Friday, February 24, 2017

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 21

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Phi Beta Kappa Society City Council considers ordinance amendment would limit announces 2018 class Ordinance city’s funding of projects, Rhode Island chapter elects 34 new members, one-third of incoming inductees this year

By STEPHANIE REYES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Thirty-four members of the class of 2018 were elected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society Feb. 15, wrote Chapter Administrator Mary Jo Foley in an email to The Herald. Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honors organization in the United States, Foley wrote. Brown’s chapter — the Rhode Island Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa — is the seventh oldest in the nation out of 286 chapters in existence.

Brown’s selection process is highly competitive. To be eligible for induction, juniors must take a minimum of 20 courses over five semesters at Brown University — no credits from another institution are accepted — and must earn at least eighteen grades of “A” or “S with distinction,” according to the Brown chapter’s website.

“No more than one-sixth of the undergraduate members of a graduating

class shall be elected members,” according to the Laws of the Rhode Island Alpha chapter. Of all those chosen, no more than one third will be elected as juniors.

The Rhode Island Alpha chapter inducts members three times annually: juniors in Feb., seniors in April and senior recipients who transferred to Brown as juniors in late May. Individuals cannot apply for membership and the Rhode Island Alpha chapter does not accept any letters of recommendation, nomination or support. Inductees were notified

by Foley in an email sent out Thursday.

Katelynn Pan ’18 was not cognizant of the Phi Beta Kappa organization prior to her induction.

“I just found out today — I was really surprised and did not expect it,” Pan said.

“My closest friends were excited. And my family was happy too.”

Jacob Laden-Guindon ’18 was similarly shocked to discover that he was a new member of the exclusive honor society. “At first I thought it was a joke because the initials looked like a fraternity — a fraternity elected me to be a member? That’s not how it works,” Laden-Guindon said.

Though he initially thought the email » See PHI BETA KAPPA, page 3

entities considered DAPL financiers

By KYLE BOROWSKI METRO EDITOR

The Providence City Council has taken a step into national politics: They will consider an ordinance amendment that would limit the city’s funding of projects or entities associated with the finance of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Introduced at a council meeting Feb. 16, the ordinance would prohibit the city from contracting with organizations found to finance the pipeline and would specifically terminate the city’s contract with Citizens Bank.

The bank holds a revolving loan and open line of credit to Sunoco Logistics Partners, one of the pipeline’s backers, and the company has been criticized by some over the past year as interactions between state police and protestors at Standing Rock, North Dakota have escalated.

According to some sources, Citizens Bank is contributing $72.5 million to the project — which would involve laying 1,200 miles of pipeline between North Dakota to Illinois — through

KYLE BOROWSKI / HERALD

A Providence protester decries the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to reapprove construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. investments in Sunoco.

In response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to reapprove legal construction of the pipeline Feb. 8, protestors gathered in front of Citizens Bank downtown and decried the decision, which demonstrators said could threaten drinking water and environmental

safety, The Herald previously reported.

Councilman Seth Yurdin introduced the ordinance and said opposition to the project by indigenous groups and environmental organizations warrants the city’s divestment.

“Now more than ever it’s up to local » See DAPL, page 3

Bonner Fellows carve new path for Swearer LGBTQ Center offers free,

anonymous HIV testing

Fellows work six to 12 hours of service each week, appreciate sense of community in program

Through AIDS Project RI, LGBTQ Center provides another option for testing outside of Health Services

By ANNA KRAMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Forty first-years in the new Bonner Community Fellows program have completed what students describe as a sometimes contentious but formative first semester working with local Providence organizations.

Housed in the Swearer Center for Public Service, the Bonner Community Fellows program develops and supports a cohort of student leaders from primarily first-generation, lowincome and underrepresented communities, said Juan Carlos Carranza ’12 UEP ’15, program manager.

The students were accepted into the program in August after applying over the summer, said Angie Kim ’20, a Bonner Fellow.

The program requires students to spend four years working with one of the Swearer Center’s community partners, attend weekly meetings that provide workshops and training and achieve certain milestones built into the program, Carranza said. Those

INSIDE

By UGOCHI IHENATU STAFF WRITER

JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD

The Swearer Center serves as a home to a new fellowship for 40 first-year students.

The students will work with their community partners for the next four years.

milestones include a trip at the end of freshman year, meetings and exchanges between Bonner Fellows at other institutions and a “presentation of learning” in the fourth year, he added.

Students on financial aid also receive a stipend of $1,000 each semester, Carranza said.

Swearer developed the Bonner Community Fellows program for students interested in service who cannot otherwise afford years of unpaid work, said Benjamin Miller-Gootnick ’17.5,

a member of the Student Advisory Committee for the Swearer Center.

Before the Bonner fellowship, community fellows at Swearer would spend several years working up to a leadership position before earning a stipend. The new program more effectively supports students the center has not been able to reach previously, multiple sources said.

“The stipend offsets the burden of doing Bonner, but it’s not the same as having a job,” Kim said. » See BONNER, page 3

On Feb. 8, the LGBTQ Center, in partnership with AIDS Project RI, offered free, anonymous HIV testing to Brown community members.

The center started the initiative Fall 2013 when Program Director Kelly Garrett served on a committee organized by APRI that brought many different Rhode Islanders together to discuss ways to increase access to HIV education, prevention and testing, Garrett said.

“One important aspect of HIV prevention is making sure people know their HIV status so that they will not inadvertently spread it to someone else,” Garrett said.

APRI aims to raise awareness among college students about HIV testing and let them know how they can easily determine their status. Testing takes about 20 minutes, and students

are informed of their status immediately after. If a student tests positive, they are referred to Miriam Hospital for a 10-day further testing process.

APRI works with the student throughout those 10 days and immediately connects them to medical assistance, said Executive Director of APRI Stephen Hourahan.

Overall, men who have sex with men have the greatest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, as anal sex is the leading mode of the disease’s transmission, Hourahan said.

APRI recommended developing outreach programs to college campuses to provide access to free, anonymous testing, and asked the LGBTQ Center at Brown to participate, Garrett said.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to make HIV testing as accessible as possible to students, giving them an additional option for where they can go for testing,” Garrett said.

The LGBTQ Center offers free testing at least twice each semester, and APRI holds weekly testing events not far from campus. Health Services also offers free confidential testing every week by appointment. » See HIV TESTING, page 3

WEATHER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

NEWS New research highlights prevalence of Native American enslavement

NEWS Watson, Dorcas organize community drive, film screening to support refugees

SPORTS Morant ’17 captures all-around win, leads gymnastics team in weekend visit to Missouri

COMMENTARY Kumar ’17: Feminist movement needs more men to be active participants

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NEWS

PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

New study reveals extent of colonial native enslavement Widespread enslavement of Native Americans largely ignored by historical accounts

By STEPHANIE ZHANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Enslavement of Native Americans is often overlooked in historical research, and a new study by Associate Professor of History Linford Fisher shows the problem in colonial New England reaches further than previously assumed. Published in January’s issue of Ethnohistory, Fisher’s research examining native enslavement during and after King Philip’s War reveals that many Native Americans were coerced into surrendering — for fear of punishment or in response to promises of neutrality — but were enslaved regardless.

“Many of those enslaved were not actually combatants but refugees trying to get away from violence,” said Margaret Newell, professor of history at Ohio State University.

“People who wanted to be neutral were assigned a limited term of enslavement, for 10 to 30 years. It’s all right there in the colony records,” Fisher added.

Fisher first began investigating the scope of Native American enslavement when he came across church records while conducting research for a previous book project. Documentation of baptisms revealed that ministers of the church commonly owned two or three Native American slaves, Fisher said.

He said that the transparency of testimonies and government documents took him by surprise. “I was shocked by the lack of embarrassment or sense of moral justice,” Fisher said.

While the extent of Native American slavery appears only to have recently surfaced, this information has been accessible for a long time, Fisher said. “The field has known this for a while, we just haven’t done the hard work of fully understanding it.” The previous assumption was that this slavery occurred on a relatively limited scale.

And yet, evidence now indicates that the estimated number of Native American slaves falls between 2.5 and five million. Considering that the number of African slaves transported across the Atlantic was around 12.5 million, the extent of Native American slavery was comparable in size, said Andres Resendez, professor of history at the University of California at Davis.

Part of the difficulty in quantifying this phenomenon lies in the availability of evidence, Newell said. “People were being enslaved domestically, illegally and informally. It’s hard to reconstruct, compared to countable cargoes of African slaves in the transAtlantic slave trade.”

Resendez added that African slaves were concentrated on plantations and widely accepted by governing powers, whereas Native American slaves were traded secretly after the Spanish made slavery illegal. Thus the enslavement of native people was less documented and therefore less well-known today.

Resendez explained that, like the African slave trade, Native American enslavement not only manifested domestically but also through exportation. “The Caribbean was a big magnet for enslaved native labor, so it’s not only English colonies selling natives to the Caribbean, but also Spanish colonists doing exactly the same thing — enslaving people from the Gulf of Mexico coast or the northern coast of South America and selling them to the Caribbean islands,” he said. Fisher described this system as a “reversed Middle Passage.”

Despite the magnitude of Native American enslavement, significant historical research has only surfaced

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Many indigenous people fled violence during King Philip’s War. The refugees were often enslaved, a fact omitted from historical narrative. in this area in the past two decades, Fisher said. Outside of the historical community, the impact and prevalence of Native American slavery is even less well-known.

“There might be little snippets of information that come through maybe regionally, but I think it hasn’t made its way into our … national narrative,” Fisher said.

As a result, Fisher is building a

public database for the documentation of Native American slavery. “The idea is that there’ll be a crowdsourced database for every indigenous person who’s ever been enslaved in the Americas,” Fisher explained.

“This comes at a time when Americans are trying to take control of their history more and more,” she said. “It’s not just the great families and the merchants who dominate the story.”

Brain models with blood vessels may accelerate research U. researchers found networks in mini brain models that may allow better study of brain

By ELENA RENKEN SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

Creating models of the intricate human brain is a daunting task, but tiny round structures assembled from brain cells demonstrate many qualities of the tissue within our skulls. Models developed in the Hoffman-Kim Lab even contain networks of miniscule vessels that resemble capillaries like those that carry blood through our brains. By constructing models that mimic the brain, scientists can better understand neurological problems and develop treatments for them more effectively.

These mini model brains were born in the Hoffman-Kim Lab: Researchers placed cells from the brains of young rats in plates where they sank and then started sticking together, eventually forming a round mass of connected cells. “It typically takes about 24 hours for the cells to form a compact spheroid, and then they’ll grow from there,” said Molly Boutin, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Despite their tiny scale, these models possess many characteristics of the human brain itself. New chemical

treatments rendered the models more transparent so imaging could reveal the capillary-like networks within them, Boutin said.

The presence of these networks means that the models may help researchers study neurological issues.

Many neurodegenerative diseases affect the blood vessels in the brain, said Liana Kramer ’17, co-author of the paper. “It’s really important to understand what happens in all these different disease states in order to make therapeutics and treatments.”

Recovery from a stroke or head trauma is linked to the growth of blood vessels in the brain, Boutin said. Observing blood vessel development in these models after injury might also yield insight for researchers.

Studying healthy models could be productive as well. “The brain is one of the body systems that isn’t well understood yet,” Kramer said.

Compared to many commonly used models, these structures have more in common with actual human brains. Instead of using just neurons, they include multiple cell types. Boutin said that the way these cells interact still eludes scientists, but studying them together will better illustrate what happens in the brain.

Scientists could feasibly use these models to test new therapies for neurological diseases. About 90 percent of drugs fail clinical trials, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

COURTESY OF DIANE HOFFMAN-KIM

New imaging techniques have revealed capillary-like networks within miniscule brain models produced by the University’s Hoffman-Kim Lab. The complex models have potential to improve drug testing.

“There’s obviously something wrong with that,” Boutin said. The cell-based models used to test drugs are one piece of that process. Models that do not reflect the operations of the body might show drugs failing when they could help real patients.

No drug for Alzheimer’s disease has passed clinical trials, for example.

There are “many arguments for why they failed, but one is that human brains are different from animal brains,” said Hansang Cho, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science at The University of North Carolina. If scientists could build accurate models of human brains, they could provide more accurate drug testing.

Two-dimensional brain models

— cells plated on glass or plastic chips — are still commonly used in research and testing. But “that’s not what my body is like, so it makes sense that the cells don’t want to behave the way that they do in my body,” Boutin said.

“A lot of the neuro-research is pretty slow in its development, and a lot of that is because of the platforms that are used,” Kramer said. These brain models, which can be produced in great quantities, have the potential to accelerate research.

“Fortunately, there is a resurgence of interest in 3D models,” said Damir Janigro, scientific director of Flocel Inc., a company whose mission is to develop a model for drug testing that better reproduces the behavior of the blood-brain barrier.

The models produced by University researchers still cannot imitate the brain perfectly. Unlike a normal brain, no fluid flows through the mini models, which means they cannot demonstrate the distribution of materials. And they lack many components of the membrane separating blood from the brain, Janigro said.

Through collaboration with other researchers, the lab hopes to create a device that would allow fluid to flow through the networks and tissues. The same process they used here could be applied to human cells, Kramer said, which would create models more similar to human brains. “There’s a lot of different directions we can take this,” she added.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Watson, Dorcas partner for community drive Film screening, discussion panel will follow monthlong campaign to aid refugees in Rhode Island

By BELLA ROBERTS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In the wake of recent policies from President Trump, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs partnered with Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island to support refugees and immigrants in Rhode Island through a film screen and community drive — running Feb. 1 to March 1.

The Watson Institute is collecting items such as business clothes and toiletries to help resettled refugees through the DIIRI. The organiztion provides services including resettlement aid and case management to more than 450 refugees a year.

While the Watson Institute has made previous efforts to help the local community, this is the start of consistent community programming, said Kathryn Dunkelman, director of communications and outreach at the Watson Institute.

“A lot of faculty members got together after the holidays and decided it would be a nice opportunity to give back to the larger community,” Dunkelman said. “After such a divisive election, we thought we could come together and do something more positive to support the community.”

DIIRI’s mission is “helping people become more stable so that they can

» BONNER, from page 1 Students, community partners and the Swearer Center all benefit from the program, Carranza said. Students gain a cohort of like-minded fellows, community partners receive students with a long-term commitment and the Swearer Center fosters a group of students who weave their academics with community, he said.

The Bonner Fellows program is

» HIV TESTING, from page 1 The main difference between the center’s testing and that offered at Health Services is that the center offers anonymous testing while Health Services offers confidential testing, according to Health Services. When a student goes to Health Services for a test they sign in as a patient and the test results become part of their medical record.

In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the test providers from APRI are bound to comply with HIPAA guidelines. The students getting tested meet with an APRI test provider and all information discussed remains between the student and the test provider. Results are not recorded with a name attached in any location. HIPAA guidelines also restrict a parent’s access to their child’s medical information without their permission. However,

ELI WHITE / HERALD

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs collaborated with the Dorcas Institute of Rhode Island to support refugees and immigrants by pushing for consistent community programming. be successful and interact more with their communities,” said Brandon Lozeau, community relations manager of DIIRI. “Understanding how global and national issues are playing out locally and reaching out to organizations who are doing this kind of work every day is a really important part of understanding these issues,” Lozeau said. He hopes the event will raise awareness “around refugee communities in Rhode Island,” Lozeau said.

At the conclusion of the monthlong community drive, there will be a film screening of the documentary “The Resettled” and a panel with a

representative from DIIRI, a student representative from the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment program and Clement Shabani, community leader at DIIRI. Shabani and his wife work with DIIRI to help refugees resettle in Rhode Island. Shabani will use his experiences as a refugee to raise the awareness among “students about the war on race in many corners of the world,” he said.

The Watson Institute is hosting the screening and panel to “engage people across campus who may not have extra resources to donate but wanted to learn more about the refugee experience,”

Dunkelman said.

“We are really looking to support as many refugees as we can and engage as many people across campus as we can. The response so far has been really great,” Dunkelman said.

Donations are being collected at the front desk of the Watson Institute at 111 Thayer Street and 59 Charlesfield from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. A list of recommended donation items is posted online on the Watson Institute’s webite.

The film screening of “The Resettled” and panel with Dorcas International and BRYTE will take place this Sunday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Watson Institute.

based off of the Bonner Scholars program, which partners with more than 60 institutions nationwide, Carranza said.

Because the program is new, the fellows “are building the program along with us,” Carranza said. Each year, the total number of Bonner Fellows will grow as 40 new incoming freshmen are picked from the application pool to join the program.

Adding this many students each

year worries Bonner Fellow Fariha Kohistani ’20. “I think they bit off a bit more than they can chew,” she said.

The program is so new that the Swearer Center cannot yet assess its success, Carranza said. “One thing that has gone right is just that it’s happening … that it exists,” he added.

“It’s a good program … but people feel really burdened by their work,” which includes a weekly six to 12 hours of community service at an

off-campus location, an hour-anda-half-long meeting and a one- to two-hour-long study block in which fellows gather to tackle their classwork together, Kohistani said.

Swearer has made changes to lessen the time commitment, Kim said, such as shortening mandatory weekly meetings and offering multiple days for what students described as the “burdensome” study block requirement.

Though students acknowledge the

private insurance companies sometimes notify the subscriber — often parents — as to what tests are done for covered individuals.

Testing has become a regular part of primary health care screenings at Brown, and many students are comfortable going to Health Services for their testing, Garrett said, adding that comfort levels vary from person to person.

Nonetheless, the program continues to be relevant to the LGBTQ Center because some students may feel more comfortable going into the center to get a test, she added.

Brown was also just beginning to provide free, confidential testing in 2013 when the center began the program. Previously, they provided confidential testing with a cost.

According to University Health Plans, Brown Health Insurance covers most approved AIDS medication, but experimental drugs are not covered under the plan.

» DAPL, from page 1 and state governments” to address issues like the DAPL, Yurdin added.

Many stakeholders present for the council meeting expressed optimism at the ordinance’s potential and cited the successes of similar measures recently approved in Seattle, Wash. and Davis, Calif.

“I came (to the council meeting) because I want to see our city take a leadership role in divesting from these banks,” said Crow Grando, a person of partially indigenous heritage. “After Seattle divested from Wells Fargo, a lot of people started thinking about their city’s role in this project.”

Justin Roias of Providence said showing support for the ordinance was a way of connecting to an issue taking place hundreds of miles away. “We can’t occupy those spaces physically, but we can come here and show our support.”

In a Jan. 30 letter to company stakeholders, Citizens Bank outlined their position on the issue and said it was “very concerned about the situation on the ground in North Dakota.” It added that the company had been in contact with representatives and stakeholders from tribal communities as well as human rights and non-governmental organizations in relation to protests at Standing Rock.

“We understand that many stakeholders believe that banks should withdraw the project loan,” the statement read, “however, we have signed a contract … and cannot terminate this contract unilaterally.”

Citizen’s Bank does not comment publicly on its clients and declined to comment for this story. changes, they expressed some doubt about how meaningful they may be, Kim said.

Still, Kohistani voiced her appreciation for Bonner. “We are very much a family … and we really do love each other,” she said.

“The sense of community is very strong,” Kim said. It’s “nice to get off campus” and realize that “Providence is not my place,” she added.

KATE TALERICO / HERALD

» PHI BETA KAPPA, from page 1 to be a scam, Laden-Guidon later researched Phi Beta Kappa and voiced his excitement over the news.

“It still hasn’t sunk in fully because it caught me so off guard, and I was not expecting something like this,” LadenGuindon said. “It was a fun little piece of news to get.”

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SPORTS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Zoe Phillips ’20 eclipses school record at Ivy Championships Rookie sensation sets U. record for 400m IM, may qualify for NCAA championships

By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Amidst the thunderous cheers echoing about the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center during the Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championship, one member of Brown’s swimming and diving team could be found slicing though the water at record pace, adding double digits to Bruno’s point total.

First year phenomenon Zoe Phillips ’20 competed in multiple events for the Bears over the course of the meet, including the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley. But in the 400m individual medley, Phillips made her biggest impact, placing fifth with a time of 4:17.98, breaking the school record by nearly a second.

The Salt Lake City native also beat the NCAA B standard to potentially qualify her for a spot in the NCAA Championships March 15.

For her critical contributions to the team and record-setting

achievements over the course of the Ivy League Championships, Phillips has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Herald: What was it like breaking the record? Could you immediately tell it was going to be a fast time?

Phillips: I definitely didn’t know I was breaking a record, but it was great to look up and see my team and coaches cheering when I touched the wall.

What’s it like competing in so many events and in so many heats over just a few days? How do you have time to recover?

We take a lot of ice baths. But we actually race a lot less in college than in high school.

How was the energy different in the Ivy League Championships compared to a normal meet?

The Ivy League Championships are different because you look around and see all these incredible women who are both great athletes and have amazing academic achievements.

Everyone has given up something for swimming, so it’s great to come together and celebrate the time we’ve

spent training.

Taking a step back, when did you start swimming and what got you into the sport?

My twin sister and I started swimming when we were eight, and my mom played water polo at (Berkeley), and she now swims recreationally.

Why did you choose Brown?

I chose Brown because I really value academics and a lot of other state universities require six hours a day of training. I wouldn’t have had the time for that if I wanted to be in an engineering program. At Brown, the swimming level is high, but it wouldn’t be overwhelming for me.

Having already had so much success, where do you see yourself in the future?

Before this weekend, I hadn’t gotten a personal record in two years, so this was a huge deal for me. I have definitely begun to love the sport just for the journey, not just about the success of it. I’m just excited to continue swimming with these amazing girls and my amazing coaches and hopefully get another time next year.

Finally, from a team standpoint,

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

With a time of 4:17.98, Zoe Phillips ’20 broke Brown’s record in the 400 meter individual medley by nearly a second. what are some goals to work toward?

We placed fifth, which was the highest we have been in 15 years. I could not be prouder of my team.

They are such hard workers and I

am going to miss the seniors a lot next year.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

GYMNASTICS

Bruno edges Seattle Pacific in pair of weekend meets Morant ’17 excels at Missouri competitions, highlighted by recordtying floor performance

By TESSA DEMEYER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

While most students used their long weekend to catch up on sleep or homework, the gymnastics team traveled to St. Charles, Missouri for two meets.

Friday, the Bears tallied a seasonhigh team score of 193.350 in the GymQuarters Invitational, a quad meet that included Lindenwood University, Nebraska and Seattle Pacific University. As a visiting team, Bruno began on the floor exercise before moving to vault, bars and ending on beam. The Bears edged out Seattle Pacific to claim third in the tournament.

Floor was the Bears’ forte, as five out of six gymnasts posted careerhigh scores. Morgan Hagenbuch ’19 opened the competition with a 9.600, and Maggie McAvoy ’18 followed up with a personal best of 9.550. Julia Green ’19 and Anne Christman ’20 topped their previous bests with a 9.575 and a 9.775, respectively. Anya Olson ’18 notched her highest floor score yet as well, a 9.800. To end a record-setting rotation, Caroline Morant ’17 became only the third gymnast in Brown’s history to score a 9.925 on floor, earning second place.

Morant tied a program high set by Olympian Alicia Sacramone in 2007, which was also matched by Danielle Hoffman ’15 in 2014.

“I definitely had a lot more confidence watching everyone else do such good routines before me,” Morant said of her near-perfect performance. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that was

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

The gymnastics team finished in third place in two weekend meets in Missouri, earning season-high scores on the floor exercise, uneven bars and vault. Caroline Morant ’17 snatched her second all-around title of the season Saturday after finishing third last Friday. probably one of the best routines I’ve done.’”

After combining the top five scores, the Bears earned a seasonhigh 48.675 and turned to the vault.

Jorden Mitchell ’17 made her first appearance of the season on vault, earning a 9.550. Green put up a 9.625 followed by Olson, who tied her personal best of 9.575, bringing the team total to 96.400.

Claire Ryan ’18 started the Bears off with a 9.675 on the uneven bars, while Olson tied her personal best of 9.775. A season-high 48.500 on bars brought the team total to 144.900 going into the final event.

For the second week in a row,

Christman performed a solid beam routine to earn a 9.650. The team built on her score with 9.700s from Green and Mitchell.

Morant finished third in the allaround and the Bears ended up in third place behind Nebraska and Lindenwood.

With only a day’s break in between, the team chalked up for another competition against Lindenwood and Seattle Pacific Sunday. Mitchell earned a 9.725 on beam to start, leading the team to a 48.225 before moving to the floor.

Keeping with Friday’s trend, McAvoy raised her personal best score to a 9.600. Christman received an

identical score, and Olson put up a 9.750. Morant contributed a 9.850 to capture third on the event and bring the team score to 96.500.

Bruno had a steady vault rotation that featured a 9.725 from Green, sandwiched between a pair of 9.600s from Ally Rudd ’20 and Olson. A season high 48.350 put the team in second place, leading Seattle Pacific by a full point with a team score of 144.850 going into the last rotation.

After seven rotations spanning two days of competition, the team finished its busy weekend on the uneven bars, where Olson tied her career-high and earned third place with a 9.775. Brown’s last routine in

Missouri belonged to Morant, who scored a 9.750.

The team finished in second with a 193.325, besting Seattle Pacific by over a point. Morant claimed the allaround title again, with a 39.025.

“It definitely boosted our confidence because we got our top two scores of the season this weekend, and we proved that we can be consistent,” Morant said. “Now we know we can hit our routines, and it’s just a matter of polishing and cleaning things up.

We’re all really excited.”

The next time the Bears compete will be at Yale Saturday for the Ivy Classic, where Brown hopes to defend its title from last season.

TODAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

roll bears

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon Alfredo, Harvest, Buffalo Chicken JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl, The Farmer John Burger

Build-Your-Own Burrito Bowl

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Creole Jambalaya, Steamed Green Beans, Oreo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bar

Chicken Curry, Lemon Filet of Sole, Escarole and Bean Soup, Frosted Brownies

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Baked Acorn Squash, Onion Soup, Golden Grahams S’mores Bar

Chicken Pesto Pasta, Stir Fried Tofu, Lentil Stew, Sweet Portuguese Bread

sudoku

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Bruno rests a watchful eye on Aldrich Field, guarding the walkway to Brown’s multiple athletic complexes.

Spring sports teams have been taking advantage of this week’s warmer weather in their outdoor practices.

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

“We are really looking to support as many refugees as we can and engage as many people across campus as we

RELEASE DATE– Saturday, February 23, 2013

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

ACROSS 1 Infect 6 Downs 10 Derisive exclamation 13 Should have said 14 Score in a rare way 17 “I totally had you going!”

18 Drum, say 19 Luxury garb 21 Johnny Friendly portrayer in “On the Waterfront” 22 It hasn’t released a U.S. model since 1987 24 Edible pods 25 Make two cuts in, maybe 27 Literary monogram 28 Said three times, a story shortener 29 Benefit 32 “Head and Shell” artist 35 Former name of the bonobo 39 Nationality suffix 40 Night time 41 Anise-flavored apéritif 42 Some PD officers 43 Low-cost carrier owned by Southwest 46 Inflexibility 49 Irish omen of death 51 Hunks 53 Eponymous astronomer 56 Foreman’s dramatic phrase 58 Place for a crown 59 Common reimbursement requirement 60 Fights 61 Korean War pres.

62 Old draft category 63 Game with a disk operating system?

DOWN 1 Rascals 2 Flat formation

3 Structure damaged in a 1989 earthquake 4 Guy giving you a pointer?

5 Fruit-ripening gas 6 Key for backups?

7 Eniwetok, for one 8 Holding 9 Quench 10 Word in many oaths 11 Lab subject 12 “Scarborough Fair” quartet 15 Home to California’s Torrey Pines Golf Course 16 Some country folk 20 Fluid holder 23 Many a Mormon 25 Use keys 26 Beams 27 Tear 30 Skybox guest 31 Mideast capital once called Philadelphia 32 Fair color?

33 Iran’s Shah Mohammad __ Pahlavi

34 McJob holder 36 Element no. 39 37 French “these” 38 Student’s purchase 42 Night sound?

44 Nationality suffix 45 Compass points 46 Spread with hands 47 Fan faves

”

can.

48 Insinuated 49 Under 50 2005 World Series player (his team’s only appearance, and they lost) 52 Smooth out lumps, in a way 54 __ fee 55 While opening 57 Vocalist Sumac

— Kathryn Dunkelman, director of communications at the Watson Institute

See dorcas on page 3.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

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Piano Workshop 4:00 P.M. Grant Recital Hall

Fusion Dance Show 8:00 P.M. Alumnae Hall

SATURDAY 2017-18 IMP Info Sessions 6:00 P.M. Wilson Hall, 305

Cookies and Conversation 8:00 P.M. Tech House

SUNDAY Crepes and Cartoons 12:00 P.M. Tech House

Rosalie Blum 8:45 P.M. Cable Car Cinema

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL

Brown Bites: Feb. 16-23 Mars Mission Brown faculty and alums showed off their planetary mettle in Monrovia, Calif. Feb. 8 to 10, debating proposals for the eventual landing site of the Mars 2020 rover. Alumni were involved in proposals for two of the three landing sites tapped for further consideration by NASA, and their merits will be further investigated at the group’s next meeting in 2018. The disproportionate share of Brown faculty at the workshop can be explained by the University’s long association with NASA mission site selections. Another reason? Our faculty are out of this world!

Bar-B-Q Open only since the beginning of the semester, Durk’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant is already a popular Thayer Street attraction. Durk’s occupies the same space fronted formerly by the neon signage of Shark Bar and Grille, and the restaurant is owned by the same team behind the popular East Side eatery, Tallulah’s Taqueria. Popular offerings include specialties like the sausage and pulled pork “Dirty Durk” and the chopped beef and sausage “Ridurkulous.” Even with portion sizes that leave a little to be desired, Durk’s array of meats, sandwiches and cocktails — as well as its lucrative position as the only barbeque restaurant on Thayer — will likely ensure a steady stream of customers.

(Sacred) Heart-broken The women’s lacrosse team bested Sacred Heart in a 19-0 shutout Saturday — the team’s first since 1982. Bruno led 12-0 at the half, and held its momentum for the game’s entirety: the last goal was made with just 49 seconds on the clock. Head Coach Keely McDonald ’00 said credit for the impressive show goes to the entire team. “A shutout goes to the defense, it goes to the attackers who are scoring goals, it goes to the sidelines — it’s really a team effort.”

Pipeline Petition A petition calling for increased media attention to the Standing Rock protests was circulated by U. students Wednesday Drafted by students from Oberlin College, the petition had at press time over 6,400 signatures from over 300 colleges. Dana Kurzer-Yashin — one of the Oberlin students who drafted the petition — argued that a heightened level of attention to the Dakota Access Pipeline could affect the project’s completion because “if the world’s eyes are on what’s happening at Standing Rock, then there is a higher chance of enforcing the safety and human rights of who’s there.”

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Where are all the feminist men?

NIKHIL KUMAR staff columnist

Last Thursday, I attended an event hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice Brown University titled “State of the Uterus Address: The Future of Roe v. Wade.”

The three-person panel — which included a Planned Parenthood representative, an OB/GYN and a medical student — discussed the dim prospects of women’s health care, reproductive justice and the Supreme Court in the current political climate.

With an audience filling Salomon 003, the event proved by its mere existence the importance of reproductive rights to the Brown community. Notably, though, little more than a handful of men were in attendance.

This dearth of men in the feminist arena, even at Brown, is not unusual.

I have witnessed it during the election, when many men were reluctant to declare that they were “with her;” on Facebook, where I often feel isolated among men in posting about women’s right to choose, the struggles trans women of color face or the importance of gender parity in politics and at other events relating to women’s rights. The silence of other men on these issues is often deafening. Yet

I know that many men who are not vocally feminist would still describe themselves as such. At a university as left-leaning as Brown, the most important challenge is not to convince men of the importance of gender equality but to convert their beliefs into action.

One possible reason for men’s relative lack of involvement in fighting for women’s rights is apathy: Because cisgender men will never personally

women’s voices, how loudly should men yell in agreement? How can men use their own political power to fight for gender equality without diminishing women’s power?

There are no simple answers to these questions, and this column can barely scratch the surface of such a debate. One thing is clear, though: Feminism needs more, not fewer, men.

By showing up to events and publicly expressing their support for women’s

there are signs that feminism is becoming steadily ingrained into the American psyche, for women and men alike. In January, many men participated in the Women’s March on Washington and associated marches across the country. At the march in Charlotte, North Carolina, I was delighted to see men displaying their solidarity with their families and friends. Furthermore, prominent governors like Andrew Cuomo of New

Men should lean into the discomfort they may feel over their role as allies, keeping in mind that listening and asking questions are better than doing nothing at all.

need an abortion, they do not shape their politics around Planned Parenthood funding. Perhaps men without a uterus saw the title of the Brown NARAL event and thought that it didn’t concern them. A more likely explanation, I think, is insecurity about their position as allies. If the goal of feminism is to make space for women, how much space should men take up? If feminism aims to amplify

rights, men can demonstrate to other men — including their elected representatives — that everyone can benefit from gender equality, regardless of gender. Men should lean into the discomfort they may feel over their role as allies, keeping in mind that listening and asking questions are better than doing nothing at all.

Despite the gloomy outlook described by the Brown NARAL panel,

York and Terry McAuliffe of Virginia have taken a hard stance on protecting access to contraception and reproductive healthcare. These are just two examples among the multitude of ways men can use their influence to turn their appreciation for feminism into concrete action.

Another good place to look for inspiration is the “He for She” campaign, for which Emma Watson ’14

advocates in her role as Global Goodwill Ambassador of U.N. Women.

Though much of the campaign’s value is symbolic, it makes clear that advancing the cause of gender equality is a burden that men must share with women. The steady accumulation of actions as small as challenging jokes that perpetuate gender stereotypes can eventually shape a culture in which gender equality is the norm.

The panelists at the State of the Uterus Address emphasized the importance of having difficult conversations about abortion, in particular between pro-choice and pro-life advocates. Even if neither person intends to change their mind, some sliver of common ground can nearly always be found. The alternative, in which both sides stay in their own corner and attend events where everyone is already on the same page, will not lead to meaningful progress. Indeed, it seems that the same logic applies to the role of men in feminist politics. Only by announcing loud and clear their support for gender equality and then participating in the occasionally uncomfortable conversations that ensue can feminist men add to the momentum women activists have worked tirelessly to create.

Nikhil Kumar ’17 can be reached at nikhil_kumar@brown.edu.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017

Lebron James, MVP GEORGE KLEIN sports columnist Terrific individual performances have been a staple of the current NBA season, as Russell Westbrook and James Harden have compiled monster numbers thus far. Westbrook is on a path to averaging a triple-double for the season and would be the first player to do so since Oscar Robertson in the 1961-1962 season. Meanwhile, Harden could lead the league in points and assists per game — he currently sits at third in points and first in assists in the NBA — a feat not accomplished since Nate Archibald’s 1972-1973 season. The pair has totaled 40 tripledoubles, 26 of those by Westbrook, while Harden enjoyed the finest statistical performance of the season with 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists.

Accordingly, this year’s MVP dis-

cussion has centered on Westbrook and Harden. It makes sense. There has even been some mention of the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, who is among the NBA’s best in points per game and shooting percentage and also plays for the league’s best team.

But the game’s greatest player, Lebron James, has been forgotten in all the MVP talk. James’ basic statistical averages, while unbelievable, simply don’t jump off the page like Westbrook’s or Harden’s, and his MVP candidacy has suffered in turn.

It is important to acknowledge that even in the context of the Harden and Westbrook’s historic seasons, James is putting forth his own entry into the record books. His 8.8 assists per game are the most ever by a non-guard. But there is more to basketball than just the basic statistics, and when one examines James’ case more closely, the choice for MVP becomes far more clear.

James has a storied NBA career, and last year he led the Cavaliers to the NBA Championship, upset-

ting the Warriors after trailing three games to one, the greatest comeback in NBA history. This year, the Cavaliers are again one of the NBA’s few contenders. That is, when James is on the floor.

Over the past two and a half seasons, the Cavaliers have gone 4-18 when James has not played. Not only are they not contenders — as one would expect with the loss of James — but they are simply dreadful.

For those who find advanced statistics more convincing, as is common in the current analytics-driven NBA, the numbers bear this phenomenon out as well. With James on the court, the Cavaliers have a 7.8 point advantage over their opponents per 100 possessions. With Lebron on the bench, Cleveland is outscored by 4.4 points per 100 possessions. That is a 12.2 point difference.

It is a different story with Kyrie Irving, the star of last year’s Cavalier playoff run. Even those who criticize James’ MVP campaign because of

his star teammate should note only a 4.9 point difference per 100 possessions for Irving. It just goes to show how dominant James truly is, even when compared to one of the NBA’s stars.

As impressive as Harden’s season has been, the difference between the Rockets with Harden on and off the court — 3.5 points per 100 possessions — does not come close to James’ numbers.

Westbrook is the one man who has Lebron beat in this statistic, with a 13.6 point difference per 100 possessions. Much of that is due to how terrible the Thunder bench has been, as opponents outscore Oklahoma City by an astonishing 10.9 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook off the court.

Much has been made of Westbrook’s efforts to carry the Thunder into the playoffs, and he has done incredibly well, dragging a lackluster team into the seventh place in the Western Conference. But for all Westbrook has accomplished,

the Thunder are still expected to be quickly dispatched in its first round series.

Harden has taken a Rockets team, albeit one far more talented than Oklahoma City, all the way to the third seed. But the Rockets are far from a guarantee to make the Finals, still behind the timeless Spurs and the Warriors in the Western Conference standings.

Only James has the talent to take a bad team to the Finals, as he did in 2007. The Cavaliers are in control of the Eastern Conference, sitting pretty in first place and remaining the prohibitive favorites to reach the NBA’s championship yet again. This year’s trip would be Lebron’s seventh consecutive appearance.

Before we get too caught up in Westbrook and Harden’s successes, let’s keep in mind who the real MVP is: Lebron James.

George Klein ’20 can be reached at george_klein@brown.edu.

Extensions make sense for baseball’s minor leaguers ANDREW FLAX sports columnist When we think about professional athletes, we think about fame, glamour and multi-million-dollar salaries.

Baseball may be the richest sport of them all, as 28 of the 30 largest sports contracts of all time belong to baseball players, but this perception ignores the players who never make it big. These are most common in baseball as well, given its extensive minor league system which pays players less than minimum wage. Even in the major leagues, a player’s team can cut him without owing another cent at the end of any of his first six seasons, providing little security for players at the beginning of their careers. This system of annually escalating salaries has led to riches for many, but has left those who do not play well enough or get hurt without anything to fall back on.

But there is another option for young players: signing an extension that guarantees a salary for those six years, even if it means making less than the player can expect if he suc-

ceeds. Staying on one-year contracts might increase the amount a player makes on average, but missing out on an even bigger payday by signing an extension is a much smaller concern than potentially not getting paid at all if a player falls short of expectations and is cut immediately.

For each of a player’s first three seasons in the major leagues, he makes roughly the minimum salary, which is about $500,000. After that, he enters arbitration, where his pay is determined by what comparable players earned at that stage in the past. He is under arbitration for an additional three years before reaching free agency after his sixth season. But under this system, a player is at the complete mercy of his team, which can choose not to offer him a contract after any of those six seasons and leave him without any guaranteed money. Extensions usually cover these six years plus at least one team option, where the team can choose to pay the player a certain amount for another year or allow him to become a free agent.

The perfect example of how extensions can make a huge difference for a player is Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton. Before reaching the major leagues in 2014, Singleton

signed an eight-year contract extension that guaranteed him $10 million total. The first five years were fully guaranteed, followed by three team options that, if all exercised, would pay him an additional $20.5 million.

Because he did not play a full major league season in 2014, the contract covered all six of his original teamcontrolled years and one free-agent season. The final team option was worth $13 million, so Singleton was only going to make about $17 million for his team-controlled years even if he was successful.

This would have been a serious discount if Singleton, then one of the top prospects in baseball, had lived up to his potential. By way of comparison, good-but-not-great first baseman Eric Hosmer will have made $31 million for his six team-controlled years when he becomes a free agent after the 2017 season and will likely sign a free agent deal that pays him more than $13 million annually for 2018 and for a few years after that.

But Singleton fell far short of his potential. Through two major league seasons, he had an abysmal .171 batting average and was removed from the Astros’ major league roster. Had he not signed an extension, he would

likely have earned under $1 million for his two partial major league seasons and washed out of the game forever. The difference between $1 million and $10 million is massive — much greater than the difference between $10 million and $30 million when it comes to quality of life.

This guarantee means even more when you realize how little else these players have. Singleton was drafted out of high school, heavily limiting his job opportunities for after his playing career ends. Some players receive huge draft bonuses — the 2016 first overall pick, Mickey Moniak, received $6.1 million — and have little need for the financial security of an extension. But Singleton was an eighth-round pick and was paid a $200,000 bonus, which seems like a good amount until you realize he had to stretch that out over his five minor league seasons. With players earning under $10,000 annually in the minors, he had little else to supplement his bonus. The difference between entering a life after baseball with $1 million in the bank versus $10 million is gargantuan.

In the interest of full disclosure, Singleton is the only notable example of a player becoming an absolute

bust after signing an extension. But he is also one of very few players to sign his extension before reaching the major leagues. Most examples of extensions that hugely limited a player’s future earnings were given to players with at least one MLB season under their belt, during which they proved themselves to be deserving of a longterm investment. And there are quite a few who have really gotten screwed: Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, Evan Longoria, José Altuve and Anthony Rizzo, to name a few. Extensions make sense for minor leaguers who have never had the chance to succeed or fail in the majors, not proven MLB players.

For players who have spent years toiling in the minor leagues for a pittance, an extension represents a golden opportunity to lock down a longawaited payday. But these deals are very rare, as players hold out in hopes of making even more money down the road. For men with little savings and limited career prospects outside of baseball, the security of an extension is far better than taking a gamble for even more money.

Andrew Flax ’17 can be reached at andrew_flax@brown.edu.