Friday, February 18th, 2022

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 11

METRO

Attorney General rejects hospital merger AG Office cites threats of higher health costs, lower quality care, harmed labor market

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Ebony Manning named U. Title IX coordinator Former Connecticut College associate dean emphasizes person-first approach

BY CALEB LAZAR & ALEX NADIRASHVILI SECTION EDITORS

BY NEIL MEHTA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha rejected Lifespan and Care New England’s application to merge their health systems Thursday.

The merger would create an integrated health system with control of 80% of Rhode Island’s market for inpatient care, as well as establish an academic health system in partnership with the University, The Herald previously reported.

The Attorney General’s office will join the Federal Trade Commission in filing a lawsuit to block the merger, Neronha announced at a Thursday press conference.

While the University touted the research benefits of an academic health system and commissioned a

LEON JIANG / HERALD

R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that the Attorney General’s office will join the FTC in filing a lawsuit to block the merger. report which found that the proposed merger would bring economic benefits, advocates voiced concerns that hospital consolidation would raise prices, weaken the job market and potentially lead to the cutting of care services.

If the merger were to pass, “the state’s healthcare market (would shift) from one in which there is healthy competition to a virtual monopoly,” according to a press release from the

Attorney General’s office.

In the official 150-page decision released Thursday, Neronha wrote that “if this extraordinary and unprecedented level of control and consolidation were allowed to go forward, nearly all Rhode Islanders would see their health care costs go up, for health care that is lower in quality and harder to access, and

SEE MERGER PAGE 5

The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity named Ebony Manning the new University Title IX coordinator, according to a Jan. 26 Today@Brown announcement.

Manning comes to the University from Connecticut College, where she was the associate dean for equity and compliance programs and Title IX coordinator. Prior to her tenure at Connecticut College, Manning received a law degree and a master’s of law focused on international and comparative sports law and a master’s degree in sociology. Before working in higher education, Manning spent 12 years in the field of social services, an experience that shaped her approach to Title IX.

“A lot of my work (in social services) focused on helping individuals who have experienced all sorts of trauma,” Manning wrote in an email to The Herald. “I’ve learned that you have to deal with the human that’s in front of you — the whole human … I bring that approach to Title IX.” To Manning, this approach includes “offering support such as counseling services, advocacy, etc., to an individual in addition to the work that is being done at the Title IX Office.”

Alongside her Title IX experience, Manning brings a “holistic approach” to campus, which entails focusing “on a person’s wellness and not just their current illness, condition or situation,” she wrote.

“I understand Title IX laws and regulations, but I also understand and appreciate that there is a human being who has experienced something traumatic,” Manning wrote. “And they need support and guidance.”

SEE MANNING PAGE 5

METRO

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. experts, students discuss Activists address RI housing instability Russia-Ukraine conflict City allocates $495k Community members reflect on tumultuous history, growing tensions

BY ISHITAA GUPTA SENIOR STAFF WRITER Escalating tensions along the Russia-Ukraine border have led to worldwide worries of an imminent Russian invasion.

University professors and Ukrainian students who lived through Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea discussed the historical roots and modern implications of these conflicts with The Herald.

In October 2021, Russia began moving troops, heavy weaponry and military equipment to its Ukrainian border. In December 2021, the Russian foreign ministry issued a set of demands which included a ban on Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These demands were rejected by NATO, which did not rescind its 2008 commitment that Ukraine would eventually become a member.

“You have to go back to the fall of the Soviet Union” to find the origins of this conflict, said Joe Colleyshaw GS, who is working towards his PhD in Slavic Studies.

The Soviet Union was a multi-ethnic state, Colleyshaw explained. After its fall at the end of the Cold War, “you did not just have the collapse of a country … (but also) the transition from authoritarianism or hybrid systems to a more democratic system.”

Colleyshaw, who specializes in contemporary Russian memory and cultural identity, believes that Russia’s history is tightly intertwined with that of Ukraine.

“If you look at Ukrainian history from 2000 onwards, … it’s like a pendulum oscillating between taking more Western approaches to integration with Europe or taking stances more toward Russia,” Colleyshaw said.

Language plays a large role in this connection. “In the 1990s, a huge proportion of the Ukrainian population (was) either Russian-speaking or ethnically Russian (and) had a shared sense of identity” with Russia, he added.

SEE UKRAINE PAGE 10

to Crossroads after sleep-out protest to address housing crisis

BY ELYSEE BARAKETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER In December, Mayor Jorge Elorza granted $495,000 in federal emergency COVID-19 response funding to Crossroads RI, a service provider for people experiencing housing instability across the state. The decision followed 16 consecutive nights of a sleep-out protest at the Rhode Island State House organized

by State Senator Cynthia Mendes to advocate for housing justice.

Since then, activists combatting homelessness have continued working to address housing instability, with many hoping the state will do more to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis.

A statewide housing crisis According to Crossroads, about 4,000 people experience homelessness annually in Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness counted a total of 1,267 people experiencing homelessness in the state on the night of Jan. 26, 2021

U. News

U. News

Metro

Niles ’22 competes in “Jeopardy! College Championship” Page 2

Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship hosts Mentor in Focus event Page 5

State budget proposal to include climate initiatives Page 10

SOPHIA HOPKINS / HERALD

— an approximately 15% increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2020-21, the Coalition’s count of people experiencing homelessness who are aged 18-24 roughly doubled.

Eric Hirsch, an urban sociologist and professor at Providence College, explained that even with the new shel-

ter beds obtained through the government’s funding, shelters are at capacity with little turnover. He said that the pandemic and evictions are to blame.

Hirsch added that the current housing market in Rhode Island “forces peo-

SEE HOUSING PAGE 8

TODAY TOMORROW

DESIGNED BY DANA TONEVA ’24 DESIGNER JULIA GROSMAN ’23 DESIGN EDITOR

58 / 20

40 / 18

NEIL MEHTA ’25 DESIGN EDITOR

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

METRO

Thayer, Ives, Wickenden businesses react to RI mask mandate lifting Stores, restaurants rely on personal judgment to decide mask requirements

BY ASHLEY GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER Rhode Island lifted the executive order that required indoor masking or proof of vaccination in restaurants or businesses Feb. 11, The Herald previously reported. Now, the decision rests on business owners to enact masking requirements based on their own comfort level and assessment of public health concerns.

While businesses on Thayer, Ives and Wickenden streets had varied reactions to the lifted mask mandate, owners and managers are basing their masking policies on personal concerns and priorities.

For Blue State Coffee at 300 Thayer St, masking requirements are still being decided, according to manager Phil Derr-Hackman.

“We have our own mask requirement that’s still in place that we initially put in response to the mandate, but we’re reluctant to lift it,” Derr-Hackman said. “We’re still deciding whether we want to continue the requirement.”

The cafe’s previous rule was that customers must wear a mask while not actively eating or drinking, but it was difficult to enforce, Derr-Hackman added. “Since the mandate was lifted, it’s become even more awkward because it

often turns into a debate.”

Currently, Derr-Hackman sees the decision to require customers to mask as a dilemma — he is torn between avoiding conflicts with customers and prioritizing health and safety.

“On the one hand, these little confrontations that happen over (masking) are unpleasant, and I’d certainly prefer to not have that,” he said. “But on the other hand, the safety concern is real.”

Derr-Hackman said he has been discussing the masking policy with his staff, and that he would prefer that staff continue to mask as they determine the rules for customers. “For me, it’s more important that everyone feels safe,” he said. “That’s been my mantra.”

Over at 150 Ives St, Silver Star Bakery continues to require masking indoors. George Ferreira, manager and the son of Silver Star Bakery’s owners, said they are basing this decision on the number of positive COVID-19 cases locally. Within Rhode Island, the most recent peak in cases was 5,369 cases Jan. 11, according to The New York Times.

Since then, the number of cases has decreased to a daily average of 380 cases on Feb. 17.

Ferreira felt like the mask mandate was lifted too early, and said they will feel comfortable removing the masking requirement in the bakery once case numbers decrease further. “The numbers don’t lie,” Ferreira said.

Ferreira shared that some customers would enter the bakery without masks, citing that the masking mandate had

been lifted, but were largely understanding about the bakery’s masking requirement.

“We kept the sign up just for the safe side, and most customers have been obeying it,” Ferreira said.

Gary D’Amario, owner of City Gardens Flower Shop on 284 Wickenden St., has a sign on the door that indicates unvaccinated individuals must wear masks.

D’Amario noted that he has three COVID-19 vaccinations. But, even if an unvaccinated individual enters the store without a mask, “I don’t see it as a threat to me personally,” he said.

Rhode Island has the highest percentage of vaccinated residents in the country, The Herald previously reported. Because of this, D’Amario said that he is not too concerned about contracting the virus. However, he still prefers that unvaccinated individuals who enter his store wear masks.

“Monday was Valentine’s Day, and there were too many people in the store all day, but most of them were young, student-type people and they all wore masks, so there was no problem,” D’Amario said.

D’Amario said he’s most concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and disease from traveling, especially with the influx of college students after school breaks.

He shared that he is not basing his decision on masks in his shop on the actions of the government of Rhode Island. Instead, he will consider lifting the masking requirement in his shop once other states in New England lift

COURTESY OF ETHAN KAN VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Businesses now decide their masking requirements depending on their comfort level and assessment of public health concerns. their mandates, he said.

“Anybody from Rhode Island is going to go to New Hampshire and Maine and Vermont skiing all winter long,” D’Amario added. “And then you’ve got to figure out what their mask mandates are.”

A block down, Nostalgia Antiques and Collectibles at 236 Wickenden St. does not have an indoor masking requirement.

“The mask mandate should have been lifted a long time ago,” owner James Fennessy said. Fennessy based his opinion on evidence that vaccines offer protection against severe illness and death due to COVID-19 infection, and the state’s high vaccination rate.

Fennessy said that he doesn’t watch

case numbers, and that he does not see COVID-19 as a threat anymore due to vaccination rates.

Local businesses’ responses to the masking mandate being lifted vary based on the personal opinions and priorities of owners, as well as the challenge of avoiding conflict with customers while also creating an environment that employees can feel comfortable in.

“It’s a trade-off. From a customer service perspective, I’m a lot more personable when you can see my face,” Derr-Hackman said. “But we’ve had a few people around get COVID and cause us all kinds of trouble. Fortunately they were vaccinated … but we still need to take precautions.”

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Max Niles ’22 reflects on “Jeopardy! College Championships” His quarterfinal loss aired on television Feb. 11 after months of secrecy

BY NICK MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER Over the weekend of Nov. 20, 2021, Max Niles ’22 had a secret.

Telling his friends that he was taking an early Thanksgiving break to visit his Washington, D.C. home, he turned off his location on FindMyFriends and hopped on a plane to Los Angeles. He would spend the next several days there, conducting rehearsals, filming promos and competing in “Jeopardy!

National College Championship.”

The episodes would not be aired until February, so his silence was imperative.

“They warned us a million times, ‘You cannot tell anyone!’” Niles said.

He divulged the secret to a few close loved ones, but others wouldn’t find out until January when the trailer was released, he said. Even those he did tell didn’t know the result.

Niles’s episode was finally broadcast last Friday, revealing that he was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

But for Niles, who grew up watching the show with his grandparents, the experience was still “fantastic.”

“The first time I was on the stage, I (thought), ‘Wow, this is really happen-

ing. I’m about to be on ‘Jeopardy!’’” he said.

“We’ve been watching the show since we were little kids, and we were always competing to get the answers right,” said Niles’s older sister Grayce Niles.

Niles even took the test for “Jeopardy! Kids Week” as an adolescent but never heard back, he said.

According to his sister, those experiences, as well as Niles’s personality, gave him the ingredients for his appearance on “Jeopardy!” “He has always had a great memory … and also we’ve grown up in a family that’s very into current events,” she said, noting that their father, a law professor, hosted Trivial Pursuit contests with his students.

While Niles didn’t make the cut as a kid, his college attempt was different.

With 26,000 other students from over 4,000 schools auditioning, he was one of 36 to receive an invitation to compete at the National Championship for the grand prize of $100,000.

Niles said he applied after a friend had sent a link to the 50-question preliminary test in a group chat. He was soon invited to take a similar test conducted over Zoom, where his score was high enough to enter the final round: a live question format in which contestants clicked their pens to imitate buzzers.

He was told he was in the contestant pool in February 2021 but didn’t hear anything more for months. Though he assumed he hadn’t been selected, he finally received a call in October telling

COURTESY OF MAX NILES

As a child, Max Niles ’22 applied for Jeopardy! Kids Week but never received a response. him he’d be on the show.

On Friday, Nov. 20, Niles arrived at the studio in Culver City, California.

After a Saturday full of legal briefings, practice runs and what he described as “cringey” promotional videos, Niles took to the stage Sunday morning alongside Jaskaran Singh of the University of Texas at Austin and Sarah Salisbury from the University of Southern California.

Niles said he hadn’t studied heavily, especially about betting strategies and buzzer timing. “I’m a busy student,” he said. “I don’t really have time to watch “Jeopardy!” and read the books.”

During the game, he had considerable difficulty buzzing at the right time, he said. “Until the first commercial break, I was just really, really nervous on stage. So I kept on messing up with the buzzer.”

Niles successfully buzzed 17% of

the time, compared to the 72% of the eventual winner, Singh, according to the official “Jeopardy!” box score. “If I had to do it over again, I would look at how to buzz in because that’s the most important thing,” he said.

Niles, a history and public policy concentrator, said his expertise centers around history, sports, and music. In the game, he said, he particularly jumped at the chance to answer a question about one-man rock band Tame Impala.

Niles said he hosted a watch party for the episode when it aired, during which people soon realized he would not be victorious, recalling that everyone realized Singh was “very good, very quickly.” “I think everyone in the crowd was like, ‘I don’t think Max is going to win this,’” he said, laughing.

Still, he appreciated the unique experience. “It’s crazy to watch yourself on national television,” he said.

Niles’s sister echoed this sentiment.

“Coming out of it, he was so excited about it, he was so happy about the experience that … it didn’t matter that he didn’t win,” she said.

The appearance has also given him a kind of celebrity status at Brown. “Now people look at me on campus and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is so weird,’” Niles said.

Niles was the first to represent Brown at the College Championship since Dhruv Gaur ’21, who won the 2018 tournament as a freshman.

Gaur would later return to the show and go viral for sending a heartwarming message to host Alex Trebek during Final Jeopardy.

Gaur told The Herald he also gained campus-wide fame, which peaked when he crowd surfed at Spring Weekend. But, he added, “Once it was over, I was still trying to find myself as a first-year at a new school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. All those things stayed the same.

Just in the middle (of college), there was this crazy, really cool experience that I had.”

Gaur said he doesn’t watch “Jeopardy!” every day anymore, but he was sure to tune in to Niles’s episode. “I had to watch Max,” he said. “Always good to see another Brown student (on ‘Jeopardy!’).”

His advice for aspiring “Jeopardy!” contestants at Brown? “Do what’s interesting to you. Read what’s interesting to you. If you like learning … it’ll pay off.”

But Niles’s advice was simpler: “Learn how to do the buzzer.”

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

3

SPORTS

Michael Hoecht ’20 wins Super Bowl with L.A. Rams Former Bears defensive tackle standout played 21 games in his first full season

BY PETER SWOPE SPORTS EDITOR Two years ago, former Brown football defensive tackle star Michael Hoecht ’20 was preparing to navigate the NFL Draft process — an already daunting task for Ivy League prospects that was complicated by pandemic restrictions that prevented in-person workouts with scouts. Last spring, Hoecht was coming off a year spent on the Los Angeles Rams practice squad and preparing to fight to make the team’s active roster, The Herald previously reported. Now, less than two years after COVID-19 threatened to derail his NFL aspirations, Hoecht has earned one of the most coveted awards in American sports: a Super Bowl ring.

Upon winning the championship against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hoecht felt an elation that still doesn’t fully feel real to him. “I feel like I might still just be in shock because I don’t know if it’s really sunk in,” he told The Herald. “It was an absolute blast on the sidelines and just being able to celebrate with (your) teammates and the guys that you just went to battle with all season (was a) really fun experience.”

Winning a Super Bowl is “every kid’s dream, (and) that’s been my dream and it’s just been …really special for me to be a part of,” he added.

What struck James Perry ’00, Brown football head coach, after watching Hoecht’s first competitive NFL season is that “he belongs.”

“Here’s a guy who has the size of an elite NFL player, a guy coming off the ball with speed. I always knew the tenacity that he played (with)”, Perry said. “He absolutely belongs on that NFL field and he belongs in that Super Bowl locker room.”

Michael Donovan, Brown’s defensive line coach and Hoecht’s position coach during his senior season, was

COURTESY OF MICHAEL HOECHT

Hoecht played 100% of the Rams’ special teams snaps during the National Football Conference Championship and the Super Bowl. able to “see Mike doing what he did in college,” he said. “He’s a high-effort guy. He’s a high motor guy; he runs to the ball. He’s making tackles on special teams.”

Because Hoecht spent the 202021 season on the Rams practice squad and there were no preseason games in 2020, this past year brought his first real taste of NFL game action. But he was up for the task: Hoecht appeared in every single Rams game of the 2021-22 season. Between the three-game preseason, 17-game regular season slate and four-game postseason, Hoecht took the field all 24 times between August and February.

“It just takes some getting used to and it takes some adjustment,” he said of the experience. “That’s part of being on the active roster — your first year is not only managing how to play ball but managing how to keep that longevity throughout the season and maintain your strength (and) speed.”

Hoecht credited the team’s training staff with helping him manage the physical toll of such a lengthy, intense schedule. “Our training staff (does) a really, really good job (of) giving us the tools we need to recover and (take) care of” our bodies, he said, adding that

this involves massages, treatments, and “taking care of the bumps and bruises.”

“It’s also mentally recovering from the games and making sure that you take your deep breaths when you can and then lock and load and get ready for the next week,” Hoecht said.

Hoecht saw limited in-game action with the Rams defense, playing only a small percentage of the team’s overall defensive snaps and recording seven total tackles in the year. But Hoecht found other ways to help the team, emerging as a core special teamer who saw the field on most special teams plays. “The NFL is a ‘more you can do’ league,” he said. “If there’s any way that I can be on the field helping the team win a world title, that’s going to be my job. That was definitely part of my development and (growth).”

Donovan emphasized that playing on special teams gives Hoecht an immediate opportunity to help his team. “You don’t typically make the active roster every week if you can’t contribute — he’s playing a monster role in their special teams, which has been great,” he said. “He’s so big and he’s so fast, it’s just perfect for special teams.”

Even on special teams alone,

Hoecht can still make a major impact in the NFL, according to Perry. He specifically mentioned Zak DeOssie ’07 and Sean Morey ’99 as other Brown football alums who had successful careers as special teams players. “Those guys who do what he’s doing have tremendous value monetarily and from a roster-building perspective,” Perry said. “Michael will be very motivated by the fact that there’s a lot of guys who’ve had long careers” as special teamers.

Though Hoecht did not see any defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, he reprised his role as a core special teams player, playing 100% of the Rams’ special teams snaps — a feat he also accomplished in the NFC Championship Game. Hoecht made the most of his opportunities, making an impressive play to avert a special teams disaster. Early in the second quarter, a blown Rams extra point attempt ended up with the Bengals in possession of the ball and attempting to return it for two points.

All-Pro Safety Jessie Bates III had the ball and was close to breaking free when Hoecht — who is over a hundred pounds heavier than Bates — caught him from behind to make an impressive openfield tackle.

Next year’s Rams roster and coach-

ing staff may look different, but Hoecht is ready for whatever comes. “Especially when you start to have repeated success, like the Rams have had for the last couple years, coaches come in and out,” he said. “That’s not really something that’s different for me … coaching changes have been a pretty regular part of my football career.”

Upon ending a grueling 24-game season, Hoecht is already preparing himself for next year. After taking an additional two weeks off, he plans to return to California to begin his offseason training. “One of the hardest things to do in the world is win a Super Bowl,” he said. “And the great part about it is in a couple of weeks we shake it off and start getting ready for next season to try and go do it again.”

Hoecht remains closely connected to Brown football, noting that he has been in contact with EJ Perry ’21.5 as Perry navigates the NFL Draft process. “I’m going to be excited to see where he ends up,” Hoecht said.

“He’s going to be the next Brown University football player in the NFL, and he’s the perfect kid to continue that legacy.”

“We all share that bond of playing at Brown, and we all chose Brown because we love the school and we love the football team there,” he said. “There really aren’t that many of us (in the NFL), so it’s a small brotherhood.”

Hoecht and Donovan added that, since 2000, Brown leads the Ivy League in Super Bowl championships won.

James Develin ’10 won three rings with the New England Patriots, DeOssie won a pair with the New York Giants and Hoecht, Chas Gessner ’03 and Morey all won one apiece.

Donovan believes that Hoecht has the potential to make an even greater impact in the NFL, especially after seeing his rapid development over his first two years in the league.

“He just needs to keep doing what’s made him successful, which is being a dependable, reliable guy, having that athleticism and (continuing to grow) as a player,” Donovan said. For Hoecht, he said, “the sky is the limit.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

ARTS & CULTURE

‘Tinder Swindler’: a cautionary tale turned redemption story Three women tell story of their relationships with conman

BY MAGDALENA DEL VALLE SENIOR STAFF WRITER It’s your classic modern romance.

A girl swipes right on an attractive Israeli man on Tinder. It’s a match!

The two talk on the app and then begin messaging through WhatsApp. After a romantic and glamorous first date at London’s Four Seasons Hotel, he invites her to travel with him to Bulgaria in his private jet that very day. A month into the relationship, she’s convinced it’s true love. He asks her to move in and she begins hunting for apartments.

He tells her their budget is $15,000 per month.

Then, he starts asking her for money. He says his “enemies” are after him and that he needs to borrow her credit card. He maxes it out and asks her to take out a loan. Then another. Then some cash. Once she is nearly $250,000 in debt, she realizes something is terribly wrong.

While this nightmarish scenario may sound made-up, it was the unfortunate reality for Cecilie Fjellhøy after conman Simon Leviev (born Shimon Hayut) charmed her on the popular dating app.

Directed by Felicity Morris, the British true-crime documentary “The Tin-

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

When three women fall victim to a conman’s dating app schemes, they band together to put a stop to his crimes. The recent Netflix true-crime documentary landed a spot on Netflix’s Top 10. der Swindler” aired on Netflix on Feb. 2. It follows the story of three women Leviev duped: Fjellhøy, Pernilla Sjoholm and Ayleen Charlotte.

The audience first meets Fjellhøy, a romantic who has spent years searching for the love of her life on Tinder.

Woven into Fjellhøy’s storyline is the tale of Sjoholm. While Sjoholm did not fall for Leviev’s romantic appeal, she remained friends with him and joined him on several trips, parties and dinners. When her “friend” told Sjoholm he was in trouble, she did not hesitate to help him out. She, too, in-

curred massive debt.

Charlotte, the third woman featured in the documentary, dated Leviev for 14 months. She loaned him money after he fed her the same story he gave the other two women: his “enemies” were after him, he needed to go off the grid and needed her money to do so.

While at first the “Tinder Swindler’’ appears to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of dating apps and the pervasiveness of conmen, it quickly morphs into a tale of redemption. While these three women may have independently

CA L E N DA R

fallen at the hands of Leviev, they band together to plot his demise. “Where this fairytale ends, a revenge thriller begins,” Netflix writes about the documentary.

The film itself, which currently sits on Netflix’s Top 10, is a part of the victims’ redemption. After all, it has exposed Leviev’s antics to millions of viewers within a matter of weeks. On Feb. 5, Fjellhøy, Sjoholm and Charlotte started a GoFundMe that has already raised more than $196,217 out of their $816,699 goal.

The documentary masterfully cap-

tures the trajectory of an unimaginable situation — a man charming and manipulating several women into giving him a fortune — becoming possible. “The Tinder Swindler” portrays the three women as sympathetic victims rather than foolish, love-sick romantics. Many viewers walk into the documentary cynically. They simply cannot imagine why anyone would give their boyfriend of one month hundreds of thousands of dollars. By the end, however, there is one question on the audience’s mind: “Could Simon Leviev have fooled me too?”

COVID -19 AT BROWN FEB. 10 TO FEB. 16

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371 Students in On-Campus, Designated Off-Campus Quarantine Housing

196* *APPROXIMATE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

5

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Holmes-Grant ’99, Brown ’22 discuss mentorship, entrepreneurship Speakers discuss benefits of finding mentor, maintaining relationship

BY EMILY FAULHABER SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship hosted a discussion Thursday afternoon titled “Each One, Teach One,” which looked into the best practices for finding a mentor and cultivating a relationship with them at the University and beyond. The event, led by Riche Holmes Grant ’99, entrepreneur in residence and Lauren Brown ’22, lead peer entrepreneur in residence, was part of the Mentoring in Focus series, a four-part series hosted by the Center that began in Jan. 2021. Holmes Grant participated in the event through Zoom, while Brown spoke in person at the Center.

The title of the event, “Each One, Teach One,” stems from an African proverb, Holmes Grant said, that originated in the United States during the time of slavery, when Black Americans were denied education.

Throughout the session, Holmes Grant told several anecdotes about ways she found mentors or offered her mentorship to others, and provided advice for students seeking out their own mentors.

Holmes Grant started the event by telling the story of finding a prominent mentor for the baby apparel company she started as a new mother, Bambini-

Ware.

As Holmes Grant worked on the venture, she said she was often compared to businesswoman Martha Stewart.

“After the tenth person (compared me to Stewart), I (decided) to step back and really (look) at how she builds her empire,” Holmes Grant said.

Holmes Grant found an event Stewart was holding at her headquarters in New York City with open attendance.

“I went and brought my baby accessories with me. I pulled (Stewart) aside and I said, ‘It’s so great to meet you and I love what you’re doing.’”

Stewart then proceeded to give Holmes Grant a business card and told her to reach out if Stewart could help her at all.

“So many times in my life, people have said that to me and I have not taken advantage,” Holmes Grant said.

But that time, she got back into contact with Stewart and they became brand partners in BambiniWare.

Taking advantage of opportunities was one of the focus points of the presentation. Holmes Grant and Brown instructed students to utilize platforms such as LinkedIn, BrownConnect, Women’s Launch Pad and the Nelson Entrepreneurship Center.

Holmes Grant also encouraged students to stay in touch with professors and family members to take advantage of relevant connections that they might have for a mentor.

The pair also emphasized the importance of respecting the mentor’s

EMILY FAULHABER / HERALD

Riche Holmes-Grant ’99 first began mentoring Lauren Brown ’22 after meeting her through the B-Lab program. time.

“Their time is very valuable. It shouldn’t be on the mentor to have to reach out (to the mentee),” Holmes Grant said.

Prior to meeting their mentor, Brown recommended that students also look them up on LinkedIn or Google to “get a feel for what sort of personal connections you may have.”

“Be careful in the beginning not to ask questions that are too personal and not to volunteer too much,” Brown said. “Just let (the relationship) grow.” Having realistic expectations of your mentor and trying “not to force” a match is also key to the success of a mentor-mentee relationship, both emphasized.

“Mentors are here to help you, but they’re not here to do your work for you,” Holmes Grant said.

Brown and Holmes Grant met at a pitch presentation when Brown was

MERGER FROM PAGE 1

COURTESY OF CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

With a doctorate and master’s degree in law, Ebony Manning spent 12 years in the field of social services before working in higher education.

MANNING FROM PAGE 1 At the University, Manning hopes to continue her initiatives from Connecticut College, including working “very closely with (Brown) Athletics and student-athletes, international students and students of color on different Title IX and sexual prevention initiatives.”

Juana De Los Santos, assistant vice president of equal opportunity and diversity at the OIED, wrote in an email to The Herald that the office “is delighted to have Ebony on board and excited for the growth that she will bring to Title IX.” De Los Santos noted that Manning “brings a wealth of knowledge, a deep understanding of the work and a people-focused approach that speaks volumes about her commitment to this body of work.”

Institutional Equity Investigator Jeana Horton served as interim Title IX Coordinator at the University

during the search, The Herald previously reported. Horton also chaired the search committee that selected Manning, according to the Jan. 26 announcement.

“Ebony approaches this work in a thoughtful and compassionate manner,” Horton wrote in an email to The Herald. “I am confident Ebony will build meaningful relationships with the campus community and partners across different departments.”

Horton wrote that Manning “demonstrated her knowledge about Title IX and a strong commitment to the field” in the search process and during interviews.

Manning, who arrives on campus this month, looks forward to her tenure at Brown, especially meeting community members and developing her personal skillset.

“I believe in pushing and challenging myself, always moving forward,” she added. “I believe I can do that here at Brown.”

Rhode Island’s health care workers would be harmed.”

“As detailed in the decision, expert analysis concluded that the new system’s increased leverage means prices could go up by at least 9% over and above regular cost increases,” according to the statement. “Insurers generally pass on increased healthcare costs to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums and higher out-of-pocket costs.”

The statement also cited “the absence of concrete financial and system integration plans’ to substantiate how the merger’s “benefits will be achieved,” as a contributor to Neronha’s decision.

“The parties’ application failed to tell the Attorney General what the merged system will look like, what exactly Brown University’s role will be, how the new system will deliver on these benefits, and why some of the innovations they propose cannot be undertaken by Lifespan and CNE without a merger,” the statement said.

According to the decision, the Attorney General’s investigation included collecting over 3.6 million documents and 20 statements under oath, retaining six outside experts and firms and receiving more than 250 public comments from both written testimony and three public comment meetings.

Neronha took time to specifically “acknowledge and thank those who actually make possible the delivery of healthcare in

a participant in the Center’s Breakthrough Lab program her junior year, a program that assists students with their ventures.

“I thought she was really cool. I met with a lot of students that day (and Lauren) was obviously serious about her venture,” Holmes Grant said in the event.

Brown said she also thought Holmes Grant was “so cool” and was excited about being paired with her as a potential mentor.

The relationship between the pair grew “organically” as Holmes Grant helped Brown develop her venture and ultimately assisted with classes, plans for life after college and “just life in general,” Holmes Grant added.

Brown, who is concentrating in Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations, began her venture, Figured, in her junior year. Figured offers customized natural hair care

this state.”

“These nurses, doctors, technicians and operational and administrative staff have cared for all of us, and they have done so throughout this pandemic, and all of its associated challenges,” he said.

President of United Nurses and Allied Professionals Lynn Blais responded to Nernoha’s decision in an official statement released Thursday.

“The UNAP strongly disagrees with the Attorney General’s rejection of the hospital merger. It is clear that Care New England is in dire financial straits, and in no financial condition to sustain their operations as they currently are,” Blais wrote. “The merger of these two groups could be our last, best chance to ensure a healthy, stable, not-for-profit healthcare system that stays under Rhode Island control.”

The rejection “has now opened the door for three more Rhode Island hospitals — Women and Infants, Kent and Butler — to be sold to an out of state, for-profit corporation who will almost certainly put shareholder profits ahead of quality patient care,” Blais added. “The people of Rhode Island can’t afford another buyer who wants to come in and suck every last nickel out of these hospitals.”

Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi addressed the decision in a statement released Thursday.

“I thank the presidents, members of the boards of directors and the teams at both Lifespan and Care New England for their hard work on this proposed merger application,”

guidance to women with Afro-textured hair and offers products for caretaking from Black-owned businesses.

“I started off getting mentoring for my specific startup,” Brown said.

“Once I paused work on (Figured), our relationship started to change and it started to become more about personal development.”

Brown said she learned “vision-boarding” from Holmes Grant — and she also likes that they are now able to “brainstorm and do events like this together.”

One audience member, Trisha Ballakur ‘22, is a CTO for startup app Pointz, which aims to provide scooter riders and bicyclists with “bike-friendly routing,” The Herald previously reported. For Ballakur, finding a mentor was “a little bit slower,” but ultimately successful. She attended the presentation to better understand what a productive mentor-mentee relationship looks like.

“Hearing (about) the relationship between (Holmes Grant) and (Brown) was super refreshing,” she said.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Holmes Grant also spoke about a new initiative that will be coming to the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship this month that will connect Black students interested in entrepreneurship to Black mentors.

“The benefit of having a mentor is really the personal development side,” Holmes Grant said. “Learn their story, take advice along the way, because you can carry that for the rest of your life.”

Shekarchi said. “I encourage the two hospital groups and Brown University to immediately terminate their exclusivity agreement and explore all options available to them in the marketplace.”

CNE President and CEO James E. Fanale responded to the decision in a joint statement from Lifespan and CNE released Thursday.

“We are disappointed, but I will say that we can truly know that we did everything we could over the past few years of hard work to get this done,” Fanale wrote. “There is always a path forward, and we will explore all options to find the best possible — and acceptable to regulatory bodies — solution for access to affordable, quality, health care.”

In a statement released Thursday, Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio commended the Attorney General for his “thorough review” of the merger proposal. Ruggerio noted that he will review the Attorney General’s decision “before taking any further steps.”

“My foremost concerns remain the same — ensuring every Rhode Islander has access to a public health system that provides robust care, fosters partnerships with our research-based institutions and drives equitable access to care while sustaining and creating jobs in this critical sector of our economy.”

Lifespan and CNE can appeal the decision in court through the Hospital Conversions Act, the Rhode Island law that governs hospital merger applications.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

6

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

METRO

Legislators, Let RI Vote Coalition push for voting reform bill Let RI Vote Act expands access to in-person early voting, mail-in ballots

BY MICHAEL SEOANE SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Let RI Vote Act, co-sponsored by House Majority Whip Katherine Kazarian (D-RI District 63) and Senator Dawn Euer (D-RI District 13) aims to make the temporary changes put in place during the pandemic that made voting safer and easier permanent.

A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill took place Feb. 15. The bill now awaits review by the House State Government and Elections Committee before a floor vote can take place, said Cristin Langworthy, a women’s rights activist involved in the Let RI Vote Coalition.

“The hearings went fantastically,” said Madison Mandell ’22, co-founder of Brown Votes, a student organization that promotes voter participation and registration. “Our (legislative) sponsors have been working tirelessly on getting this legislation passed, and I’m feeling very optimistic,” she said.

As well as expanding the right to vote early, either in-person or by mail, the Let RI Vote Act makes the process easier, Mandell said. The bill allows voters to apply for a mail-in ballot online, requires that every community have at least one ballot drop box and sets up a permanent multilingual voter information hotline to inform voters about the process.

Brown Votes is part of the 35-member Let RI Vote Coalition that has advocated for the Let RI Vote Act, as well as voter reform more generally. Another member of the coalition is the Womxn Project, which aims to further improve human rights in Rhode Island.

“Our organization has been involved in efforts to educate Rhode Islanders about the voting process. We’ve hosted a lot of panel discussions this year to let people know what the Let RI Vote Act is and how it would expand access to the ballot,” said Tammy Brown, a director of the Womxn Project.

“I’m feeling good about this bill passing,” Kazarian said. “We feel that all the conversations we’ve had have been very productive. There are now many people on our side, but we need to keep pushing. I want this bill to pass when we return from our February break, especially considering that this is an election year.”

“Part of the reason we had record turnout in 2020 was that there were several ways to vote, and we want to make these options permanent,” Langworthy said. “We hope that we can build on the turnout from this past election cycle. These changes will make the process less intimidating and give people more flexibility.”

Currently, to vote by mail, Rhode Island General Law requires the signatures of two witnesses or one notary to attest to the voter’s identity. According to the Coalition’s website, the Let RI Vote Act would remove this requirement. Although a poll conducted by the Let RI Vote campaign reports that 60% of Rhode Islanders are in favor of removing the two witness and notary requirements to vote by mail, Sue Cienki, the Chair of the RI Republican Party, expressed concerns that this provision would increase the possibility of voter fraud.

“We believe that these requirements are necessary to make sure that the person casting the ballot is whoever they claim to be,” she said in an interview with The Herald. “These safeguards have been in place since 1950, and they don’t impose a significant burden on Rhode Islanders trying to vote by mail.”

“The Republican Party wants to make it easier to vote but harder to

JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD

The Let R.I. Vote Act aims to make early voting more accessible. It currently awaits review by the House State Government and Elections Committee. cheat. Changes to our elections that do not have bipartisan support could cause voters to lose faith in the integrity of the system,” Cienki added.

Adam Brandt ’24, a member of Brown Votes, argued that the Let RI Vote Act’s potential benefits outweigh the risks. “In defending election security, people often forget that the registration process is already very arduous: you need a permanent Rhode Island address and a State ID number to vote. People will still be vetted in the same way they

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provision for the Secretary of State to verify the list of Rhode Island voters four times per year. “We ran four elections during the pandemic, and there were no issues with the new provisions.

We saw record numbers of people turn out to vote,” Euer said.

“We want voters to have the right to vote early in-person or by mail and not need an excuse,” she said.

“This is about modernizing our process and making voting accessible to everyone.”

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were before,” he said.

“I would encourage anyone concerned about the signature verification process to realize that there’s a whole science to this,” Senator Euer said. “We don’t want security theater and to create an unnecessary burden on voters, which is what these regulations do.”

To protect election security going forward, the Let RI Vote Act includes provisions for voter list maintenance.

According to Euer, the bill includes a

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Buckley ’23: Pleasant weather is an omen of climate change Strawberry Switchblade’s song “Trees and Flowers” can lull you into a drowsy, blissful state. The guitar strums with a lazy elegance, the drums and bass follow with hippie simplicity and Rose McDowall sings in an elongated, careful tone. The grace captured in this song’s instrumental is that of a sunny spring day, when the last of the snow quietly vanishes and you are invited to walk aimlessly in an easy, numb stride. But when you pay close attention to the lyrics, this pleasant facade quickly deteriorates. The narrator describes isolation, impotence and hopeless angst when facing a seemingly innocuous but dangerous world.

The feelings expressed within this song are not very different from what I felt last Saturday, Feb. 12, when the thermometer read 60 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the day. The weather was pleasantly warm; the snow melted to reveal the grass earlier than anticipated; the breeze offered a complimentary touch. But these pleasant anomalies are actually part of a morbid global trend — climate change. It’s not only that climate change will render these anomalies typical, it’s that the warm days compound to reveal the deadly future lying ahead. Like the narrator of “Trees and Flowers,” one can see the nightmarish future in the seemingly mundane present. It is up to us to acknowledge the pleasant for what it is: a glimpse into an impending reality.

The domain of nature and the man-made world mesh into an indistinguishable blur in these days of early climate catastrophe. The institutions which propel climate change have become as prevalent as climate change itself. There is the sense that we cannot hold

these companies accountable because of their omnipresent status. Large chemical companies like DuPont have avoided accountability for the pollution they cause, and others like Chevron have yet to pay a cent to affected communities harmed by irresponsible toxic waste dumping processes. Institutions like DuPont and Chevron have asserted them-

run, embrace the joy of wearing shorts for the first time in months — simple pleasures that are impossible to deny. And why not enjoy them? Pouting indoors and having a mental breakdown about climate change does nothing to alter the weather or save the world. It makes sense to go outside, enjoy the weather and embrace ignorant bliss. And because of that,

“If we have the courage to see the anomalies of weather for what they are, we can bring a new urgency to addressing climate change.”

selves as an inevitable presence, holding power that can only be compared to that of a natural force. Fighting a corporation seems just as foolish as fighting the weather. The individual is expected to live under the conditions of climate change and under the power of the institutions that further contribute to ecological collapse.

Acknowledging the reality of climate change is often followed by a feeling of isolation. These anomalous days are proclaimed as a taste of summer rather than as a sign of global warming. Despite the implications of a warm winter day, it is difficult to not enjoy it. Lounge around on the Main Green, go for a

we are all alone in how we grapple with the implications of climate change. No one else appears frightened. The terror inspired by the impending climate catastrophe exists in a different reality from the one in which we enjoy nice weather.

Over our lifetimes, it is nearly impossible to escape the dismal forecasts of climate change.

We have all heard at least some warnings of what awaits us: the forecast that sea levels will rise 12 inches in thirty years, the promise of drastically increasing temperatures, the “point of no return” threshold for drastic action rapidly closing in. We now see these grim promises beginning to translate into tangible

realities, such as that warm Saturday we experienced last week. While we could choose to react with enjoyment or ignorance, we instead must recognize that we are at the onset of a new phase of climate change. In this phase, any moment or weather condition has the potential to contain horror. It is difficult to distinguish the regularities in weather patterns from the irregularities — is it simply a nice day or is it an omen of global warming? That in itself speaks to the absurd conditions of this moment.

But this juncture also presents new opportunities. The dire promises about climate change have started to materialize. Our proximity to ecological disaster is growing increasingly closer. If we have the courage to see the anomalies of weather for what they are, we can bring a new urgency to addressing climate change. A surprisingly warm winter day cannot be treated as an innocuous event or isolated occurrence, but rather as a symptom of a looming threat. With the proper perspective, these weather irregularities should inspire the impetus for activism and action.

Mark Buckley ’23 can be reached at mark_ buckley@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

Orr: Remembering the lost legacy of Charles C. Diggs, Jr. The civil rights movement transformed the United States. While there were many reasons for its success, nothing was more important than the rise of strong African American leaders who displayed great courage in confronting injustice and righting past wrongs. They publicized racial inequities and built coalitions that won great change for Black America. Many of the era’s Black leaders are household names, some are national heroes while others have been forgotten.

As we take a moment to reflect on Black History Month, now is an appropriate time to remember Congressman Charles C. Diggs, Jr. of Michigan, perhaps the most consequential Black legislator to ever serve in the U.S. Congress but a legislative lion who has fallen out of sight.

Born in Detroit in 1922, the scion of a prosperous mortician and politician, Diggs was elected to the House of Representatives in 1954.

When he was sworn into office in January 1955, there were only two other Black members of Congress — Adam Clayton Powell of New York City and William L. Dawson of Chicago. Three Black representatives out of 531 members!

Their small number limited their ability to influence legislation, but each advocated for reforms to help African Americans in their own special way.

Diggs was catapulted into the national spotlight in the summer of 1955 when he traveled to Mississippi as an unofficial observer of the trial of the two white men who murdered 14-year-old Emmett Till. Several Black individuals testified against the two defendants (they were acquitted) and later told friends and relatives that the presence of the Black congressman gave them the courage they needed to go through with their testimony. Diggs saw himself as congressman at-large for the 24 million Black Americans, particu-

larly those ignored by their elected representatives in the South.

Diggs cajoled, pushed and threatened agency heads, cabinet secretaries and presidents when necessary to advance civil rights for Black Americans. For example, in the 1950s, when commercial air travel was

ant organization in contemporary Black politics.

In 1957, Diggs became the first Black member of Congress to travel to Africa. A year later, he became the first Black member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

From this position, and later as chairperson

“Diggs cajoled, pushed and threatened agency heads, cabinet secretaries and presidents when necessary to advance civil rights for Black Americans.”

in its infancy, Diggs used federal oversight to force local authorities throughout the U.S. to desegregate their airport terminals.

Today, there is a permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum recognizing Diggs’ contribution to commercial air travel.

In 1969, Diggs organized the Democratic Select Committee as a way to facilitate communication between the then six Black members of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1971, with nine members, the group was renamed the Congressional Black Caucus with Diggs as its first chairperson. The group immediately caught the attention of the country after it boycotted President Richard Nixon’s State of the Union address to protest his refusal to meet with them. Nixon eventually met with Diggs and the CBC. Today, the 58-member CBC is perhaps the most import-

of the Subcommittee on Africa, Diggs ignited, virtually alone, what little congressional interest there was in the continent. In 1971, he became the first Black member of Congress to visit South Africa. Diggs’ visit helped raise awareness about South Africa’s racist apartheid policy; in fact, much of the early work in the American anti-apartheid movement was led by Diggs. He was the visionary and leader in the formation of Trans Africa, the powerful Black-led American advocacy organization that helped to end apartheid in South Africa.

Washington, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser is part of Diggs’ tremendous legacy. Prior to 1973, Congress made all of the laws for the District of Columbia, and the President of the United States appointed the mayor and other city executives. The fact that “The District” had a sizable Black population and was

heavily Democratic led many Republican and Southern members of Congress to oppose the idea of installing a popularly-elected local government. But in 1973, Diggs became the first Black chair of the House Committee on the District of Columbia, and from his position, he became the architect of “home rule” in Washington, D.C. Diggs’ leadership brought local democracy to the hundreds of thousands of D.C. residents.

But Diggs’ illustrious career was marred by personal troubles that eventually ruined him — which is probably why his name is invoked so infrequently today. He went to federal prison for salary kickbacks after being hounded out of Congress in 1980 by freshman Georgia representative Newt Gingrich. Diggs served seven months in prison. He died on Aug. 24, 1998.

Despite the scandal that led to his political fall, Diggs’ career deserves recognition.

Diggs worked across party lines. He established strong ties with civil rights organizations and other groups outside of Congress.

Diggs’ political career is a useful reminder of how coalitions get built and progress is made.

Marion Orr is the Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Urban Studies at Brown University. He is completing the first biography of Diggs, “The House of Diggs: The Untold Story of Congressman Charles C. Diggs, Jr.’s Activist Leadership – From Emmett Till to Anti-Apartheid – And the Scandal that Nearly Erased a Legacy of Social Justice.” Professor Marion Orr can be reached at marion_orr@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

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HOUSING FROM PAGE 1 ple out of the housing pipeline and into the homeless pipeline.”

Professor of anthropology Irene Glasser said that Rhode Island lacks sufficient “affordable housing,” which means that housing costs require no more than 30% of one’s income. Yet in Rhode Island, many people are unable to afford a home at this rate.

Hirsch said that people often try to blame homelessness on the person experiencing it when the problem really exists within the housing system, which has become more apparent through the effects of the pandemic. Hirsch added that resources should focus on working to “slow the influx of people into shelters and living outside and make sure people are getting into permanent housing on the other end of the system.”

Using the city funding, Crossroads RI is currently working “toward an expansion of emergency shelter and diversion programs,” wrote Mike Raia, spokesperson for the organization, in an email to The Herald.

The sleep out Protesters slept outside of the State House for 16 consecutive nights beginning Nov. 30 to advocate for housing justice and legislative reform, “capturing the attention of national media and culminating in a night where nearly 100 Rhode Islanders slept in solidarity and protest outside the State House,” Mendes wrote in an email to The Herald.

“Our government was not acting and the State Senate was not in session

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS and displayed no interest in returning early to address the crisis, so I felt I needed to do something,” Mendes wrote. “On Nov. 30, I pitched a tent along with … other community members outside the State House to demand that our government provide safe and dignified shelter.”

The protest attracted the involvement of students from the University.

“I found something very satisfying about the juxtaposition of these flimsy tents sitting on the marble of the statehouse,” said Rocket Drew ’22, co-director of Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, who participated in the protests. “It made the statement that this big imposing building is as flimsy as one of these tents.”

“If we build a structure like this that is so magnificent and can endure and stand the test of time, why can’t we do something as simple as make sure that our homeless neighbors have somewhere warm to sleep tonight?”

Drew asked.

Response and public perception Mayor Jorge Elorza issued a statement Dec. 8 about the money given to Crossroads, saying that “our city and state are facing a housing affordability crisis and a growing need for mental health and social service supports.”

“This investment is just the beginning of allocating our Providence Rescue Plan dollars to supporting the crucial work of partners like Crossroads RI, who are dedicated to serving our unsheltered neighbors,” Elorza continued.

In 2021, Crossroads provided hous-

ing services to over 3,500 Rhode Islanders, according to Raia.

“More than 900 adults and children secured a new place to call home, and we helped nearly 750 adults and more than 450 children maintain stable housing,” Raia wrote. “And through our diversion programs, we helped nearly 500 Rhode Islanders — including more than 330 children — avoid homelessness.”

But some are not satisfied with the government’s response. “Throwing money at a problem as complex and deeply rooted as this one is not going to be sufficient to solve it,” Drew said.

He added that more entrenched issues, such as the lack of access or ability, can prevent people from obtaining the resources they need to maintain stable housing.

According to Mendes, the money “was definitely not sufficient, and we know that because there are still people who don’t have safe and dignified shelter for this winter,” she wrote. “The $475,000 that went to Crossroads is just a drop in the bucket of what’s needed to make sure that no one is without shelter this winter.”

Moving forward, Mendes believes “Rhode Island needs a massive investment in affordable and low-income housing, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to do it.” She added that funding from the American Rescue Plan Act could enable the state to “build thousands of safe, green and affordable homes, but the leadership in this state has chosen to underinvest in housing.”

In a statement from the mayor released Jan. 5, the City of Providence an-

nounced a proposal for the allocation of more funds to assist the housing crisis.

“The proposed ARPA ordinance allocates $28,100,000 to addressing housing and homelessness, with $17,000,000 being allocated to affordable housing development and $4,000,000 allocated to expand rapid rehousing,” Elorza wrote.

Gov. Dan McKee also announced the addition of 130 emergency beds for those who are experiencing homelessness Dec. 16, according to The Boston Globe.

Ongoing advocacy efforts Many of the resources that were typically held for people experiencing homelessness are now limited or entirely unavailable, according to Janice Luongo, editor of Street Sights, a newspaper for and by people experiencing homelessness that provides them with various resources. Luongo added that due to disruptions caused by the pandemic, she is unsure which meal sites remain open, which makes it difficult for her to put that information in the newspaper.

Street Sights was forced to pause its production because of the pandemic.

The paper published its second issue since the start of the pandemic in February and is currently raising money to continue printing, according to Luongo.

“COVID exacerbated the situation (with homelessness in Rhode Island),” Luongo said. “I’m honored to be doing this.” “(It’s) exhausting, but worth it,” Luongo added.

Street Sights seeks to build greater connections with the community. The

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022 paper includes a “Creative Works” section that shows poems and art mainly from the paper’s readers. This page gives people outside the publication the “opportunity to express themselves in other ways that they may not be able to,” Luongo said.

HOPE, a campus organization working to address homelessness and poverty, hosts a variety of different programs that aim to address homelessness in Rhode Island. HOPE’s outreach programs include giving out supplies to people experiencing homelessness and serving meals at a local soup kitchen.

“A lot of what goes through the outreach program is listening to people’s stories and building connections and relationships,” Drew said.

Gabe Mernoff ’22.5, HOPE’s advocacy coordinator, said that the main goal of HOPE’s advocacy programming “is to eliminate the structural issues that necessitate the need for outreach in the first place.” With this side of programming, the group focuses on initiatives to “increase the supply of affordable housing and eliminate unnecessary barriers,” Mernoff added.

Luongo said that by looking back through old issues of the Street Sights, one can see how little change has been made to help homelessness in the state.

However, teaching people about the roots of homelessness and the people it impacts, whether through a newspaper, class lecture or talking to people, helps underscore that change is needed, she said.

“Education is the key to all of this,” Luongo added.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

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NARRATIVE

Love the Day of Love

why you shouldn’t hate valentine’s day

by Nadia Heller Before I relate to you how Valentine’s Day isn’t about relationship status, I must admit that I spent Valentine’s Day gobbling gnocchi decorated in melted mozzarella while seated across from my fabulous boyfriend. A last-minute 9 p.m. reservation had landed us on Federal Hill; a flame and fake rose petals kept our tablecloth company while we gossiped together and occasionally sprinkled in cheesy comments on our feelings for each other.

So with that in mind, you may think that it's hypocritical for me to say this, but here it is...

ARTS & CULTURE

Getting to Know BDS Employees my quest to create family dinners in college

by Zoe Creane illustrated by Habesha Petros When I arrived at Brown, a delighted, wideeyed freshman, each moment was a novelty. My first time swinging open the door to ArchibaldBronson; my first sweaty basement party; my first 9 a.m. class. On move-in day—a day full of firsts—I headed to the dining hall for one of the greatest rites of passage: my very first college meal. My newfound friends and I yanked open the obscenely heavy doors, stumbled up the linoleum steps, and strode into the glaring lights and ringing conversation of the Sharpe Refectory. Dazed and overwhelmed, I handed my student ID to the woman behind the entrance table.

“Hello,” she said, smiling. “First time at the Ratty, yeah?” I nodded silently, suddenly swamped by the great unfamiliarity of the moment. At home, dinner meant family gathered around the same table, a repetitive repertoire of dishes, an ease and comfort that seemed impossibly far from the chaos of the Ratty.

“Well come on in, honey!” said the cashier, shaking me out of my stupor. “The main dish line starts over there… If you need anything, just come ask,” she encouraged. It was just a few words of kindness, but her warmth put me at ease. I felt welcomed, grounded amongst the sprawling pandemonium of the space around me...

The Case Against Binging how yellowjackets rekindled my love for weekly tv

by Malena Colon The clock strikes midnight. We gather on the couch. For once, my mother does not fall asleep. For once, my brother comes down from his room. We turn the TV on, eagerly anticipating another installment of our ten-week-old ritual. We’re watching Showtime’s latest series, Yellowjackets.

The show centers on a girls’ high school soccer team stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash.

Take The Lord of the Flies, dive into the complex world of female friendship, survival, and trauma, then spice it up with time jumps and addictive cliffhangers.

Riddled with gore and secrets, it’s both tantalizing and riveting, each episode feeding us breadcrumbs only to leave us even hungrier.

I think what I love and hate the most is the mystery of it all. The intrigue. The slow-burn. The

“Oh no! I got honey mustard on the Maggie Nelson!“ “You know the Pope is a power bottom.”

Words You Just Know the NYT Will Pull Out of Their Ass for Wordle 1.

2.

3.

4.

5. post–

UMBER PSYCH ENNUI AGLET BOOBS

Want to be involved?

Email: kyoko_leaman@brown.edu!

6. LMFAO 7. GOOFY 8. EERIE 9. KAZOO 10. BIMBO

drawn-out, weekly suspense...

LIFESTYLE

A Recipe for Self-Love

by Olivia Cohen

At the beginning of February, the lonely, single people of America drop what they're doing for a week and join a massive support group to brave the collective trauma of Valentine's Day. Dating apps see spikes of activity as desperate singles try to pair off before the big day. Others celebrate their "galentines" or "palentines," because God forbid any of us miss out on participating in the sweetest, most red-and-pink corporate scheme of the year. But as much as people band together to survive Valentine's Day, it seems as though all of the mutual support ends as soon as the calendar reaches February 15...

February 18, 2022

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

METRO

McKee administration proposes $150 million for climate action Governor’s budget proposal to fund wind power infrastructure, energy efficiency

BY BRENDAN GARDNER METRO EDITOR Governor Dan McKee’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2023 includes over $150 million in funding for measures intended to fight climate change and further develop the state’s green economy, according to a Jan. 19 press release.

The funding will go towards initiatives such as installing electric heat pumps, funding the implementation of the Act on Climate legislation and facilitating the creation of wind-generated power infrastructure.

In order to go into effect, the budget will have to be passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly. It is currently under consideration in the State House of Representatives Finance Committee.

“This investment gives Rhode Island a historic opportunity to slash greenhouse gasses, to improve the quality of our air and water, protect greenspace, ensure equitable shoreline access and expand access to affordable and sus-

UKRAINE FROM PAGE 1 Fabrizio Fenghi, assistant professor of slavic studies who specializes in contemporary Russia with a focus on the connections between art, literature and political activism, explained that links between culture and politics are separate.

“Having a connection to Russia and Russian culture … doesn’t necessarily mean one feels connected to Putin or Putin’s policies,” Fenghi said.

Michael Kennedy, professor of sociology and international and public affairs, added that a significant part of Ukraine does not identify with Russia.

“When President Putin of Russia says that it is impossible to imagine Russia and Ukraine (as) separate states, I understand the logic of that resting in the image of Kievan Rus’,” Kennedy said. Kievan Rus’ was an East Slavic state that existed from the 9th to the 13th century under the reign of the Rurik dynasty and encompassed parts of modern-day Russia and Ukraine.

“But Ukraine has been divided for a long time,” Kennedy added. “In the 19th century, … a significant part of Ukraine was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and (a part) of Poland after World War I.” Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula hold particular importance to Russia beyond the regions’ shared culture and history, according to Colleyshaw.

The Peninsula “is an integral part of Ukraine and strategically important to Russia” due to its access to the Black

JULIA GROSSMAN / HERALD

McKee’s proposal needs to be passed by the R.I. General Assembly after review by the State House of Representatives Finance Committee. tainable clean energy solutions,” Alana O’Hare, the Governor’s press secretary, wrote in an email to The Herald.

Proposed measures include a combined $95 million to renovate the Port of Davisville in South Kingston and the South Quay Marine Terminal in East Providence to facilitate the development of offshore wind farms. Extensive offshore wind power development has recently transformed the Ocean State into a national hub for coastal wind energy, The Herald previously reported.

The governor’s budget proposal also includes $37 million for a program that

Sea, he said.

In 2014, the Russian military occupied the region. A referendum held in the same year determined that a majority of Crimean citizens supported secession from Ukraine and joining Russia. The referendum was declared illegal by the Ukrainian government and its validity was questioned worldwide but on March 18, the Treaty of Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia was signed by representatives of both countries.

“Ukraine wants to be a part of NATO because Russia didn’t respect its borders,” Kennedy said. “Russia has objected to NATO’s expansion since the 1990s … We should reinterpret Putin’s objection right now (as) trying to redraw the conclusion of the Cold War.” Fenghi believes that the Russian buildup of troops is more of a “diplomatic move” and that Putin’s goal is not to invade the country.

Kennedy echoed this sentiment, adding that the threat of invasion affects not only the stability of the region but the entire world.

“One of the things Putin is testing is whether states can invade other states and get away with it,” Kennedy said.

Fenghi added that Putin is trying to utilize the image of Cold War legacies of conflict between the United States and Russia. “I feel like the main advantage Putin derives from this conflict is creating an image of the enemy, and the enemy is not Ukraine … (but) capitalist United States,” he said.

Both Fenghi and Kennedy emphasized the importance of not viewing the

will incentivize households and business owners to install “high-efficiency electric heat pumps, with an emphasis on families in environmental justice communities and community organizations.” It additionally proposes $23 million to build more electric vehicle charging stations and $6 million annually to fund the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council, which oversees the implementation of last year’s landmark Act on Climate legislation requiring Rhode Island to reach net-zero emissions by the year 2050.

According to O’Hare, the budget

proposal was designed not only to “reduce harmful greenhouse gasses and build more resilient communities, but also (to) reinvigorate our economy by creating good paying jobs.”

O’Hare emphasized the importance of taking a combined public and private sector approach to the clean energy transition. “While government must take the lead on climate change,” she wrote, “the private sector has much to contribute to the development and implementation of adaptation solutions, including technical experience and sector-specific experience.”

J. Timmons Roberts, professor of environment and society and sociology, said he would like to see more money go towards transitioning the Ocean State to a clean economy.

“These numbers are much smaller than they appear, and certainly … way below what’s needed,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. “Funding just to retrofit schools in the state to be efficient, healthy and maybe powered by solar would be many times what is in this list.”

He added that it is difficult to evaluate the amount of money required to adequately address Rhode Island’s contribution to the climate crisis. The $150 million proposal, he wrote, “is a

LOKI OLIN / HERALD

conflict as strictly NATO versus Russia.

“One should avoid the frame of mind of binaries and polarizations, and of good versus evil,” Fenghi said.

“Why don’t we listen to the people whose lives are being threatened right now — and that’s the Ukrainian people,” Kennedy added.

Artem Agvanian ’25, who is from Mariupol, a city in eastern Ukraine, and whose family still lives there, was present during the 2014 occupation.

“It’s not something that I read in the news,” Agvanian said. “It’s actually something that came into my life.”

The emerging conflict today might be different from the attempts of the past, Agvanian said.

In 2014, “the presence of pro-Russian military seperatist forces was minimal in my everyday life, … but people were scared about what might come next,” he said. In Mariupol, the pro-seperatist movement was contained due to swift action by the Ukrainian army.

Artem Kyrylov ’24 was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and moved to Vilnius, Lithuania when he was 11. Kyrylov participated in the 2014 Euromaidan protests that led to the ousting of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

Kyrylov’s family “thought that the regime at the time was very corrupt,” he said. “The president was mostly a Russian marionette and was just going to drag us into becoming a Russian client state.”

Kyrylov has been following the politics around this issue ever since.

Both Agvanian and Kyrylov are optimistic about Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. “In a sense, the incline in Ukraine to join NATO is a direct concession to the Russian government,” Agvanian said. “If we want to create security and long-lasting peace in Ukraine, Ukraine has to cooperate strongly with Western powers, … including but not limited to NATO.” Kyrylov echoed Agvanian. “We see

number without any benchmark, a point I continue to make at EC4 meetings.

When will they develop actual estimates of how much funding would be needed for a truly adequate response by (Rhode Island)?”

Roberts added that funding for EC4 was “welcome” but noted that “the source of the funding is hugely problematic.” The governor’s proposal to fund the EC4 by cutting an energy efficiency incentive has drawn criticism, EcoRI reported last Friday.

Rhode Island State Rep. David Bennett (D-RI 20 District), chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said that he also had hoped to see more money go towards climate action but called the proposal “a step.”

“We have a long way to go to fix our environment,” he said, “but every little bit helps.”

Bennett, a sponsor of the Act on Climate legislation, also said he believes funding EC4 will positively affect the implementation of the law.

“We need the money. We need to change the way we do things,” he said.

“The climate change, the pollution, … all this stuff needs to be handled now.

We can’t keep kicking that can down the road.”

it as a security guarantee on our side because we are far more afraid of Russia than of NATO,” he said.

Agvanian added that while Ukrianians have been dealing with the conflict with Russia since 2014, people from other countries forget about it after the end of the news cycle.

“You just get used to it,” he said, “because although the chances of a military intervention have allegedly increased now, the Russian military has been present in nearby regions the whole time.”

Agvanian feels that the Russian military’s presence has led to a sharp decline in support for the Russian government among eastern Ukrainans.

“Although a lot of people share Russian language and Russian culture, … people perceive themselves as Ukrainian and distinct from Russia — not necessarily in a cultural way but a political way,” he said.

Bridging these divides and “helping people from Eastern Europe to, despite their political differences, find common ground within their cultures and histories” is the goal of Kyrylov’s Brown Eastern European Society, which he founded this semester.

Both Kyrylov and Agvanian feel supported by the University community.

“People here know that we’re not our governments and … (one’s) nationality does not mean that (they) stand for the same values that the government (their) country does,” Kyrylov said. “As long as we keep that in mind, I don’t think there should be any tensions on campus in that regard.”

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

11

METRO

Two men represented by ACLU sue ACI on grounds of illegal sentencing Ortega, Neves file petitions against DOC for holding them despite Mario’s Law

BY EMMA MADGIC SENIOR STAFF WRITER Joao Neves and Pablo Ortega were just teenagers when they were sentenced to life in prison.

Under a law passed last July called the Youthful Offenders Act, colloquially known as “Mario’s Law,” they are entitled to a parole hearing after serving 20 years, according to American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lynette Labinger.

Neves and Ortega have both filed petitions against the Department of Corrections for illegally keeping them behind bars. The two men are represented by three attorneys from the ACLU — Labinger, Lisa Holley and Sonja Deyoe.

According to his application for post-conviction relief, Neves was 17 on Feb. 4, 2000 when he was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder. He was also sentenced to five ten-year sentences for robbery and assault with intent to commit robbery, with each to be served concurrent to each other and consecutive to the life sentence.

On March 2, 2002, 19-year-old Ortega was given a life sentence for first degree murder and an additional five years for conspiracy to commit a felony, according to his application for post-conviction relief.

Both men have been incarcerated for over 20 years. With Mario’s Law, they have a chance for parole.

Under Mario’s Law, “any person sentenced for any offense committed prior to his or her 22nd birthday,” aside from someone sentenced to life without parole, “shall be eligible for parole review” and may receive a parole permit after serving twenty years. Because there is no one currently serving a juvenile sentence for life without parole in the state, every juvenile offender is eligible for parole under Mario’s Law. The

law excludes people eligible for earlier parole.

Both Ortega and Neves have been granted parole for their life sentences for murder, yet the Department of Corrections has not released them, ordering that they must remain in the Adult Correctional Institutions until they have served the terms for the lesser sentences, ACLU attorney Lisa Holley wrote in an email to The Herald.

Rhode Island Department of Corrections Spokesperson J. R. Ventura declined to comment on the matter because Neves’ and Ortegas’ cases are still in litigation.

“The intent of Mario’s Law was to make youthful offenders (under 22 years of age) eligible for parole on all sentences once they serve 20 years,” Holley wrote. “Both Neves and Ortega have served the requisite time and under the law should be eligible for parole into the community.”

Who’s behind Mario’s Law? “Mario’s Law” is named after Mario Monteiro, who told The Herald that he has been incarcerated at the ACI with a life sentence since he was a teenager.

Monteiro began advocating for the bill’s passage around 2016, he said, after he “caught wind of it” through someone he knew in maximum security.

“They told me a bill was being introduced,” Monteiro said. “And I knew that it would help me.”

Monteiro began contacting friends and family. He also wrote letters to the Public Defender’s office in Rhode Island and community advocacy groups such as the ACLU and the Equal Justice Initiative — “any organizations that we thought might be able to help us,” he explained.

“At first no one was willing to help,” Monteiro said. “But eventually some started helping.”

Monteiro met several state representatives through classes he was enrolled in at the ACI, including Julie Casimiro (D-RI District 31), who later became a lead sponsor of the bill.

“It kind of snowballed from there,”

Monteiro said. Monteiro joined Providence’s chapter of Black and Pink, a prison abolitionist group, and met Brown students through the student advocacy group Railroad. Together, they built momentum and support around the bill, holding rallies and sharing information through the press.

But “the actual bill that we were fighting for for years isn’t the one that passed,” Monteiro said. “There was a compromise made.”

The original goal of the bill was to ban life without parole for juveniles and allow them to see the parole board after 15 years, regardless of their charges.

The final bill approved eligibility for parole after 20 years. This was passed in July through the 2022 state budget bill.

According to Monteiro, many people who are currently incarcerated at the ACI stand to benefit from the law.

“I don’t think any juvenile should be sentenced to life without parole,” Monteiro said. “I know myself and who I was as a kid, and I know the change that I’ve been able to make since I’ve been here.”

Attorneys, sponsors comment on law Michael DiLauro, who works in the office of Legislative Initiatives at the Public Defender’s office, told The Herald that he worked on the bill for about a year before its momentum really began to “take off” in early 2019, when Attorney General Peter Neronha took office. Neronha was more open to implementing legislation that took recent research published on young people’s brain development into account when considering the extent of sentencing, he added.

Labinger also believes Mario’s Law was passed partially due to research published in the last 10 years on young peoples’ brain development. “Mario’s law was basically a response to the current thinking that young people’s brains are not as developed and their chance of impetuous and poor judgment does not necessarily mean that later in life they will be the same person,” Labinger said.

DiLauro has met Monteiro several times, which he credits for inspiring

COURTESY OF STEVEN BROWN

Mario’s Law gives juvenile offenders the chance to appear before a parole board after 20 years. some of his work on the bill.

“Mario’s story is very powerful because if you were to spend any time with him, you would see the adolescent brain development stuff written large,” DiLauro said of Monteiro’s transformation from adolescence to adulthood.

Mario’s Law doesn’t just “give people a free pass,” he said. Rather, it allows juvenile offenders to appear before a parole board, which presents the opportunity to be released if the parole board deems them eligible, DiLauro said.

“Whether or not (Monteiro and other juvenile offenders are) deserving of parole, that’s a decision for people with expertise in this area — that is, the parole board — to make. But whether or not he gets considered for parole, that’s something for the legislature to decide,” DiLauro said.

Mario’s Law “open(s) the door,” Labinger said. “But it doesn’t get you through it.”

Labinger disagrees with the Department of Corrections’ decision not to release Neves and Ortega.

“The way Mario’s Law was passed was basically to say, if you were under 22 at the time that you committed the crime that you’re sentenced for, when you get to 20 years you should get a first pass at the Parole board,” Labinger said. “We believe that the DOC has completely nullified that requirement by saying, ‘No, that applies only to the first sentence, and then you have to serve the rest of them just the same as

you would have otherwise.”

Labinger expressed the need for a “resolution” to the conflicting interpretations of the law. Over the past several months, the ACLU has represented several others who also filed complaints against the DOC for violating Mario’s Law, she said. Funding for this comes at the cost of both ACLU attorneys and state resources.

“We think the state also wants a resolution because doing this one at a time saps the energies of the court,” Labinger said. “They’re all the same issue and the facts are very similar.”

Beyond her desire to carry out justice and implement a more liberal interpretation of Mario’s Law, Labinger expressed a deeper motivation behind her decision to represent Neves and Ortega.

“The ACLU has long questioned mass incarceration, extraordinarily long sentences and things that keep people in jail beyond what the law requires,” Labinger said. “It’s very important that even folks who have lost most elements of their liberty are not completely devoid of any liberty when they’re in jail.”

“I don’t want to minimize the crimes they’ve done, but Mr. Ortega and Mr. Neves have been in jail for 20 years (and) lost their entire adulthoods,” Labinger said. “If we’re talking about giving people a chance to show they can be safe and contributing members of the community, why is the state interpreting Mario’s Law in this harsh way?”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022

METRO

Public health community reacts to new RI masking guidance Community responds to Gov. McKee’s plan to ease indoor masking requirements

BY INJY EL-DIB STAFF WRITER On Feb. 9 Gov. Dan McKee announced his plan to lift indoor masking requirements in Rhode Island schools on March 4 and allow masking policies for restaurants and businesses to be determined at the local level beginning Feb. 11, The Herald previously reported.

This policy was changed because the state is in “a much better place with COVID-19 than we were at the beginning of the year,” McKee wrote in a Feb. 9 Twitter post. “Since we experienced our previous spike in cases in early January, cases are down nearly 94%. And our hospitalization rates are down 52%.”

McKee thanked Rhode Islanders for “stepping up to do the right thing” throughout the pandemic, and allowing “schools, businesses and venues of assembly to implement the health and safety measures best suited to the needs of their communities,” in a Feb. 9 press release. The release also cites the decrease in severity of symptoms among vaccinated individuals and continued efforts to vaccinate residents as reasons for the decision.

“Omicron is not surging at the moment. If you look at the curve, we’re

JULIA GROSSMAN / HERALD

Indoor masking requirements in Rhode Island schools will be lifted March 4. actually on the exponential way down,” said Philip Chan, RIDOH consultant medical director and associate professor of medicine at the University.

“We’re in a much, much, much better place.”

But Amy Nunn, professor of behav-

ioral and social sciences and medicine at the University, believes this decision is premature. “I think that this will raise COVID transmission rates. And I think that masking is one of the single most effective and easy things we can do to reduce transmission, so I was surprised”

by the decision, Nunn said.

Chan recognizes the concern of a potential rise in transmission rates following this policy change, and said that it’s something that “we’re obviously watching closely.” This is one of the reasons he suggests that “we should consider threshold-based cutoffs for determining when to pull the trigger on things like masking (and) testing.”

The Centers for Disease Control currently divides United States counties into four community transmission levels based on total new cases and positivity rates. The CDC recommends that masks should be worn in indoor public settings in areas designated as having “substantial” or “high” transmission rates. Rhode Island meets the threshold to be designated as having a “substantial” transmission rate, meaning the CDC still recommends indoor masking requirements for the state, Chan explained.

“People want to be finished with COVID, but it may not be finished with us, and so we have to be prepared to increase our precautions when numbers go up,” Nunn said. “And just because we have COVID fatigue doesn’t mean that we should be dispensing with some of the measures that are most impactful.”

Nunn added that “we should just be thinking about preserving the measures we know work that are easy,” in reference to masking. While “masking is easy,” she said, it can be “hard sometimes to really avoid socialization and all the things that we love doing.”

“We do need to come to a balance between living with COVID and living the rest of our lives,” Chan said. “We have to come to a place where we can balance everything with living with COVID.” Chan believes that we are at a turning point in terms of COVID preparedness. “We have treatments available now; we have vaccines available now; we have newer formulations of the vaccine on the horizon. We have increased supplies of treatments coming. We are approaching, quickly, a much different phase of the pandemic where we have a lot of options to prevent and treat things.”

Nunn emphasized the importance of finding a way for state residents to live their lives despite the public health challenges posed by the pandemic. “What people need to do is just reduce their risks, not eliminate them altogether, because we’re all social beings, but people can do a lot by just taking some simple precautions.”

For example, she believes that “there may be unnecessary transmission that could have been averted with a mask mandate.”

“No one likes mandates,” Chan stated. “But just because there is no mandate doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do certain things … Even if there’s no mandate, people should still mask indoors in public settings when rates are higher.”

“It’s really easy to wear a mask,” Nunn said. “That’s one of the most impactful things that we can do.”

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