Friday, January 27, 2017

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 3

Title IX program officer steps down

Vice president for academic development, diversity, inclusion to serve as interim officer during transition

By RHAIME KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Amanda Walsh stepped down Jan. 17 as Title IX program officer to take on a new career in the legal field, wrote President Christina Paxson P’19 in a community-wide email Wednesday.

During the transition, Liza Cariaga-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, will serve as the interim officer.

Since arriving at Brown in 2015, Walsh oversaw the resolution of alleged violations of Brown’s policies regarding Title IX. She also organized education and training on sexual assault, genderbased harassment and discrimination.

Walsh was essential in implementing the changes to the University’s sexual assault policies that were suggested by the Task Force on Sexual Assault in her first year.

Title IX is a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits

gender-based discrimination, including sexual assault, in public and private schools receiving federal funding. The Title IX office at Brown reports directly to the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, which oversees compliance with federal, state and local laws related to discrimination and harassment.

Cariaga-Lo was chosen for the interim position because she already leads the OIDI, wrote Brian Clark, director of news and editorial development, in an email to The Herald.

“I shall certainly do my best to effectively fulfill my roles and responsibilities as the interim Title IX program officer, even as I will continue to work hard to meet my other responsibilities as the (vice president),” Cariaga-Lo wrote in an email to The Herald.

Marc Peters, health educator at Health Services, has been appointed as the interim deputy Title IX coordinator for undergraduate students.

Peters will serve as a point of contact and provide students with information about violation reporting options and on and off campus resources. Peters co-coordinated the Sexual Assault Peer Education program from 2014 to 2016 » See TITLE IX, page 2

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Engineering PhD student Carlos Bledt dies Esteemed graduate student remembered for valuable contributions to research, driven attitude

By STEPHANIE REYES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Carlos Bledt GS, a PhD student in engineering, died earlier this week, wrote Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Medical Science Andrew Campbell and Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Eric Estes in a community-wide email Thursday evening.

There was no indication of foul play, Campbell wrote.

Beginning his studies at Brown in 2012, Bledt was a key member of the research team in the lab of Professor of Engineering and Physics Jingming Xu, Campbell and Estes wrote.

Bledt’s research centered “on the theoretical and experimental investigation of optical surface wave phenomena at specialized media interface,” Campbell and Estes added.

Prior to coming to Brown, Bledt earned his undergraduate degree at Rutgers University. A native of Madison, New Jersey, Bledt was also part of the International Society of Optical Engineering, the Mystic Aquarium

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Carlos Bledt GS passed away earlier this week. Bledt won the National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship in 2013. and the Institute of Exploration, wrote Campbell and Estes.

A driven student, Bledt competed to receive the esteemed three-year National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship against 3,000 applicants and was ultimately selected in 2013, Campbell and Estes added.

Med School professors express concern over Obamacare repeal

W. BASKETBALL

165,000 non-elderly adults stand to lose health care coverage, 10 percent of state population at risk

By STEPHANIE REYES SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Guard Taylor Will ‘19 protects the ball during a Jan. 20 game against Yale. Will went on to score eight points in the 76-73 victory. Brown enters the spring semester with an 11-5 season record.

Bears find winter break success

After beating rival Princeton for first time in 13 years, Bruno now fourth in Ivy League

By CAL BARASH-DAVID SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While most members of the student body were scattered around the world

INSIDE

In light of his passing, Campbell and Estes offered their condolences to his family, friends, professors and to all those who knew Bledt.

The family’s services will be located in New Jersey, wrote Campbell and Estes. Plans for a memorial at Brown will be announced later in the semester.

for winter break, the women’s basketball team (11-5, 2-1 Ivy) remained hard at work, resulting in some important wins.

Without the distraction of classes and often training two to three times per day, the team posted a 5-2 record over winter break. Over this period, Bruno scored an average of 77.7 points per game while holding their opponents to 71.1. The break

was highlighted by the team’s first win over conference rival Princeton in 13 years, as the Bears exploded for nearly triple digits.

The action started with an 80-71 win at home over Saint Peter’s University (3-16, 2-8 MAAC), extending Bruno’s winning streak to five games.

The Bears then traveled to play Virginia Commonwealth University » See W. BASKETBALL, page 2

Within hours of his inauguration, President Donald Trump set forth an executive order to roll back the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, potentially impacting thousands in Rhode Island. Now, doctors at the Alpert Medical School worry about what their patients stand to lose.

If the health law is repealed, 79,000 Rhode Islanders may lose health insurance coverage and 10 percent of the state’s population would be put at risk, said Dr. Nitin Damle, president of the American College of Physicians and clinical assistant professor of medicine at the Med School. An additional 165,000 nonelderly adults could be declined coverage because of pre-existing conditions, he added Dr. Ira Wilson, chair of health services, policy and practice at the School of Public Health, expressed concern over

the consequences a repeal would have on Rhode Island’s economy. Like many other states across the nation, Rhode Island receives “a whole raft of economic benefits — some direct, some indirect — from (Obamacare),” Wilson said. He added that Obamacare drastically improved coverage rates and increased revenue as a result.

Wilson supported the expansion of the Medicaid program in states like Rhode Island, which increased its coverage under Obamacare. He added that Rhode Island’s official healthcare exchange, HealthSource RI, has insured roughly 35,000 people in the state.

When more Rhode Islanders use health care, further revenue goes back to state institutions, ranging from hospitals to home care agencies. With a surge in revenue, these institutions “hire people, and the people they hire pay taxes,” he said. “There are these trickle-down economic and multiplier economic benefits that are accrued from a state like this.”

Additionally, Wilson worried about the impacts for Rhode Island’s most atrisk populations. Under Obamacare, “the rate at which people became insured preferentially benefited underrepresented » See HEALTH CARE, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

NEWS Alpert Medical School students develop, teach sex ed curriculum at Calcutt Middle School

SPORTS Men’s basketball accrues four losses but won its first conference game over winter break

COMMENTARY Mitra ’18: Trump administration raises concern for international students

COMMENTARY Okin ’19: Technology enables an obssession with the future, disrupting the present

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» HEALTH CARE, from page 1

LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

minorities because they are highly represented in the poor,” Wilson said. Should the 20 million people under the health law lose insurance, those most at risk are low income populations — often racial and ethnic minorities.

Dr. Amal Trivedi, associate professor of health services, policy and practice and associate professor of medicine, raised similar concerns. He said that a repeal of the health law would “put their access to medical care at risk (while) also leading to potentially catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses for those who are uncovered.”

While President Trump’s executive order backs the steps that Congressional Republicans have already taken to dismantle Obamacare, the health law’s ultimate form remains unknown. Some physicians like Damle hope a replacement will retain key aspects of Obamacare. Specifically, Damle valued keeping

young adults on their parents’ insurance and continued coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

“Though some have said that this replacement plan is supposed to cover as many people (as possible), have more generous coverage and cost less for the government, I tend to view a plan that can do all three of those things very skeptically until I can see the details,” Trivedi said.

While some object to the future repeal of Obamacare, Kelly Conway, president of the Brown College Republicans, rejects Obamacare on constitutional grounds.

“I don’t think the solution to bad insurance companies is to become a health care provider through the government.”

Trump’s administration wants “to enact mechanisms to make treatments prices more transparent,” Conway said.

“How they’re going to do that, I don’t know, but if they can find a way to do it, I think it would be beneficial.”

season-capping clash at the Palestra in Philadelphia, held as a tournament between the top four teams in the conference standings. The champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

This year, Brown has made reaching the Ivy League Tournament a goal.

“We take every Ivy game as a Super Bowl … and we’re really focused on improving from last year and trying to be at the Palestra in March,” said Head Coach Sarah Behn.

Brown traveled to Princeton (7-9, 1-2) to open Ivy League play. There, Bruno unleashed an offensive whirlwind, dropping 98 points on the Tigers, highlighted by 33 points from Gaziano — her second straight 30-plus point performance. Brown returned home with a 98-88 win, the first time the Bears have beaten Princeton in 13 years.

Since the matchup against Saint

Peter’s — Gaziano’s first game back after dislocating her right thumb against Bryant University a month earlier — the first-year has been prolific. She has contributed 14, 16, 19, 30, 33, 24 and 17 points in her last seven games, and is scoring an Ivy League second-best 19.2 points per game while leading the conference in shooting percentage.

While she was initially discouraged by her injury, Gaziano said she stayed motivated by staying in shape and focusing on ball handling with her left hand.

“I got my head up and knew I would be back with my teammates soon enough,” Gaziano added. “I decided to look at the positives of the situation because it could’ve been worse … I knew I had to be resilient.”

While a younger member of the squad, Gaziano has already gained the trust of her teammates. Captain Megan Reilly ’18 said that if she were

to close her eyes on a fast break and blindly chuck the ball down court, Gaziano would be there to convert the opportunity.

“She is an unbelievable player,” Reilly said.“I’m honored to be her teammate.”

For her back-to-back 30-point efforts, Gaziano was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week as well as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Women’s National Freshman of the Week.

The next day, Bruno suffered a tough 86-60 loss to Ivy League-leading Penn (9-6, 3-0) in Philadelphia.

After a strong first half, Bruno held on for a 76-73 victory over Yale (9-7, 0-3) in their third and last conference tilt over the break. Mehta scored 20 points on 63.6 percent shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists. She was recognized as the Ivy League Co-Player of the Week for her performance. The win left them

Percentage decrease in rate of uninsured people by state: From 2010 to 2015, the percentage of uninsured people has decreased across the nation, with the largest decrease in Nevada and smallest in Massachusetts.

1.6 - 3.5 percent

3.6 - 7.5 7.6 - 10.3

Source: aspe.hhs.gov

» W. BASKETBALL, from page 1 (11-10, 4-4 A10), and their winning streak was snapped in an 85-72 loss to the Rams.

But Brown bounced back with a 68-51 win over Morgan State University (2-17, 0-6 MEAC), followed by a 90-44 trouncing of Rhode Island College (5-13, 2-6 LEC) in their final test before Ivy League play. Justine Gaziano ’20 scored 30 points in the victory over RIC. Gaziano, Shayna Mehta ’19 and Taylor Will ’19 provided much of the offensive firepower throughout this stretch. They all eclipsed double-digit points in each of the four games leading up to conference play.

Because of changes to the Ivy League’s postseason, the importance of each game has ramped up. The 201617 season marks the inaugural year of the Ivy League Tournament, a two-day,

Insurance changes in

RHODE ISLAND:

}

2010

6.5% decrease in

uninsured rate

2015

68,000

people gained insurance Source: aspe.hhs.gov

LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

fourth in the Ivy League.

While Brown has scored the most points per game in the Ivy League at 74.4, it fares worst in the conference in points allowed, giving up 68.4 per contest. This high scoring, fast paced offense is consistent with Behn’s preferred style of play.

“You can probably tell from some of our scores: We like to run,” Behn said, adding that the fast-paced offense suits the team’s personnel, but they need to get stops on the defensive end.

Mehta, who averages 14.7 points per game, thrives in her coach’s system.

“We love to run the ball … we love to push it up court and shoot quickly and just tire the other team out,” Mehta said.

Having notched a win in 11 of its last 13 contests, Brown brings its potent offense to New Haven to take on Yale Friday.

» TITLE IX, from page 1

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Amanda Walsh, who had served as the Title IX program officer since 2015, implemented key changes to the University’s sexual assault policies.

— an experience he believes will be valuable as deputy coordinator. “While the interim role is different in scope, I hope that my new work will be aided by the trust I’ve built with students across campus during my time at Brown,” Peters wrote in an email to The Herald.

Claire Hall, principal of Universal Education Compliance and Training Compliance Solutions, has been hired as an outside consultant to provide expertise as the Title IX office continues to resolve complaints during the transition.

Hall has previously conducted external investigations for Brown and has also worked with schools to create Title IX grievance procedures for students to report harassment and discrimination.

Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy and former co-chair of the sexual assault task force that established the University’s policy, will lead an immediate search for the next Title IX program officer.

Carey will also provide oversight to the Title IX office during the transition.

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NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Med students develop, teach sex ed curriculum to middle schoolers Improved outreach results in 5 percent increase in sexual health knowledge at local middle school

By GALEN HALL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Two days each month, children at Calcutt Middle School in Central Falls receive a special visit from Warren Alpert Medical School students.

The medical students come to Calcutt to teach a class that can be uncomfortable for students and teachers alike: sexual education. They wear scrubs emblazoned with their organization’s logo: “Sex Ed by Brown Med.” The group conducts its lessons in Central Falls, where the public school system has struggled to teach its students about sexual health, said Naomi Adjei MD’17, the program’s principal founder.

Effective sex education is important in Central Falls, which “has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the state” — three times the national average, Adjei said. Before Sex Ed by Brown Med arrived, “physical education teachers would touch on the topic,” but sexual education “wasn’t a comprehensive unit,” she said.

The program was started by a group of five students from the Alpert Medical School with support from Susanna Magee, clinical associate professor of family medicine.

After Magee delivered a lecture about teen pregnancy in Rhode Island, students approached her to discuss starting a sexual education program in Central Falls. Four of the five founding members had prior teaching experience from the program Teach for America, said Kunal Sindhu MD’17, co-founder of Sex Ed by Brown Med. They used that experience to design a sexual education curriculum during summer 2014.

The team used existing curricula as a starting point when building their own, said Michael Yacovelli MD’17, a co-founder. Looking at nationally recognized sexual education systems, the program leaders went through a list of

“foundational things that every middle school student should know,” Yacovelli said. They ended up with seven lessons covering a range of topics, including sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives, gender identity and sexual orientation.

The founders recruited classmates, and after gaining permission from Central Falls authorities they began teaching at Calcutt Middle School during the 2014–15 academic year. The program continues to this day and has expanded steadily in the past years. “Last year, when I first got on the (executive board), we had 12 classrooms,” said Kristen Durbin MD’19, a former member of the e-board. “This year we had 13 classrooms” with 26 to 28 medical students at every lesson.

Before Sex Ed by Brown Med came to Calcutt, “sex ed was taught to whole classrooms of up to 40 students at a time,” wrote Sarah Bourne MD’20, a current member of the e-board, in an email to The Herald, adding that the current student-to-teacher ratio is 6-to-1.

The curriculum has since grown from seven lessons to 12, with each e-board continuing to improve the program, Durbin said. The team also consulted the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health in Pawtucket for advice on their gender identity and sexual orientation lesson.

Sex Ed by Brown Med also participates in community outreach, such as leading workshops with parents, said Erica Duh MD’18, a former member of the e-board. Because Central Falls has a large Hispanic population, the medical students also “started printing out worksheets (in Spanish) … for the Spanish-speaking students,” Duh said.

In the classroom, the medical students approach teen pregnancy with sensitivity as it is “almost the norm” there, Adjei said. To make an impression, the educators invited high school students who were already mothers to talk to the students. “We thought that resonated more with the middle schoolers” than simply lecturing at them, Adjei added.

Using data from Sex Ed by Brown

COURTESY OF SHEYLA MEDINA

Alpert Medical School students teach lessons to Rhode Island middle schoolers twice a month about sexual health topics, such as sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives and gender identity.

Med’s first year teaching at Calcutt, the team published their findings in the Rhode Island Medical Journal January.

They saw a five percent increase in the sexual health knowledge of their middle school students, measured by tests taken before and after the lessons. This number may seem small, but the program is effective when “looking at individual students,” Adjei said. The students with the lowest pre-test scores often improved the most.

Additionally, only 16.7 percent of medical students were uncomfortable discussing the sexual education topics, compared to 60 percent of Calcutt teachers, according to the article. Data

showed that after the program ended, students were also more comfortable talking about sex with adults and believed sexual education was more important, Adjei added.

The team’s success at Calcutt comes from tailoring the curriculum to the students’ needs, Adjei said. But this strategy would be difficult to replicate on a larger scale, she added.

“When we started, we had really big dreams,” said Dorothy Liu MD’17, a co-founder of the program. “We were hoping that this would be a national initiative — that was our … lofty goal.”

The work the medical students have put into this program has not gone

unappreciated. “The teachers express gratitude for our help, the students are curious and engaged during our lessons, and families rarely choose to opt their child out of our classes,” Bourne said.

“I am so proud of all the hard work and dedication of this project. (Sex Ed

by Brown Med) is a game changer for the adolescents of Central Falls,” wrote Karin Luther, a teacher at Calcutt involved in the program, in an email to The Herald. “This sensitive and crucial topic is of utmost importance and can have lasting impact on the health of the individual and our community. This program should be the model for all middle schools.”

SPORTS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

M. BASKETBALL

After demanding break, Bruno enters thick of Ivy League play

Out-of-conference win tally close to all-time high as Bears look poised to continue solid start

By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While most Brown students enjoyed a well-deserved respite from College Hill this winter break, the men’s basketball team bunkered down in the Pizzitola Center to prepare for a packed schedule and the beginning of conference play.

The Bears (10-9, 1-2 Ivy) returned Dec. 26 for 6 p.m. practice, and it has been business as usual ever since with players grinding out two-a-days on the hard court, watching hours of film and hitting the weight room.

This training cycle, informally dubbed “intersession” by many winter sports teams, also featured a number of games. Bruno had three non-conference matchups versus Quinnipiac, Stony Brook and New Jersey Institute of Technology, as well as contests against its first three Ivy League opponents of the year: Princeton, Penn and Yale. The team went 2-4 over this stretch, with victories over Quinnipiac (8-12, 5-5 MAAC) Dec. 29 and the Quakers (7-9, 0-3) Jan. 14 to close out winter break play.

Reflecting on the winter break, team co-captain Tavon Blackmon ’17 said from a team chemistry standpoint, it was a great opportunity to “just grow closer together by spending so much time practicing with no one else on

campus.” The senior guard also added that the Bears gained valuable in-game experience along the way.

“We played some pretty good teams over winter break,” Blackmon said. “I think it’s really going to help us moving forward with league play.”

Head Coach Mike Martin ’04 added that intersession helped the team pinpoint not only its strengths but also its areas of improvement. In the team’s convincing 82-70 victory over Penn, Martin said that Bruno focused on “taking care of the ball for the full 40 minutes” and “played a complete game.” In the contest, Brown took the lead with 11:43 remaining in the first half and never looked back, topping the Quakers in rebounds, fastbreak points and field goal percentage en route to their first Ivy League win of the season.

Martin also noted that the team’s main weakness is its lack of size. To compensate, “high offensive productivity and speed on offense” have been important assets that the team has focused on so far, he said.

One area of near certainty for the head coach has been faith in co-captain Steven Speith ’17, who “has been playing at an extremely high level,” Martin added.

Speith leads the team in points per game with 15.3 and 33 minutes per game over the Bears’ last six outings during the winter break stretch.

In Bruno’s nail-biting 75-74 loss to Yale (10-6, 2-1 Ivy) this past weekend, Speith had a career-high 33 points, including a clutch three-pointer to tie

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Sophomore guard Obi Okolie ’19 dribbles toward the basket against Yale in Bruno’s Ivy Leauge home opener Friday, a 75-74 loss. The Bears head to New Haven today for a rematch with the Bulldogs at 8 p.m. the game at 74 with just seven seconds remaining — his seventh trey of the game.

“First and foremost, people are overlooking us,” Blackmon said. “Before the season we were picked eighth in the league. It was a big thing to show everybody we are a lot better than that.

We are a small team, but we have a lot of guys doing a lot of different things, so being unselfish was one of the huge themes. We have really used that to our advantage throughout the season.”

By the numbers, these efforts have definitely borne fruit so far. Brown capped non-conference play one win away from the highest winning preseason in Brown men’s basketball history, forward Travis Fuller ’19 said.

This achievement comes after the team graduated Ivy basketball blocks leader

Cedric Kuakumensah ’16 last spring.

“Cedric was a huge part of our success,” Fuller said. “He was such a great leader and a three year captain, … but losing him is a little easier when you have three seniors to take his spot.

They have done such a great job and are definitely lead-by-example type guys.”

Blackmon also added that the team benefitted from offensive contributions from its bench and that firstyears Brandon Anderson ’20 and Joshua Howard ’20 have played “big minutes” for the team. In Bruno’s tight 92-89 loss to Stony Brook, Anderson started at guard and notched 18 points in 23 minutes of play, including three three-pointers.

Moving forward, Brown will face Yale Friday at 8 p.m. in a rematch of

last weekend’s thriller. After an upcoming three-game road stretch, six of the team’s last seven games are at home, which will be advantageous if the Bears can rally similar Pizzitola-filling crowds to the student turnout against Yale this past Saturday. Changes to the Ivy League postseason — the introduction of a four-team tournament that decides the Ivy’s representative in the NCAA tournament — will give Brown a unique opportunity to continue its season with more and more wins.

“Brown basketball is back. We had the gym rocking,” Fuller said, adding that it was great to have “tons of support,” especially as the team will only face conference opponents from here on out as it vies for a spot in the inaugural four-team Ivy League Tournament at the Palestra.

M. HOCKEY

Tough winter stretch highlighted by 4-3 win over Dartmouth Bruno finds success against Arizona State, Dartmouth, frustrated by string of home losses

By ALEXANDRA RUSSELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The men’s hockey team continued its season over the winter break, picking up one victory, one draw and five losses, to drop to a record of 4-14-1 and 3-9-0 in ECAC play.

The Bears travelled to Arizona late December for two contests in the Desert Hockey Classic tournament, in which they finished in second place. After three periods of play in the tournament’s opening matchup against host Arizona State (9-17-2), the teams were deadlocked in an 8-8 draw. Max Willman ’18 secured Bruno a spot in the title game with a 3-on-3 goal in double overtime. “Everything just seemed to find the back of the net,” said Charlie Corcoran ’18, who recorded his first career hat trick in the contest, leading the Bears with four goals. “I don’t think we played a great game defensively, but … by scoring eight goals it gave our forwards a lot of confidence,” he said. Corcoran was named ECAC Player of the Week for his efforts in the matchup.

The next day, Bruno was unable to maintain an early lead against the UConn (9-10-6, 5-6-2 Hockey East) in the tournament’s championship game. After a first period goal from Tyler Bird ’18, the Huskies dominated offensive play in the

second and third stanzas, sending three consecutive shots past netminder Gavin Nieto ’20. UConn added an empty-net goal on the power play in the last frame to bring the score to 4-1, edging out the Bears for the title. The Huskies outshot Bruno 34-16 in the contest.

The following weekend saw Bruno return to home ice in a non-conference matchup against New Hampshire (119-4, 6-3-3). Though the Bears posted a late comeback in the third period by notching three consecutive goals in the final 10 minutes, they were unable to recover from an early deficit and fell to the Wildcats by a tally of 7-4.

“We need to work on moving forward and being ready for that opening faceoff and not waiting to settle into the game,” Willman said. Against the Wildcats, Willman picked up three points, scoring two goals and recording one assist.

“It is good to see that we can come back and score some goals, but at the same time we don’t want to put ourselves in that situation too often,” Corcoran said. “Getting down in those holes because we aren’t playing well defensively or because we have mental lapses in turning the puck over is not something that we can really afford.”

The following weekend, Bruno resumed conference play with a close matchup against No. 16/15 St. Lawrence (13-7-6, 9-2-3). The Bears entered the third period with a 1-0 advantage, but conceded two consecutive goals to the Saints in a losing effort. Zack Pryzbek ’17 sent a shot past Saints netminder

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Max Gottlieb ’19 handles the puck for the Bears, who continued play over the winter break. Bruno posted one victory, one draw and five losses, now holding a season record of 4-14-1, 3-9-0.

Kyle Hayton in the second stanza for Bruno’s only score of the evening, while Andrew Doane ’17 and Max Gottlieb ’19 recorded assists on the play.

The following day’s contest against Clarkson (11-10-4, 6-5-2) proved difficult for the Bears. Brown entered the third period trailing 5-0, eventually falling by a score of 7-2. Bird and Samuel Lafferty ’18 scored one goal apiece in the final 20 minutes.

Bruno finished the next weekend’s Ivy League double-header with mixed results. Friday night, No. 6 Harvard (125-2, 8-4-2) blanked the Bears in Cambridge, sending two shots past Nieto before posting an empty netter late in

the third period for a 3-0 victory. Nieto made a career-high 39 saves in the contest.

“I thought we played them hard and played them tough, but didn’t get the result we wanted,” Willman said.

The Bears found success against Dartmouth (7-10-3, 4-7-2) Saturday, mounting a comeback from a two-goal deficit in the first frame. Brent Beaudoin ’20, Davey Middleton ’17 and Willman each posted goals for Bruno in regulation, and the game concluded in a 3-3 draw. Doane secured the Bears’ victory halfway through overtime, sending a shot past Big Green netminder Devin Buffalo off a rebound.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction this weekend,” Willman said.

“We got a nice (overtime) win there, which … hopefully helps turn around the rest of the year for us.”

Brown’s final 10 games will all come against ECAC opponents.

“It’s an exciting time of the year, knowing that we still have all these teams to play,” he added.

“I think it’s just a matter of showing up ready to compete,” Corcoran said. ”We’re very optimistic and ready for the challenge.”

Bruno will host the home leg of a double-header against Yale tonight at 7 p.m. at Meehan Auditorium.

TODAY

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

greenhouse on a roof

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon Afredo, Harvest, Buffalo Chicken Cajun Chicken Pasta JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl

Build-Your-Own Burrito Bowl Soup: Minestrone

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Grilled Turkey Burgers on a Bulkie Roll, Corn with Pimento and Bell Pepper, Blondie Bars

Shaved Steak with Mushrooms and Onion, Roasted Root Vegetables, Red Velvet Cupcakes

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Enchilada Bar, Milk and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

German Sausage Chowder, Vegetarian Cajun Pasta, Boston Cream Pie

sudoku

crossword

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Sitting atop 85 Waterman Street, the campus greenhouse facility provides flexible lab and teaching spaces for environmental science students and includes a diverse collection of plant familles.

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

“Brown basketball is back. We had the gym rocking.”

— Travis Fuller ’19

See men’s basketball on page 4.

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January Jam with RUF 7:00 P.M. List Art Center, 120

Open Queer Potluck 8:00 P.M. Kasper Multipurpose Room

SATURDAY The Black Shackle: African Americans and the Coal Economy 9:00 A.M Center for Slavery and Justice

[Hack@Brown] My First Hackathon Q&A 6:30 P.M. The Underground

SUNDAY How to Find and Fund an Internship 2:00 P.M. CareerLAB

Resume and Cover Letter Writing 5:00 P.M. CareerLAB

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

K I M B E R LY S A LT Z

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Trump is everyone’s problem MILI MITRA opinions editor

On Inauguration Day, I unplugged my television, turned off the radio and avoided all of my social media accounts. Like many of my peers, I did everything I possibly could to distance myself from the reality of a Trump presidency. But that evening, when I tried to explain this to friends, all I received were blank stares.

“Why are you so worried about President Trump?” I was asked time and time again. “You’re an international student; you can always just return to your home country once you graduate.”

In some ways, I can understand why people would come to this conclusion. Many international students are not directly affected by the disastrous prospect of an Obamacare repeal, the institution of a regressive taxing system or the defunding of public schools across the country. At first glance, it might seem like we can sidestep many of Trump’s most absurd policy proposals. But this reasoning obscures the myriad ways in which Trump’s platform specifically undermines the status of international students and casts our futures into uncertainty.

Over a million international students currently reside in the United States, most of whom are on F-1 visas. Other students (primarily at the graduate level) and scholars come into the country on the J-1 visa pro-

gram. Trump has already made a series of bold statements proposing to place restrictions on the F-1 program and eliminate J-1 visas altogether.

His team has since removed these plans from his official website, but the trend is nevertheless concerning for international students and prospective applicants alike. Given Trump’s recklessness and tendency to tilt at windmills, we can never be sure when our legality in this country

ticular difficulties finding internships in the first place .

This problem will likely be compounded for full-time employment visas. The H1-B visa process is notorious for its lack of transparency and clarity, but recent debates in Congress suggest that it is likely to get a lot worse. Republican lawmakers have already introduced a bill in Congress that tightens requirements for H1-B visas. With the potential

pus recruitment — resources that primarily offer opportunities based in the United States. As the process currently stands, restrictions to the H1-B process will stand in the way of many international students’ best shot at employment.

And these policy changes do not even account for the elephant in the room. We must not forget that the new president has based his campaign on unabashed xenophobia and

At first glance, it might seem like we can sidestep many of Trump’s most absurd policy proposals. But this reasoning obscures the myriad ways in which Trump’s platform specifically undermines the status of international students and casts our futures into uncertainty.

will be called into question.

Then there’s the issue of employment visas for summer internships and jobs after graduation. To legally reside in the country for paid summer internships, international students have to enroll in either the Optional Practical Training program or the Curricular Practical Training program. The eligibility requirements for these programs could become much more rigorous under the new administration, disadvantaging international students who face par-

for even more restrictions and limits under Trump’s “buy American, hire American” policies, many companies may decide against hiring international students because of the added hassle and uncertainty.

Admittedly, most international students have the option to return to their home countries for employment, and many will undoubtedly do so. But the majority of Brown students find jobs through resources like BrownConnect, CareeerLab alerts, alumni networks and cam-

bigotry. The Southern Poverty Law Center recorded a rising number of hate crimes against minorities and foreign citizens on the streets and in colleges. Of course, the growth of intolerance affects many other demographics — minorities, women and members of the LGBTQ community, to name a few. But international students are also vulnerable to Trump’s anti-immigration policies and the waves of hate that come with them.

It should come as no surprise that analysts are already predicting a re-

cord drop in international applicants and enrollees under Trump. Yet, despite the baseless rhetoric portraying international students as poachers of American jobs, they are valuable assets to the education system and country. They bring in an estimated $32 billion a year, add to the skilled labor force and offer important and diverse perspectives on college campuses.

Since we can no longer count on the government, it’s up to colleges like Brown to make international students feel safe and supported on campuses. Brown has already made a start: In the days following the election, the Office of Global Engagement and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services hosted an international community gathering and sent out a series of email updates and resources. They also organized an information session with an immigration attorney to discuss how the election might affect immigration law. I hope the University maintains these activities and keeps a close eye on new policies that could affect international students. A simple first step could be to expand advising for jobs and graduate school programs abroad. Even a small-scale change like hosting more visa information sessions could make a world of difference in this climate of uncertainty.

After all, we’ll all be irrevocably affected by a Trump presidency. Even those of us who are not American.

Mili Mitra ’18 can be reached at mili_mitra@brown.edu.

Living our Google Calendars to the fullest REBECCA OKIN staff columnist Though you may not engage in it, speed walking down Thayer with fingers flexing across a lit rectangular screen has become a recognizable sport. We participants adopt our own rhythms: timed glances upward to make sure we avoid an embarrassing crash, swift transitions from one app to another, a quick smile to acknowledge a passing lab partner absorbed in the same activity. Personally, NitroCart is often the only thing important enough to interrupt my intense downward gape. But this column is not about how we spend too much time on our smartphones. There is just one specific behavior we could consider altering — obsessive planning made easy via our devices.

For me, this realization hit home last semester. While sitting on the Main Green one day, alternating between texting about lunch plans and surveying recent emails about an upcoming club meeting, I failed to notice that the friends sitting near me had started to disperse. I glanced up, noticed their absence and then promptly retreated back to my invitingly bright screen.

In this moment, I encountered a literal manifestation of one of my mother’s constant reminders: “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” This sudden awareness continued to bother me for days after.

Our all-consuming obsession with scheduling — facilitated by modern-day technology — creates a cycle. At the very lunch I was planning that day, I am sure I pulled out my phone to see who was at the Rock to join afterwards.

At the club meeting later that night, there is no doubt that I mindlessly clicked off “Interested” to some events that emerged on my Facebook news feed. Given the ease of planning via our

coupled with the many virtual organization tools at hand will leave you all too susceptible to plotting every hour of the week. My own relationship with Google Calendar began in the early weeks of my time at Brown, per a trusty Meiklejohn’s recommendation. Turning a stickered laptop toward me in the Blue Room, she proudly presented a screen reminiscent of Tetris and gushed, “I don’t know where I’d be

Given the ease of planning via our limb-like devices, our attention is constantly pulled from the present and into the future.

limb-like devices, our attention is constantly pulled from the present and into the future.

If the present is always about planning for the future, at what point do we reap the benefits of all this organizing?

This question is more pressing than ever because technology has simplified and streamlined our ability to regiment our time. If you are like me, a visceral tendency to avidly plan

without this.” It wasn’t long until I felt the same attachment. Everything from “long shower” to “Blue Room muffin” seemed to accumulate the force of commandments when added to my virtual schedule. Whether or not they were arbitrarily created on Sunday night — when I had no way of foreseeing when I would be hungry or in need of hot water pressure during the week — became irrelevant.

In theory, this doesn’t sound that bad: Technology makes organizing our lives easier than ever, and there is a clear comfort in a reliable cycle of events. But this comes at the cost of spontaneity. More importantly, there are those moments lost in planning the moments ahead. While I’ve long accepted my own lack of impulsiveness, it took that realization for me to consider how my virtual plan-making might be shortchanging me of my ability to enjoy the current colored slot on my Google Calender.

I don’t think we should surrender virtual scheduling altogether. Likewise, I cringe at idyllic “shut-off-your-phone-entirely” preaching — this suggestion is as unthinkable to me as my parents’ recommendations to take a math class. But what I do consider an achievable and worthwhile goal this year is to quit arranging plans when we are in the middle of them. Don’t message your mom about Thanksgiving break as your club’s president is speaking, and suppress the urge to confirm an online dinner reservation while sitting across from someone else at the lunch table. Save all of the virtual planning — whether it be RSVPing to events on Facebook or texting a classmate about studying later — for moments of solitude. Make this your 2017 resolution, and tackle your general smartphone addiction next year.

Rebecca Okin ’19 can be reached at rebecca_okin@brown.edu.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

BBWAA does half its job JAMES SCHAPIRO sports columnist

Back in December, I predicted that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, when it released the results of its Hall of Fame voting Jan. 18, would “somehow screw it up.” As I watched the results come in, I was pleasantly surprised at the inductees, but vaguely annoyed at the predictable, yet no less frustrating, rejects.

First, the inductees. Surprising as it may be, the voters did an excellent job by finally electing Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines, and inducting Ivan Rodriguez in his first year on the ballot. Some will bicker over Rodriguez’s first-ballot selection — “he’s not a first-ballot guy.” I give the argument little credence.

Similarly, there are justifiable complaints to make about the exclusion of Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero. Hoffman’s 601 career saves, while statistically meaningless, should be worth something, and Guerrero’s

career .318/.379/.553 slash line and 449 home runs, without any murmurs of steroid use, should be worth even more. But again, their omissions are no crime: both received over 70 percent of the vote, and will almost certainly be inducted next year.

So the BBWAA did its job and inducted three fine candidates, which explained my pleasant surprise as I watched the results unveiled. But as always with the BBWAA, there remained an undercurrent of frustration. As many players as there are that deserve induction, they can not — or will not — all get elected, so long as the BBWAA continues to operate in its current, antiquated form. As the ballot was revealed and many deserving Hall of Famers remained stuck in no-man’s land, I raised a metaphorical toast to these players.

Here’s to Edgar Martinez, still unelected because he was a designated hitter. He was one of the most feared hitters of his generation, and statistical experts are in near-unanimous agreement on his deserving enshrinement in Cooperstown, New York. The voters, on the other hand, are not.

What does this say about their grasp

of statistics?

Here’s to Larry Walker, whose 72.6 career Wins Above Replacement should merit a spot on their own.

Walker’s OPS+, a metric measuring offensive output, is better than Jeff Bagwell’s, who received 86.2 percent of the vote. So why not Walker? Because he played at mile-high Coors Field, probably. The voters must not have examined his home/road splits — or else must think that the stadium he played in is cause enough to deny induction.

Here’s to Fred McGriff, whose 493 home runs during the steroid era — without suspicion of performance enhancing drug use — are impressive enough on their own, without the career .377 On-Base Percentage. McGriff has been stuck near 20 percent of the vote since he hit the ballot. That is a shame.

And, of course, here’s to Billy Wagner. By all available measures, Wagner is one of the greatest closers of all time. Among relief pitchers with at least 500 career innings pitched, Wagner has the second-lowest earned run average of all-time behind only Mariano Rivera. He has the second-best

earned-runs-average-plus (an adjusted, improved version of ERA) of all time, behind — again — only Rivera. He’s also tied for second all-time in walks plus hits by innings pitched and strikeout rate. Voters, looking at Billy Wagner, see his 422 career saves, and compare the total to Trevor Hoffman’s 601. But the save statistic, again, is meaningless. The voters’ comparative ignorance of statistical reality has already been established, but it’s especially frustrating when it keeps Billy Wagner not only out of the Hall of Fame, but also at only 10 percent of the vote.

There are others, of course — Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling come immediately to mind. Schilling’s support actually dropped from last year’s ballot, while most other candidates saw their support rise. Statistically, Schilling’s case is borderline.

His drop in support is almost definitely attributable to his run-ins on social media (that resulted in his firing from ESPN), including tweeting a picture of a t-shirt bearing the words, “rope, tree, journalist. Some assembly required” — not a good idea when one’s candidacy is being voted on by a

group of journalists.

Mussina, meanwhile, is a victim of the steroid era. While traditional statistics like a 3.68 ERA paint a picture of a slightly above-average pitcher, Mussina’s ERA+ of 123 and his career 82.7 WAR show a different pitcher: one who, for the era during which he pitched, was as good as or better than Juan Marichal, Bob Feller and Don Drysdale — all Hall of Famers.

The cases of Mussina and Schilling are borderline. The cases of Walker, Wagner and Martinez seem less so.

Either way, all of these players have, in one way or another, been passed over by the BBWAA for entirely the wrong reasons.

So here’s to the Hall of Famers waiting at the bottom of the ballot.

Here’s to the players who displayed greatness on the field, whether voters who seem no longer to understand the game noticed it or not. And here’s to their greatness one day being deservingly recognized.

James Schapiro ’19 can be reached at james_schapiro@brown.edu.

The Patriot way CHARLIE BLASBERG sports columnist The stage is set for Super Bowl LI as the Patriots return to Houston to take on relative newcomers — the Atlanta Falcons. While ESPN, NBC and other news outlets that cater to the lowest common denominator reserve the spotlight for superstars, the Patriots have played the entire second half of the season with only one player who would qualify as such: Tom Brady. Though the Patriots’ mantra “do your job” has now become cliche, the players, with small salaries and small egos, have shown an uncanny ability to embody this slogan.

Bill Belichick set the tone for this team in the offseason when he traded Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals. Jones had achieved star status during his four-year tenure with the Patriots by becoming a force at linebacker with an innate ability to rush the quarterback and cause turn-

overs. Belichick saw more value in what Jones was worth in return and traded him for guard Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick. The Patriots then proceeded to trade that pick for third- and fourth-round picks, materializing in the form of lineman Joe Thuney and receiver Malcolm Mitchell. Thuney has been a constant on the line during his rookie season, playing 1,259 of 1,264 possible snaps, while Mitchell has become a reliable target for Brady, catching 26 passes for four touchdowns in the last eight games of the season. In Jones’ absence, the Patriots’ defense remained stout and surrendered the fewest points in the NFL this season.

The franchise’s 2000 era teams are often compared to the Yankees teams from 1995 to 2009 because of their extended dominance in their division. The key difference between the Patriots and Yankees is how their teams are composed. The Yankees, especially in the 2000s, were known for having the highest payroll in baseball and used their cash to sign a slew of stars, such as David Wells, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez. The Patriots have taken the opposite ap-

proach, as is necessary in the salary-capped NFL. The coaching staff, led by Belichick, finds players who do not demand money or fame in order to keep each week’s focus on the team’s success rather than on a sideshow created by mouthy players or contract negotiations.

For the Patriots, players like Matt Lengel, Shea McClellin and James Develin ’10 play just as important a role as the stars of the team. The lesser-known but hard-working and multifaceted players are invaluable to the schemes and looks that the Patriots use to torment their opponents. They leave open the option of receiving a pass or forcing a turnover, while distracting the opponent’s attention from the most important factors of the play. For example, in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, the Patriots often used Develin as a decoy when Von Miller, one of Denver’s best defensive players, dropped back into coverage, forcing Miller to cover Develin and leave another Patriot open. In a play in the same game, the Patriots positioned Lengel and LeGarrette Blount out wide. This matched the two against Denver’s dangerous safeties,

Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, while Julian Edelman lined up in the slot against a linebacker and caught an easy pass for a first down. These under-recognized Patriots are indispensable to the team because they are able to execute in a variety of situations, keeping New England’s opponents on their heels, second guessing their every move.

The Patriots’ coaching staff has a great strength when it comes to valuing players and have had success signing cast-offs other teams had given up on. Signing these players instead of overpaid crybabies like Terrell Owens and Odell Beckham Jr. (both of whom have actually cried on camera) prevents outrageous media distractions and keeps focus on the entire team. Just as Chris Hogan emerged as a key player in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, look out for other behind-the-scenes Patriots to be instrumental in the Super Bowl against Atlanta.

Charlie Blasberg ’18 can be reached at charles_blasberg@brown.edu.