SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 13
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Bears place second in home opener U. researchers
tackle opioid crisis Medical School hosts four panelists to discuss treatment, addiction in R.I., beyond By DYLAN MAJSIAK SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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The gymnastics team competed in its annual ‘Beauty and the Beast’ meet, held with the wrestling team, at the Pizzitola Sports Center Sunday. The Bears’ team score of 190.900 placed them ahead of Rhode Island College.
Two gymnasts earn titles, team wears ribbons to show solidarity with sexual abuse survivors By TESS DEMEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
After traveling to competitions around New England for the past three weekends, the gymnastics team returned to the Pizzitola for its 2018 home opener.
During their annual dual meet with the wrestling team, the Bears posted a 190.900 team score to land in second place ahead of Rhode Island College and behind the University of Bridgeport. Bruno claimed two individual event titles as Kate Nelson ’21 placed first on the uneven bars, and Regan Butchness ’18 nabbed the top spot on the balance beam. Butchness was also named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Coaches Choice honoree for the week.
Prior to the competition, the team warmed up in teal “#TimesUp” T-shirts and sported matching hair ribbons to show their support for survivors of sexual assault. “The NCAA gymnastics community has come together and has been wearing the teal ribbons all season in support of the sexual abuse (survivors),” said head coach Sara Carver-Milne. “It’s a very relevant story in our gymnastics community right now but also » See GYMNASTICS, page 2
The Brown Medical Association held a panel to discuss how to better train doctors and medical professionals to prevent opioid addiction and treat those suffering from the epidemic Thursday night at the Alpert Medical School. Though the general focus is on the illicit overseas production of fetanyl, an opioid used in pain medication, doctors within the United States have contributed to the crisis by doling out 250 million opioid prescriptions a year, said Marc Siegel, associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and moderator of the panel. Twenty-five percent of patients who are prescribed opioids become addicted, he added. The panel was comprised of four medical professionals who considered ways in which the medical community could reduce its prescriptions of opioids, especially through reframing the
understanding of pain. There has been a general reduction in the number of pills prescribed, said Jennifer Clarke, medical director of the R.I. Department of Corrections. “If you have a tooth removed, you won’t get 40 Vicodin,” she joked, adding that it is important to figure out the root cause of a condition rather than using an opioid as a cure-all solution. There is also a movement toward not prescribing opioids in the first place, though each patient should be treated on a case-by-case basis, said Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour Laura Levine. “I don’t think there is any cause for people to pull it out and take all of their patients off of opioids,” she said. “I’ve had some pretty severe negative consequences from that happening.” In addition to discussing ways to decrease the accessibility of opioids, panelists emphasized the importance of destigmatizing addiction. There are shifts in terminology within the medical landscape to avoid ostracizing those affected by addiction, Levine said. The word “abuse” is used less and less in this context, she said, adding » See OPIOID, page 2
Cambridge ’21 knocks Researchers link lunar cycles to eruptions in two game-winners Freshman star averages 30.5 points per game over weekend, notches clutch three-point shot Saturday By ALEX SMOLAR SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Desmond Cambridge ’21 may be just a freshman, but his stand-out performances this season have earned the men’s basketball team three muchneeded wins against Ivy League rivals. He scored a total of 62 points in two games this weekend, three of which came on a game-winning shot with just four seconds left in overtime against Princeton. Cambridge, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week six times and Ivy League Player of the Week twice. For his outstanding performance in Saturday’s contest, which snapped Princeton’s 19game home winning streak, Cambridge has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: Congratulations on the
INSIDE
great win last weekend! Can you talk about the game-winning shot? Cambridge: We were down two, and coach set up a play for me to get the shot. (The team) knows all of our live plays — the plan was to call out the play so everyone syncs in and acts like I’m going to the basket, and I would fake it and come out for the three pointer. Then Brandon (Anderson ’20) would kick it out to me. As you can see, it didn’t really work out that way. The ball rolled out, but I was supposed to shoot it. So I was like what the heck, just go for it. Even though it was kind of a crazy shot, I actually practice those shots and it went in. It felt good. After losing a tough game to Penn the night before, how hard was it to come out and play well a day later? It was definitely tough. (The Penn game) was heartbreaking because it was basically like the same situation (as the Princeton game). It turns out I was the one who actually missed the game-tying free throws and that really, really hurt. So that whole night I was thinking about » See BASKETBALL, page 2
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Társilo Girona, a NASA postdoctoral fellow, examined the correlation between volcanic activity and lunar cycles. The study — co-authored by University researcher Christian Huber — could be used to predict eruptions.
Scientists find tidal forces could predict volcanic seismicity, save tourists from eruptions By KENDRICK TAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A recent study shows a likely correlation between volcanic seismicity and lunar cycles before an upcoming eruption. “We were interested in investigating whether we could use the response of volcanic systems to tidal stresses to
detect whether a volcano is in a critical state, or when it is about to erupt,” said Társilo Girona, a NASA postdoctoral fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and leader of the study. “These stresses vary with the relative positions of the moon, sun and earth, and from the study, we found that volcanoes are sensitive to tides related to the lunar cycles when they are about to act.” The Ruapehu volcano in New Zealand was chosen as the subject of the study. Ruapehu is home to two ski resorts, and one of the main reasons it was chosen was because GNS Science, who
supplied the data, had been studying it for over a decade in an attempt to ensure the safety of tourists on the volcano, said Christian Huber, co-author of the study and assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences. The data provided by GNS Science was measured against a model of synthetic tidal signals linked to lunar cycles. “The correlation we are looking at is whether volcanic activity responds to fortnightly tides, which are related to lunar cycles,” Girona said. “Out of the 12 years of data, we didn’t find any type of » See VOLCANOES, page 2
WEATHER
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
SPORTS Brownsword ’18: Bears might enter Ivy basketball postseason for first time with talented team
METRO House Committee on Oversight discusses next step for social services at Thursday hearing
NEWS Alum’s educational program brings hip-hop into classroom, helps students build vocabulary
COMMENTARY Oke ’20: Words are strongest defense when confronting acts of racism, hatred on campus
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
» BASKETBALL, from page 1 (those misses). It was tough, but all of our games are back-to-back, so you just have to push that aside. We want to make it to the tournament, so you have to be ready to play. How did you first get into basketball? My whole family has been playing our whole lives. I have seven siblings, and we all played. My dad played in college, too. So I’ve been playing ever since I was little.
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Panelists stressed the importance of decreasing the accessibility of opioids and destigmatizing addiction at the Med School Thursday night.
» OPIOID, from page 1 that “we didn’t call an eating disorder ‘food abuse.’” In toxicology, the word ‘clean’ is used less frequently to describe a person not using drugs, as it may imply that those using drugs are ‘dirty,’ she added. Geoff Capraro, assistant professor of emergency medicine, hopes that his NaloxBoxes will further help destigmatize opioid addiction by putting “these tools out there” for the public to intervene in overdose cases, as previously reported by The Herald. The panel also highlighted the need for resources for those leaving prison. When people stay in a facility — while incarcerated or in treatment — their tolerance goes down, and they can die from what was previously a non-toxic dosage, Clarke said. “This drug changes people’s brains,” she said. “They have all the intentions
» VOLCANOES, from page 1 correlation between the two except three months before the only eruption (in the time span). There was a very significant statistical correlation.” Prior to the study, there was no way to predict the eruption. “There were zero unrest signals, which is very troublesome because these eruptions can be very dangerous,” Huber said. Three months before the volcano erupted, its tremors synced with the tidal activity. If this correlation can be applied to more volcanoes, it can lead to greater eruption prediction capabilities, Huber added.
Why did you choose Brown? My dad wanted me to play as high a level of basketball (as) I could. But my mom wanted the academic side. I felt like (Brown) was the best of both worlds. What are your personal and team
goals for the rest of the season? For personal goals, it would probably be to win (Ivy League) Rookie of the Year. For team goals, it would be to win the Ivy League Championship. Are you surprised at how well you have played as a freshman? Not really. I expected to make an impact this year, but I honestly didn’t think I’d be playing this well. So being that I am, I’m just happy that I’m doing it. Do you have any pre-game rituals? After we eat our pre-game meal, I definitely take a nap for like an hour, or (an) hour and fifteen (minutes) while listening to music. Then I just go into the locker room and sit there for a while, and just think to myself or have on music. Then I just go and get my shots up about two hours before the game. That’s it.
What are you concentrating in and what are your goals after graduation? I am majoring in engineering and (want to get) a Bachelor’s degree. After, I’m hoping to further my career in basketball. When that ends, I don’t really have a particular path for what I want to do. With all of the networking here, I’m sure I’ll find something. Do you have any overarching aims for your career as a Brown basketball player? I haven’t really thought that far yet — right now I’m just trying to take this one day at a time. Being that it’s just my freshman year, I just want to win Rookie of the Year and make it to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears will take the court against Cornell Friday and Columbia Saturday at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
in the world of stopping, but once you get out and you’re exposed to the triggers that you weren’t exposed to in prison, … it’s all around.” Overdose deaths in the state are decreasing, Clarke said, citing the effectiveness of Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Overdose Task Force on opioid addiction. “I got the knowledge that we have some really great medical professionals working in the state of Rhode Island on this unbelievable, overwhelming epidemic,” said Laurie MacDougall, a founder of Resources Education and Support Together. For its part, the University is a pioneer in the education of the pathophysiology of pain, said Paul George, associate professor of family medicine. There is also an addiction fellow on campus and a course that focuses specificially on pain and addiction, Levine said.
Desmond Cambridge ‘21 helped bring the Bears to victory and hopes to win Ivy League Rookie of the Year and the Ivy League Championship.
The data was also able to predict false alarms. “There were times where the mountain was closed because of an anticipated eruption, but no eruption took place,” Huber said. “These were points where the correlation between volcanic activity and tidal waves was very low, which is also cool to see.” Girona and his team have already begun looking at other possible data sets to examine, hoping to produce similar results that could make these findings relevant in the future. The team is currently considering Costa Rica, the Philippines and Japan as possible locations for future studies, Huber said.
While the study’s replicability in other volcanoes remains to be seen, researchers agree that it has a great deal of potential for future use in eruption detection. “If it turns out that this detection could be used generally, meaning other volcanoes also show the same correlations, tides could be an incredible detector for eruptions,” said Baylor Fox-Kemper, associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences.“It’s an interesting paper. To say that tidal forces are changing things other than whether or not we can go to the beach, that part is very cool.”
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» GYMNASTICS, from page 1 across the larger community. One of the first things that we teach our studentathletes when they come to Brown is that they need to have a voice, and I was pretty proud of our athletes stepping up,” she said. “The gymnastics community is very small, and it kind of affects everyone. … It’s important to send that message that we stand with them and that we understand that it’s difficult,” CarverMilne added. As the home team, Brown had the advantage of competing in the Olympic order, beginning on vault. Anya Olson ’18 earned a 9.475 to give the Bears a building score. Gabrielle Hechtman ’19 and Julia Green ’19 supported with a pair of 9.425s, and Alyssa Gardner ’21 closed the rotation by scoring a 9.575. Bruno was electric on the uneven bars, hitting all six routines to notch a season-high 48.750. Caroline Warren ’21 set the tone with a career-best 9.700, and Claire Ryan ’18 followed with a season-high 9.725. Olson and Emma Hansen ’21 posted matching 9.750s while Nelson earned a personal-best 9.825 to claim the crown. The Bears carried that momentum to the balance beam, going six for six en route to a season-high 48.450. Ryan opened the rotation by tying her
season-best 9.650, and Hansen nailed her second routine of the meet to add a 9.700. Butchness, Bruno’s most experienced beam worker, did not disappoint, notching a season-best 9.800 and solidifying her position atop the field in the final standings. “That was a huge confidence booster for all of us,” Butchness said. “Bars and beam can be a bit trickier in terms of where there’s room for error, but for us to hit six really strong routines means that each girl who goes up can build on each other’s performances and end with a really high team score.” Brown closed out the competition on floor exercise where deductions took a toll on the team score. Though the Bears had “three big mistakes,” per Carver-Milne, Olson and Rose Domonoske ’21 set season highs with scores of 9.675 and 9.350, respectively. Anne Christman ’20 also contributed a 9.550 to the overall 190.900. Bruno goes back on the road Sunday as the team will travel to the University of Maryland for a quad meet including Rutgers University and the College of William and Mary. “It’s a great opportunity for them to compete against some higher-ranked teams and be in an environment where there might be a little bit more pressure,” Carver-Milne said. “That’s only going to help us grow and be more prepared for the Ivy Classic.”
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NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
After Super Bowl LII, who are next year’s favorites? GEORGE KLEIN sports columnist Super Bowl LII was a game that will be remembered for quite some time, not only because of the record yardage totals, but also for its surprising result: a 41-33 Philadelphia Eagles victory. Down five points, about to drive late in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots seemed certain to complete another championship-winning comeback. Yet defensive end Brandon Graham strip-sacked Brady, the Eagles kicked another field goal and the Pats failed to complete a last-second Hail Mary. The Eagles won the Super Bowl. But the sports world moves on quickly. The biggest current football story is not even about the Super Bowl, but rather Josh McDaniels ditching the Indianapolis head coaching job and returning to New England as the offensive coordinator. Teams are already looking ahead to next year, and even the champion Eagles have some important decisions to make. Nick Foles will be a subject of trade discussions all through the offseason, as every team without a solid quarterback will check on the availability of the Super Bowl MVP. But with the 2017 NFL season in the rearview mirror, who should be the favorites heading into next year? The Eagles and Patriots are obviously
contenders, but several other teams have a championship in their sights. Philadelphia, first of all, could be even better next season, with star Carson Wentz coming back from his ACL injury. It is easy to forget just how dominating the second-year quarterback was, as Foles basks in the glow of playoff success. Last season, Wentz threw for 3,296 passing yards and 33 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions, in 13 games — one of the leading candidates for
circulate. Butler, a free agent, will almost certainly be gone. Matt Patricia, former New England defensive coordinator, is gone as well — he accepted the head-coaching position with the Detroit Lions. And though Pats fans have belittled Patricia and his coaching over the past couple of days, his absence will leave a void in the organization. He has been a member of New England’s coaching staff since 2004 and served as the defensive coordinator since 2012. All is
the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Blake Bortles drew the ire of fans for missed throws and poor decision-making. The Jaguars have been tied to free agent Kirk Cousins, who threw for 27 touchdowns and 4,093 yards last season. With Cousins, a more dependable and consistent quarterback, the Jaguars would not have to rely so much on the defense to win games and would better hold their own offensively against the league’s best teams.
Bosa has 23 sacks in two NFL campaigns. Watch out for the Chargers.
MVP. Philly will enter the 2018 season with only the highest of expectations. Anything short of another Super Bowl would be a disappointment. New England, meanwhile, enters the offseason with legitimate questions and concerns. The Patriots’ defense was exposed all game by the Eagles, with former hero Malcolm Butler benched by coach Bill Belichick. The full story has not been made public yet, but different rumors about the surprise move continue to
not rosy in Foxborough. Moving on to the non-Super Bowl teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars will not improve their record by seven games again, but this organization is more than ready to compete. The tremendous defense, led by star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, will be back next season. So, too, will young running back Leonard Fournette. Change could come at the quarterback position, however. Though he was solid for stretches of last season and performed admirably against
Signing Cousins is the type of move that wins championships. The New Orleans Saints, after three consecutive mediocre campaigns, were impressive, buoyed by the addition of rookie running back Alvin Kamara. Paired with Mark Ingram, Kamara’s catching ability out of the backfield makes for an unstoppable weapon. With an off-season for Kamara to develop further, the Saints are ready to challenge the Philadelphia Eagles for NFC dominance. After all, New Orleans was
one magical, fluke play from facing those Eagles in the conference championship game. If quarterback Drew Brees can continue to stave off decline at age 39, the Saints will be one of the most dangerous teams in the league. With a veteran QB and explosive weapons all over the field, this is a group built for the playoffs. For a sleeper team that could shock the world like the Jags last season, look no further than the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Chargers did go 9-7 (rather than the Jacksonville’s 3-13 record in 2016), the team garnered little press or buzz and has become widely underrated. After a slow start, the Chargers surged to six wins in the season’s final seven weeks, and all the pieces are in place for a playoff run. Quarterback Philip Rivers has not lost a beat, running back Melvin Gordon is a workhorse and wide receiver Keenan Allen is one of the NFL’s best at his position. The defense is stifling as well, with defensive end Joey Bosa leading the way. Bosa has 23 sacks in two NFL campaigns. Watch out for the Chargers. Prediction: Eagles over Jaguars.
George Klein ’20 can be reached at george_klein@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
Bears poised for Ivy postseason tournament MATT BROWNSWORD sports columnist The Ivy League had long been resistant to change in the sport of men’s basketball: While nearly every other conference adopted the exhilarating postseason tournament, the Ancient Eight sent the team with the best league record to the NCAA tournament — until 2017. Now, the NCAA’s oldest basketball league is one year into its annual four-team, postseason tournament, and 2018’s version will be held in Philadelphia just like last year. 2017’s tournament saw undefeated Princeton march on to the NCAA tournament after handily defeating Penn and Yale. But this year’s competition for a coveted playoff spot in the Ancient Eight is much more compact, as the five teams sitting from third to seventh place are within one game of one another. And at the top of that list are the Brown Bears, who are 3-3 in conference play and have only qualified for the NCAA tournament twice — the last time in 1986. This year’s squad, however, has all the signs of being an actual Cinderella story come March. With only one senior on the roster and three new starters, the team’s three leading scorers are two sophomores and
a first-year. Second-year point guard Brandon Anderson ’20 is leading the team with 19 points and four assists. Zach Hunsaker ’20 — the buzzerbeating hero of two weekends ago — has stepped into the starting lineup and averages over 10 points a game. But the story of this year’s team
second on the team. Still not enough to convince you? Cambridge had his coming-out party while touring Pennsylvania — hopefully in preparation for a return visit later — scoring 29 points against conference-undefeated Penn in an overtime loss and 32 in an over-
pride. And, in past years, this has been the case more often than not. In fact, in the last 10 years, Brown men’s basketball has only finished in fourth place or above twice. But, despite the youth of this year’s team, Bruno is in the poll position with just over half of the conference regular season still
Hardly ever have large groups of student fans flocked to Bruno’s athletic facilities to see a meaningful regular season game, but these Brown Bears are competing in newfound territory. This team should give hope that even Brown — the least competitive athletic program in the Ivy League for the past 10 years — could make it to the big stage.
has to be the play of Desmond Cambridge ’21. The six-foot-four guard is leading the team in rebounds and blocks, all while averaging over 17 points and one assist a game. The leader of Brown’s interior defense is the team’s third-best three-point and second-best field goal shooter, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is tied for
time win against fourth-place Princeton. The first-year hit seven of nine threes against the Tigers, including the game-winning three in overtime. Yes, without Cambridge’s and Hunsaker’s heroics, this team could easily be staring at a 1-5 conference record, doomed to play its last eight Ivy League games of the season for
to play. The Bears have four home games left, including two crucial tilts this weekend against against fifth-place Columbia and sixth-place Cornell. If Brown were to win both of these home games, it could extend its lead to one or two games for that final tournament spot. That would all but
guarantee that the Bears’ final two home games of the season, against Penn and Princeton again, would feature Brown playing for its first-ever spot in the Ivy League postseason tournament. Hopefully, despite the Bears’ typically weak home support — especially from students — this year’s men’s basketball team can inspire some dedicated fans that may, one day, plan their March trip to the Palestra. Rarely in my four years at Brown has a sports event drawn a large, loud crowd — the men’s lacrosse team’s NCAA quarterfinal appearance and the men’s hockey team’s 2-1 upset win over nationally ranked Harvard are two of the few examples. Hardly ever have large groups of student fans flocked to Bruno’s athletic facilities to see a meaningful regular season game, but these Brown Bears are competing in newfound territory. This team should give hope that even Brown — the least competitive athletic program in the Ivy League for the past 10 years — could make it to the big stage. Go Bruno.
Matt Brownsword ’18 can be reached at matthew_brownsword@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
NEWS
PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Committee on Oversight reviews lawsuits about insurance, food stamps Thursday hearing at State House highlights ACLU lawsuits stemming from UHIP implementation By CELIA HACK SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Over a year after the faulty implementation of the United Health Infrastructure Project, the R.I. House Committee on Oversight is still finding a way forward. During a hearing Thursday night at the State House, the committee discussed the consolidated computer system that processes and distributes social services. Starting in 2016, the project obstructed many Rhode Island residents from receiving their benefits and resulted in two lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island against the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. On Jan. 29, the state agreed to return benefits to any clients or customers who, as a result of UHIP, stopped receiving money to pay for their health insurance from the Medicare Premium Program, said Ellen Saideman, the ACLU lawyer who filed the suit against the executive office on Jan. 2, 2018. The computer glitch responsible for the neglected patients occurred in
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The United Health Infrastructure Project obstructed many residents from receiving their benefits. The discussion also highlighted the state’s poor timeliness rate for the processing of food stamp applications. January 2017, less than a year after De- I don’t know.” December 2016 and settled shortly loitte Consulting LLP, hired by the state, “I can ensure the committee that we after, the state must provide monthly implemented UHIP. Despite the state’s are doing everything we can to deter- data to the ACLU about the processing compliance, Saideman wants to ensure mine the full universe of people and get of food stamp applications. In addithat the state tracks down everyone their benefits reinstated as quickly as tion, the state must achieve a 96 percent whose benefits were canceled, not just possible,” said Eric Beane, state health “timeliness rate” for processing those those with whom she is in contact. and human services secretary. applications, which is defined as re“(The state) submitted the name The discussion highlighted another viewing data to determine eligibility of my client and some others on Jan. case against the state focused on hold- within seven to 30 days, said Lynette 29 to get their benefits back,” Saide- ing the executive office accountable. Labinger, another ACLU lawyer present man said. “Whether this is everyone, As agreed upon by a lawsuit filed in at the State House Thursday.
“They haven’t come close to 96 percent,” Labinger said, adding that the timeliness rate was 59.8 percent for expedited applications and 64.9 percent for non-expedited applications in August 2017. The state has made progress recently, reporting an 83.9 percent timeliness rate in December 2017, she said. The executive office also failed to provide the ACLU with data about timeliness rates for the month of September, despite their court order to do so, Labinger said. This was due to “lack of confidence” in the data because of a system failure from UHIP, she added. “Real people … are not getting food stamps who really, really need them,” Labinger said. Courtney Hawkins, director of the state’s department of human services, cannot predict if and when UHIP will begin to save the state money, which was one of the program’s original purposes, she said. Current efforts are focused on restoring benefits to those who need them, she added. The contract with Deloitte is set to end in late June, but they will likely continue to work with the state in order to address any continuous problems with the program, Beane said — a statement met with audible frustration from the committee.
Alum teaches vocabulary through hip-hop Austin Martin ’17 develops web-based tool to educate students through popular music By ANUVA GOEL STAFF WRITER
You remove your headphones as you walk through the classroom door — the beat of the song you were just listening to still playing in your head — only to realize that this same song is being played aloud in your English class. “Rhymes with Reason,” an educational platform founded and created by Austin Martin ’17, provides exactly this experience for students. The web-based learning tool teaches students vocabulary and academic concepts through popular hip-hop music. The idea for this unique approach to learning came to Martin through his “whole life experience as a student,” he said. At first, Martin did not find himself interested in the traditional academic environment at school, instead spending time immersed in hiphop music. But as he became a “more mature listener” of hip-hop, he began to take notice of the academic concepts contained in these songs. It was at this point that school “clicked,” and he began to see references to historical people in music and improvements in his communication, writing and vocabulary. “I wanted to combine my love for hip-hop and this idea … about the academic viability of hip-hop,” Martin said. “I wanted to bring that spark to kids across the country with ‘Rhymes with Reason.’” The Brown community helped solidify Martin’s motivation to “give back to (his) community,” he said, describing Brown as the “incubator” for “Rhymes
with Reason.” After earning a Social Innovation Fellowship through the Swearer Center, Martin benefited from a supportive advising network, leadership and alumni workshops and financial capital. Among Martin’s mentors were Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America Tricia Rose MA’87 PhD’93, Center Manager for CSREA Christina Downs, Assistant Professor of History and Religion Andre Willis and Associate Dean of the College Margaret Chang ’93 MA’13, Martin wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. Alan Harlam, adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs, mentored Martin through the fellowship. When Martin first walked into his office, “the idea just made a lot of sense to me,” Harlam said. In the initial stages, he guided Martin in developing an experiment to prove his hypothesis that if students learned vocabulary through hip-hop songs they already knew, they would be more interested in learning the vocabulary. Martin showed that low-performing students were more likely to choose the hip-hop learning method over traditional flashcards, and they eventually surpassed the higher-performing students who studied with traditional flashcards, Harlam said. “It was a really powerful, very small experiment, but (it) gave us a lot of confidence that (‘Rhymes with Reason’) was worth building,” Harlam said. Starting off as Quizlet flashcards with an audio component, “Rhymes with Reason” eventually expanded to become a makeshift prototype tested in Hope High School in Providence. Now, the product has expanded to a “full-scale program,” Martin said. The program encompasses Common Core vocabulary, SAT vocabulary
and history terms. Currently, Martin is working to implement it on a larger scale for the next school year. Around 35 schools and after-school programs nationwide have adopted the product targeted at teenagers. Phil Brophy, a New Jersey English teacher, is trying to build connections in his own classroom between “music and lyrics and vocabulary and slang.” When he heard about “Rhymes with Reason” on the radio, he was immediately “intrigued” and found it to be a “natural connection” to his teaching style, Brophy said. “Rhymes with Reason” has been the most effective of the many vocabulary initiatives he has attempted, he added. Brophy recently created a midterm using words from the “Rhymes with Reason” unit. “I’ve never gotten a class that has gotten better scores than this year, in terms of them retaining the meanings of the words and being able to recall them three or four months later,” he said. “None of my students failed the vocabulary section.” It is “important for teachers to recognize that the students come from their own place and perspective on things,” Brophy said, “and it’s a lot easier to get them to learn if you meet them there.” Martin believes that the program has the greatest potential in urban education settings, where hip-hop culture also has its roots. Hip-hop culture is intertwined with youth culture, making it easier for “Rhymes with Reason” to build “authentic connections” with students, Martin said. “There is a lot of power in tapping into the artists … and the songs that (the kids) listen to already and bringing those into an educational space,” Martin says. “We’re taking the hip-hop they already like, and saying, ‘That’s valid, that has value.’”
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Pizza: Cheese, Harvest, Pepperoni, Bacon Alfredo, Buffalo Chicken Steam Bun Tacos JOSIAH’S
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Chicken Wings Bar, Mac and Cheese Bacon Burgers
Soup: Clam Chowder, Three Bean Chili, Chunky Beef Chili
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Fried Fish Filet, Lemon Rice, Cajun Turkey Melt with Cheddar and Slaw, Steamed Vegetables
Chicken Tikka, Basmati Rice Pilaf, Bombay Chickpea Stew, Sauteed Chard with Tomatoes
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Breaded Chicken Fingers, Soy Chik’n Nuggets, Potato Skin Boats, Edamame Beans
Za’atar Chicken with Cool Cucumber Salad, Falafel, Basmati Rice Pilaf, Raw Vegetable Platter
sudoku
MIKAELA CARILLO / HERALD
As workloads increase with the start of the spring semester, students return to their favorite study spots in the Rockefeller Library. Students settle in, escaping the dreary February weather in favor of a cozy seat in the stacks.
crossword Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“One of the first things that we teach our studentathletes when they come to Brown is that they need to have a voice.
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— Sarah Carver-Milne, head coach of Brown Gymnastics
See gymnastics on page 1.
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Music Now with Tania Leon 1:00 P.M. Orwig Music Building
Writing is Live: Miku, and the Gods 8:00 P.M. Leeds Theatre, Lyman Hall
TOMORROW LGBTQ+ CareerCON 10:00 A.M. Faculty Club
Space Horizons: Doing Science Without Sponsors 8:30 A.M. Barus and Holley, Room 190
SUNDAY Questions and Cookies Advising Night 6:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, Room 440
Nerf Wars 12:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno Hall
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Op-ed on Safariland misleading To the Editor: In response to today’s op-ed regarding the company I chair, The Safariland Group, and my role on the advisory council of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, I have to say this is the first time I have been so directly attacked and insulted without the author(s) of a piece, whether news- or opinion-based, reaching out for some comment prior to publication. While this is obviously not the forum for correcting every inaccuracy in this column, which I find inconsistent with the quality of the institution from whence the authors graduated, I should note that had they given me the courtesy to provide my perspective before publishing, I would have spoken openly about why I am proud of the company I worked so hard to create. I should also note that I have always gone out of my way to be accessible to fellow Brunonians — and in fact, as I write this, I am traveling to the Brown campus. Safariland is the largest manufacturer of body armor for law enforcement and other public safety professionals in the United States, and there are countless anecdotes of our products saving the lives of these brave men and women. Just two weeks ago, I had the privilege of having dinner with a paramedic from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Eight months ago, while on a call for an opioid overdose, she was caught in gun crossfire. Fortunately, she was wearing a bulletproof vest manufactured by Safariland. At the
time, she was also 32 weeks pregnant and the vest saved both her and her unborn child. It was exceptionally moving to meet her, her husband and her now sixmonth-old baby — and for me, serves as a poignant reminder of how our first responders deserve the very best protection we can provide as they put their lives at risk every day. Many police officers in the United States who are shot and killed are shot using their own weapons. To counter this, Safariland manufactures holsters with sophisticated retention systems that keep the gun in the holster unless one knows how to operate the holster. Had the authors reached out, we could also have discussed this — as well as an incident in 2014, when a mentally-ill suspect in West Virginia tried to take a firearm from the holster of Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Atha. In this instance, the deputy’s gun stayed in place due to the Safariland design, and although the weapon discharged and wounded Deputy Atha’s leg, it was not able to be used to cause greater harm or take his life. We could have also discussed Safariland’s Med-Eng business, which is the largest manufacturer worldwide of bomb suits worn by explosive ordinance disposal technicians — individuals who risk their lives daily to diffuse bombs in all sorts of environments, domestic and foreign. Anyone who has seen the film “The Hurt Locker” will understand the risks these brave individuals choose to take every day. I am proud that our company provides the equipment that
helps keep them safe. Addressing the op-ed, Safariland as a corporation does not opine on most political issues. As a company, we employ more than 2,000 people representing diverse views on politics, the environment, social issues and sexual orientation, to name a few. As an individual, I respect peaceful public protest but I do not respect riots. Our less lethal products are designed to give law enforcement crowd control options in dangerous situations, for which we work closely with first responders and provide extensive training. As with any product, ultimate responsibility for its use falls on the individuals involved in their use. Your inferences assigning blame to me or Safariland are baseless and inappropriate. I have been a supporter and member of the Brown University community for a very long time. Traveling to Brown today for the event with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, I was pleased to know I will be returning to a community comprising curious people who are interested in a deeper understanding of the world around them. Although I find it personally offensive that the authors of this op-ed chose to attack someone they never met and never contacted for comment, I hope this experience will serve as a reminder that courtesy and honesty do not have to be mutually exclusive in journalism, or in life, after graduating from our distinguished alma mater. Warren Kanders ‘79
CORRECTION A previous version of the article “Elorza, teachers union clash at City Hall” identified Rep. John Lombardi as D-Pawtucket. In fact, Lombardi is a Democrat representing District 8 in Providence. The Herald regrets the error.
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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018 • PAGE 7
Words of hate, words of healing BAMI OKE staff columnist Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung (German, n.): the process of coming to terms with the past. I started this article at a loss for words. It’s ironic because I’m supposed to be a writer, but there are some instances in life that garner such great emotion, there’s little room left for anything at all to say. Such was the case the first time I saw the “Negro Crime” pamphlets that were recently plastered at the corner of Brook and George Streets and elsewhere on College Hill. As I skimmed through them, I didn’t yell. I didn’t post a rant on Facebook. But for the rest of that day, I couldn’t get the images of those hate-filled pages out of my head. “How did this happen?” I thought to myself. No doubt racism in this country is alive and well. But even here at Brown, the so-called liberal champion of the Ivy League, it’s important for us not to become complacent in our struggle for equality. That’s exactly how issues surrounding race get swept under the colorblind rug. At the time, I figured the booklets would be justified as some white supremacist’s “freedom of speech,” and then it dawned on me: The Constitution grants us that very same right. Why not use it to continue the conversation about racism on this campus? Last Saturday, several booklets
were found around the East Side alleging “Negro Crime in Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s Sanctuary City of Providence, RI.” Inside, the pages were littered with pictures of mostly black Providence locals, along with details of their supposed crimes. These ranged from assault and gun violence to things like “extorting money from white people” and “committing food stamp fraud.” Whether or not the content was accurate — there were no sources listed —
problematic or ignorant, but everyone means well, I told myself. You can’t go to Brown and really be a racist, right? In conversation on Saturday with some of my black peers, I expressed my disbelief and questioned again, is it even possible that anyone here would endorse these vile posters, even if they didn’t print them themselves? As our discussion went on, I soon realized that the people we tend to exclude from the conversation, whether
can defend themselves by claiming it was all just a joke. It may not seem too concerning on the surface, but take that harmless joke and trace it back to its origin; you could find a judge, police officer or maybe even a privileged Ivy League student who will go on to assume a position of power. So the question is no longer who or why, but where do we go from here? How do we heal today and grow toward a happier, more equal tomorrow?
Even here at Brown, the so-called liberal champion of the Ivy League, it’s important for us not to become complacent in our struggle for equality. That’s exactly how issues surrounding race get swept under the colorblind rug.
is beside the point. The authors of this pamphlet intentionally used harmful and divisive language to get their bigoted message across. I can’t say that I was surprised to see this kind of document in President Donald Trump’s America. What shocked me, though, was how close the flyers were to the place I’ve come to call my home. Until now, I’ve always secretly believed that all Brown students share the same basic moral values. Sure, some opinions may be
it’s because of their identity or their opinions, aren’t always going to just sit and keep their thoughts to themselves. Much like we saw in the wake of the 2016 election and in Charlottesville, many white supremacists are silent — until they turn violent. In fact, several hate groups now spread their message and gather support by sitting at their computers and posting satirical, antiPC commentary and internet memes. This method appeals to them because, if met with criticism, these individuals
It’s often said that there is a German word for every emotion you can’t describe in English. I don’t know to what extent that rings true, but when I found the meaning of ‘vergangenheitsbewaeltigung,’ it seemed perfect. Here is a term that evolved out of Germany’s conscious effort to educate its citizens about the Holocaust and to ensure that nothing like it would ever happen there again. The Germans reflected on the atrocities carried out against millions of innocent people, accepted
that their nation was to blame and then worked to atone for their wrongs. Most German people I’ve met don’t shy away from the subject of the Holocaust, but rather acknowledge their country’s past and denounce it fervently, which makes me wonder why America hasn’t done the same. Until the time comes when we can create a language to address our own past, we as American citizens cannot afford to avoid these difficult conversations about race. As uncomfortable and angry as I was when I saw those pamphlets, there was nothing I could physically do about them. Perhaps I and a couple friends could have organized a demonstration, but what were we going to protest, freedom of speech? Alternatively, we could have gone to the authorities and demanded that they find the culprit, but I didn’t necessarily want to see someone punished either. I knew that wouldn’t do much to change any silent biases on campus, so I took all the emotion I felt from seeing those pamphlets and decided to write about it. I had to remind myself, and anyone who reads this, not to abandon words as the first line of defense — they are the strongest suit of armor we have.
Bami Oke ’20 can be reached at bamidele_oke@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
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