-standing support. “This is an issue that we have been more than fond of for many years,” she said. Because of Hart, Coster said her branch “will be calling (RI senators) ... to let them

know that (they) support statehood in D.C.” While support appeared favorable within the room at the Faculty Club, most Americans remain unconvinced about creating a 51-state union. Despite the fact that almost 80 percent of D.C. residents voted in favor of statehood in a 2016 referendum, over 60 percent of U.S. citizens said they

oppose the idea, Vox reported. Still, statehood remains a possibility for supporters at the luncheon. “Freedom and rights come at different times,” said Ray Rickman, a former state representative. “Everything evolves.”

10

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Nanoparticle therapy shows promise for treatment of rare cancer Nanopiece delivery method reduces tumor volume, prolongs survival in mouse test BY MARLENE GOETZ STAFF WRITER This month, a paper published by University researchers Richard Terek and Qian Chen highlighted a potential nanotechnology therapy that targets chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. Using nanoparticles, the team effectively delivered therapies directly into tumor cells and observed decreases in tumor volume and prolonged survival in mouse models. Chondrosarcoma currently has no FDA approved treatments. The complex makeup of these cancer cells makes them uniquely difficult to treat. Specifically, “one challenge to (drug) delivery in chondrosarcoma is the negatively charged proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrix that needs to be penetrated to reach the tumor cells,” according to the study. Terek, the chief of musculoskeletal oncology at Rhode Island Hospital, an orthopedic oncology surgeon with the Lifespan Cancer Institute and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Warren Alpert, studies chondrosarcoma and collaborated with Chen, a molecular and nano-medicine researcher, director of the NIH-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Skeletal Health and Repair at Rhode Island Hospital and a professor of orthopedic research and medical science, on this study. The pair aimed to develop a nanopiece delivery platform capable of penetrating the convoluted chondrosarcoma matrix. “We develop nanomaterial (that) we call nanopieces and we found that it can deliver nucleic acid therapeutics to tissues that normally are very difficult to be penetrated,” Chen said. In addition to getting drugs to the tumor tissue, the researchers also stud-

ied the biology of how chondrosarcoma spreads. “The other thing is we don’t totally understand what drives cancer cells to metastasize. That part of the work involves trying to disentangle which types of pathways have gone awry,” Terek said. The underlying principle of the therapy is that miRNA, short 21-nucleotide sequences, are overexpressed in chondrosarcoma tumor cells. These miRNA end up functioning in a way similar to oncogenes, genes which drive cancer formation, by indirectly affecting other genes in the cancer pathway. Terek’s work over the past decade has culminated in the identification of the cancer-causing, or oncogenic, miRNA involved in chondrosarcoma formation. “That process involved microarray analysis of primary human tumor tissues. We used a variety of screening techniques to identify which miRNA were overexpressed in tumors,” Terek said. These detrimental effects of the oncogenic miRNA can be prevented by “synthesizing a molecule of the opposite sequence of nucleotides. Once delivered into the cell with the nanoparticles it will counteract and annihilate the overexpressed miRNA” Terek said. Once the target miRNA was identified, the small, opposing sequence of RNA needed to be delivered, a process that is normally very difficult because of the charge and structure of the matrix formed by the tumor. “What we do in the lab is … formulate this nanomaterial specifically for penetrating into the matrix,” Chen said. “The laws kind of break down when you get to these nano levels. At the nano level, these particles somehow get through the cell wall and into the cell, even though the cell wall is classically thought of as this impenetrable structure around the cell,” Terek said. The nanomaterial delivery vehicle is composed of a small molecule, weighing about 400 daltons, which assembles into a nanotube structure that contains RNA.

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“The molecule itself is biomimetic. It’s half composed of nucleic bases and half of the molecule is amino acids, so it’s fused together. Because of that it also has a very low level of cell toxicity,” Chen said. The nanoparticle is designed to be comparable to a natural biological structure, enabling the particle to be generally accepted by cells, so it can enter and affect them. In previous studies, Chen’s lab has shown successful use of nanoparticle therapy in the treatment of multiple other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, they also received a grant from the National Institutes of Health funding research on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using a similar nanopiece delivery system that can traverse the blood brain barrier.

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In further developing this drug therapy, Terek said “one possibility is to combine multiple miRNA sequences with these nanoparticles to impact more pathways and get maximal inhibition of tumor spread.” This involves both counteracting overexpressed miRNA, and restoring beneficial cancer suppressor miRNAs to combine multiple therapeutics with one dose of the nanoparticles. Another potential approach is to pair the miRNA therapy with other cancer drug therapies. Since some miRNAs prevent the effective use of typical cancer treatment drugs, this approach can be used to reverse drug resistance, allowing for the use of conventional therapies, like chemotherapy. In order for nanoparticle therapy

development to succeed, investors, pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies and other collaborators need to give time and money to projects like this, Chen said. “As far as moving it into the clinic, that’s always a big hurdle,” Terek said. One intermediate step the team might take is to collaborate with veterinarians — allowing them to incorporate their treatment method beyond mouse models. “Brown and Lifespan have helped establish a startup called NanoDe so that we can continue the process,” Chen said. Moving forward, the team will continue to work on collaborating with other researchers and developers to advance this drug therapy for chondrosarcoma.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

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EDITORIAL

How RailRoad gets it wrong, and how RailRoad gets it right RailRoad, a student activist organization at Brown which seeks “a world where the Prison Industrial Complex has been destroyed,” presented to the Undergraduate

vism rate for the subset of people employed after their release stood at between 3.3 and 8 percent. Thus, it is clear that employing people with a history of incarceration would

based on four criteria: “the nature and seriousness of the offenses for which the finalist has been convicted; the number of such offenses; whether such convictions are re-

ly neglect considering the criminal backgrounds of job applicants because specific candidates might have criminal histories which would impact students regardless of

Council of Students last month and hosted a public teach-in this month, highlighting its proposal that the University adopt a “fair chance hiring” policy. Its plan would amend University hiring practices to make them “more inclusive of people with conviction histories.” But while we agree with the main issue that RailRoad fundamentally seeks to address, we feel the University’s current hiring policy regarding background checks and conviction records appears both sufficiently rigorous and fair — and substantively addresses RailRoad’s primary concerns. A “collective of prison abolitionists, criminal justice reformers and others,” RailRoad works with local organizations to reduce incarceration by transforming the justice and prison systems in the United States. It now seeks to convince the University to adopt a new set of rules governing its hiring policies for candidates applying for staff positions. Let us be clear: the organization is absolutely correct to highlight the myriad injustices associated with mass incarceration in the United States, including pervasive racial disparity and the immense employment challenges facing people with prior convictions. Given these points and the University’s clear mission and ability to have a positive influence in Rhode Island and beyond, the University certainly has an obligation and an opportunity to play a key role in breaking this cycle for formerly incarcerated people. Making employment accessible to formerly incarcerated individuals can have a significant positive impact on their life trajectories. As two members of the group wrote in an op-ed in The Herald, the multitude of issues that formerly incarcerated people experience when returning to the outside world are “compounded by the inability to access dependable sources of employment.” The op-ed first highlights that the unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people is substantially higher than the national average — 27 percent compared to 3.6 percent in September 2019. It also emphasizes that granting employment opportunities dramatically reduces the rate of recidivism. The op-ed cited a study from the Manhattan Institute which found that, while the statewide rates of recidivism ranged from 31 to 70 percent, the recidi-

considerably diminish the “cycle of release, impoverishment, and return to prison.” RailRoad’s “fair chance hiring” proposal to the University comprises several key points that the group sees as critical to reducing the barriers they perceive formerly incarcerated candidates to face when applying to staff positions at Brown. The RailRoad proposal makes four suggestions: It directs the University to include conviction history in its non-discrimination statement, to conduct background checks only for those positions that legally mandate them, to take into account conviction history only if directly related to the job and to commit to hiring a certain number of people who have been formerly incarcerated. According to the group’s presentation to UCS, the policies would “ensure that the (University) hire and retain an impactful number of people with past convictions, and to institutionalize support and inclusion of formerly incarcerated community members.” However, while RailRoad is absolutely correct to work to reduce the barriers that previously incarcerated people face when seeking employment, the University’s current hiring policy strikes the right balance between keeping fair hiring practices while ensuring that the University is able to consider all relevant aspects of a candidate’s past that may affect their ability to do the job well. First, the University already fulfills one of RailRoad’s key objectives, as expressed in the above-mentioned op-ed. Specifically, a goal of the group is to ensure Brown’s compliance with fair-chance hiring policy, which would “prohibit employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history until they review the merits of the application.” The current University hiring policy states that it only conducts criminal background checks “after a conditional offer has been made, but prior to the first day of employment.” In other words, the University’s current policy explicitly mandates that it review the substance of a candidate’s application before even starting a review of potential criminal history. Second, the University is clear in stating that “criminal convictions or pleas will not automatically exclude an applicant from consideration for employment for most staff positions.” Instead, the University evaluates the results of background checks

lated to the duties of the position; (and) the accuracy of information provided by the finalist in the application process.” This section of the policy indicates that the University holistically considers formerly incarcerated applicants, including nuanced aspects of their criminal record — an approach that drastically differs from issuing rejections simply based on criminal history. Third, University policy explicitly allows candidates to submit material that they feel might add context to their conviction history: “pre-employees … will be permitted to provide responsive information regarding their criminal conviction record and other background records, including evidence of rehabilitation, character … and other extenuating circumstances.” The University’s policy therefore gives significantly more room for fair evaluation of formerly incarcerated applicants on a case-by-case basis, which conflicts with the op-ed’s assertion that the University’s “policy is certainly limiting, if not completely preventing, the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals.” In addition, while the University’s current policy appears to sufficiently address RailRoad’s concerns that formerly incarcerated individuals face unfair barriers to employment at Brown, RailRoad’s proposals would greatly restrict the University’s ability to consider all aspects of a candidate’s background. Conducting background checks only for positions that legally mandate them and taking into account conviction history only if directly related to the job would change Brown’s current policy, preventing the University from conducting a holistic review of every candidate’s application. It is illogical for RailRoad to suggest that the University should only be able to inquire about a person’s criminal background if it specifically applies to the job they are applying for. There is no way for the University to know if the nature of the crime does substantively relate to the job unless it does conduct a review of the person’s criminal history. If the University were to follow the form the current RailRoad proposal takes, the U. could not make the informed employment decisions which are in the best interests of its students. Indeed, while the University should continue to employ formerly incarcerated individuals, its policy cannot entire-

which job they apply to. For example, the University should be aware of whether a candidate has a history of stalking young women to fulfill its responsibility of cultivating a safe environment for all of its students. Thus, it is illogical for RailRoad to suggest that the University should only be able to inquire about a person’s criminal background if it is specifically relevant to the job they are applying for. There is no way for the University to know if the nature of the crime does substantively relate to the job unless it does conduct a review of the person’s criminal history. To be sure, we support RailRoad and other student efforts for their engagement. We agree with their objective of radically changing the broken current system in an effort to build a more equitable society. We encourage students to involve themselves even more with these initiatives, including through the creation of more groups like the Petey Greene Program, which provides tutoring services to incarcerated individuals. Nonetheless, we feel the University’s current policy for the employment of formerly incarcerated individuals are just and appropriately inclusive. However, we do support RailRoad’s demands for more transparency about the extent of these practices’ actual implementation. The University should publish statistics about its hiring of formerly incarcerated people, and should be thorough in ensuring that its policies are fully and properly applied. In addition, we would like to second RailRoad’s call for the University to “institutionalize support and inclusion” for previously incarcerated individuals at Brown. Doing so would advance the University’s role as a leader in progressive and inclusive hiring practices and would achieve RailRoad’s goal: ensuring that more previously incarcerated people are hired and their barriers to re-integrating into our community are greatly — and rightfully — diminished. —Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Grace Layer ’20 and Krista Stapleford ’21, and its members, Dylan Tian ’21, Eduard Muñoz-Suñé ’20, Jonathan Douglas ’20, and Riley Pestorius ’21. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com. Send comments to editorials@ browndailyherald.com.

C L AR I FI CAT I O N A previous version of the correction for the Nov. 19 article “Panelists discuss complexities of BDS” described the West Bank as one of Israel’s contested territories. In fact, the West Bank is a contested territory. The Herald regrets the error.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019

METRO

Local high schoolers pitch entrepreneurial ideas at Nelson Center Students present during Pitch Night organized by Young Entrepreneurs of Providence BY REBECCA CARCIERI STAFF WRITER The 17 Providence high school students who participated in the Young Entrepreneurs of Providence program presented a variety of original products — from a health tracker for dogs to an audio note taker — during Pitch Night at the Nelson Center of Entrepreneurship Thursday. The program, created last year by Leah Lam ’21, Audrey Shapiro ’21 and Lucia Winton ’21, is an “eight-week long after-school innovation accelerator for local high school students,” funded through the Nelson Center and the University’s Entrepreneurship Program, according to the pitch night event description. The program encourages students to create and test their own entrepreneurial pursuits. Pitch Night was the final “celebration of learning,” where the students presented various endeavors ranging from Tempus, a tea for menstrual cramps; Pup Path, a location and health tracker for dogs; Lecture Lynx, an audio note taker and Savist, an app that sends notifications when a person enters a store or restaurant he or she has a coupon for. The pitches featured in-depth research including possible competitors, prices, production time-lines, interviews, prototypes and partnerships. The participating students emphasized the skills they learned throughout the program, highlighting their newfound confidence in entrepreneurship. “I wanted to expand my horizons and try new things,” said Blessing Oyedele, a senior at Blackstone Valley Prep Academy and a member of the Tempus team. “I thought it was going to be a struggle the whole time, but my eyes were really opened and I feel like I can be a part of this.” Sarah Batista, a senior at the Village Green Virtual Charter School and member of the Lecture Lynx team,

LEON JIANG / HERALD

High schoolers involved in Young Entrepreneurs of Providence spent eight weeks developing business ideas. Their work culminated Thursday when they pitched their ideas to a faculty and student-led panel at the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. appreciated the support that Winton, Shapiro and Lam provided. Her team’s idea was even inspired by a book they received during the program. “It’s been an interesting ride. A lot more work than I initially expected, but it’s very achievable,” Batista told The Herald. Tiahna Nagbe, a graduate of the Village Green Virtual Charter School and member of the Savist team, shared how her experience in the program further enforced her interest in being an entrepreneur. “Entrepreneurship has been something I’ve enjoyed. It’s made me do a lot of my own independent research. It’s more than I expected it to be,” she said. She participated in this program because of her positive experience with YEP in the spring. Many of the students formed close relationships with each other throughout the program. “You learn

how to work with a team of people you don’t know. I love these people. You really build a network in eight weeks,” said Lydia Watkins, a senior at Hope High School and a member of the Savist team. The students presented in front of a panel including Professor and Executive Director of the Nelson Center Daniel Warshay ’87, Adjunct Professor Hamzah Ansari, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the University’s Office of the Provost Karen Sibley and Van Wickle Ventures member Asif Khan ’21. The young entrepreneurs have met every Thursday for two hours in the Nelson Center. The first hour is dedicated to listening to a guest speaker on topics ranging from bottom-up research to ideation, and the second is spent in workshops where the students’ business ideas are produced. “The purpose of it is for students

to learn more about entrepreneurship ... to not just have students be open to the idea of entrepreneurship, but to also bring entrepreneurship to new voices,” Shapiro told The Herald. YEP’s three founders all have previous entrepreneurial experience, participating in programs such as Innovation Dojo and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Incubator. This interest in business was combined with a passion for community outreach through involvement in tutoring with groups like Brown University Afterschool Mentoring. The founders noticed a need for entrepreneurship thinking to be expanded beyond College Hill, and felt that forming YEP would fill this gap. “We identified a problem in the community, so we formed a one-day workshop in the spring, and then we decided to create this program in the fall,” Lam said.

The program encouraged students to come up with a business idea, prototype it digitally or by hand and then present it at the Pitch Night. The three founders emphasized the passion of the students and how they mostly served as mentors throughout the program. Still, they hosted office hours and answered questions whenever possible. “We’re just there to give them feedback and advice,” Winton told The Herald. “If we don’t know the answers, we can try and guide them.” Siblings, parents and friends — of both the founders and participants — came for Pitch Night. Audience member Olivia Nippe-Jenkins, a junior at East Greenwich High School, attended to support her sister Kathryn, who worked on Pup Path. “They were so comprehensive. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it went so far beyond what I thought,” she said.