THE BROWN DAILY HER ALD
VOLUME CLX, ISSUE 5
Universities, including Brown, may face funding risks after
Trump admin declares race-conscious programs illegal
Letter threatens federal funding cuts if colleges do not comply within 14 days
BY CATE LATIMER AND SOPHIA WOTMAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
The Department of Education released a letter last Friday threatening to cut federal funding to schools that do not eliminate “illegal” race-conscious programs — including diversity, equity and inclusion — in the next two weeks.
The move has sparked concern in higher education, including at Brown, but its direct consequences on College Hill remain uncertain.
“We vigilantly continue to review all new federal guidance and announcements, including the Dear Colleague letter issued by the U.S. Department of Education on Feb. 14,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
“We remain committed to efforts to foster a strong academic community through initiatives that aim to help all faculty, students and staff thrive, feel welcome and participate fully in the life of the University while also complying
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens strives to
ROBINSON / HERALD
Brown has moved to maintain diversity programs at Brown. Earlier this month, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 appointed Matthew Guterl as the University’s new vice president of diversity and inclusion with his appointment set to begin March 1.
fully with the law,” he wrote.
Brown has moved to maintain diversity programs at Brown. Earlier this month, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 appointed Matthew Guterl as the University’s new vice president of diversity and inclusion with his appointment set to begin March 1. The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity will also be renamed the Office of Diversity and Inclusion beginning next month.
Rong Chic opens for Sichuanese menu tastings on Wickenden Street
Officials, lawyers, organizations support undocumented residents amid ICE raids
BY ANDREA LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Jan. 29, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers detained one individual in Newport. The detainment came amid the new Trump administration’s recent federal policies targeting undocumented immigrants.
Charlie Holder, the mayor of Newport, stated that “no one was notified” of the raid before it happened and the city did not work with federal immigration agents.
The Newport Police Department does “not have any information on the activity that ICE con-
In the department’s letter, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor argues that DEI programs violate federal civil rights laws since they are “motivated by racial considerations.” He cited the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-based affirmative action in college admissions as a framework for this reasoning.
Luther Spoehr, a senior lecturer emeritus in education at Brown, said it
‘The hardest-playing team on the floor’: Bears fight for Ivy Madness spot
ducted,” including “who was arrested or where they currently are,” according to NPD Lieutenant Joseph Carroll.
Holder added that Newport does not plan on cooperating with federal immigration agents to enforce detainments or identify potential undocumented immigrants.
“We’re not here to come into anyone’s house or school or business and take people away,” he said, noting that “it’s a scary time for some people.”
Newport’s first priority is calming residents’ fears following the detainment, Holder added.
“We want to make sure that people know that we are here to protect you,” he said. Holder specifically highlighted the need for students to be comfortable in schools and hopes that undocumented
is possible that Brown will be affected by the letter.
“I would guess that enforcement will be selective,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. “And that the government will choose prominent targets to serve as warnings for all the others. Brown is obviously a prominent target.”
At Brown, various program houses and affinity groups may be impacted. President Trump’s recent executive order to end
DEI initiatives sparked concern for the future of these programs at Brown and other universities, The Herald previously reported.
Trainor claimed that these programs are “smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming and discipline” and exhibit preferences for certain racial groups over others.
“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students,” Trainor wrote.
The letter reaffirms that schools may not use factors such as personal essays or participation in extracurriculars as a means for determining a student’s race, “favoring or disfavoring” students in the admissions process. Trainor also specifically condemned the elimination of standardized test scores as a means of increasing a university’s racial diversity. Brown reinstated its standardized test requirement starting with the class of 2029.
“Admitting students because of a racial preference rather than because of their academic qualifications puts them at a disadvantage in the classroom,” Heather
Alarms sound at Providence School District amid federal funding threats
Teachers, students, Mayor Smiley expressed concern about impact of funding cuts
BY JOY CHEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Last week, the Department of Education warned state education agencies may lose federal funding if they do not comply with the department’s interpretation of anti-discrimination laws that may limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Since President Trump has entered office, teachers, students and Mayor Brett Smiley have expressed concerns at the prospect of federal funding being removed from the Providence Public School District.
For the fiscal year 2024-25, the PPSD proposed a total spending plan of $506 million. This included
$78 million from federal funds and reimbursable grants, or 15.4% of the total budget.
At a Feb. 12 press conference, Smiley said the cuts would be “catastrophic— not just for Providence, but for every school district in Rhode Island.”
The PPSD is predominantly funded by local sources. In November 2024, the City of Providence reached an agreement with RIDE on funding the PPSD, stating that the city would pay an additional $15 million by 2025.
Julianna Espinal, a 17-year-old PPSD student and a member of local activist group OurSchoolsPVD, said that federal funding greatly benefited her experience at school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providence received over $120 million in federal relief funds, which were used for a variety of programs and
UNIVERSITY NEWS
SPEAKER
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens says he strives to reach centrists
Stephens talked Trump, the Israel-Hamas war, Democrats’ 2024 loss
BY AMBER MARCUS-BLANK SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Wednesday night, the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Bret Stephens as he unpacked the shifting political landscape during the first month of the second Trump administration.
He described his transition from writing for the Wall Street Journal, where he spent most of his early career, to the New York Times as “a culture shock,” shifting from a reader base that agreed with his conservative-leaning commentary to a less sympathetic audience at the Times.
Stephens expressed concern at the John Hazen White Sr. Lecture that conservatives are increasingly leaning away from the Times, arguing that it is important for the publication to reach centrist readers.
“I do worry that too many conservatives have given up on the New York Times, and I think that’s a real problem for the paper,” he said, “because it means that we don’t have one institution which offers a common set of facts for everyone.”
Wendy Schiller, the event’s moderator and the director of the center, asked about domestic politics and foreign policy under the second Trump administration. Stephens said that he believes the difference between President Trump’s two wins is that people saw his first election win as a “fluke.” Now, weeks after Trump’s second
LEADERSHIP
inauguration, Stephens believes the United States has entered a “Trumpian Era.”
Stephens argued that the 2024 election cycle reflected the country’s split into two separate economies: an economy of words and an economy of things — working against each other in the political arena.
The economy of words, he explained, includes people in fields like law, journalism and bureaucracies, while an economy of things encompasses industries like service and manufacturing.
“The economy of things revolted against the economy of words,” Stephens said.
“I think those of us who are in the ‘economy of words’ have to spend a lot
more time thinking and engaging and breaking bread with people who are in the ‘economy of things,’” he said. “Otherwise, we’re just never going to understand one another.”
Stephens argued that one of Democrats’ key mistakes this past election cycle was the party’s focus on race rather than class. He said it was “astonishing” that the Republican party, formerly a party of elites, is increasingly becoming a party for the working class.
“It’s been a complete reversal,” Stephens said, noting recent key shifts in the Democratic and Republican bases.
Republicans, he argued, now champion rights like the Second Amendment and
freedom of religion. Democrats, once the party of free speech, have tempered their stance in favor of limits on misinformation, he said.
As the conversation turned to foreign policy, Schiller asked about the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Stephens said he believes the resurgence of antisemitism is the biggest threat to emerge from the Israel-Hamas war.
“The great danger comes when people are convinced the case against the Jews or the case against the Jewish state is the most morally righteous cause,” Stephens said.
In an interview with The Herald prior to the event, he expressed concern for Brown students and peers nationwide
who find themselves in ideological echo chambers.
“You’re never thinking well when you’re among a herd,” he said.
Stephens also addressed the clear shift in American politics that he believes began in 2015. Before Trump entered politics, even Republicans were “conservative liberals,” he said, pointing to former Vice President Dick Cheney as a prime example of a politician who held conservative values but still embodied key tenets of liberal democracy: accepting election results and respecting free speech.
“I want to model thoughtful conservatism,” Stephens said.
Stephens concluded with advice for the Democratic party to reach centrist Americans, which he said he tries to do through his column.
“I think columnists are stubborn beings and very reluctant to acknowledge an error in general, or at least in public,” he said. But after 22 years writing columns, he said he believes “you’re bound to get things wrong” and “it’s healthy to look back and think twice.”
Cannon Casper ’25, an avid reader of Stephens’s column, attended the event because of his interest in Stephens as a columnist and their shared alma mater, the Middlesex School.
“I’m pretty skeptical of people who boldly declare the same opinion over and over again, so it was interesting hearing him talk about how, in his own personal life, he considers a lot more nuance,” Casper said.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
After nearly a decade at Brown, Sandra Smith steps into role as SPS interim dean
Smith assumed the role earlier this month, following Shankar Prasad
BY IAN RITTER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Sandra Smith is the interim dean of the School of Professional Studies, following the departure of Shankar Prasad PhD’06 last month.
Since joining the school in 2015, Smith has worked in various roles, from program director to senior associate dean. She assumed her new role as interim dean at the start of this month and will remain in the position until the University selects Prasad’s permanent successor.
Throughout her time at Brown, Smith has worked with other universities and corporations to develop SPS’s executive education programs, in which Brown faculty lead courses and programs for companies and other organizations.
“The executive education portfolio was essentially a blank slate when I joined Brown,” Smith wrote in an email to The Herald. But the school’s “amazing team” has continued to expand the programs since her arrival, she added.
Originally from Colombia, Smith moved to Canada to attend the University of Toronto, where she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering. She then earned a Master of Business Administration from Penn’s Wharton School.
“My immigration and educational experiences have shaped my outlook on
life,” Smith wrote. “I truly believe you can reach your dreams if you work hard and seize new opportunities when they present themselves.”
Smith worked in private industry for over 20 years before joining SPS in 2015
as the inaugural director for the master’s program in technology leadership. Her corporate background, Smith said, has influenced the way she develops curricula for SPS programs.
“I know how important it is for edu-
cation to be practical, (be) scalable and solve the challenges companies face,” she explained.
In her new position as interim dean, Smith hopes to expand access to SPS’s educational programs by working with
other organizations and institutions, and by building relationships with other University schools and departments.
“Whether it’s a degree or certificate program or a short specialized skill-based workshop, my goal is for SPS to be an innovator in providing various learning options that allow learners to engage in different ways,” she wrote, adding that she hopes to “reach new learners at every career stage.”
Smith also hopes to nurture community at SPS by engaging with alumni and “deepening the integration of the graduate student population into the fabric of Brown,” she wrote.
Outside of the University, Smith serves on the Board of Trustees for the Wheeler School and is a commissioner and treasurer for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
In her free time, Smith enjoys salsa dancing and is an animal lover. At one point, her family had more than 10 pets: “Pairs of dogs, frogs, hermit crabs, turtles, guinea pigs, you name it,” Smith wrote.
Smith’s “collaborative leadership style, extensive industry experience and commitment to academic excellence make her the ideal choice to lead the School of Professional Studies during this transitionary period,” wrote Erin Spear, director of marketing and communications for SPS, in a statement to The Herald on behalf of the school.
Sandi Ferretti, the program director for the master’s of healthcare leadership, wrote that Smith will “bring her amazing energy and enthusiasm to this role in support of students here at Brown.”
BOMI OKIMOTO / HERALD
COURTESY OF THE SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sandra Smith has worked at the University in various roles for nearly a decade.
In a talk at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Bret Stephens expressed concern that conservatives are increasingly leaning away from the New York Times.
students will continue to attend classes.
Although ICE officers were previously discouraged from entering schools, the Trump administration has changed a longstanding policy to allow immigration enforcement in schools.
With the exception of family and emergency contacts, Newport schools do not release student information to anyone, Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain wrote in an email to The Herald.
“We will continue to keep our students safe,” Jermain added.
Immigration enforcement in the state is “presently very similar” to the practices under the Biden administration, said Jennifer Wood ’80, the executive director of the Rhode Island Center for Justice.
Immigration lawyer Claudia Gregoire has met with other “local Rhode Island and immigration lawyers” to gather “anecdotal evidence” regarding recent ICE activity in the area. At the moment, “raids or any kind of largescale deportations in Rhode Island” do
not appear to be occurring, she said.
But Gregoire believes that the current situation could change, depending on the funding available for federal agents.
“When (ICE has) more resources and personnel, they may be able to take some more of those folks in and say, ‘now we’re going to really process you for removal,’” Gregoire said.
Wood noted that the Immigration Coalition of Rhode Island, which is composed of 33 pro-immigration organizations including the RI Center for Justice, has recently received more requests for training and information regarding immigrant legal rights and ICE raid preparation.
Nonprofit organizations are also hosting “community clinics” where immigration attorneys “provide consultations for immigrants about their current legal status,” Wood added.
“Newport is a hospitality town … and we don’t want that to change,” Holder said. “We want people to feel safe, to feel at home and to feel comfortable in this environment.”
PPSD FROM PAGE 1
to cover a PPSD budget deficit in 2024.
Smiley said that changes at the federal level have led to “uncertainty” about the impacts on the PPSD and Providence. “We’ve not yet seen any policy changes that have jeopardized the fate of our schools,” Smiley said.
Armando Ramos, a 16-year-old student and member of the Providence Student Union, said that Trump’s recent announcements have changed students’ attitudes toward school.
“Before he was sworn into presidency, most people loved school,” he said. “Most people are negative now.”
He shared federal funding also supports his family and job. He said his family is not financially stable and is currently supported by federal funding.
Anna Kuperman ’94 MAT’97, a teacher at Classical High School, said that she doesn’t know what the future holds for the PPSD due to federal changes.
Kids “are worried about what’s going to happen, if school is a safe place to be or not,” she added.
Amid changes at the federal level, Smiley is still trying for local change. The PPSD has been under state takeover since 2019, and Smiley has pushed for a return to local control by July 1.
A City report shared last week found “frustration, confusion and breakdown of trust” in the PPSD, Smiley said. “It gives me no pleasure to report that 58% of the survey respondents report that the schools have moved in the wrong direction.”
Mac Donald, a fellow at the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, wrote in an email to The Herald.
Mac Donald argued that complying with the letter will place more emphasis on academic skills instead of race during the admissions process. In the meantime, she wrote that underrepresented students and faculty members will “know that they
UNIVERSITY NEWS
The city surveyed and spoke with about 1,200 people, including teachers, students and families affiliated with the PPSD.
Last Monday, the Rhode Island Department of Education announced a timeline and a number of goals to facilitate the return to local control — with 2026 projected as the earliest date. In response to RIDE’s projected goals, Smiley said that they were “optimistic that they (would) be able to accomplish those tasks and demonstrate readiness” by July 1.
To Espinal, the ongoing conflict between RIDE and the PPSD was not productive in the context of federal changes to education. “I think that unity is probably the best mechanism that we can employ right now,” she said.
Smiley similarly emphasized the importance of unity between RIDE and the PPSD to retain federal funds.
were admitted and hired on their merits, not on the basis of their skin color.”
In the letter, Trainor wrote that DEI programs are discriminatory in “less direct but equally insidious ways.”
But Brian Rosenberg, a visiting professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, noted that the letter “would require the dismantling of essentially all efforts to support and even celebrate students of color as a group
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“We will continue to be strong advocates together, state and local, to ensure that the stability our students require in the form of federal funds … forever remain in place,” he said.
But Kuperman still feels that a return to local control is crucial. “A return to local control will mean that the school board can have a voice again,” Kuperman shared.
While many community members shared concern about funding issues, Kuperman shared that at the moment, she worries mostly about her immigrant students who may disproportionately face consequences from recent Trump administration immigration policies: “It all feels really unstable and scary.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
separate from other students.”
“My hope is that the University, and others, will not practice ‘anticipatory obedience’ in response to a threat that most agree is inconsistent with existing law and will, rather, push back,” Rosenberg wrote in an email to The Herald.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
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TRUMP FROM PAGE 1
JESSE BENITEZ / HERALD Teachers, students and Mayor Brett Smiley expressed concerns at the prospect of federal funding being removed from the Providence Public School District.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Newport city officials and police were not notified of the ICE raid before it happened, according to Newport Mayor Charlie Holder.
RISD Wintersession allows students to explore new mediums
Many students chose to take RISD courses, others opted to study abroad
BY DIA NANDA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Every winter, between the fall and spring semesters, students at the Rhode Island School of Design take a five-week course known as Wintersession. These classes aim to provide students with an opportunity to dive deeper into topics that are difficult to explore during the semester.
During Wintersession, students typically take one on-campus class that meets two to three times a week. Students also have the opportunity to study abroad during this time period.
The Herald spoke to five RISD students about their Wintersession experiences, which spanned both on-campus and international courses.
PHOTO 5300-101: “Introduction to Darkroom Photography”
Django Lewis, a RISD sophomore, spent her Wintersession in PHOTO 5300-101: “Introduction to Darkroom Photography.”
During the course, students learned how to take photos, as well how to print in a darkroom — a specific technique used to develop film photos.
“You can’t see what your photos are going to look like until you develop them,” Lewis said. “There’s a lot that’s unknown about the process.”
LOCAL BUSINESSES
for a course called "Introduction to darkroom photography."
Lewis, a painting major, described darkroom photography as a “meticulous craft,” different from her usual painting courses, which she feels are more “free.” The class also helped her discover that she enjoys art forms with aspects she “cannot control.”
Wintersession was a “breath of fresh air” for Lewis, enabling her to take a course about a topic she wanted to learn more about, but did not have time for during regular semesters.
TEXT W470-102: “The Woven Rug”
Textiles course TEXT W470-102: “The Woven Rug” examined different rugs and floor-coverings from across the world while teaching students how to use a loom and
Brown-RISD Dual Degree student Charlotte Park ’29 hoped taking the course would help her decide whether to major in textiles. Students at RISD typically declare their majors in early February of their first year.
“I was worried that I would end up hating weaving,” Park shared, “but I enjoyed it enough that I was pretty comfortable declaring it.”
At the end of the class, students were tasked with creating their own rug. Park told The Herald that she enjoyed being able to have a “tangible project” at the end of the course.
Park also said that Wintersession felt like a “mini-break” where she could spend
Rong Chic opens for Sichuanese menu tastings on Wickenden Street
Restaurant hopes to use food tastings to solicit customer feedback
BY ALLYSON CHEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Wickenden Street recently welcomed its newest, spicy addition: Chinese restaurant Rong Chic. The eatery opened its doors for food tastings earlier this month, featuring dishes like tofu cheesecake, three pepper chicken and Mapo tofu.
The restaurant is yet to host an official grand opening. It plans to train kitchen staff and implement customer menu feedback before launching later this spring, according to Yao Liu, the manager and co-founder of Rong Chic. The Sichuanese restaurant is currently open for dinner every night except Monday, with additional lunch hours on weekends.
The food tastings are a way to “commu-
nicate with the customers,” Liu said. She hopes the menu will incorporate customers’ ideas, highlighting customer-suggested menu items like the Brown Sugar Chinese Rice Cake.
All of Liu’s comments were provided in Mandarin Chinese and translated by The Herald.
Planning for the restaurant began last July and Liu secured the location on Wickenden Street in late November.
Lieyah Dagan, a repeat customer and first-year graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design, brought her friends to try the restaurant.
“I wanted to bring them here because the Jajang noodles were really good,” Dagan said. “I was really excited about it because there’s not that many spots over here. It’s really convenient.”
Given that her team is not currently focused on advertising the restaurant, Liu is surprised by the attention Rong Chic has received so far.
more time with friends. As compared to her typical first-year schedule, the five-week intensive gave her a “taste of what it was like to do something that isn’t just studios or spacial dynamics.”
SCULP 1010-101: “Immersive Worlds”
In “Immersive Worlds,” 12 first-year students worked together to transform a classroom using sculptures. With no previous knowledge of sculpture required, students were given the creative freedom to design the room as they liked. After the course ended, the room was opened as an exhibit for the public to enjoy.
“I’ve never really done sculptural stuff,” said RISD first-year John Driscoll. Despite knowing that he would likely major in illustration, Driscoll wanted to see what a three-dimensional class was like. Even though he decided against majoring in sculpture, Driscoll felt like if he hadn’t taken the class he would have always wondered “what if I did?”
Combining levers, cameras, interactive elements, revolving doors and more, the class turned the room into a hallway with several different mini-rooms to explore. When people came to see the exhibit, a security camera in the room captured their reactions.
“My favorite part was seeing people engage and play,” Driscoll said.
Jaimie An, who co-taught this course with Isabel Mattia, said that Immersive Worlds aimed to provide a “tasting menu” of different elements of sculpture. The collaborative nature of the course is where she
saw the students “shine the most” as they matured “minute by minute.”
RISD Global — India_Sensed
In addition to their own campus courses, RISD also hosts opportunities for students to spend Wintersession abroad.
Tenley Dugan, a RISD sophomore, spent her Wintersession taking a textiles course in India. During her time in South Asia, she looked at different crafts made by Indian artisans. Dugan liked the fact that Wintersession allowed her to study abroad without having to spend a whole semester away from campus.
“Being in India meant the structure of our class was a lot more laid back” compared to an on-campus Wintersession course, Dugan said. During her time in India, Dugan went sight-seeing, explored different cities and worked in four traditional craft studios.
Dugan said she valued the experience of working with local artisans, who had “incredible expertise that none of us could learn in our lifetime and certainly not in a month.”
She also shared that being abroad opened her eyes to a way of working that was less “intense.”
“Not everything has to be this big conceptual masterpiece,” she added. “Things can just be beautiful for the sake of being beautiful.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
Fifth-Year Master’s
“I’ve received a lot of positive feedback and gotten a lot of confidence from their reactions,” she said. “Everything (we’re doing) is to get ready for the grand opening, especially the quality of food.”
The restaurant has also found ways to engage with nearby schools, especially students at RISD and Brown, Liu said. They plan to leave a wall empty for RISD students to display their artwork and hope to use the empty restaurant on Mondays as an event space for student organizations.
Working at Rong Chic “doesn’t even feel like working,” wrote Nan Thiri Oo, a waitress at Rong Chic, in a message to The Herald. “I get to meet new people every day and share our story. It feels like home.”
During the day, Rong Chic provides take-out lunch boxes for Brown and RISD students Liu added. She currently delivers the lunches herself to the corner of Cushing and Thayer streets, where RISD and Brown students who placed their order in advance can pick up their meals.
Though the restaurant is not officially open, Liu has “already felt a sense of community,” she said. Liu hopes that Rong Chic can collaborate with nearby schools to provide meals for students, staff and faculty.
The restaurant is still waiting on a logo, website and interior decorations before their official grand opening, Liu said, which is expected to take place in April at the earliest.
“If people like our food and they want to come in and have a conversation with us, that will make us very happy,” Liu said.
COURTESY OF DJANGO LEWIS
Django Lewis ’27, a sophomore at RISD, took and developed photos
KENNA LEE / HERALD Tastings include tofu cheesecake, three pepper chicken and shrimp chips.
Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha ’98 resigns at Trump’s behest
Cunha was tapped for the post by then-President Biden in 2021
BY ETHAN SCHENKER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Rhode Island’s top federal prosecutor resigned on Monday, citing a request from the Trump administration to leave the post.
In a Feb. 17 press release, Zachary Cunha ’98, the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, wrote that he had submitted a letter of resignation to the Justice Department and White House earlier this month.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom has taken over as Acting US Attorney for R.I., according to the office’s website.
“It has been the honor of my career to do this job,” Cunha wrote in the release. Cunha, who previously led the office’s civil division, was tapped by then President Joe Biden in September 2021 for the post. Cunha was a former columnist for The Herald.
“I am deeply grateful to Senators Reed and Whitehouse for recommending my nomination to the White House, and to President Biden for his trust and confidence in appointing me to serve this extraordinary District and its citizens as United States Attorney,” Cunha wrote.
Despite ongoing upheaval at the Justice Department, Trump’s request for Cunha’s resignation falls in line with precedent.
STATE HOUSE
Recently inaugurated presidents typically ask all U.S. Attorneys to resign at the start of the new administration.
“Mr. Cunha served Rhode Islanders honorably, and I am grateful for his principled dedication to the law,” Senator Shel-
don Whitehouse, a Democrat, wrote in a statement sent to The Herald.
“Mr. Cunha is an outstanding public servant. His record, integrity and commitment to justice is unwavering and speaks for itself,” Senator Jack Reed, also a Dem-
ocrat, wrote in a post on X.
In the press release announcing his departure, Cunha said that the office had “punched far above the weight that our compact geography and small staff might imply” during his tenure.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
Advocates rally behind bill proposing $30 million in state funding for crime victims
Act seeks to alleviate strains caused by federal funding cuts
BY MICHELLE BI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 12, Rhode Island legislators and victim service organizations held a kickoff press conference at the State House Library to advocate for the passage of the Victims of Crime Trauma Informed Mobilization, or VICTIM, Act.
The act would set aside $30 million in
annual state funding to fund organizations that provide services to “minor victims of child abuse, sexual assault survivors, elder abuse victims, domestic violence victims and survivors of human trafficking, community violence and gun violence,” according to the bill. The VICTIM Act was introduced in both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly earlier this month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that over 40% of Rhode Island women and men have experienced domestic violence — stalking, sexual violence or physical violence by an intimate
partner — in their lifetimes.
The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence — an organization composed of 10 full and affiliate agencies — received over 12,000 helpline calls in 2023 alone, according to Lucy Rios, the coalition’s executive director.
Sojourner House, an organization providing services to abuse victims, is another group organizing support behind the bill. Domestic violence is a “public health epidemic,” said Vanessa Volz, president and CEO of Sojourner House.
Last week’s press conference was hosted by 27 organizations that pro -
vide a variety of victim services. According to the act, victim service organizations provide a variety of resources, including support at and immediately following crimes, emergency housing, a 24/7 statewide hotline, restraining order advocacy, court support and more.
These services are “not luxuries,” said Savanna, a victim of domestic violence whose last name has been omitted for safety concerns. “They’re vital resources.”
Volz added that these organizations provide “longer term sustainable solutions to help victims move on with their lives.”
The proposed VICTIM Act comes in
the wake of significant cuts to federal funding for crime victims, Volz said. The 1984 Victims of Crime Act, a federal law which distributes funds via state programs and provides financial assistance to victims of violent crime, was cut by 40% last year.
The funding proposed by the act is “crucial” for the state right now, Savanna added.
Rhode Island is one of the few U.S. states currently lacking a dedicated line item in the state budget to support victim services, Volz said. Sojourner House — which draws 80% of its funding from federal dollars — has been forced to scrap two of their projects this year completely due to this financial strain, she added.
Rios said that programs have been cut “to the bone,” adding that federal freezes and executive orders from the new presidential administration are creating further anxiety. Because of these national changes, victim service organizations in the area are concerned that they may need to eliminate more services or even close community programs entirely, she said.
But with the cuts to federal funding for these services, the bill’s passage could “ensure an added level of security” for domestic violence agencies, Savanna added.
Advocates attempted to introduce a similar bill late into the previous legislative session, but “it didn’t get any traction” and failed to pass, Rios said.
This year’s attempt is still “not going to be an easy win,” Rios added, explaining that bill supporters plan to continue lobbying efforts in the coming weeks.
But even if the bill does not pass this year, Rios said that the participating organizations will incorporate legislators’ feedback to pass the bill in the future. “The need isn’t going to go away,” she added.
If passed, the act could be “life-saving for a lot of people,” Savanna said.
COURTESY OF CAROL HIGHSMITH VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
First Assistant United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom has taken over as Acting US Attorney for R.I.
VICTIM
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
“Is it supposed to look like this?”
“Like no, but is it a crime if it does?”
“It looks crazy with the bisexual lighting in the background.”
1. Study for physio 2. Your work
3. Fly out of Roanoke, Virginia
4. Your thesis
5. Drive through a Canadian snowstorm
6. Trudge through slush
“When I sit at her kitchen table, I watch my grandmother toss spice and flavor into her dishes with a crease in her brow, yet a secureness in her motion. Her dishes, organic and sacred, never know measurements, timers, special equipment. Just salt, fat, acid, heat, and love."
— Ana Vissicchio, “From the Kitchen Table”
“After all, the perfect going-out top is not merely cute; it is completely transformative. The girl with the perfect going-out top is not a mere woman. I see her moving on a crowded dance floor, easily waltzing between friends and strangers as she slinks through conversations without pause.” — Jeanine Kim, “The Perfect Going Out Top”
by Lilly Coffman
BASKETBALL
‘The hardest-playing team on the floor’: Bears fight for Ivy Madness spot
This weekend, men's basketball defeated Princeton and Penn at home
BY LYDELL DYER SPORTS EDITOR
With only five games remaining in the regular season, the race to Ivy Madness is on. Over the weekend, the men’s basketball team (12-10, 4-5 Ivy) picked up two key wins against conference rivals Princeton (16-8, 5-4 Ivy) and Penn (6-16, 2-7).
After this weekend’s successful doubleheader in which the Bears steamrolled Princeton 70-56 and defeated Penn 82-72, Brown now ranks fifth in Ivy League standings. While only the top four teams in the conference qualify for Ivy Madness, the Bears are just one Ivy victory behind Princeton and Cornell, with under three weeks left to play their way in.
“As a team, we already know the formula for success,” N’famara Dabo ’27 wrote in a message to The Herald. “We have to play to our identity: be the hardest-working, toughest, and most-connected team.”
Heading into the second round of Ivy play, the Bears’ prospects for the postseason looked slim. With a pre-weekend conference record of 2-5 each, Brown, Harvard and Penn were all three victories away from fourth place Cornell. Worse for the Bears, they were facing Princeton: a team that, only two weeks prior, handed Bruno a vicious 69-49 defeat.
But with Ivy Madness on the horizon and a four-game homestand to buoy morale, the Bears stepped up. As the home crowd cheered at their backs, Brown bested the favored Princeton team, leaving the night
with a 14-point win.
“It was a terrific performance from our team on both ends of the court,” Head Coach Mike Martin ’04 told courtside reporters after the game. “The first half was probably one of the better halves we’ve played all year and (in) the second half … our defense was outstanding.”
From the opening whistle, the Bears commanded the game. With a “Triple L” — a Landon Lewis ’26 layup — Brown took the early lead. Over the course of the next four minutes, their lead rose to 10-2.
The Bears’ offense exploded with eight minutes remaining before the half. Leading by a slim two-point margin, Bruno went on a decisive 15-0 run.
David Rochester ’28 initiated the offensive barrage with a layup and free throws, scoring four points in a row. The Bears then overwhelmed the Tigers, winning the battle in the paint and steamrolling Princeton until the score read 33-16.
With 26 seconds left in the half, Malcolm Wrisby-Jefferson ’27 connected with Dabo to slam dunk the half shut. The Bears entered the locker room leading 38-20.
“I think my preparation, self-confidence and my teammates finding me in the right spots played a huge role,” Dabo wrote about his career-high 13-point game. “Shoutout to them for setting me up and making it easier to be effective offensively.”
Though the Tigers stepped up their offensive output in the second half, scoring 36 points, the Bears held even with them. Scoring 32 points of their own, Brown maintained their expansive lead through the final whistle.
When all was said and done, the Bears won the battles for rebounds, assists, and steals and blocks.
“Coming into Friday, we were ready to bring the fight,” Dabo wrote. “In the previous matchup, they used their size to their advantage against our guards, but this time,
we didn’t let that happen. Our defense is what won us the game.”
With momentum on their side and a home crowd to energize the court, the Bears suited up less than 24 hours later to confront the Quakers.
For the second night in a row, Kino Lilly Jr. ’25 spearheaded the offense. Totalling 23 points, Lilly not only led the team in points scored, but also assisted his teammates five times throughout the game.
In his senior season, Lilly has cemented himself as Brown’s most prolific three-point shooter, with 321 career threes. Towering more than sixty buckets above the second place — JR Hobbie’s ’17 257 career threes
— Lilly’s dominance is hard to contest. Lilly’s 1,821 career points also rank second in program history, trailing behind Earl Hunt’s ’03 2,041.
The Bears opened the game with offensive prowess. Alexander Lesburt Jr. ’26 and Wrisby-Jefferson piloted the early attack
that propelled Bruno to a 6-0 lead.
Though less than three minutes had passed, this initial barrage proved too lethal for Penn to overcome. Throughout the forty-minute game, the Bears never trailed.
Key to the Bears’ dominance on both ends of the field was physicality. Out-blocking the Quakers 5 to 0 and collecting 25 defensive rebounds, Brown dominated their own board, routinely denying Penn’s attacks.
“Penn is a really good and physical team,” Dabo wrote. “Our coaches always say that physicality is the answer, so any time we play them, we know we have to match their physicality and even surpass it.”
On the other end of the court, the Bears attacked with better efficiency than the Quakers. In a game that featured an equal number of possessions — 65 for each team — the Bears nonetheless managed to pull away by 10 points.
“It was a terrific win against a team that's playing really well,” Martin said in a postgame press conference. “We earned that win tonight. It wasn’t easy — they challenged us at both ends of the court with their physicality and their execution.”
The Bears will defend the den next Friday against a struggling Columbia team that currently ranks last in the Ivy League. Facing off against Cornell the day after, Brown has a chance to steal the Big Red’s fourth-place ranking in the Ivy League — the minimum position needed to make Ivy Madness.
“As we approach these next five games,” Dabo wrote. “We have to stay together no matter what and always be the hardest-playing team on the floor.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
Women’s basketball drops two games, extends losing streak to four
The weekend losses dropped Bruno to fifth in Ivy League Standings
BY COOPER HERMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Despite two impressive come-from-behind efforts, women’s basketball (10-13, 4-6 Ivy League) arrived back in Providence with nothing to show for their weekend visit south. The Bears lost back-to-back games on the road against Ivy League rivals Princeton (18-5, 9-1) and Penn (13-10, 4-6).
The Bears began their weekend tour in New Jersey against the Tigers, who beat Bruno in early February. But to the Bears’ dismay, this game was strikingly similar to their last. Early offensive struggles buried Brown in a hole that they could never dig themselves out of. Fueled by a shooting clinic from sophomore guard Ashley Chea, the Tigers’ offense erupted to start the game.
Eight minutes into the first quarter, Princeton had a dominant 30-10 lead over Brown. Offensively, Princeton was getting whatever they wanted, facilitating their sets to perfection and creating open shooting opportunities for their backcourt. At the same time, Princeton’s aggressive defense flustered the Bears’ offense, forcing turnovers and preventing Bruno from developing a consistent rhythm.
But to Brown’s credit, the Bears never
gave up. Spearheaded by Olivia Young ’27, who finished with a team-high 13 points, Brown managed to string together a few solid offensive possessions in the second quarter, attacking the gaps of Princeton’s defense and creating shots. While the Tigers’ defense prevented the Bears from getting shots inside the paint, the Bears capitalized on some vacant space along the perimeter and passed the ball to Isabella Mauricio ’25 and Mady Calhoun ’26, both of whom finished with 10 points.
At the half, the Bears were down 4926. Looking for a new spark on the court, Head Coach Monique LeBlanc turned to her substitutes. The bench provided the Bears with a much-needed jolt out of halftime, leading the team to score 22 points in the third quarter alone — almost as many as they scored in the entire first half.
But despite the Bears’ newfound energy, the Tigers’ offense kept rolling, creating an insurmountable lead. In the fourth quarter, Brown held Princeton to only 12 points, but still lost the game 78-67.
After Friday’s tough loss, the Bears headed to Philadelphia on Saturday. But this game against Penn had a similar story: A lack of scoring early in the game created an insurmountable deficit.
In the first quarter, the Bears came out strong, facilitating their offensive plays well and getting high-percentage shots to fall within the rim. Brown relied heavily on center Gianna Aiello ’25, who led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Aiello’s efforts proved to be vital, as she kept the Bears within striking distance
after the first quarter ended with Penn leading 15-12.
But similar to Friday’s contest against Princeton, the Bears struggled defensively in the second quarter. Penn’s offense increased their pace, outscoring the Bears 18-6 in the second quarter alone. The combination of an offensive drought and defensive struggles dug the Bears into a deep hole.
Brown came out strong in the third quarter, led by Grace Arnolie ’26, who fin-
ished with 17 points, and Beth Nelson ’26, who finished with 13. Arnolie and Nelson’s offensive efforts helped the Bears crawl back, outscoring Penn 25-24 in the third quarter. But despite the late effort, the Quakers’ double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter was too much for the Bears to handle. Brown lost 73-61, extending their losing streak to four and dropping them to fifth in Ivy League standings.
“Obviously we were fighting for a different outcome,” LeBlanc said in a state-
ment to Brown Athletics. “We let it get away from us there in the second quarter, and it’s really tough to overcome a gap like that against a good team.”
Brown will now shift their attention to Harvard (19-3, 8-2), whom the Bears will host at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday at 2 p.m. This article originally appeared
COURTESY OF KAIOLENA TACAZON VIA BROWN ATHLETICS
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Gianna Aiello ’25, who finished with 18 points, was the Bears’ leading scorer on Saturday against Penn.
Kino Lilly Jr. ’25 spearheaded the offense with 23 total points and five assists.
‘A
Complete Unknown’
Film features stunning performances but struggles to captivate viewers
BY GABRIELLA MIRANDA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Joni Mitchell once said “everything about (Bob Dylan) is a deception.” Decades after Dylan ascended from wandering musician to cultural prophet, much of his life remains a mystery. James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” the highly-anticipated biopic depicting Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) rise, explores this ambiguity.
The film challenges and grapples with Dylan’s concealed persona through the eyes of those adjacent to him. “A Complete Unknown” — a triumph for its actors and a career highlight for Mangold — celebrates a prolific figure in popular culture. But it does little more than reaffirm that Dylan is simply unknowable.
Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book “Dylan Goes Electric!,” the film chronicles the early years of Dylan’s career, beginning with his 1961 emergence into the Greenwich Village folk scene and concluding with his controversial transition to electric instrumentation at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Dylan’s rise to prominence draws in an orbit of supporting characters, both real and fictionalized, with whom the artist interacts throughout his career.
For much of the film, “A Complete Unknown” tries to bring folk music to everyone — and occasionally, it delivers. But mo-
ARTS & CULTURE
attempts to strike a chord with viewers, but rings hollow
ments of understanding Dylan’s character are few and far between. In an early scene, Dylan is shown hesitantly visiting one of his “heroes,” a hospitalized Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy). As Dylan performs an ode at Guthrie’s bedside, viewers catch a glimpse of vulnerability. At one point in the film, Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) reads the musician’s letters and says he feels like he can “see (Dylan’s) brain.”
If only viewers had that luxury.
The film’s narrative dwindles at times, despite its rich historical context. The Cold War, the Red Scare and the unrest of the Civil Rights movement briefly appear in montages
or are conversationally alluded to in the film, but they are never quite fleshed out, and there is no discussion of Dylan’s inclination to become involved in these movements. The film wants to paint Dylan as a revolutionary, but he appears more as a popular figure passively placed on platforms, too indifferent to stand upright or step down.
The characterization of women in “A Complete Unknown” also leaves something to be desired. When met with the blunt edge of Dylan’s aloofness, a brief romantic interest of his asks: “Am I just more weight?” His lack of a response is an answer in and of itself. The women are functionally footnotes,
additives to a story that would otherwise lack narrative tension. They only overlap when competing for Dylan’s recognition and scrutiny. Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), one love interest, is a generational talent in her own right — yet Mangold portrays her as little more than a paramour, bitter that Dylan’s success is overtaking her own.
Dylan’s primary relationship is with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictional woman with an intelligent and radiant presence in early portions of the film. But her character devolves into a casualty of Dylan’s obsession with his artistry.
Despite the film’s shortcomings, among
them the surface-level portrayal of Dylan, Chalamet manages to not only get under the musician’s skin, but truly inhabit it. Biopic actors’ attempts to try on the body and adopt the mannerisms of another person often run the risk of caricature and imitation, but Chalamet’s transformation is seamless. The performance is a career standout for Chalamet, who has honed his craft over almost 30 movies.
Dylan’s talent resides in his songwriting — his ability to siphon poetry from an immense reservoir of ideas. His power to electrify came from the truths he sings about, not the instruments he played. This may be obvious to those already fluent in Dylan’s discography, but those new to his work will likely struggle to grasp his influence during the initial watch. For these viewers, his decision to switch out an acoustic guitar for an electric one doesn’t possess enough gravity to sustain the momentum of a film over two hours long.
The film’s muddled storytelling raises the question of whether a devotion to Dylan is a prerequisite for enjoyment, though it succeeds in capturing the grandeur of Dylan’s influence, depicting his stature as more myth than man.
Is there novelty in a biopic affirming that its subject remains unknowable? Perhaps if the film provided insight into his motivations — aside from a vague current of restlessness — the answer would be yes.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 18, 2025.
Sabrina Carpenter and SZA are at the top of their game with deluxe releases
The releases build on existing bodies of work to charm listeners yet again
BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Two of the biggest releases of the last few years just received new deluxe editions this month — and no, it’s not overkill. “Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe)” and “SOS Deluxe: LANA” are the products of powerhouse creatives Sabrina Carpenter and SZA having a little more to say.
Following her Grammy wins for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Best Pop Solo Performance,” Carpenter announced a present for her fans “as a thank you for giving this album 2 Grammy’s :’),” she wrote in an Instagram post. The present in question: a Valentine’s Day release of “Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe).”
The deluxe version of “SOS” was first teased by SZA in February 2023, but the highly-anticipated release came over two years after the original album. In December 2024, “SOS Deluxe: LANA” added 15 new tracks, bringing the album’s total to 28.
But just before taking the stage with Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, SZA attached four new songs to “SOS Deluxe: LANA,” creating a deluxe version of the deluxe album.
Lauded for its vulnerable lyrics and experimental sound, “SOS Deluxe: LANA” was a critical success. “Scorsese Baby Daddy” retains the forceful sound and clever lyricism of “SOS,” while the deluxe album’s lead single “Saturn” points to a new spin on SZA’s trademark vulnerability. The lyrics of “Saturn” capture the essence of “SOS Deluxe: LANA” — a body of work chock-full of revelations that SZA confidently shares
with the world. This month’s four new songs draw out the deluxe edition’s tenderness, building a SZA-verse more expansive than ever before.
“Joni” featuring Don Toliver is short but powerful at just over two minutes. The song’s soft production places SZA’s dominating vocals center-stage, and Toliver’s feature only strengthens the sense of romance pervading the track. The explicit lyrics of “Take You Down” express SZA’s heartbreak, albeit a bit differently than “Open Arms (just SZA)” does. Travis Scott was featured on the latter track in its initial 2022 release as part of “SOS.” This time, SZA is alone as she laments a failed relationship.
Lyrics like “I know ownership is bad / But please put a leash on me anyway / Who needs self-esteem anyway? / I hate myself to make you stay” from “Open Arms (just SZA)” capture the relatability of SZA’s music
and her aptitude for describing complicated relationship dynamics. Instead of shying away from the messiness of romance in the 21st century — and her own culpability in their complications — SZA sings openly about the obstacles she faces.
SZA has been fighting a long battle against music leaks, and with “SOS Deluxe: LANA,” she finally perfected and released fan-favorite songs. Coming in at less than two minutes, “PSA” was used as a teaser for “SOS” in November 2022. Now a release in its own right, the track is an immersive sonic experience and a striking ending to an extensive collection of songs under the “SOS Deluxe: LANA” umbrella.
The deluxe edition of “Short n’ Sweet” adds about 15 minutes of extra content, referenced cheekily by its opening track “15 Minutes.” The song embraces Carpenter’s audacious persona with provocative lyrics
and a fun, unabashed pop sound. The glitz and glamour of “15 Minutes” is a refreshing follow-up to the standard album’s closing track: the slow-paced and sultry “Don’t Smile.”
Carpenter takes another unexpected turn with a show-stopping appearance by Dolly Parton in a remix of “Please Please Please.” The song, purged of its explicit lyrics, leans into the fun country sound that Carpenter experimented with in “Slim Pickins” and the deluxe version’s “Bad Reviews.” The song was accompanied by a music video featuring Carpenter and Parton driving a truck with a man tied up in the back — a bold reference, many fans believe, to Carpenter’s ex-boyfriend, actor Barry Keoghan. Parton’s feature crystallizes Carpenter’s recently attained echelon of stardom.
“Couldn’t Make It Any Harder” is an
emotional ballad featuring Carpenter’s reflections on rebuilding trust after bad romantic experiences. The mood is lightened immediately after by “Busy Woman,” the deluxe edition’s high point. The song is snarky and self-assured, striking at the essence of “Short n’ Sweet.” Lines like “To turn me down, well, that’s just unethical / I’ll turn into someone you’re scared to know” represent the trademark empowerment that made “Short n’ Sweet” the most exciting release of last summer.
“Bad Reviews” closes out the deluxe album with a nod to the harsh criticism of both Carpenter’s work and her romantic choices. The emotional bent of songs from the deluxe album don’t detract from the brightness of the original body of work — rather, they capture the vulnerability that irreverence is often born out of.
February is a time when music takes center-stage: the Grammys and the Super Bowl LIX halftime show both occurred this month, attracting millions of viewers. A deluxe edition of “Short n’ Sweet” allowed Carpenter to honor fans while capitalizing on the momentum of her sixth studio album. The extended, deluxe version of “SOS Deluxe: LANA” keeps things fresh for fans and offers new material for SZA to showcase live as she embarks on a tour with Lamar this April.
Some may call deluxe releases redundant, but there is nothing old about Carpenter and SZA’s world expansion. With each new track, the singers continue to stay at the top of their game, pushing genre boundaries and creating sonic visions that will reverberate in the musical world for years to come.
COURTESY OF SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Despite the film’s surface-level portrayal of Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet manages to not only get under his skin, but truly inhabit it.
COURTESY OF ISLAND RECORDS (LEFT) AND TOP DAWG ENTERTAINMENT (RIGHT)
With every song they put out, the singers are at the top of their game as they push the boundaries of their genres and create sonic visions that will reverberate in the musical world for years to come. REVIEW
COMMENTARY Guan ’27: You have a say in combating isolationism
The United States is at an important turning point. Founded on principles of globalization, our country has instead become more insular than ever. The past decade has seen a significant erosion of these founding principles in favor of nativism, xenophobia and religious nationalism, culminating in President Trump’s second election on an unusually authoritarian and intolerant platform.
President Trump has already made no secret of his disdain for the outside world. Just a month into his second term, he has already threatened Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs and ordered the dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development. The “America First” philosophy that has defined his political career now clearly permeates the federal government.
Trump’s first term was not exactly easy for our global reputation, either. Whether it was withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement or openly questioning America’s commitment to defending its NATO allies, members of the global community grew to distrust American commitments. But his latest moves are a significant step above those of his first term, and we have now reached an important fork in the course of our history: whether to continue our legacy of globalization, or abandon that in favor of insularity.
Trump is no isolationist in the traditional sense. His somewhat outrageous plan to take over Gaza, for example, indicates that he still holds a degree of in-
terest in foreign affairs. But what is unprecedented is the sheer recklessness and disregard he has shown for our allies in favor of perceived American interests. It is now our responsibility to combat these isolationist attitudes by ensuring that we stay informed and connected with the rest of the world.
These patterns of insularity are not particularly unique to the United States. From Austria to Argentina, far-right isolationism and nativism have seen a significant surge across the democratic world. But in light of our unique history, the United States has far too much to lose by embracing such an agenda.
More so than any other country, America has much to thank foreigners for. From the Chinese migrant laborers who built the transcontinental railroad to the German settlers who cultivated the Midwestern plainlands and made it our breadbasket, the history of the United States will always be inextricably linked to immigrants who built a new home for themselves here. The American spirit of openness in welcoming those from all around the world has catapulted us from an isolated economic backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential countries in less than three centuries’ time.
Trump’s domestic and foreign policies are therefore fundamentally incompatible with our history. Time has shown again and again that this country is at its best when we embrace immigrants and work together with allies in combating global issues like refugee crises or HIV prevention. There
It is now our responsibility to combat these isolationist attitudes by ensuring that we stay informed and connected with the rest of the world. “
“
is nothing inherently wrong with prioritizing American issues, but Trump’s proposals come at the direct cost of abandoning the values that have preserved this country’s prosperity.
As we face this latest wave of nativism, we must remember how easily history is often forgotten. It may sound ridiculous now, but the rise of Holocaust denial in European countries like Belgium illustrate this truth. During times of great political upheaval, history is often intentionally disregarded or downplayed — so we must actively combat this at the individual level. As Brown students, we are in the privileged position of having access to a global education, and it is our responsibility to make use of it to oppose the growing nationalist movement in our country.
As someone born outside this country, I assure you that there is always something new to be
Lair ’28: Trump is breaking the press
In 2018, Herald columnist Fabiana Vilsan ’19 analyzed the news media’s portrayal of President Trump during his first term. Amid President Trump’s dramatic return to the oval office, I returned to Vilsan’s commentary to try to understand the exact ways Trump has changed between his two terms, especially in his relationship with the press. In drawing parallels between these two distinct time periods, it is apparent that the nature of Trump’s presidency impedes on Americans’ ability to remain politically informed, even if they deliberately seek out political news.
Since his first term, Trump has doubled down on his efforts to paint the U.S. media as an “enemy of the American people,” insinuating that he would retaliate against his journalist critics. Trump’s criticism of the media is no longer just a talking point but part of his agenda. In his interactions with the media, Trump has, through distraction, effectively stifled the ability of traditional news media to check his presidential powers.
Vilsan identified a real issue in the relationship between media outlets and Donald Trump: Their criticism often wasn’t constructive and fixated on the President’s character rather than policy. This “bias” against Trump during his first administration ostracized conservative audiences because they didn’t see any practical criticism beyond his antagonism. Voters, even those who opposed Trump, weren’t always left with a concrete sense of why his policies were harmful, but rather — as Vilsan put it — “juicy personal details.”
This coverage hinders an essential mission of the press: informed and accessible criticism that holds political leadership accountable. During Trump’s first term, there was “a hailstorm” of character criticism, but a shortage of concrete analysis
which constructively criticized specific policies. Today, we remain in a hailstorm, but a storm of executive order headlines rather than character attacks. Instead of stories on Trump’s sexual assault accusations or his distasteful humor, we see ones about his withdrawal from the World Health Organization and threats to occupy Greenland.
This recent coverage seemingly solves the is-
Gulf of America or declaring that there are only two biological sexes — aren’t necessarily a direct execution of his agenda, but rather an attempt to exhaust the public into complacency.
Bannon’s strategy prevents coverage that fully encapsulates political developments because there are simply too many to keep track of. Trump has signed almost 70 executive orders since taking of-
learned. Although we are limited in our ability to change national policy as college students, our generation will soon have its turn to shape this country’s story. But that doesn’t mean we have to wait until then to take action. We will only conquer the challenges of our times by working together and learning from other cultures. Even small actions like befriending a fellow student from a foreign country or taking a class in foreign history goes a long way towards keeping this country tolerant and free.
Lucas Guan ’27 can be reached at lucas_guan @brown. edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
of governmental actions in this chaotic landscape, preventing anti-Trump citizens from forming informed opinions about his policies and, more importantly, disarming their ability to constructively criticize them. Voters are left with half-baked talking points about Trump’s executive orders rather than a nuanced understanding of their implications. For Democrats, this can prevent productive conversations with Trump voters who may question their support of the president.
Trump’s chaotic, and often laughable, policy initiatives — such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America or declaring that there are only two biological sexes — aren’t necessarily a direct execution of his agenda, but rather an attempt to exhaust the public into complacency.
“ “
sue that Vilsan encountered. But this policy coverage still furnishes the executive office with a sort of smoke-screen. In his New York Times column, Ezra Klein details Steve Bannon’s strategy to “flood the zone” with so many policy actions that the opposition is unable to extensively criticize all of them. Trump’s chaotic, and often laughable, policy initiatives — such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the
fice, and those don’t even account for the changes made at the hands of his cabinet members. Each day, there seems to be a new bombshell Trump headline that astonishes even more than the last. This calculated desensitization leads to the same surface-level discourse that prevented constructive criticism in Trump’s first term.
American citizens cannot reasonably keep track
The execution of Trump’s presidency has made him seemingly immune to critical media. In his first term, character flaws and personal scandals overshadowed genuine critiques of Trump’s policy. Now, the onslaught of executive policy has sped up the news cycle to the point where it cannot focus on an entire political development — including legal or political challenges or policy evolution over time — because one hot headline will be replaced by another drastic move the next day. The primary accountability function of political media in a democracy has been obstructed by President Trump, even four years after we’ve moved on from just attacking his character.
If Trump critics hope to reach the electoral bloc that opened the door for his return to the White House, there must be an intentional effort to overcome this inherent flaw in the consumption of political information.
CJ Lair ’28 can be reached at craig_lair@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD
Kwon ’25, Kattler ’27, Takahashi ’28: Police raids on homeless encampments are cruel and inhumane
In the past five years, homelessness in Rhode Island has more than doubled, and unsheltered homelessness has almost increased fivefold. In 2024, 2,442 Rhode Islanders were experiencing homelessness. In response to this crisis, there has been a significant increase in police presence and crackdowns on homeless encampments around Providence and Rhode Island. As recently as August, Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins signed an executive order allowing Cranston police to break up homeless encampments. In December, West Warwick enacted a ban on encampments on town properties.
All of this is not happening in isolation but as part of a national push to criminalize homelessness. The recent Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson held that it does not violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment to ban individuals from sleeping outdoors even if they have nowhere else to go. It is crucial to recognize the utter cruelty of such treatment of homelessness, both at the local and national level. The increasing police raids on homeless encampments, especially, should be condemned for what they are — pointless, ruthless and inhumane.
Clearing encampments is simply not a solution to the homelessness crisis. Shelter spaces are not always guaranteed or offered when people are displaced from encampments. In January, Governor McKee commented that there are shelter beds
available for anyone who calls, a claim that housing advocates quickly pointed out as outright false. But even if shelter beds were always guaranteed, not everyone experiencing homelessness would choose to sleep in shelters over the outdoors in the first place, due to concerns relating to safety,
also fail to return vitally important personal items such as social security cards, government IDs, cell phones and medication. This is especially concerning because people experiencing homelessness often face many barriers in obtaining such items in the first place.
The increasing police raids on homeless encampments, especially, should be condemned for what they are pointless, ruthless and inhumane. “ “
privacy or substance use. Clearing encampments will not necessarily help homeless people find adequate shelter but rather will continually displace homeless communities out of the public’s sight.
The Rhode Island Homeless Bill of Rights, the first of its kind in the country, states that homeless people “have the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy of personal property.” Police raids, however, regularly violate this. Not only do the raids often leave tents unusable, but they
Removing people, whether they are housed or unhoused, from the place in which they live can be a deeply traumatic and damaging experience. Police raids also make consistent outreach efforts much more difficult. Once people are displaced, outreach workers have difficulty reconnecting with them, especially as homeless people often lack access to phones and the internet in the first place. This is especially troublesome, for instance, for professional outreach workers who work to of-
fer overdose prevention medication to homeless people.
Solving the homelessness crisis requires a series of solutions, many of which local housing advocates continue to push for: rent stabilization policies to address rent increases, the advancement of tenant rights such as protections for Just Cause Evictions to prevent further arbitrary displacement of people, a public state developer of affordable housing and constructions of “tiny home” homeless shelters like ECHO village, which recently opened after a significant delay. But we also desperately need measures that protect people who are already experiencing homelessness. Examples of this include the proposed ordinance by City Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6) to ban camping fines for people who are experiencing homelessness, or last year’s proposed amendment to R.I.’s Homeless Bill of Rights that sought to impose fines on those who actively violate the rights of homeless individuals. Such efforts must be applauded. We must proactively make our voices heard to local officials to condemn police raids and harassment, and to ask them to support legislation that aims to bar such cruel actions.
San Kwon ’25, Ayla Kattler ’27, Remi Takahashi ’28 can be reached at san_kwon@brown.edu, ayla_kattler@ brown.edu and remi_takahashi@brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@browndailyherald.com
Barrozo ’26: Next time your houseplant dies, remember this
Every semester, I have this urge to purchase a new plant for my room. I’ll walk to the plant shop blatantly disregarding the death of its predecessor, unfazed by the two shriveled leaves from my once-thriving Monstera. Despite their short lifespans, I firmly believe that a room is only complete when there is a touch of green in the corner. I choose a new store every time — the risk of being recognized is too high! Then, throughout the semester, I’ll watch the little thing grow a leaf or two and dream of it becoming a tree someday, only to see it transform into a withered twig. I’ve come to learn that indulging in this process of growth and decay teaches us the importance of harnessing meaning from fleeting moments.
The death of a houseplant is a painful experience — there is no denying it. I’ve carried the blame of multiple houseplants in my days at Brown, each one a quiet reminder of responsibility gone awry. But lately, I’ve been rethinking this routine. Maybe the outcome isn’t what matters most. Instead, I’ve come to believe that caring for a plant — despite its fate — is valuable in and of itself. The act
of nurturing, of pouring time and attention into something with the hope that it will grow, is deeply human and, in many ways, necessary. This impulse to cultivate reflects our innate desire to find meaning by investing in something beyond ourselves. In this way, plants offer a valuable lesson about college life, particularly its most tumultuous moments: we must embrace the temporary, for even ephemeral things hold lasting significance.
Plants thrive best in stable environments: constant temperatures, steady light and regular watering are necessary for healthy flora. Unfortunately, very few home environments are as unstable as that of a college student. Every semester ushers in a wave of novelty. Changing class schedules, new roommates and constant moving from dorm to dorm all pose a risk to the delicate requirements of our green guests.
The transient nature of student life can make it difficult to justify keeping a plant. With every semester, it is only natural to question whether it’s worth investing time in making our college spaces feel like home. After all, why pour effort into some-
lesson
I find that putting time into making your dorm your own turns a rather transient year into a more enriching one. The more we engage with our surroundings, however temporary, the more meaning we derive from them. “ “
thing that will soon be left behind? But while change can be unnerving, it often opens doors to unexpected joys. I find that putting time into making your dorm your own turns a rather transient year into a more enriching one. The more we engage with our surroundings, however temporary, the more meaning we derive from them. A plant that lasts only a few weeks is no less precious for its brevity. Similarly, fostering a connection with the neighbor next door — who may only be around for a few months — could transform a quiet Sunday night into a shared moment of laughter with a friend just across the hall. The novel friendships and experiences we nurture, even in passing, tend to have a way of resurfacing in surprising ways.
In my most recent routine visit to a plant shop, I had a long conversation with the employee who discouraged me from buying a more adventurous plant. She explained that the tropical plant I was admiring wouldn’t stand a chance in a New England college living environment. Oftentimes, she said, the odds are rigged against dreamers of the green corner. Shops, eager to cater to trends, will sell plants ill-suited to the Providence climate. I was fooled by the lure of a prayer plant — twice. As much as I loved my prayers, they were never meant to survive in the dry, sunless months.
It was an oddly refreshing realization. It reminded me that sometimes things escape our con-
trol and that a change of course is only natural. For instance, if you came to Brown determined to pursue a particular concentration but then were pulled in another direction, embrace that diversion. Maybe it’s important to buy a new plant every semester, not as a futile attempt to correct past mistakes, but as a quiet act of renewal.
So, if you are looking to acquire a new plant this semester, take heart — your track record of plant survival, or lack thereof, doesn’t define you. If you want something resilient, I say start with the classics: succulents, snake plants or a pothos. If you’re willing to try a bit harder, a Zanzibar Gem or a rubber plant is a great choice — they will forgive a missed watering or two (or five). For best care, I recommend naming your plant; my last two prayers were called Grace and Frankie, respectively. At the end of the day, your plant may thrive, or it may not. But in the act of caring, of nurturing something despite the uncertainty, there’s a lesson worth holding onto. And worst-case scenario, there’s always next semester.
Julia Barrozo ’26 can be reached at julia_barrozo_do_amaral@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
ISABELA GUILLEN / HERALD
New federal policies raise uncertainty in financial aid, admissions
Trump administration changes FAFSA, issues new guidance
BY TEDDY FISHER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
With new Trump administration policies impacting college admissions and financial aid, experts say the future of higher education remains uncertain.
The Department of Education announced that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, will return to only offering “male” and “female” as choices for the applicant’s sex. The category previously included “nonbinary” and “prefer not to answer” options.
A Friday X post from the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency’s official account read “Fixed,” alongside a screenshot highlighting the change.
That same day, the Department of Education gave institutions two weeks to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law,” specifically as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The directive threatens to cut the colleges’ and universities’ federal funding if they do not comply.
The letter also states that “a school may not use students’ personal essays, writing samples, participation in extracurriculars, or other cues as a means of determining or predicting a student’s race and favoring or disfavoring such students.”
The Department of Education also
argued that the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-based affirmative action also prohibits the use of race in “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” Such actions could shake up aspects of college admissions and campus life.
Allie Arcese, a spokesperson for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said the Department of Education typically corrects and makes
additions to the FAFSA annually. But the changes for sex categories were implemented outside of the typical cycle.
Following Trump’s gutting of agencies and organizations like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education may be the next target.
Jill Desjean, director of policy analysis at NASFAA, told the Herald that the details of a potential Department of Education shutdown are “a complete unknown.”
The Department of Education was
“created by Congress,” so it “needs to be dissolved by Congress,” Desjean added, referencing the fact that a president cannot independently shut down an agency created by Congress.
Even if the education department was shut down, “someone would have to administer the FAFSA,” Desjean added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2023, following the Supreme Court’s decision to end race-based affirmative action, the Biden administration issued a report to encourage diversity
in higher education in accordance with the law.
Richard Kahlenberg, an expert witness in the affirmative action case, wrote in an email to The Herald that he will be looking to see if the Trump administration “seeks to curtail race-neutral strategies,” like giving admissions advantages to economically disadvantaged students to increase racial diversity.
The Trump administration is also considering cutting research grants for colleges and universities — but it’s unlikely that the changes will have any effect on financial aid, wrote Sara Harberson, the founder of college counseling company Application Nation and previous associate dean of admissions at Penn, in an email to the Herald.
“The word of the week is ‘uncertainty,’” Harberson added. “We are just not sure how all of this will shake out.”
But if any guidance or changes come within the next month, it could be troubling especially for schools with a high number of applications coming in, she said.
“To say that admissions staff are consumed … would be an understatement,” wrote Harberson, adding that changing course “would be extremely difficult for any college.”
“No one is making a first move,” Harberson concluded. “We will have to wait and see.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 19, 2025.
In 2015, four alums graduated with independent concentrations. Where are they now?
Class of 2015 alums reflect on their unique degrees
BY IVY HUANG STAFF WRITER
From Neuroaesthetics to Contemplative Psychosomatic Medicine, independent concentrations give students the ability to customize their Brown experience. Now, 10 years after graduation, four alums from the class of 2015 reflect on how their unique degree prepared them for their current endeavors.
When Chloe Zimmerman Gunsilius ’15 MD’27 GS first entered Brown, she planned to double-concentrate in public health and religious studies. But she changed her mind after attending a contemplative studies talk and taking a class on Buddhism, both of which grew her fascination with the medical practices of different religions and cultural traditions.
She ultimately decided to complete an IC in Contemplative Psychosomatic Medicine. At the time that Gunsilius chose to create her concentration, the contemplative studies concentration did not yet exist. It became a formal concentration in September 2014, one year before she graduated.
As a student in the Program in Liberal Medical Education, Gunsilius “was really interested in understanding how different cultures approach suffering” and how religion shaped people’s beliefs, she told The Herald.
“I really wanted to understand how the practices that evolved from those
traditions could actually propel” current medical conventions, she said. Gunsilius is now an MD/PhD candidate at Brown.
Like Gunsilius, Mina Shakarshy ’15 entered Brown intending to concentrate in an existing degree program. But she thought her intended concentration — cognitive science — was too theoretical, and instead wanted to pursue something that would be more “applicable” to her future career, she said.
After taking CLPS 0510: “Perception, Illusion and the Visual Arts” with Professor of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences William Warren, she became interested in integrating computer science with graphic design — leading her to create an IC in Perception of Digital Art and Design.
Brown didn’t offer many design classes at the time, Shakarshy said. But creating an IC enabled her to take more classes that interested her, making her college experience at Brown “worth it,” she explained.
Now, she is a staff product designer at Modern Health, a company that promotes mental wellness in corporate environments.
When Danny Sobor ’15 was an undergraduate, he also hoped to combine his interdisciplinary interests into one IC: Neuroaesthetics.
“I’ve always been a visual person,” wrote Sobor in an email to The Herald. “Combining the material study of making paintings with a scientific underpinning of visual cognition felt like a more holistic way to understand the visual world.”
Although Sobor is now an oil painter, he still appreciates “understanding the biology” behind his work, he wrote.
“Even with the scientific grounding,”
he added, “paintings are still magic to me.”
For Alexandra Urban ’15, her independent concentration in Educational Neuroscience has played a key role in her career path.
“It might be rare, but the knowledge I gained while at Brown is still alive and well in my current role,” wrote Urban, who is a former photographer for The Herald.
Urban currently conducts research on science education for Coursera, an online course provider. She wrote that she’s passionate about “exploring how the human brain learns and applying that to improve how we teach.”
Studying Educational Neuroscience prepared Urban to obtain both a master’s degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, she added.
Gunsilius expressed a similar sentiment, noting that her independent concentration has been “infused” in everything she has pursued throughout her career. It has been particularly fundamental to her PhD work, which focuses on how to develop a digital therapeutic treatment for the brain’s chronic pain, she explained.
Pursuing an independent concentration was “daunting,” Shakarshy said. But
after completing the application process, the concentration itself was “super rewarding.”
“The act of creating an IC, crafting a novel curriculum path and defending your choices to the dean of the College requires exploration and courage,” Urban wrote. “While it’s easier not to pursue an IC, I am so glad I created my own major.” ICs, Urban added, are “so uniquely Brown.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 18, 2025.
MAX ROBINSON / HERALD
ALUMNI
KAIA YALAMANCHILI / HERALD Independent concentrations, Alexandra Urban ’15 said, are "so uniquely Brown.”
The Herald spoke to experts about their predictions for changes in higher education as Trump administration policies create uncertainty regarding college admissions and financial aid.