Friday, April 28th, 2023

A look inside the new performing arts center

Lindemann performing Arts Center features multi-configurational performance hall

BY RYA VALLABHANENI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Many members of the Brown community pass through the walkway between the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts and the Lindemann performing Arts Center every day. While Granoff is a familiar space to many — frequently used for classes, performances, art installations and more — the Lindemann rarely appears as anything more than a mystery box. But after nearly four years of construction, that is finally going to change: The Lindemann performing Arts Center is nearly complete.

Lindemann was born out of a need for a “state-of-the-art, acoustically excellent performance space” on campus, according to Chira DelSesto, director of programs and operations at Brown Arts Institute.

While the Granoff Center partially fills this need, “it doesn’t do every-

thing,” according to DelSesto. Granoff lacks an ideal performance space for a full orchestra, for example.

“We always knew that at some point we were going to need to expand again,” DelSesto said.

‘Five buildings in one’: A transforming Main Hall

The Lindemann, which has one main level and three underground floors, is meant to address the need for more rehearsal and performance spaces on campus. It contains one major per-

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Physicians discuss challenges to medication abortions

R.I. health care professionals remain committed to providing medication abortions

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“Confusion and fear.” That’s what Mindy Sobota ’95, primary care physician and associate professor of medicine, said is the goal of recent court rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone.

Since the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone for retail distribution in January, anti-abortion groups across the country have launched lawsuits to challenge the decision.

On April 7, a federal judge in Texas ruled to overturn the pill’s 23-year-long approval for in-clinic distribution by the FDA, citing safety concerns. That same day, a federal judge in Washington ordered that mifepristone remain widely available in the 17 Democratic-led states that challenged the Texas ruling in a lawsuit. Five days later,

the Fifth Circuit court of appeals upheld the FDA’s original approval of the pill in 2000 but invalidated the drug’s approval for retail distribution in chain pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS.

On April 21, the Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone will remain widely available while the case returns to the 5th Circuit for appeal.

With conflicting rulings, many physicians in Rhode Island — including Sobota — have found delivering patient care difficult.

“I found the Texas ruling shocking as a physician, because never before has an FDA-approved medication had this sort of ruling,” Sobota said. “It’s really shaking my trust in the basic balance of power that underlies our country and its governance.”

When Sobota was a teenager in the 1980s, a family planning clinic near her house was bombed by anti-abortion groups, she said. In the 1990s, a colleague of hers was murdered for providing abortion care. Sobota said that now, “the tactics have really changed toward what

SEE MIFEPRISTONE PAGE 2

formance hall, several practice rooms and rehearsal spaces that may also be utilized for performances.

The building’s main level consists largely of a lobby — soon to be decorated with the works of well-known American artist Leo Villareal — and the Main Hall, the only space in the building designated solely for performances.

The hall is transformable and can take on five different configurations due to its retractable seats, moving stage

METRO

Examining Brown’s payments to Providence in lieu of taxes

METRO Negotiations underway on new agreements for payments

BY RHEA RASQUINHA METRO EDITOR

The University’s tax-exempt status for its institutional properties dates back to its 1764 charter. In the last two decades, the University has signed two agreements to make voluntary monetary contributions to the city of p rovidence in lieu of property taxes.

In June 2003, p rovidence established a memorandum of understanding with four nonprofit institutions of higher education

— Brown, Johnson and Wales University, p rovidence College and the Rhode Island School of Design

— defining a schedule of annual voluntary payments to the city in lieu of property taxes. Brown’s an -

nual voluntary payments through this agreement gradually increased from slightly above $1 million in fiscal year 2004 to slightly over $1.4 million in fiscal year 2023.

The 2003 MOU also included a series of augmented voluntary payments for properties taken off the tax rolls shortly before 2003, along with a schedule for transition payments for properties purchased by the colleges that would be removed from the commercial tax roll.

A few months before the 2003 MOU was signed, former Governor Donald Carcieri ’65 unveiled a budget that, if it passed, would have allowed p rovidence to require nonprofit institutions to either pay property taxes or make voluntary cash payments in lieu of property taxes.

The budget would have also increased Rhode Island’s payments in lieu of taxes, in which the state reimburses p rovidence for a fraction of the property tax value of

Abortion coverage bill passes R.I. House

BY YAEL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted to pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act Thursday, which would ensure coverage of abortion procedures for individuals on state employee health plans and on Medicaid.

A total of 49 representatives voted in favor of the bill’s passage, with 24 voting against. The House passage follows three years of the EACA — which was first introduced in 2020 — failing to make it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

The bill will now move on to the Rhode Island Senate.

Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian (D-East providence), who introduced the bill in the State House this year, said that “this bill will ensure that all women, no matter what insurance plan they’re on, will receive healthcare coverage.”

“It’s about ensuring that women don’t have to make medical decisions based on what their coverage allows,”

she said, adding that the bill is “not about re-debating the question of choice.”

“This is about equity, this is about coverage,” Kazarian said.

Representative Robert E. Craven Sr. (D-North Kingstown), who supported the bill, said he sees the EACA as the next step in protecting the right to an abortion.

“I stood on this floor in 2019 and we codified Roe v. Wade,” Craven said, referencing the 2019 Reproductive privacy Act, which wrote Roe v. Wade’s protections of abortion rights into Rhode Island state law. “This is the accompanying bill. We created a right

that a woman had to get an abortion (in 2019) … (but) you can’t exercise the right until you can afford to pay for it.”

Opposition arguments to the bill dominated much of the hearing. Many of the legislators who opposed the bill cited the burden it could place on taxpayers. Some representatives also voiced objections to the bill on what they considered to be moral grounds. Others argued that contraceptive access should be expanded or made free instead.

Representative Charlene M. Lima (D-Cranston) said the state must not

Bill ensuring equal abortion procedure coverage will now move to state Senate

RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD

COURTESY OF WARREN JAGGER

The slanted design of the viewing area allows for a different viewing experience not found in Sayles or Alumnae Hall.

I would call legal and bureaucratic terrorism at the level of federal rulings.”

“The confusion and conflicting information is incredibly frustrating,” said Benjamin Brown ’08 MD’12, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School. “The chaos that we see from all of the legal rulings and all of the conflicting policies is part of the plan of folks who want to limit access to abortion.”

Sobota said her “biggest concern is that this will cause confusion for other physicians and health organizations when, in fact, what we’re doing is legal.”

According to Benjamin Brown, who is an attending physician at Women and Infants Hospital, the confusion on what is and isn’t legal has not been limited to health professionals. He said that during visits, patients seeking abortions have told him, “I thought abortion wasn’t legal anymore” — even though the right to an abortion is protected in the state of Rhode Island.

After each new ruling, Benjamin Brown connected with legal experts around the country “through phone calls and meetings and emails” to seek guidance on the legality of the care he provides.

As for student access to mifepristone, Tanya Sullivan, assistant clinical director of Brown Health Services, previously did not indicate

if the on-campus pharmacy will apply to obtain certification from the FDA to fill mifepristone prescriptions. Sullivan declined to comment on the availability of mifepristone on campus following these court decisions.

CVS Director of External Communications Amy Thibaut also declined to comment on whether CVS will continue seeking certification to distribute mifepristone.

Sobota called on students, physicians and medical trainees to “stand up against what I would call a type of legal terrorism.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Benjamin Brown said. “We’re going to be here to keep trying to make sure our patients can get the care that they need.”

“mandate taxpayers who — for personal reasons or religious reasons — do not agree with abortion to have to pay for it.”

Lima, who described herself as pro-choice, called on the members of the State House themselves to fund abortion coverage.

“It is so easy to spend money when it’s not yours,” Lima said. “If the 50-something people on this floor want to pay for abortion … use your money, not the taxpayer’s money.”

UNIVERSITY NEWS

She added that the bill has come at the “worst possible time,” citing concerns about inflation. “People are taxed out,” Lima said. “They’re tired.”

Deputy Majority Leader Arthur J. Corvese (D-North providence) also opposed the bill, primarily due to his belief that abortion for elective reasons is an “abomination and unconscionable in a civilized society.”

But Corvese stated that termination of pregnancy in the case of rape, incest or physical endangerment to the pregnant individual is a legitimate medical procedure. “The bill before us does not differentiate the

use of the funds,” he said.

“We women are under attack throughout this country for a right we’ve possessed for 50 years,” said Representative Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Narragansett). “This is a very serious decision made by any woman, and it can be agonizing. Let’s give them the support they need through their healthcare insurance.”

Many of those who spoke in support of the EACA emphasized that the purpose of the bill was not to debate the right to an abortion itself. Instead, they said that the EACA is about women’s healthcare

and healthcare equity more broadly.

Representative Edith Ajello (D- p rovidence) also argued that the notion that taxpayers can decide whether they want to pay for a policy “doesn’t work.”

“I’m old enough to remember when there were many people in Rhode Island and across the country who were offended that their tax money was going to support the war in Vietnam,” Ajello said. Others did not want to pay to support universal medical care. But these groups still had to pay taxes that funded treatment they opposed or did not utilize

themselves, she said.

Representative Karen Alzate (D- p awtucket) said she grew up with many women who had children because they could not afford an abortion, women who had to choose between paying rent or taking care of another child and women who struggled with their insufficient healthcare coverage.

“This is about women’s health care,” Alzate said, emphasizing how women’s rights are continuously under attack, particularly for trans women and women of color. “This is equity.”

Professor Alberto Saal elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Stephen parman, associate professor of EEpS and a close friend of Saal, described Saal’s findings as a major contribution to planetary science.

BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When Alberto Saal, professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences, received notice of his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he almost deleted the email by accident.

“You know how much spam we receive,” he laughed. “It was something funny, and I marked it to delete it.” After double-checking and seeing that two well-known scientists were copied on the email, he realized that it was legitimate.

“I was never expecting something like that,” he said.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences “honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world and work together,” according to its website.

Saal joins 43 other current or former Brown faculty members and administrators — including president Christina paxson p’19 p’MD’20, Leon Cooper, professor emeritus of physics, and Michael Kosterlitz, professor of physics — to be elected to the Academy, according to a University press release.

Saal’s field of expertise is geochemistry, which he described as “using chemistry to understand how an earth or planet forms or evolves.” prior to coming to the University, he conducted research regarding the composition of the Earth’s interior, which he studied using lava.

After coming to Brown and receiving an appointment in the Earth, En-

vironmental and planetary Sciences Department, Saal began to expand his previous research to extraterrestrial bodies.

When Saal began conducting research on the moon, particularly about the presence of water in the moon’s interior, his colleagues warned him about

the unlikelihood of uncovering new information from the limited existing moon samples.

But in this research project, supported through a grant from NASA, Saal discovered a “significant” amount of water, a revelation which was “a huge change of mentality regarding how the

moon formed,” he said.

Saal attributed this success to his lack of experience in the field of planetary science. “In science, we think we know things … but we don’t,” he said.

Sometimes, it “takes someone from outside the system to say, ‘Well, why not this other thing?’”

Previous scientific research suggested that “the moon formed from the debris of a collision between a Marssized planet and the proto-Earth,” he explained. But in this model, some elements and compounds — including water — would not have been retained.

“(His) work has spurred a re-evaluation of the moon’s formation,” parman said.

planetary scientists are no strangers to the Academy, according to Alison Franklin, chief communications officer at the Academy. “Interest in the planets has been relevant from the start” of the Academy, she wrote in an email to The Herald. “The nature of the expertise has advanced beyond the 18th-century imagination, but the interest is longstanding.”

Karen Fischer, professor of the geological sciences, previously worked with Saal on a project about the chemical composition of the lithosphere — the rigid outer shell of the Earth — with a focus on how molten rocks may alter its composition and strength. Fischer described Saal’s ideas as “truly creative, but also highly rigorous” in an email to The Herald.

“Alberto is a warm and generous colleague who makes talking about anything fun,” she added.

Saal “has never been afraid to challenge scientific orthodoxy, and I think his election to the academy recognizes first and foremost his creativity,” wrote James Russell, chair and professor of EEpS, in an email to The Herald. “His election also highlights the exceptional quality and research conducted by faculty in DEEpS and at Brown.” This article was originally published online on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD

Tanya Sullivan, assistant clinical director at Health Services, declined to comment on the drug’s potential availability on campus.

Saal’s geochemical research explores interior of moon, Earth’s lithosphere

COURTESY OF ALBERTO SAAL

Alberto Saal, professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences, initially thought the email notifying him of his election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was spam.

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Jury Duty’: A fabricated documentary that forged authentic friendships

Amazon Freevee’s hit show hinges on creative concept, pleases with entertaining comedic bits

BY DAPHNE DLUZNIEWSKI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Trevor Morris is being sued by fashion label Cinnamon and Sparrow after allegedly arriving intoxicated to his job at its manufacturing plant and destroying an entire batch of products.

According to the company’s owner Jacquiline Hilgrove, his mistake cost the company thousands of dollars in sales and jeopardized Hilgrove’s own mental well-being. In his defense, Morris argues that he was not under the influence of alcohol but instead intoxicated by the barrels of poisonous chemicals kept in the company’s factory. Now, it is up to the jury to decide whether he is liable for the damage.

There is just one catch: The entire case is fake.

When Ronald Gladden answered a Craigslist post seeking volunteers for jury duty as part of a documentary about the judicial process, he did

not realize he was signing up to be an oblivious participant in a comedy television series. Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, “Jury Duty” follows Gladden through this staged court case. The rest of the jury, the judge, the lawyers and even the people Gladden interacts with at restaurants are all actors.

After juror and actor James Marsden — playing a more arrogant version of himself in the show — calls the paparazzi on himself in an attempt to get out of jury selection, the judge decides to sequester the entire group. These

close quarters allow Gladden to grow closer to his peers while they set out to create the most bizarre 17 days of deliberation possible.

The show’s mockumentary-style humor is reminiscent of “The Office” and “parks and Recreation,” but the series approaches this humor in a more wholesome way. Whereas the comedy in modern shows is often crass and comes at the expense of others, “Jury Duty” proves that it is far more enjoyable to laugh with someone, rather than at them. The premise of the show could have easily allowed Gladden to

be manipulated into being the butt of the joke, but the cast and crew were thoughtful to keep the experience as enjoyable as possible for him.

The writing in “Jury Duty” contains the perfect level of understated humor. In order to avoid raising Gladden’s suspicions, the show’s bits have to be wild enough to be funny but subtle enough to avoid seeming too outlandish. Audiences are able to experience the show’s humor through a dual lens: either choosing to believe that every scene is fictional or witnessing its events through Gladden’s ignorant eyes. This extra perspective adds a unique layer of humor to the show.

One of the most interesting elements of “Jury Duty” is how it makes use of its frequently unpredictable nature, relying on the actors’ improvisational talents. The actors had to remain in character for over two weeks straight, and they had no way of knowing how Gladden would respond to any given situation. part of the entertainment of the show becomes watching how each actor creatively adapts to Gladden.

The characters themselves are so

commercial rate.

perfectly crafted and portrayed that it is almost disappointing they are not real people. Gladden makes a heartwarming effort to become friends with each of the fictional personalities — helping the overbearing Marsden practice his lines for an audition and watching movies with an eccentric man obsessed with cybernetics.

“Jury Duty” would not have been successful without Ronald Gladden. His easygoing, friendly demeanor is truly what brings so many feel-good laughs to the comedy. Gladden’s exemplary reactions to every scenario he is tested with force viewers to confront their own conscience: Would they be as kind if they were in his place?

The entirety of the show is shrouded in an uncanny mist. As much as Gladden was a good sport when he learned the truth about the show, one can only imagine how disorienting it would be to find out the last two weeks of your life were essentially fake. Still, “Jury Duty” is a delightful depiction of unexpected friendship and wholesome joy. It also serves as a reminder to always be compassionate because you never know who is watching — it could be the whole world.

tax-exempt nonprofits like Brown.

The provision was not included in the budget — all agreements between the University and p rovidence were voluntary.

In January 2012, former p rovidence Mayor Angel Taveras requested that the University pay an additional $5 million per year to the city, sparking a public battle over increasing voluntary payments.

As a result, a memorandum of agreement was established in April 2012 between the University and Taveras’s administration. The agreement included an 11-year payment schedule, with the University paying $3.9 million annually from 2012 to 2016 and $2 million annually from 2017 to 2022 in addition to the payments made under the 2003 MOU.

In addition to these two agreements, Brown pays property taxes on all commercial properties, amounting to a total of $30,610,212 between 2003 and 2023, The Herald previously reported.

The city also receives 27% of the estimated value of the University’s property taxes through Rhode Island’s general assembly payments in lieu of property tax, which generated $166,659,859 for p r ovidence from 2003 to 2023. In fiscal year 2022, p ILOT payments were $13,004,569.

The final payment of the 2012 MOA was made last year and the final payment of the 2003 MOU will be made by June 30 of this year, with the University set to pay a total of $4.5 million to the city this fiscal year.

Exploring the data

The Herald tracked the University’s payments to p rovidence in lieu of property taxes from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2022 using data from the 2003 MOU and 2012 MOA, Mayor Brett Smiley’s office and University Spokesperson Brian Clark. This data is imperfect, particularly regarding transition payment

amounts, as the University and p rovidence define fiscal years differently. Additionally, fiscal year 2023 is still in progress. Still, the data remains representative of general trends in the University’s voluntary payments over time.

The 2003 MOU’s voluntary payment schedule included a series of payments that consistently increased annually. Augmented voluntary payments and transition payments vary by year depending on the University’s property acquisitions, and the 2012 MOA payments decreased from $3,900,000 to $2,000,000 starting in fiscal year 2017.

Transition payments have fluctuated over time: In the 2013 fiscal year, they dropped to $32,635.43 from $1.47 million the previous fiscal year — though the payments had hovered around $39,000 in the years before. Transition payments climbed again as the University continued acquiring property in the Jewelry District and the buildings that would eventually be demolished to become Sternlicht Commons.

The decrease in 2012 MOA payments in 2017 began another decrease in total voluntary payments, which have also declined since 2020 following a decrease in transition payments over this three-year period.

Brown’s continued impact

The University has a significant footprint in p rovidence — and amidst the city’s “challenging financial position” and struggling public schools, students, community members and the city are calling on the University to pay more to p rovidence.

As negotiations for a new agreement continue, the University has cited its significant economic impact outside of direct payments — and expects to unveil a college readiness program in the p rovidence p ublic School District this fall. In public comments, p resident Christina p axson p ’19 p ’MD’20 has emphasized that the University expects to

pay more in voluntary contributions — but it also hopes to create a “more collaborative and less transactional” relationship with the city.

According to a 2022 report by the p r ovidence Finance Department and the Office of then-Mayor Jorge Elorza, the University would pay close to $50 million in FY2022 if all of its properties were taxed at the

In an April 18 campus talk, p rovidence Mayor Brett Smiley discussed ongoing negotiations between the city and nonprofit institutions regarding voluntary payments. While he noted that tax-exempt institutions “should be paying more,” Smiley also acknowledged institutions like

Brown’s Voluntary Payments to Providence Over Time

Brown and RISD’s importance in the “vitality” of p rovidence and alternative contributions to the city, including the role of students volunteering in p rovidence public schools and a proposal from his office through which the city would receive 25% of payroll taxes from new jobs at tax-exempt institutions.

Brown’s Total Voluntary Payments to Providence

COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS

Much of the success of “Jury Duty” is owed to the good attitude of the show’s oblivious protagonist Trevor Gladden.

and five moving walls, according to BAI Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman, who is also a professor of the practice of theatre arts and performance studies and classics.

“You’re getting five buildings in one,” DelSesto said.

In its orchestra set-up, the hall can contain a 100-person orchestra and seat an audience of 530 people. Additional seating is available in the hall’s two wrap-around balcony levels.

The hall can also be transformed into a more intimate recital space, an end-stage configuration typically used for theatrical performances, a seatless 40-by-40 foot cube and an entirely flat floor, Hoffman said.

The Main Hall will be what Hoffman called the center’s “collaborative (and) curative space.” While most performances in the hall will occur in collaboration with BAI, scheduled use of the space for concerts, including those put on by the University’s orchestra and chorus, will also be permitted.

Currently, the University’s orchestra and chorus are testing the Main Hall’s acoustics, configuration and stage. Hoffman added that other dance, theater and performance groups will also be permitted to test out the space over the summer.

“It definitely sounds a lot different than Alumnae or Sayles” Hall, said Vanessa Chang ’23, who plays the oboe for the University’s orchestra. As the orchestra was playing in the Main Hall, acousticians were adjusting the ceiling and shades so that various members of the orchestra could hear each other more clearly, she said.

Violist Chloe Kim ’25 similarly took note of the Main Hall’s reconfigurable set-up.

“The orchestra has always had to adjust for the acoustic nature of our performance venue, either by playing more loudly, more softly, with clearer articulation, etc., so it was really strange to have the venue adjust to us,” Kim wrote in an email to The Herald.

She added that the new performance hall’s seating arrangement differs from both Sayles and Alumnae, in that it is slanted and provides audience members with “a great view and an equal listening experience.”

Chang also pointed out that “having another space can be really helpful in terms of scheduling conflicts” between

student groups. In the past, many groups have expressed concerns regarding the availability of various performance and rehearsal spaces.

‘Game changer’: Additional rehearsal, practice spaces for students

Increasing access to performance spaces is one of BAI’s primary goals in constructing the Lindemann. Underneath the main level of the building are three basement floors that contain several rehearsal and practice rooms — all of which will be available for students to schedule outside of class hours.

Extending about 40 feet beneath the main level is the Rehearsal Hall, which is meant to mirror the dimensions of the Main Hall, according to Hoffman. The room contains retractable seating for 150 audience members and is set to be the primary rehearsal space for Brown’s orchestra and chorus next semester.

The third basement level is home to the Movement and performance Labs.

The space, which features a wall-length mirror, sprung floors and retractable seating, is slated to be used primarily for ballet, Hoffman said.

According to Kent Kleinman, BAI faculty director and professor of the practice of History of Art and Architecture, the performance Lab is essentially a black box theater and contains a “sacrificial floor” that can be painted and otherwise customized for specific performances.

Kleinman also pointed out that many spaces in the underground levels of the Lindemann are connected to airlocks, which essentially seal in sound coming from these rooms. The levels also contain lockers for orchestra members to store their instruments in, bypassing the process of instruments reacclimating to the temperature of the rehearsal space every night.

Both the third and second basement floors of the Lindemann contain multiple practice rooms. Each room will be available for students to schedule either online or onsite, Hoffman said. She added that students will gain access to the building when it opens in September.

The first public performance in the Lindemann is scheduled to take place on October 21, Hoffman said.

“Having been here for a long time, I know that we never have enough space,” DelSesto said. “I’m very optimistic that the Lindemann will be the game changer and that we’ll be able to just do more. I think that’ll be really great for the arts at Brown.”

CALENDAR

TODAY’S EVENTS TOMORROW’S EVENTS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WARREN JAGGER AND NICHOLAS DENTAMARO

Mala Htun talks gender equality, women’s rights law implementation, impact

BY SOFIA BARNETT UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

The Department of political Science hosted the final event of its distinguished lecture series on “Challenges for Democracy” Thursday. Entitled “Enacting Equality for Women,” the lecture highlighted the work of Mala Htun, an American political scientist and professor at the University of New Mexico.

Eric patashnik, professor of public policy and political science and chair of the Department of political Science, said that when deciding who to invite as the series’ final lecturer, “Mala’s name came up multiple times as somebody who has done cutting-edge work.”

Htun’s lecture drew heavily on research and analyses presented in her three books, which she said focus on the “changes in family law, reproductive rights, work-life balance, access to childcare and parental leave and the folding of workplaces that took place across the Global North and Global South starting in the late 1960s.”

Her current work examines how changes in law interact with norms and de facto practices — a topic she called “the backside of the women’s rights revolution.”

Htun said she is “trying to address the ‘so what’ question: So we have a lot of rights for women in the books? Has it made a difference? Has it changed people’s lives?” Htun believes that, in many cases, people’s behavior is not changing, but rather the law is progressing to “catch up with behavior.”

Htun laid out three major mechanisms that shape the scope of women’s rights: money, coercion and the law. Through her fieldwork, interviews, surveys and ethnographic research, Htun has investigated how states exert power through these mechanisms to “target individuals” and “change collective actors.”

Addressing the wage gap between men and women, Htun said that pushing back against the economic discrimination women face today relies on a change in norms, with men contributing more in the domestic sphere. She cited Norway’s success in enacting paid parental leave for both men and women as an exam-

ple of financial incentives that oppose gender norms.

But according to Htun, efforts to expand gender equality are challenged by outside institutions, including corporate overtime culture and tax and pension systems.

“Even though the state is throwing tons of money at this problem and has been for decades, there are a lot of countervailing institutions that are pushing back,” she said. “The money thing works, but only if there is a supportive context.”

Htun’s lecture concluded with a look at the second-wave women’s movement and the laws that governed the first gen-

eration of the movement’s participants. She noted how these laws began to link “formally disparate phenomena,” such as female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence and harrassment, among other things. Htun interprets these laws as an improvement in the fight for gender equity.

“Things are terrible,” Htun said, citing how one in three women globally have experienced an act of violence in their lifetimes. “But it’s getting better.”

There’s “a growing trend in favor of feeling more empowered to talk about … violence experienced,” Htun said. “These trends are all consistent with a change

in norms.”

Alexandra Josephson ’23, who attended Thursday’s event, “thought the lecture was so great.”

Jennifer Horan, an audience member and lecturer in English and cultural studies at Bryant University, said that she internalized the lecture’s contents through the lenses of “philosophy and literature.”

“What I got out of it was this difficult causality in terms of the implementation and the impact,” Horan said. “It’s a kind of poetics at the end of the day … the changing behaviors … and different angles and approaches all together.”

In this week’s episode of the Bruno Brief, the team explores Brown’s reputation as a school full of stoners. Is there any truth to that characterization, or is it blown out of proportion?

Hear the full report on this week’s Bruno Brief.

The Bruno Brief is produced in partnership with WBRU. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts or listen via the RSS feed.

Presentation marks final talk in political science lecture series ‘Challenges for Democracy’

SOFIA BARNETT / HERALD

Mala Htun, an American political scientist and professor at the University of New Mexico, argues that pushing back against economic gender discrimination requires changing norms as women increasingly enter the skilled workforce.

Gupta ’25: Where to find sexual health education resources at Brown

The diversity of thought and experience amongst the University’s student body is one of the things that makes being a student at Brown so special. This diversity includes various educational backgrounds, which greatly affect the ways in which Brown students interact with each other, the University and the world. For example, within the class of 2025, 58% of admitted students attended public high school, 31% attended private high school and 11% attended parochial schools. Even within these categories, curriculum and experience vary greatly from state to state and district to district. This is especially true when it comes to sex education. Some students may come to Brown with extensive knowledge of sexual health, while others may have next to no formal education on the topic.

When I first came to Brown, I expected to receive more sex education than I did. While every first-year student must attend a consent workshop run by BWell Health promotion during orientation — which is immensely important and should remain in place — there is no further mandatory programming to address the disparities in sexual health knowledge among the student body. While most students who come to Brown are technically adults, that does not mean they are equally equipped with all the right resources to make the healthiest and safest decisions about sex.

One of the questions I received in my digi-

tal, anonymous questions box asked about the best sexual education resources at Brown, why students should use these resources and areas where the University can improve. While neither incoming nor current students are not required to receive much sex education, there

all sorts of events for Brown students, ranging from workshops unpacking complex topics like desirability politics to games like sex trivia and Jeopardy! My favorite resource that SHAG offers is an anonymous text program, where you can ask any quick sex ed-related questions you may

has a wide range of information and resources on various topics including sex toys, emergency contraception and sexually transmitted infection symptoms.

While these formal resources exist at the University, sexual health education at Brown typically happens in more casual settings, whether that be online or through interpersonal conversations. Talking about sex with friends and peers is the way most people learn and expand their understanding. Even when we don’t realize something counts as sex education, it often can and should.

Brown needs to do a better job of putting its students on an even playing field when it comes to sex education, but students must also continue to help one another learn. Whether it be sharing formal resources such as BWell and SHAG, going to CVS with your friend to get plan B or recounting an awkward hook-up, we should normalize talking about sex with each other. Sometimes our most relatable and accessible sexual health education can be found in each other.

are a lot of resources available on campus relating to sexual health that students can access if they so choose. However, these resources can be difficult for students to find, and the University can and should do a better job of highlighting them.

BWell’s student-led sex education group, the Sexual Health Awareness Group, puts on

have and get a response within 24 hours. This service is particularly useful for immediate questions that you wouldn’t feel comfortable asking about in person. For instance, questions like “What is the best way to dispose of a condom if I have a roommate?” and “How long will it take for a positive on a pregnancy test to show up?” can be directed there. The BWell website itself also

If you have questions about sex or relationships that could be discussed in a future column, please submit anonymous questions to an anonymous form at https://tinyurl.com/BDHsexcolumn. Anusha Gupta ’25 can be reached at anusha_gupta@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com

Editors’ Note: Reflecting on a semester of leading The Herald

Today’s print paper is our 37th — and final — of the semester. After many late nights, unspeakable amounts of Jo’s sauce and far too much coffee, our regular production for the spring has concluded (though we’ll still publish occasionally online over the summer).

Just over three months ago, we sent our first newspaper to the printers — along with our first editors’ note. Since then, computer science teaching assistants have unionized, RISD facilities workers successfully struck for higher wages and student activism was rekindled on campus, with organizing reaching pre-pandemic levels. Jo’s announced it would be getting a new smoker — coincidentally, right around when a bunch of dead fish showed up out of seemingly

SINCE 1891

nowhere on providence’s sidewalks.

A team of editors and writers worked to compile an interactive map of Thayer over time, and we got to know the newly admitted class of 2027. Our reporters dived into data on the gap between women and men in admissions at Brown and examined the backgrounds of corporation members. Our coverage in special issues and throughout the semester focused on Black History Month and Women’s History Month both on and off campus.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee worked to make our office more welcoming — while helping staff report on the Brown and providence community equitably and intentionally. Our new office manager, Cary, ensured

everything ran smoothly, while dozens of new staff members joined The Herald’s community.

We zhuzhed our office space at 88 Benevolent Street and held get-togethers paying homage to Nicki Minaj and the indie sleaze moment of the 2010s, but failed to schedule a kickball game with the Indy. (Next semester, we promise!)

We got oddly familiar with the animals of College Hill — notably, bunnies and bats — and subjected our staff to hyperpop and “Sneakernight” by Vanessa Hudgens at late hours. We sustained ourselves off of late-night joffee (Jo’s coffee), the sweet tunes of The Chicks and endless mozzarella sticks.

We certainly weren’t perfect in our coverage — but we learned so much about Brown and

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

133rd Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Will Kubzansky

Managing Editors

Katy Pickens

Alex Nadirashvili

Senior Editors

Augustus Bayard

Caleb Lazar

Peter Swope

Kaitlyn Torres

Post- Magazine

Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Liu

News Metro Editors Emma Gardner

Rhea Rasquinha

Jacob Smollen

Julia Vaz

Science & Research Editor

Haley Sandlow

Senior Science & Research Editor

Gabriella Vulakh

Arts & Culture Editors

Aalia Jagwani

Finn Kirkpatrick

Rya Vallabhaneni

Sports Editor Linus Lawrence

University News Editors

Sofia Barnett

Charlie Clynes

Emily Faulhaber

Grace Holleb

Sam Levine

Neil Mehta

Haley Sandlow

Kathy Wang

Digital News Director of Technology

Swetabh Changkakoti

Opinions

Head Opinions Editor

Alissa Simon

Opinions Editors

Anika Bahl

Bliss Han

Melissa Liu

Jackson McGough

Multimedia

Illustration Chief

Ashley Choi

Photo Chiefs

Elsa Choi-Hausman

Dana Richie

Photo Editors

Mathieu Greco

Claire Diepenbrock

Lilly Nguyen

Kaiolena Tacazon

Social Media Chief

Sahil Balani

Social Media Editors

Emily Faulhaber

Coco Huang

Alyssa Sherry

Kaiolena Tacazon

Production Copy Desk Chief Brendan McMahon

Design Chief

Neil Mehta

Design Editors

Sirine Benali

Maddy Cherr

Ashley Guo

Gray Martens

Business

General Managers

Joe Belfield

Andrew Willwerth

Sales Director

Alexander Zhou

Finance Director

providence. And we had the privilege of watching our staff grow and learning from them at once, making us better reporters, editors and people.

The summer will bring news, both expected and unexpected. We look forward to covering it and returning refreshed for the fall, ready to serve our readers and continue adapting The Herald for a digital world.

Editors’ Notes are written by The Herald’s 133rd Editorial Board: Will Kubzansky ’24, Kary Pickens ’24, Alex Nadirashvili ’24, Augustus Bayard ’24, Caleb Lazar ’24, Peter Swope ’24, and Kaitlyn Torres ’24.

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“Whether it be sharing formal resources such as BWell and SHAG, going to CVS with your friend to get Plan B or recounting an awkward hook-up, we should normalize talking about sex with each other.”

Editorial: New Student Orientation needs a major makeover

As trees begin to bloom, professors assign final exams and the last remnants of A Day on College Hill are cleared away, it’s time to think about how the University will welcome a new class of undergraduates to campus in the fall. Brown’s New Student Orientation is a long-standing tradition, but the past few years have brought serious disruptions to normal programming. The class of 2024 was confined to online school for much of the 2020-21 academic year, while a potential COVID-19 surge loomed large over fall 2021 orientation. The fall 2022 semester presented new students with the first “normal” introduction to campus in several years.

Brown faculty recognized the value of orientation by voting to permanently extend programming by two days in 2022, noting that pre-COVID-19 orientation also didn’t do enough to adequately transition first-years onto campus. The orientation Welcoming Committee acknowledged some of these failings last fall when it introduced new offerings such as Target takeovers and Rhode Island School of Design Museum tours to orientation. But it’s time to look at broader aspects of orientation with a fresh perspective: As Brown prepares for the arrival of the class of 2027, it must reform its programming to more proactively meet the needs of new students.

When planning out its programming, the University should remember what orientation is supposed to accomplish: acclimating firstyear students to campus. According to Brown’s website, this includes exposing students to the “history, traditions and values of our community,” as well as “facilitating connections” with peers and providing information about the open curriculum. In other words, orientation

is critical to setting up first-years’ academic and social journeys at Brown for the next four years, and we have a few suggestions on how this mission can be accomplished.

Because many orientation activities are organized by residence hall groups, there are few structured opportunities for students to meet peers outside of their dorm, leaving first-years

without having the certainty that others will also be in attendance. A little more structure could go a long way in improving the experience of orientation, which is why Brown should make all orientation programming mandatory. While some might argue that forcing students to do activities may make orientation less enjoyable, the benefits of fostering an involved

their peer advisees on advising day. But Brown should leverage orientation’s recent extension to ensure peer advisors connect with mentees earlier before the semester and can give personalized feedback on the overwhelming experience of registering for classes.

Finally, universities such as p rinceton, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia and Tufts University all offer peer-led, outdoor trips in their freshman orientation programs. Wilderness trips can be formative, intimate experiences where students bond with one another. Integrating something similar into Brown’s New Student Orientation would not only give students the chance to explore scenic locations in the greater New England area but also help students foster deep connections with their peers.

First impressions are everything, and making these foundational changes to orientation programming could be instrumental in shifting students’ satisfaction with Brown for years to come.

oddly segmented as they get to know one another. But in order to facilitate connection, orientation has to be about exposing students to the greatest number of people on campus and increasing students’ chances of meeting other first-years that they may be most compatible with. Following the first two days of orientation, Brown should diversify its orientation groups by putting students in new, randomized groups for the remainder of orientation.

Additionally, because so many of Brown’s current orientation offerings are optional, students may be weary of participating in events

and tight-knit community are worth it. Ultimately, if students are going through mandatory programming together, they will almost definitely bond — even if it is over how much they want to get out of an activity.

Meiklejohn peer Advisors should also have a stronger presence in orientation to improve students’ academic transitions to the University. Given the freedom surrounding Brown’s open curriculum, incoming students should be receiving ample mentorship and support regarding registration, concentrations and class selection. During orientation, Meiklejohns typically meet with

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board and aim to contribute informed opinions to campus debates while remaining mindful of the group’s past stances. The editorial page board and its views are separate from The Herald’s newsroom and the 133rd Editorial Board, which leads the paper. This editorial was written by the editorial page board’s editor Kate Waisel ’24 and members Yasmeen Gaber ’23, Tom Li ’26, Jackson McGough ’23, Alissa Simon ’25 and Yael Wellisch ’26.

Aizenberg ’26: The most overlooked part of the gun control debate

Content warning: This article contains discussions of gun violence and suicide.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact Counseling and Psychological Services at 401-863-3476 or, for immediate help, Brown EMS at 401-863-4111 or the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at 401-863-4111.

You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Additionally, you can text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

The recent spate of mass shootings in the U.S. has once again brought the topic of gun control to the forefront of national discourse. Shootings can dominate the media for days and result in political division and vilification of both the left and the right.

But what if even despite all this attention, both we and the media are missing a crucial aspect of this issue? Horrifying as they are, mass shootings account for just a

this problem. Laws that require guns to be stored, locked and unloaded are proven to decrease suicides, especially among young people. Mandatory waiting periods after gun purchases save lives by preventing people considering suicide from acting immediately. We need laws and discussions like these to explicitly address the relationship between gun control and suicide.

Restricting gun sales as a a suicide prevention measure is especially compelling policy because easier access to guns directly correlates with increased suicide rates. It has been proven that simply owning a gun elevates a person’s risk of suicide, regardless of the state of their mental health. For example, a 1999 study showed that those who bought a gun were 57 times more at risk for suicide the next week after the purchase. Their risk of suicide stayed elevated for six years after the gun was bought. Furthermore, general gun ownership and suicide rates have been proven to rise in tandem. Today, over half of all suicides are firearm-inflicted.

pared to the 4% death rate among all other methods.

passing gun laws to prevent suicide and diverting resources to suicide prevention more generally may even avert some mass shootings. First and foremost, mass shootings are often also suicides — 78% of mass shooters have a history of suicidal ideation, have attempted suicide or both. Some of them even commit mass shootings with the intent of being killed by police. Most only decide to commit a shooting once they feel completely hopeless and turn their internal anger and hopelessness outward. If legislators focused on gun control initiatives that expand access to mental health resources for potential gun purchasers, these shootings could be avoided.

Gun control laws crafted to stop mass shootings are somewhat effective, but many studies of their efficacy yield mixed, inconclusive or statistically insignificant results. This makes an already entrenched political fight even more deadlocked.

having mental health crisis teams replace or supplement police in certain situations and increasing funding for mental health treatment. Gun control bills that have been framed as suicide prevention measures have won political support in more conservative states, such as Utah, than other partisan gun control bills could. This may mean that gun control laws could be more popular among all Americans if they were advertised primarily as a way to prevent suicide. While mass shootings might seem distant, 33% of Americans know someone who died by suicide.

small percentage of gun deaths nationwide; the majority of gun deaths are actually suicides. In 2021, for example, the Gun Violence Archive counted 706 deaths from mass shootings — though the term does not have one definition. The same year, more than 26,000 people died of gun-related suicides. Gun control laws could do more to focus directly on

Some may argue that gun control laws will not reduce suicide numbers but will rather lead to other methods becoming more prevalent. This is not the case. The vast majority of people who attempt suicide and survive do not attempt again. But when guns are the weapon of choice, people rarely survive: 90% of people who use a gun in a suicide attempt die com-

Framing gun control laws as a way to prevent suicide is a politically easier way to pass gun control legislation — both Democrats and Republicans support anti-suicide mental health measures. In fact, most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, believe that the government should more actively support mental health, potentially by

Writing gun control laws aimed at suicide prevention is the most effective way to save lives from gun violence. Suicides are the most common form of gun death, though they capture much less public attention than other forms of gun violence. Furthermore, anti-suicide gun laws are much more likely to actually get passed. If we truly want to save lives and avoid the political finger-pointing that dominates discussions of gun violence, we must shift our focus to suicide prevention.

Benjamin Aizenberg ’26 can be reached at benjamin_aizenberg@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com

“Gun control laws could be more popular among all Americans if they were advertised as a way to prevent suicide.”

“When planning out its programming, the University should remember what orientation is supposed to accomplish: acclimating first-year students to campus.”

“Gun control bills that have been framed as suicide prevention measures have won political support in more conservative states.”

METRO

Bills counting coupons toward deductibles introduced in State House

Bills would eliminate copay accumulator adjustment programs, garners mixed response

BY AVANI GHOSH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Legislation that would count manufacturer coupons for health care payments toward out-of-pocket maximums for health insurance plans was introduced in the Rhode Island House and Senate in March.

If passed, the bills — introduced by state Rep. Mia Ackerman (D-Cumberland) and the late state Sen. Maryellen Goodwin (D-providence) — would eliminate copay accumulator adjustment programs, which prevent pharmaceutical company coupons from counting toward patients’ deductibles.

“Insurance companies don’t like” the coupons, wrote Michael Barton Laws, associate professor of health services, policy and practice, in an email to The Herald. “The main reason for copays is to discourage utilization” — so insurers do not count manufacturer coupons towards patient deductibles, he explained.

As a result, enrollees on high-deductible plans have to pay more money before their insurance fully covers their health care costs. This would increase their overall health care expenses, said Ryan Strik, Rhode Island government relations director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

The current CAA contribution policy is “a real problem for patients, particularly cancer patients,” who face high costs for prescription drugs, treatments and therapy, Strik said. “Too often, we’re seeing folks … turning toward delaying their treatment or cutting their pills or

foregoing treatment altogether because they can’t afford it.”

“Families battling cancer have enough to deal with,” Ackerman said in a press release. “They should not also be overwhelmed by medical bills. This legislation would help relieve some financial pressure so patients can focus on their recovery.”

According to Strik, the ACS has been heavily involved in proposing, drafting and introducing the bill, in addition to advocating for it at the local and state level.

Strik testified in front of the state House Corporations Committee on April 5 and said that committee members received the bill positively. The committee recommended the bill be held for further study, The Herald previously reported.

But the bill has also prompted some concern: Manufacturer coupons, Laws wrote, encourage patients to buy more

expensive products when they otherwise would not, “either because there is a cheaper generic alternative, or they just can’t afford it.”

Insurance companies have also come out against the bill: America’s Health Insurance plans, an advocacy group representing thousands of insurance companies nationally, submitted testimony to the committee stating that the bill “does nothing to address the rising cost of prescription drugs. Rather, it endorses drug manufacturers’ egregious pricing behavior.”

Rich Salit, public relations manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island, wrote in an email to The Herald that large pharmaceutical corporations have expressed their support for similar bills across the country.

That support “is disguised as an effort to advocate for patients when, in reality, it’s a veiled attempt to drive up sales of (Big pharma’s) costly brand-

name medications,” Salit wrote. “The pharmaceutical companies seek to disincentivize the use of therapeutically equivalent generics and shift the cost (to) their high-priced, highly advertised drugs.”

“The R.I. bill bans all CAA models, regardless of whether there is a generic alternative,” Laws wrote. The bill also bars “counting other sources of help consumers may get (to reduce out-of-pocket costs), such as charitable assistance,” he added.

paul Adam, Rhode Island vice-state lead ambassador for ACS, wrote in an email to The Herald that coupon programs personally helped him afford the available high-cost medication for his psoriatic arthritis, as there are no lower-cost alternatives. Adam added that if a lower-cost drug was available, his insurance would require him to take it.

In cases where generic alternatives aren’t available, individuals “are left to

face the high costs and premiums put forward by their insurance providers to access the drugs they need,” Strik wrote. “These assistance programs are critical for individuals like paul.”

Salit wrote that an anticipated increase for brand-name drugs will “drive up insurance premiums and increase health care costs for all” if the bill is passed.

The ACS faced similar criticisms in previous work — including increasing access to biomarker testing in the state and expanding coverage for colorectal cancer screening. But according to Strik, insurance companies did not significantly raise premiums as critics had suggested.

Laws added that the bill “doesn’t seem likely to have much, if any, impact on premiums, since it’s only going to apply to a relatively small number of people who have high-deductible plans and expensive prescriptions for which (CAA) coupons are available.” He added that the bill would cost insurance companies “at most $8,000 to $10,000 per year and may save them money if people decide not to take (the higher-cost) medications.”

A study conducted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health policy Commission found that coupon programs increase unnecessary health care expenditures “with implications for higher premiums.” They also found that these programs help patients who cannot afford necessary prescriptions. According to the study, “in these cases, coupons provide financial relief and likely improve adherence, leading to better clinical outcomes.”

According to Laws, while this bill aims to make health care more accessible, it is only a small solution and not enough to address the larger issue of a “Rube Goldberg contraption of a non-system of medicine in the U.S.”

Brown Mock Trial team places sixth at Nationals competition

an honorable mention at Columbia’s tournament and won the competition at Georgia Tech.

BY EMILY FAULHABER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Brown Mock Trial finished in sixth place — the team’s highest ever — at the American Mock Trial Association’s National Championship Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee which took place April 14-16.

The team’s journey to Nationals began on Aug. 15, when the roughly 200-page case that would be used for competitions leading up to the Nationals series was released. This year’s case was a civil lawsuit that involved a plane crash and a surviving spouse who was suing the pilot of the plane for negligence, according to BMT Head Coach Michael D’Ippolito.

“Our season starts before the school year,” D’Ippolito said.

The team competes in invitational and qualification tournaments throughout the school year prior to the regional and national competitions. “Our cases become stronger with (each) presentation … and (learning) from the other top teams,” D’Ippolito said. The team received

In the spring, the team must place high in Regionals and the subsequent Opening Round Championship Series to qualify for Nationals. A total of 48 teams can qualify for the Nationals competition from ORCS.

“It’s very, very hard to go to Nationals,” said Michael Chandler ’22.5, BMT co-captain and president. But “we were going into ORCS with a confidence we hadn’t had in a couple of years.”

BMT had A and B teams compete at ORCS, each with six to 10 people acting as witnesses or lawyers, D’Ippolito said. The teams were arranged based on scores from judges in fall tournaments and captain decisions, said Kiara Moon ’24, BMT co-captain and tournament director.

While BMT was victorious in the first two rounds of the competition at ORCS, they faced pushback in the next two rounds, including New York University, which has previously been a national champion, and Tufts University, which is “consistently very, very good,” he explained.

This year, the team’s mission was to get back to Nationals for the first time in six years — a goal that the team managed to achieve.

Moon said that the team’s lack of success earlier in her college mock trial

career pushed this year’s team to work harder. “people stayed after practice (and) we met outside of practice,” she said.

Around three weeks before Nationals, a new case is introduced to competitors. This year’s case was a legal malpractice lawsuit that created a “novel challenge” for competitors, D’Ippolito said.

The weekend of Nationals is the “most stressful weekend in the entire semester,” Chandler said. All the teams at Nationals are “well put together, well-coached teams … they’re hard to beat.”

The team practiced for six to 10 hours a week during the regular season and ramped up to around 13 hours a week as Nationals approached to study all the “nooks and crannies” of the case, Chandler said.

The trip to Memphis began with a scrimmage on Thursday night before the start of the actual competition on Friday. The team competed against Yale, Baylor, UC Irvine and Harvard.

BMT was able to secure enough ballots to finish in sixth place, the highest in the team’s program history.

“It was an amazing moment for our team … to see all the work we put in … finally paying off,” Chandler said. “This year was really about … (putting) Brown University back on the map.” Chandler also described how it was

“amazing” to see the younger members of the team “grow … and flesh out their acting skills, their skills as attorneys.”

D’Ippolito spoke on the “terrific” skillset students build through participating in Mock Trial: “It’s going to help them with their presentation skills (and help them) absorb a lot of information and present in a way that is captivating.”

After his performance at the Nationals competition, Chandler was one of 16 students tapped to participate in Trial by Combat, a 1v1 Mock Trial-style competition. Being selected for the

additional competition is a “prestigious and exclusive” invite, according to D’Ippolito.

This format entails the case being released on the first day of the tournament, giving participants just 24 hours to prepare their cases, aided only by D’Ippolito and one other self-selected student.

Chandler qualified for 1v1 competition, which will take place in philadelphia June 23-25.

This article was originally published online Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

AVANI GHOSH / HERALD

While the bill aims to improve access to health care, critics noted other potential impacts including increased premiums and unnecessary expenditures on brand-name drugs over cheaper generic drugs.

METRO

Sixth-place finish at Memphis competition highest in team’s history

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANIYAH NELSON

The team’s lack of success earlier in her college mock trial career motivated this year’s hard work, said Kiara Moon ’24, BMT co-captain.

Why the Sciences Library lights up with a smile every night

providence buildings participate in nightly display for children’s hospital patients

BY SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Every night at exactly 8:30 p.m., several windows on the south-facing side of the Sciences Library suddenly light up to form a shining smiley face.

Atop the SciLi, a twin pair of LED lights twinkle for a minute and, across the river, patients at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital signal back with their own handheld flashlights.

The SciLi’s transformation is part of a nightly tradition that involves much of the p rovidence skyline, as buildings across Downtown and the East Side flash their lights to bid goodnight to the patients at the hospital in South p rovidence.

The Good Night Lights tradition was started more than a decade ago by Steve Brosnihan, the hospital’s resident cartoonist.

In 2010, Brosnihan began beaming a handheld flashlight towards the hospital on his commute home to say goodnight to a patient he often visited — reminding the patient that “I would remain connected to him even though I was outside the hospital,” Brosnihan said.

What started as a gesture for one patient soon became a nightly tradition, as Brosnihan “made it a habit” to bid goodnight to all of the hospital’s patients after he left.

In 2015, Brosnihan decided to extend an invitation to buildings and businesses across p rovidence to join his nightly ritual — and many agreed.

Today, dozens of buildings participate in the tradition, along with individuals who gather outside the hospital, Brosnihan told The Herald. Boats passing through the harbor will also often beam their lights or blow their horns, he added.

According to Brosnihan, Good Night Lights has been “extremely well received” by patients, their families and the hospital’s staff. Reactions range from “amusement” among the youngest patients to “true emotional reactions” from older patients and families when they first witness the city light up in support.

The SciLi’s smiling face

Due to its prominent position on College Hill, the SciLi was one of the first buildings that Brosnihan invited to join in on the tradition. When the SciLi first began to participate in the nightly ritual, security staff would ascend the tower each night to beam a flashlight from the top floors of the building.

But the following year, the library upgraded its lighting by installing a pair of LED lights that flash each night.

According to Katie Silberman, director of community relations in the University’s Office of Government and Community Relations, the University is “so pleased to be involved.”

“It’s important (for) Brown to be a good neighbor in p rovidence, and I think Good Night Lights really represents the best of p rovidence,” Silberman said. She noted that the University is already involved in

the city’s health care landscape, so Brown’s participation is a “natural fit.”

Silberman said that she herself has attended several Good Night Lights events and recalled that it was “a really touching sight to see Rhode Islanders taking care of each other in this way.”

Today, several University buildings — including those connected to the Warren Alpert Medical School and the School of p ublic Health — also participate in the tradition. And a few years ago, Brosnihan worked with the SciLi to install timed flood lights on the windows which light up into a smiling face for children to see each night.

Brosnihan said the children at the hospital “can’t believe what they see” at the SciLi and are “tickled by the idea that a building is actually smiling at them.”

Madeleine Tremblay ’23 is currently working with Brosnihan to add a nose to the SciLi’s nightly smile. She met Brosnihan as a volunteer at Hasbro earlier this year, and together they coordinated a plan for Tremblay and her friends to begin ascending to the upper floors of the SciLi and using flashlights to form a nose. Tremblay hopes to pass down this tradition so it continues beyond her time at the University.

At first, “I didn’t really understand how impactful (the lights) could be,” Tremblay said. But once Brosnihan invited her to witness the display from the hospital, Tremblay recalled understanding how it felt like “the whole city or a lot of people in p rovidence are thinking about you.”

Bringing light from the community

In addition to the nightly displays, Brosnihan organizes special nights throughout the year in collaboration with local businesses. This includes special holiday displays that have featured the Stanley Tree Service and a Rhode Island Jeep club that brought hundreds of Jeeps decorated with holiday lights to wish the Hasbro patients goodnight.

Last week, Brosnihan invited AAA to drive their tow trucks to the hospital and flash their lights. As a result, a dozen trucks from local AAA branches and tow truck companies were parked under an overpass facing the hospital and, accompanied by employees and their families, flashed their lights at the hospital in a sea of yellow and white. The trucks then paraded around the hospital and honked their horns before heading home.

Marilyn O’Malley, the AAA East p r ovidence branch manager, told The Herald that accepting Brosnihan’s invitation was a no-brainer: “These little kids didn’t deserve to be (at Hasbro), and now they’re here, so why not say goodnight to them?”

For Mike Avile, a AAA lead roadside technician, showing up for Good Night Lights is a distinctly personal experience. “My son passed away at Hasbro a little less than a year ago,” he said, and “we used to look out the window every single night and watch the Good Night Lights.”

Recent additions to Good Night Lights

When Good Night Lights first became a public event, it attracted local and national media coverage. But

many p rovidence residents are no longer aware that the city’s skyline still shines each night, according to Brosnihan.

In recent years, Good Night Lights has continued to expand even beyond the automatic and human-controlled light displays that typically twinkle across the city.

Today, over 80 reflective tape designs — ranging from a dinosaur to Hello Kitty — have been installed on nearby buildings, and can be activated “anytime after dark by a kid with a flashlight.” Brosnihan has partnered

with Rhode Island schools and organizations to create these “magical” art pieces, providing “another way for the community to contribute to this project.”

Good Night Lights also receives support from the Tomorrow Fund for Children with Cancer, which works to “ease the traumatic financial and emotional stress of childhood cancer” for Rhode Island children and their families, according to the organization’s website. The fund has an account that supports the purchases of flashlights, flood lights, reflective

tape and other equipment, as well as the maintenance of existing automated lighting displays, Brosnihan said.

As for the future, Brosnihan hopes to continue partnering with local businesses and organizations to host special events and expand the initiative’s reach.

“The larger the project grows, the more support the patients and staff feel,” Brosnihan said. “It delights me every time there’s an addition.”

This article was originally published online on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL MURPHY / LIFESPAN AND DANA RICHIE / HERALD

The Good Night Lights tradition was started in 2010 by Steve Brosnihan, the resident cartoonist at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

late february visitant on birthdays

by Sydney Pearson

illustrated by Icy Liang

“Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.”

— “February” by Margaret Atwood ***

Every late February, during that final cold stretch of winter when all creatures yearn for the green hues of March, my birthday comes to pay a visit. I tend to be sitting at the window, awaiting springtime with mild impatience. I listen for the whistle of birdsong, search for the soft green buds on the trees, eye the bars on my windows in hopes that a squirrel will scamper past. But my birthday, when the groundhog feels like a cruel memory and all the red roses from the month’s great holiday have withered, must first make her pilgrimage to my doorstep. She comes bearing nothing but reminders of all that has passed and shows up shivering, illequipped for the late winter cold. As she knocks, I peer through the peephole hoping that maybe, if I remain silent long enough, she’ll walk away, cancel her visit for the year.

She wasn't always an unwelcome visitor. I once excitedly awaited her arrival, celebrating her return, year after year. I loved how her presence would

give me the power to choose what my family would eat, who to invite to my sleepover a week later, and what activity we would do that time around. After an afternoon at the movies or painting pottery or wandering around the mall, my friends and I would set up beds around my room and stay up whispering in the dark about the drama at school and all the boys we had crushes on. The next morning, we would wake up and make waffles smothered in syrup and powdered sugar in the kitchen, the weekend sunlight shining through the windows.

But as I grew older, the yearly visit from my birthday became less of a novelty. The combination of a string of not-so-great birthdays in middle school, my growing dislike of attention in high school, and the overall exhaustion of worrying about everyone else's needs all led to my hesitation surrounding my birthday’s yearly trip. While I didn’t avoid the celebration altogether, I scaled down, preferred festivities without all the fanfare.

Going into college, the apathy about Late February’s arrival grew, except this time it became replaced with mild dread. The dreariness of my first Providence winter...

NARRATIVE

impermanence

on laying down roots

by Marin Warshay

In seventh grade, we had a long-term substitute teacher for social studies because our teacher had fallen down the stairs. Besides his need to remind us he wasn’t strict (he was “just preparing us for the real world”), I only have one memory from his time as my teacher: He made me cry. No—he made me have an existential crisis, the first I can remember having, but certainly not the last. He told the class that whatever we chose to do in the future wouldn’t matter because the world was ending anyways.

My stomach churned for the rest of the day until I was able to go home, flop on my floor, and sob. This is the first time I can remember consciously breaking down about the climate crisis. Granted, I was also having an intense pubescent mood-swing—but I felt betrayed, fearful, dizzily confused, and sad. I was sitting in my room, surrounded by pictures to commemorate my life, stuffed animals I was gifted as a baby, various books I love, and the clothes that I wore to snuggly hug my body. I was secure, sheltered, but fearful of the innate uncertainty one experiences as a human in today’s world. I was as protected as anyone could be, and yet I found myself looking around my room, playing that game...

i love me best <3

by Ellie Jurmann

The last time I was supposed to write for post-, I got dumped. Just as I was about to start my piece, my world shattered, the future I imagined for myself came crumbling down, and the person I thought was the love of my life no longer wished to be in mine at all. Thoughts of writing or school work were lost amid my suffocating grief.

To those in my life who did not know about my breakup, let alone my then-boyfriend’s existence, this is probably a bit confusing. If I never mentioned him, it is because I did not wish to introduce someone who might not be in my life for the long haul. I now feel that I made the right choice, but I do wish for you to know me as a result of my recent experiences.

I do not write this with any ill will against my now ex-boyfriend, which is why I will refer to him as X instead of using his name. X, if you are reading this, hi. Thank you for everything, including breaking my heart.

—Siena

Normally I am very good at coping with loss, especially because I like myself and am pretty damn good at cheering myself up. The problem with this breakup, though, was I felt like X was my perfect match. We are both nerdy, silly, obsessed with food and music and dogs, and we never failed to have the best time in each other’s presence. In six months of dating, we never even got into a single fight. When he ended things, I could not comprehend why someone so seemingly right for me was brought into my life just to be ripped away...

“I’d like to think that finding each other here and now makes our embrace warmer, more incredible, and even more undeserved. I’d like to think it was always supposed to be this way.”

—Kaitlan Bui, “Regret is a Four Letter Word”

“As the record spins, so do we. I smile into his shoulder as we sway in a Denver house, the mountains tall and silent above our basement shadowbox.”

Capone, “Oh, This Old Thing?” 4.9.21

chopin on the beach a love letter to piano

by Leanna Bai

The first chord of Chopin’s Nocturne No. 13 is a low, resounding C that beckons you—slow, crashing waves meet your feet as the moon gazes at your form. Hands alternate between soft bass notes that sink into your core and a high-pitched melody that yearns. This dance drives you through the scene, a steady march toward some impending doom.

This Chopin piece occupies its own little room in my heart. My piano teacher introduced it to me when I was 16, and I quickly decided to take on the challenge of doing it justice. It is dark, angsty, and swimming with emotion too vast to convey with words, perfectly fit for the turbulent teenage mind.

When I play a piece, I conjure stories that go along with the mood and tone of the piece—a habit that began in early childhood. I have pictured bunnies hopping in fields, bells clanging in a small European town, and shimmery water that bounces in a fountain. Piano has allowed me to explore emotions and perspectives that do not belong to me, to occupy a new space or temporality by uniting myself with figures of the past, hidden objects, and neglected moments.

“It is dreadful when something weighs on your mind, not to have a soul to unburden yourself to. You know what I mean. I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.”

— Frédéric Chopin

Chopin wrote dramatic compositions that bared his soul to pianists centuries later, and in the six minutes that I play his work, I latch onto a piece of it. I am the composer standing in the waves, contemplating the depths of my loneliness.

His words settle in the pit of my stomach. As I play through his composition, the melody pierces a still night sky—its arc feels like a call that dissipates into the rough edges of the shore. The nocturne tricks you into thinking you’ve reached its end, steady chromatic chords dragging the listener toward home, but your eyes scan the surrounding beach and meet the kindred gaze of the moon.

The piece continues. My fingers land on a soft yet resonant C major chord. I pause for a beat too long, feeling the sound waves in perfect harmony crash into my body. C major, commonly designated for joyful celebrations or grand openings, takes on a different tonality—a certain sorrow with a sliver of hope. This section is part funeral march, part serenade.

The moon glows on a pitch black backdrop. Eyes glued to the celestial body, you scale the jagged rocks of the shore, yet to be smoothed by the tides. The rich harmonies rush through the air as a gust of wind, encouraging your steady climb...

live from the airport mcdonalds writing away the woes

by Sarah Kim

Monday, 4:33 p.m.: I am sitting at the McDonalds in the Barcelona airport and the world feels off-kilter. This is what happened: I walk up to the desk and they tell me the gate closes in 10 minutes. Why didn’t I call the cab earlier? I should’ve done things differently, but I can always run, or beg them to re-open the door, or plead to cut the lines, so panic will wait until those things fail. They ask me if I have some sort of number. I spend five minutes looking for my grandparent's address, assuming that is what they want. I feel awkward and silly trying to locate it by looking up various buildings I know exist nearby, scrambling to quietly sound out and type the names using my Korean keyboard. I finally find it and, feeling accomplished, proudly hand my phone to the agent with their address written in clear text. He looks at it and asks me, No, do you have the visa number to enter Korea?

My gut wrenches. It is like forgetting about a bill, and then receiving the statement in the mail to see that it has significantly increased. My mom mentioned something about needing a visa once. Why did I wave it off, thinking it would resolve itself?...

7. BuBi, a bicycle sharing system in Budapest

8. (.)(.)

9. Mine ;)

10. Booby prize (awarded in recognition of a last place finish ;)

LIFESTYLE

a chronological guide to endless joy

of friends, fun, and farewells

by Aditi Marshan

After four years at Brown, I have amassed a list of the must-do things that I credit with having made my time so special. Treat it like a bucket list, treat it like a guide, or treat it like a nostalgic senior’s reflection on her happiest years.

1. Against all odds, make your first friends. You’re moving continents to be here, and you don’t know it but you’ve hit the jackpot—the international orientation will hand you your first friends in this place.

abbrieviations

post- mini crossword 11

by Will Hassett

2. Take any chance you get to swap words with someone that speaks a different language. What’s your word for “king”? What’s your word for “goddess”? For “beauty,” for “sorrow,” for “monster”? Don’t be surprised when you discover how many words your languages share. You have four years to find them all. You’ve met Aaron and together you’ll build your own language.

3. When the girl from a city you’ve never heard of wants to take you down to Waterfire, go with her. Walk in the warm yellow glow, magnified a million times by the folds on the river’s surface. Look, listen, and learn— you’ve met Khushi. You don’t know yet why you see each other so clearly, why this feels so much like talking...

“You know synesthesia? I don’t have it. But right now it really feels like I can taste shapes.””

Boobs

1. -y trap

2. Blue-footed

3. Boob Darling (1903-1968), American football player

4. 5318008

5. Drake and Josh

6. Booby Island (Kimberley), Western Australia

didn’t like hide-and-seek because I was scared people would forget about me.”

Brown professor co-leads project studying heart tissues, aging on space station

peter Lee ’94 phD ’03 MD ’05 helps direct multi-institutional project on aging

BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

peter Lee ’94 phD’03 MD’05, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, is helping lead a research project that studies heart tissues on the International Space Station. The project — a recent collaboration with researchers from Johns Hopkins University — aims to learn about the impact of low gravity on cellular conditions and possible ways to mitigate the effects of aging, according to a University press release.

Heart tissue samples launched to the International Space Station last month returned to Earth in mid-April and are now being studied by researchers in St. petersburg, Florida, according to a Johns Hopkins press release. During their experiments, astronauts on the space station introduced “FDA-approved medicines … to prevent heart cell changes” that may occur in flight.

On the space station, the team monitored the tissue’s mitochondria — tiny organelles which provide energy to cells — and how the heart cells contract in low gravity, according to the Johns Hopkins press release.

But the results of the study extend well beyond the space station and have

ARTS &

CULTURE

far-reaching implications on Earth, Lee said. Studies on the space station can act as “a model … that is similar to aging in a very (short) period of time.”

In a prior related experiment also partially helmed by Lee, researchers observed how the low-gravity environment of space impacted untreated heart tissues. The most recent experiment looks to follow up on this initial study, observing the impact of various medicines on the cells.

Researchers have seen “irregular heart rhythms (and) changes to the mitochondria” in space that appear similar to the hearts of aging patients

on Earth, he added.

Deok-Ho Kim, professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins, is the primary investigator on the project, while Lee is a co-investigator. Kim said the two met at a research conference and later became close colleagues and friends.

When they were both applying for the same grant, the two professors decided that “rather than (competing) with each other,” they would collaborate on a single, stronger proposal, Lee said.

According to Kim, current models for studying aging may not be the most representative of human physiology. A

common method is to use “two-year-old mice,” he explained.

“But we are not mice, and 24 months cannot predict the … 70-year-old human being,” Kim said. “We are dealing with human tissue … so it’d be, in theory, more predictable (for) human aging.”

Lee’s study utilizes “tissue-on-achip” technology, which acts as a miniaturized model of human organs and serves as a substitute for sending actual human heart cells to space, Lee said.

“It potentially could reduce — if not eliminate — the need for doing animal testing,” he added.

This model is also more scientifically

rigorous compared to studying individual cells, but easier and cheaper than animal studies, especially when studying multiple treatments.

Both Kim and Lee expressed that in space research, there is no room for mistakes. “If there’s any mistake or any defect, we won’t be able to get any data,” Kim said.

“Often, it takes a couple of years of planning to do this one experiment,” Lee said. “It’s a very different way of thinking, and also very frustrating (and) limiting, because there’s only so much you can do.”

Lee has long been interested in space research. During his time at Warren Alpert Medical School, he worked in the lab of Herman Vandenburgh, professor emeritus of molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology and of pathology and laboratory medicine, “specifically because (Vandenburgh) was doing work with NASA,” Lee said.

From this experience, Lee decided to pursue a combined MD-phD with Vanderburgh as his advisor. During this period, Lee took a year off to receive a master’s degree in space studies from the International Space University.

After holding faculty positions at other universities, Lee was excited to be able to return to College Hill as a research faculty member in 2020, according to the University press release.

“It’s always exciting to be back to your alma mater,” he said. “I’m really excited about being able to give back and work (with) students … in the way that I’ve been helped by my mentors.”

‘Afrofantasia: The Journey of Iyanu’ opens at Granoff Center

performance portrays first part of 300-page novel written by Jason Tristan Brown ’23

BY MAGDALENA DEL VALLE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Wednesday evening marked the opening night of “Afrofantasia: The Journey of Iyanu,” a play written by Jason Tristan Brown ’23 and produced by Rites and Reason Theatre.

The performance brings to life the first part of a 300-page novel Jason Tristan Brown started writing in high school. After declaring an independent concentration in Black Speculative Arts and Afrofuturism, he worked with Elmo Terry-Morgan ’74, associate professor of Africana studies and Theatre Arts & performance Studies, to turn part of his book into a play as his capstone project.

To help the play reach its full potential, Terry-Morgan offered a class, AFRI 1050L:“RpM playwriting: Advanced and Staging” this spring. The course focused on producing the performance and allowed other students to participate in the endeavor.

Jason Tristan Brown’s play follows Iyanu, an orphan who has been adopted into a forest tribe, and the many challenges he faces as an outsider. When a mysterious illness that endows community members with straight yellow hair and blue eyes befalls the tribe, Iyanu and his two siblings must travel around Africa in search of a cure.

“Our hero Iyanu must travel an uncharted path in this fantastical pan-Af-

rican odyssey made possible with the support of friends, spirits and a bit of magic,” reads the play’s program, which was written by Gina Rodriguez-Drix ’08.5, the Department of Africana Studies’ events and performance manager.

Jason Tristan Brown told The Herald that he wrote “Afrofantasia” because he “really wanted to fill a void in the shelf.” As an admirer of authors Octavia E. Butler and Toni Morrison, he wanted to write a piece of fantasy that incorporated African culture.

The performance featured elaborate costumes and an extensive forest set design. Actors also used various masks and puppets in different scenes.

Haider Dhalla ’25, one of the students who participated in Terry-Morgan’s class, said that what made this performance unique was “the potential, the scale, the creation of an entirely different world.”

Throughout the semester, Terry-Morgan and his co-director Connie Crawford, adjunct lecturer in Theatre

Arts & performance Studies, invited different professionals to guide students through workshops ranging from singing and movement to storytelling.

Erminio pinque — artistic director of BIG NAZO, a providence-based performance group and studio — taught the actors how to move with puppets. And Frederick Fraleigh, who has worked on movies such as “Captain America” and “The Hunger Games,” helped bring to life the masks and puppets used throughout “Afrofantasia.”

“I was blown away,” audience member Tierra Williams ’24.5 told The Herald after the performance, noting that she liked “the creative use of scale.”

While the play tackles serious themes such as violence and segregation, Jason Tristan Brown did not intend for it to be political. “I’m not someone who writes things to be political. I’m not someone who writes things with an agenda,” he said. “I’m just telling a story.” performances of “Afrofantasia” will continue until Friday, April 29.

COURTESY OF JODI MILLER / BROWN UNIVERSITY

The study uses technology which replicates human organs and, if successful, could mitigate and even eliminate the need for animal testing to understand human hearts, according to Professor Peter Lee.

MAGDALENA DEL VALLE / HERALD

Jason Tristan Brown ’23 said that he wrote “Afrofantasia” because he wanted to create a fantasy novel that incorporated African culture.