Friday, February 3rd, 2023

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

UNIVERSITY NEWS

TALO to vote

Organizers, U. set election date, eligible voters to include UTAs, HTAs, MTAs

BY SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

The Teaching Assistant Labor Organization, a proposed union of undergraduate computer science teaching assistants, has reached a stipulated election agreement with the University to hold a workplace election Thursday, March 2. The election will be held from 12-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. via a secret-ballot process at a location that has yet to be determined, according to the signed agreement, which The Herald reviewed.

TALO and the University agreed that all undergraduate, meta and head computer science teaching assistants who worked during the fall 2022 semester or are currently working during the spring 2023 semester are eligible to vote in the election. If the majority vote yes, the CS TAs will be represented by the Graduate Labor Organization in collective bar-

METRO

on unionization

March 2

gaining negotiations with the University.

A group of CS TA organizers launched their campaign to unionize last December in order to negotiate with the University on TA wages, hours and responsibilities following complaints of overwork and other difficulties, The Herald previously reported.

TALO filed its official petition — which proposed eligible members of the bargaining unit and details regarding the administration of the

McKee budget accounts for $610 million surplus

Critics say tax rebates lack sustainability, fail to address structural economic issues

BY YAEL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

While the rest of the country braces for a possible recession this year, Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed budget is at odds with the doom and gloom of economic forecasts. The state is heading into the 2023-24 fiscal year on track for a $610 million surplus, and the budget proposal contains several tax cuts, including energy rebates and a reduction in state sales tax for Rhode Islanders.

The proposed budget aims to support citizens who have been struggling with the increasing cost of living and inflation, according to state Sen. Louis DiPalma MSc’89 P’08 (D-12), chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance. Earlier this year, utility rates rose almost 50% in Rhode Island, and increased gas and grocery prices have affected people worldwide.

DiPalma said the budget re -

flects the priorities of the Senate: monitoring the economic impact of inflation on Rhode Island residents and businesses.

He added that the budget is likely to change after it passes through the numerous legislative hoops standing in its way.

“In my 15 years, no budget that’s come to the General Assembly came out the way it went in,” DiPalma said. “The committee … (is) gonna go back and look at what the residents want.”

In an email to The Herald, Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-23) said the budget would undergo a “thorough vetting of proposals through the House Finance Committee process,” adding that he felt “confident that effort will yield a final product we can all be proud of.”

How the surplus came to be

This marks the second straight year that Rhode Island will be left with an excess of money. Rhode Island finished the last fiscal year with a surplus of $480 million, part

election — with the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 11 after the University initially declined its request for voluntary recognition in December.

At filing, TALO received authorization cards from over 70% of TAs who worked during the fall semester and over 50% of TAs who are working for the current semester, according to Colton Rusch ’23, a TALO organizer.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Group combines Western, Bollywood music, will perform at annual spring show

BY SWARAJ AGARWAL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Like most members of Brown Barsaat, President Rohit Panse ’24 sang before he got to Brown, performing in a vocal jazz group throughout high school. He also grew up listening to both Bollywood and English music, which made joining a club where he could perform in both styles particularly exciting.

Founded in the early 2000s, Barsaat is Brown’s South Asian fusion a cappella group. The 14-member group consists of singers with both classical South Asian and Western musical training, and draws upon both styles in their performances on campus and beyond.

Panse highlighted the tight-knit community that Barsaat provides, noting that it makes the club unique.

Growing up, former Barsaat Music Director Urvi Binjrajka ’23 kept busy by participating in musical groups.

“I came to Brown looking for a similar community to get involved in and auditioned for several a cappella

Following Wayland breakin, DPS increases security

UNIVERSITY NEWS Students report continued anxieties following incident, lack of communication

BY CHINMAYI RAJARAM STAFF WRITER

Since the Wayland House break-in last December, building resident Lena Henderson ’25 has had to reassess her perception of safety on campus.

Nearly two months ago, Thony Greene was arrested and charged with willful trespass after reportedly breaking into Wayland House. Greene, who has a history of trespassing on University property, was caught living in Wayland unlawfully for an unknown amount of time and was spotted in students’ rooms, The Herald previously reported.

Wayland resident Sherry Zhang ’25, whose room Greene broke into, said she was shocked and unsettled by the incident. “I couldn’t believe that it actually happened,” she said.

“I don’t even feel safe going to the

bathroom without locking the door,” Henderson said, reflecting on how her behavior around residence halls has changed since the incident.

In the wake of the break-in, the Department of Public Safety has bolstered its security protocols by providing lighted vests to DPS officers and implementing routine lock check-ins and community walks by community coordinators in residence halls, according to a Dec. 15 DPS email to the University community.

‘More communication is needed’

Following the break-in, DPS sent an update to Wayland residents on Dec. 6 “about a situation that had been addressed initially, with an active investigation then launched,” Chatman wrote in an email to The Herald.

“DPS sends timely warning messages to the campus (community) when there’s an active threat,” but handled the situation at Wayland House differently because the sus-

Barsaat offers fusion music, community

groups,” Binjrajka said. “During callbacks, Barsaat made me feel especially at home, which instantly compelled me to join. Upperclassmen also played a huge role in mentoring ‘bar-babies’ and helped us navigate our way through the chaos of freshman year, and we’ve made lifelong friends.”

Soumya Karwa ’23, former social chair at Barsaat, said that when she came to Brown as an international student, she experienced a major culture shock. Seeking a community on cam-

pus, Karwa auditioned for Barsaat and was accepted into the group. Barsaat is a group where “there are people looking out for you and people who will always be there for you,” Karwa said.

“Despite the fact that we may not have any classes in common and we are not in the same year, we have music in common,” she added. “Barsaat is a group of diverse people brought

COURTESY OF BROWN BARSAAT Barsaat’s performances have taken them to neighboring campuses, such as Wellesley College for their South Asian culture show.

SAM LEVINEW/ HERALD

TALO will continue to host events like the rally it held in December, said TALO Organizer Julia McCauley ’23.

‘Just trying to be flexible right now’: Overcrowding strains Nelson

BY ELIZABETH HIRSCHFELD STAFF WRITER

Students have recently noticed an uptick in the number of people exercising in the Nelson Fitness Center, leading to overcrowding, difficulty accessing equipment and lines when the gym reaches its max capacity. In response, the University has launched an online occupancy tracker students can use to see the Nelson’s current occupancy.

Over winter break, the Nelson underwent upgrades to include a turf area, five squat racks and new deadlift platforms, The Herald previously reported. Amy Dean, Brown Recreation fitness and wellness manager, cited these changes as the reason for recent overcrowding in an email to The Herald.

To address crowding, Brown Recre-

ation, which manages the University’s fitness centers and the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, has “created an occupancy tracker available online for all to check before coming to workout at the Nelson Fitness Center,” according to Dean.

Dean noted that there are more students using the facilities now than there were during the same time last year. “In fact, we have seen a 14% increase in participation by our student population,” she wrote.

According to Chas Steinbrugge ’24, the Nelson has been more congested in recent weeks than in previous semesters, sometimes even hitting its 194-person capacity. “Some of the leg press machines are definitely pretty crowded,” he said. “Getting access to dumbbells (and) bench presses can sometimes be a little bit tough.”

“We are aware that on occasion there have been lines at the Nelson,” Dean wrote, adding that the lines have occurred during the Nelson’s busiest time of day — between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. — and that there have not been any

lines since Friday, Jan. 27.

“The tracker is definitely helpful, but I wish that we had more gym capacity so that it wasn’t necessary,” Steinbrugge wrote in a message to The Herald. Steinbrugge has campaigned on social media for expanded fitness options on campus.

Brown Recreation is “exploring existing spaces within the Nelson Fitness Center to create additional opportunities for training,” Dean added.

Adam Lalani ’26 said that he appreciates the additional bench pressing racks and squat racks that were added to the Nelson over winter break, but still feels that there is a need for more equipment. “I don’t know why they have so many elliptical machines,” while the availability of frequently-used equipment is limited, Lalani said.

“Definitely some people want to check out the upgrades,” said Emma Pearlman ’25, adding that, in her opinion, crowding is also likely due to the start of the new semester. “School hasn’t fully ramped up to its fullest

yet.”

She added that she finds herself sharing equipment with other students more often this semester than she had previously. “I’m just trying to be flexible right now,” she said.

Steinbrugge suggested that equipment such as free weights could be

added to other fitness facilities on campus, such the Graduate Center gym, to ease capacity pressures at the Nelson.

Lalani added that he would find it helpful to have a gym in the southern part of campus. “This is an issue that’s here to stay.”

After the petition was filed, the University was given a Jan. 25 deadline to submit a statement outlining its stance on TALO’s proposals for the workplace election — such as the bargaining unit definition and election date. TALO would then have to respond with its own position statement, after which both parties were expected to attend a hearing Feb. 2 to begin the process of reconciling any differences between their respective statements.

But the University never filed its statement of position and instead TALO and University lawyers negotiated an election agreement, Rusch said. The agreement, signed Feb. 1, lays out all workplace election details and allows the parties to forgo the NLRB hearing and reconciliation process.

Since the University did not “object to the proposed bargaining unit or holding (of) an election, the NLRB

BREAK-IN FROM PAGE 1

pect “was apprehended and in custody immediately,” Chatman wrote.

Zhang said there was a general lack of communication from DPS throughout the break-in investigation and expressed continued anxieties about feeling unsafe in her dorm.

While DPS “came and helped,” Zhang said that no one called her after the incident, leaving her with limited insight into the case. Zhang added that she found most of her information on the proceedings through social media platforms like Sidechat.

“All we knew about (the investigation) was rumors,” Henderson said. “In the future, this process needs to be revised (and) people need to be informed. More communication is needed.”

Chatman said that “nobody was asked to withhold verified updates about the circumstances,” but Wayland residents were advised “to avoid fueling unfounded speculation and rumor” about the situation.

“Each call Brown DPS receives requires its own unique response based

representative handling the election petition (worked) with the parties to agree to the terms of when and where the election will be held,” wrote University Spokesperson Brian Clark in an email to The Herald.

“Both the union and the University were represented by counsel in these discussions with the NLRB’s Boston office, and the election is now scheduled.”

“We are eager to get to work on negotiating a contract to implement the necessary changes to make Brown’s CS UTA program the standard-bearer for undergraduate computer science education,” Rusch wrote in a message to The Herald. “Unions are ultimately about building democracy in the workplace, and we look forward to seeing democracy in action at the ballot box on March 2.”

The University believes “all students who would be impacted by the formation of a union and a collective bargaining agreement should have

upon a wide variety of factors,” Chatman wrote. He added that DPS provides a quick response, supports students, conducts investigations and offers many resources to protect the “safety of all campus community members and visitors.”

New security measures

DPS has continued to work with campus departments to implement new safety measures, including readjusting where it deploys security staff on campus to more strategically respond to issues and implementing routine residence hall check-ins, according to a Dec. 15 email to the University community.

“DPS officers are spending more time around the residence halls … particularly at night,” Chatman wrote. “Community members may have noticed by now the extra stationary patrols by our residence halls.”

DPS is also continuing “to engage in discussion about the potential for whether additional measures might strengthen safety on campus even

an opportunity to directly exercise their vote in favor of or in opposition to unionization,” Clark wrote.

If eligible CS TAs “ultimately vote to form a union, we will respect that choice and enter into negotiations toward a collective bargaining unit,” he added. “Whether they vote in favor of a union or not, the University is committed to working in good faith to address their concerns.”

For now, TALO will focus on engaging with current TAs to ensure that “everyone’s experiences are heard” and that all TAs have the chance to join TALO, said Ronnie Shashoua ’25, a TALO organizer, in an interview with The Herald before the signing of the stipulated election agreement.

TALO organizers want to “take the chance to talk to everyone that is a TA to really understand their perspective and what they would want out of this body that would be representing them,” said Eva Lau

’23, another TALO organizer, in an interview before the agreement was signed.

The University believes that students “should be well-informed about what unionization entails — including the anticipated amount of student dues that will be deducted from their hourly pay, how dues will be expended and how decisions will be made about those dues and other union matters,” Clark wrote. “We have urged union organizers to provide information to eligible voters before an election is held, and the University will communicate accurately and factually with eligible voters as well.”

On Instagram, TALO has launched a TA Spotlight series in which TALO organizers and union members are invited to share their reasons for supporting the formation of a union, according to Julia McCauley ’23, a TALO organizer.

“Unionizing is a tangible way we can improve the CS TA program and

leave it better than we found it,” McCauley shared in her TA Spotlight post. “The current operation of the program is unsustainable and we need formal and accountable representation to protect TAs and student learning.”

McCauley said that TALO will also continue to host events like the rally it held last December and general body meetings for all TAs to attend. TALO has also created a form for CS alumni and affiliates — people in some way connected to the department, such as retired professors — to sign on and express support.

McCauley said that several alumni who were former CS TAs have reached out to TALO and shared that they experienced the same issues TALO is currently working to resolve. These alumni are “excited by the changes that we are trying to make and just really want to express their support,” she added.

LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD

Students said that there was a lack of communication from DPS throughout the break-in investigation. “In the future, this process needs to be revised,” Wayland resident Lena Henderson ’25 said.

further,” he added ResLife staff are “here to help,”

Amanda Surgens, director of residential operations and strategic planning, wrote in an email to The Herald. She urged students to seek out members of her staff who can be easily

identified by “departmental-branded clothing as well as a name badge.”

Chatman encouraged students to engage in “three main behaviors … that can make an immediate impact on safety,” including avoiding propping open doors and immediately re-

porting unsafe conditions to ResLife staff or Public Safety.

“Call us first before engaging others,” he wrote.

According to Chatman, the Wayland case “is still working its way through the criminal justice system.”

TALO FROM PAGE 1

U. implements occupancy tracker after students experience congestion

ASHLEY CHOI / HERALD

Justice40 Initiative funds climate advocacy in Rhode Island

METRO Officials, community organizers share perspectives on new federal grants

BY JULIA VAZ METRO EDITOR

In January 2021, the Biden administration announced the Justice40 Initiative as part of a series of measures to address the climate crisis. The initiative mandates that “at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal programs must flow to disadvantaged communities” to aid in climate-related issues.

To help implement the policy, the administration launched the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which “identifies communities that have faced historic injustices and have borne the brunt of pollution” last November, according to a White House press release. The Herald spoke to Rhode Island officials and organizations to understand the initiative’s impact on climate policy in the state.

According to Michael Healey, chief public affairs officer for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the initiative represents a first in the history of climate policy in the United States.

“Not surprisingly given our nation’s history of racial and other inequality, the United States has never committed to environmental justice on this scale before — or even attempted to,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. Healey added that DEM hopes the initiative will bring resources for “communities (that) have been overburdened by legacy pollution and environmental hazards.”

DEM also hopes to benefit from other environmental justice measures

established by the Inflation Reduction Act. Healey wrote that DEM is preparing to apply for an Environmental Justice grant later in the spring. Environmental Justice programs aim to support “government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms,” according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

The language on climate justice supported by the IRA and the Justice40 Initiative will also be reflected on DEM’s 2023-2026 strategic plan, Healey explained. The plan will focus on prioritizing “diversity, inclusion and environmental justice in all programs,” he saod. Some of its goals will include the development of a diverse DEM workforce, a strong relationship with residents of underserved communities and the incorporation of environmental justice into grant considerations.

The Herald also spoke to Monica Huertas, executive director of The People’s Port Authority, an organization working to “stop the construction and expansion of fossil fuel facilities near and on the Port of Providence,” according to Huertas. She shared that the PPA was recently awarded a Justice40 grant. “I thought it was a great idea because those federal grants … usually just go to large organizations,” she said.

Huertas added that the PPA’s application for federal funding in 2020 was denied. Between 2021 and 2022, the application was approved, and the organization was provided a grant of roughly $27,000, Huertas said. The funds are being used to mainly support the organization’s Green Justice Zones, which, in underserved communities, aim to “pass … and write legislation … to have people in the community involved in the decision-making process,” according to Huertas.

“They can give us more money,” Huertas answered when asked if she felt there were ways the Justice40 Initiative could improve. For her, funding to local grass-roots organizations is crucial. “Leave it to the community. We know what we are doing, we know what our needs are,” she added.

While April Brown, interim director of the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee of Providence, also praised the initiative, she said that the Justice40 Initiative will not fix all issues around equity impacting local communities. She pointed to how smaller organizations still encounter difficulty when trying to receive federal funding.

“It’s still a challenge to get federally funded,” Brown said, explaining how smaller organizations usually struggle to compete with those that have the personnel and resources to go through a federal application process. She added that funding should

also be made available at the state level. “Every state agency should have an equity plan so that the money can get to the communities” with the highest need, she said.

She also expressed concerns over the newly released screening tool. According to Brown, the tool — which uses asthma and lead rates as criteria to identify vulnerable areas — is “not necessarily bringing new information.” For her, it is “not rocket science” that places such as the Port of Providence are in need of assistance and resources. Washington Park, the neighborhood near the port, has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma in Rhode Island, because of pollution from nearby industry, The Herald previously reported.

“I think what will be helpful is when they start doing community engagement and looking at how that information is actually affecting the people who live in those areas,” Brown said.

“One of the challenges of data is that it loses context … if you are not having conversations with the people to understand the impacts, then you are just making guesses … and that’s not good policy-making,” she added.

While Brown is not dismissing the accomplishments of the Initiative, she still identifies areas where it can improve. “I do think people are trying to help … but I do also think there’s still a disconnect” between federal legislators and communities, she said.

For Brown, projects like the Justice40 Initiative must aim to foster a closer relationship between policy-makers and those who be impacted by such policies. “We are already burdened,” she said. “We need (legislators) to let go of some of that burden on us. We need that to happen for equity to happen.”

SITA PAWAR / HERALD

of which will carry over to this year’s budget surplus. Much of that surplus was due to pandemic-related federal aid and was padded by income tax and sales tax revenue that, according to DiPalma, exceeded all forecasts.

Robert Hackey, adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs, said that recent COVID-19 relief from the federal government and higher-than-expected tax revenue has made state surpluses quite common throughout the country.

“Rhode Island has been very conservative in how it used the COVID stimulus funds,” Hackey said. But he noted that the onset of a recession might quickly change the state’s economic situation.

“In a recession, your (state) income drops because fewer people are working, but conversely, your expenditures rise,” Hackey said, referencing Medicaid and other cash assistance programs that more people qualify for in times of economic stress.

Effective relief, or easy way out?

The governor’s budget focuses on providing Rhode Islanders with immediate financial relief, but Hackey said the government may be making a mistake by not considering longterm solutions.

“I don’t think there’s anything, on the one hand, wrong with a tax relief approach,” Hackey said. “But on the other hand, I think some of the things that we’re talking about don’t make a whole lot of sense in terms of a long-term investment.”

Hackey pointed to McKee’s proposed reduction in the Rhode Island sales tax from 7% to 6.85%. While the governor’s press release promises this change will save residents $35 million annually, Hackey said he doesn’t see the reduction as sustainable.

“Rhode Island has historically had some significant structural deficits where we have a mismatch between the revenues that are coming in and our expenditures,” he said. “By cut-

ting the sales tax, you’re essentially limiting your revenues going forward,” a change that would have a “multiplier effect” in the future.

Derek Gomes, chief public affairs officer for the Department of Administration’s Office of Management and Budget, wrote in an email to The Herald that the tax cuts keep Rhode Island “competitive” with nearby states. Rhode Island has the highest sales tax in New England, with Connecticut and Massachusetts having sales taxes of 6.35% and 6.25% respectively.

“Approximately one-third of Rhode Islanders live within three miles of the Connecticut or Massachusetts border,” he added. “The Governor is proposing a phased-in reduction to the sales tax rate when economic conditions allow to ensure it is sustainable,” according to the budget’s executive summary.

DiPalma views the state tax reduction as an effort to address what he sees as one of the most pressing concerns in the state: the high cost of living. He said that Rhode Islanders expected a larger reduction than what the budget proposed.

Hackey said that the move doesn’t make the state’s tax climate any more competitive with Massachusetts, though that may have been an aim of the reduction. “If the goal is to try to get more folks to spend more money in Rhode Island versus other states, I don’t think we really accomplish that,” Hackey said.

Hackey also took issue with McKee’s plans to pause the three-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax. He said gas tax revenue pays for the state’s “big to-do list of projects … when it comes to infrastructure, and if we’re not going to generate more state-sourced funds, I think that’s problematic.”

Per the budget proposal, $24.6 million of the state’s surplus will be used to help cover the costs of infrastructure projects while providing Rhode Islanders with tax relief, according to Gomes.

Alternative options, looking ahead Camilo Viveiros, executive direc -

tor of the George Wiley Center, challenged the budget for its failure to address the structural and systemic changes he said Rhode Island needs to make. He expressed frustration that the government isn’t focusing on what he sees as key issues: building more government-owned housing, restructuring taxation to be more equitable and funding transportation and education.

“If there’s more resources, there’s also more responsibility to make sure those resources are spent in a way that addresses our basic human needs,” Viveiros said. “It shouldn’t be up to just a small group of people (to) decide how these resources are spent.” He advocated for the government to solicit public input on what they’d most like to see the money spent on.

Viveiros said that he views tax cuts as especially ineffective when it comes to addressing the needs of

low-income and working-class people. Viveiros said the lowest bracket of low-income households doesn’t pay taxes due to earned income programs and thus doesn’t stand to benefit from tax reductions.

The George Wiley Center supports a Percentage of Income Payment Program rather than sweeping rebates, according to Viveiros. The model would allow Rhode Islanders to pay bills proportionate to their actual earnings, rather than flat rates that might be affordable for one household but unsustainable for another.

Gomes explained that the budget’s inclusion of measures beyond tax reductions will ensure that Rhode Islanders will receive economic aid. He cited budget initiatives aimed at “raising income for all Rhode Islanders, improving educational outcomes that meet Massachusetts’ levels by 2030 and creating a healthier state where we reduce chronic illness and improve

health outcomes.”

The budget proposal’s plan to increase K-12 education funding by $57.8 million, as well as its investment in small businesses and infrastructure improvement projects, will also help make progress towards Gov. McKee’s Rhode Island 2030 goals, according to Gomes.

“Additionally, the State is using the $1.13 billion in State Fiscal Recovery Funds on a number of projects to increase the affordable housing stock, assist sectors that were negatively impacted by the pandemic and support disproportionately impacted communities,” Gomes said.

To Hackey, surplus funds should go towards addressing issues that aren’t typically budget items, such as homelessness, affordable housing and climate change.

“I’d like to see us invest it in ways that pay dividends going forward,” Hackey said.

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Science & Research Editor

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Senior Science & Research Editor

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Arts & Culture Editors

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Opinions

Head Opinions Editor

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Opinions Editors

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Fulya Pinar studies how migrant communities shape social movements

Pinar studies migrant women, refugees, speaks on research at U. lecture

BY SOFIA BARNETT UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Fulya Pinar has spent a great deal of time observing passengers on a bus traveling between Istanbul’s center and its outskirts as part of her research.

In one instance, she watched a cross-cultural economic exchange between a Turkish bus driver and a non-native passenger. The passenger, whose linguistic differences indicated he was not Turkish, provided payment for the bus fare in the form of cash — a method forbidden under the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Though the passenger did not present the required public transportation card, the bus driver just took the money, let him on the bus and kept driving.

According to Pinar, this situation right before her eyes exemplified the community support she had so extensively studied for years.

Pinar, a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Middle East Studies, researches “displacement and social movement in Turkey and the Middle East,” focusing on migrant women and the alternative communities they form.

In a talk entitled “The Bus that Transports Undocumented Migrants: Experimental Solidarities across the Refugee vs. Citizen Divide in Istanbul,” Pinar analyzed “how migrants from the Middle East and West Africa experiment with everyday solidarities in Istanbul,” according to the event’s description. Pinar spoke to a crowd at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs on Thursday, Feb. 2.

Alex Winder, director of undergraduate studies and visiting assistant professor of Middle East Studies, views Pinar’s work as highlighting “pushback against the traditional systems.”

“One of the things I find most exciting about her work is that it links the ideas of displacement (with) social movements” rather than humanitarian responses, Winder said. This allows outsiders to understand that refugees are not merely “passive recipients of

humanitarian aid” but rather “active social agents.”

Working to reshape views of the migrant experience

Pinar grew her career out of exploration. Even though studying management as an undergraduate at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Pinar decided to test the waters of social sciences. Quickly, those waters became her life.

“I chose management for my undergraduate studies because I come from a more lower-class family and identify as first-generation,” Pinar explained. “So for me, making a living was the priority. But when I started exploring sociology and anthropology courses, I became interested in women’s activist movements in Turkey.”

Pinar was quick to put her knowledge of management to use within her new interest areas when she began volunteering with “non-governmental activist organizations that were particularly doing work with impoverished women.”

Pinar earned her master’s degree from Istanbul’s Koç University after studying women’s organizations and the legal field in Turkey, specifically looking at feminist lawyers and their movements, campaigns and case law. She completed her degree in 2014, just

three years after the Syrian civil war began. In the face of this conflict, Pinar shifted her academic focus to migrant women fleeing Syria for Turkey.

“So after 2011, with the war in Syria under (Bashar) al-Assad’s regime, there were horrible attacks on civilians so people, of course, started to move to Turkey,” she said. “And in 2014, it was very clear that these people were going to come and they were going to stay.”

Pinar continued studying migrant women while pursuing her PhD at Rutgers University, focusing specifically on how refugees were involved in various social movements across Turkey.

“While studying these refugees, I realized that they were actually building movements of their own,” Pinar said. “Although these were less visible than what you might call a feminist movement, they were certainly extensive.”

“Refugees were opening up their houses, opening their private enterprises, opening some underground community centers and clinics to provide knowledge and support to one another,” engaging in formative movements of their own, she added.

Pinar aims to change the lens through which the world views the Middle East, highlighting how mi -

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grants and refugees are “changing the system (by) creating alternatives rather than resisting. They’re essentially creating their own alternative, parallel lives.”

“When people from the Global North look at the Middle East, they often see a static thing that doesn’t change,” she said. “They are looking from the lens of the states and not from the lenses of the people. For me, it’s important to show that there are things these people do to continue living their lives and survive.”

Winder felt similarly. “These people are not only making lives for themselves but are also trying to put forward certain demands to ensure their rights and looking after each other,” he said. Pinar’s “research is really interesting in that it looks at displacement not as something that affects Western Europe or North America, but as something reshaping societies within the Middle East as well.”

Placing Pinar’s research in Providence

Through case studies, Pinar aims to highlight that “practices like this cash transaction on the bus — normally illegalized — constitute elements of alternative social contracts between citizens and microstructures,” she

TODAY’S EVENTS

Brown University Track & Field at Crimson Elite & Multi 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Cambridge, MA

Exhibit | Facing Invisibility 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Rhode Island Hall

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Brown University Women’s Basketball vs. Harvard

5-7 p.m.

Pizzitola Sports Center

Brown University Women’s Water Polo vs Pomona-Pitzer

2:50 - 4:20 p.m.

Coleman Aquatics Center

said.

Josephine Kovecses ’25, who attended Thursday’s event, was particularly struck by Pinar’s anecdote about bus fare payment.

“I thought it was remarkable that her entire thesis was based on an observation from something as simple as a bus ride,” she said. “The concept of a parallel economy and political sphere centering migrants in Turkey is so specific that I had little previous knowledge, so I was fascinated by (Pinar’s) use of a case study to prove a larger phenomenon.”

Atticus Henry ’25 also expressed fascination with Pinar’s firsthand knowledge, explaining that her time in Turkey “offers an accurate and more informed analysis” of her studies.

“Her presentation was fascinating because it describes the daily challenges and dynamic the refugee experience entails while also providing a unique overview of the forces behind them,” he said.

“I appreciated how she connected the lives of the people she interacted with to larger trends to better contextualize complex situations in an insightful and respectful way,” Henry added.

According to Winder, Pinar is unique in her ability to “think carefully about pedagogy” and “inspire students to become truly engaged in the learning process.” Winder says these skills of Pinar’s have the potential to motivate students to think about connections between the migrant communities in Turkey and the ones just down the hill in Providence.

“Providence is also home to a number of different refugee populations, migrant populations (and) populations of displaced people,” he said. “Thinking about how these people are engaged in different kinds of social movements and engaged in politics instead of just thinking of them only as recipients of aid or the object of politics is really important.”

“I know a lot of Brown students are engaged in work within different migrant communities around Providence, so I think (Pinar’s) way of approaching this can be really productive for students who are engaged in those questions,” Winder added. “That’s why I think we’re so lucky to have found someone like her.”

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COURTESY OF FULYA PINAR

Fulya Pinar. a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Middle East Studies, aims to change the lens through which the world views the Middle East and migrants through her research.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ sacrifices story for spectacle, stunning visuals

Computer-generated images masterfully blur line between fiction, reality

BY DREW LERNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Thirteen years after the release of “Avatar” in 2009, writer, director and producer James Cameron has once again made himself a household name with his new sci-fi epic “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Cameron’s return to the fictional world of Pandora is a visual treat that takes viewers far beyond the boundaries of the original film. And although the film’s plot is relatively bland, its hyperrealistic visual effects and imaginative world-building make “The Way of Water” a far more vibrant experience than its predecessor. What the film lacks in plot, it makes up for in technical ability and spectacle.

Set in the 22nd century, more than a decade after the original film’s events, “The Way of Water” builds on the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former Marine turned Na’vi, the dominant inhabitants of Pandora. The film follows Sully and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as they try to protect their family from the ongoing threat of human invaders, hunters and colonizers led by Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), the villain of the original

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2009 picture. The movie is primarily set in a tropical-inspired area inhabited by the Metkayina, a Na’vi ocean reef clan inspired by the Māori, the Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

From the breathtaking underwater scenes to the fictionalized sea creatures Cameron and his team create, “Avatar: The Way of Water” continues to build out the world of the first film. Despite a runtime of over three hours, these subaquatic moments and the film’s ample amount of action make the film feel far shorter than it really

is. Given Cameron’s history with films like “Titanic” (1997) and “The Abyss” (1989), as well as his experience with deep sea exploration, the new movie also makes a point to flex the director’s well-established talents.

Despite the film’s visual effects masterfully blurring the line between reality and fiction, its plot remains lackluster — no more interesting than the preceding film’s relatively unoriginal plot about colonizers in space. The film centers around Sully and Neytiri trying to protect their family and generally lacks complexity. Luck-

ily, in the case of “The Way of Water,” prioritizing spectacle over narrative works well, allowing viewers to sit back and enjoy the film’s technical achievements and embrace the world of Pandora.

Narrative flaws and groundbreaking visuals aside, the cast does a phenomenal job, particularly Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver. Weaver returns as a new character after playing botanist Grace Augustine in the first film. In “The Way of Water,” she plays Kiri, the 14 year old adoptive daughter of Neytiri and Sully. Being 73 years old in real life, Weaver

is able to explore an entirely new side of acting through the role — and she does so spectacularly.

Many scenes in “The Way of Water” are created via motion capture. Cameron and the film’s crew developed a new method of motion capture that allowed the actors to shoot their scenes underwater, making the action look much more natural. This unique underwater motion capture technology was the central cause for the film taking thirteen years to complete. Cameron and producer Jon Landau were not simply reusing old technology to make a new film, but instead investing in developing new technologies and means of filmmaking.

While some viewers might preach that this film must be seen in theaters to be properly enjoyed, that is only partially true. In an interview with National Public Radio, James Cameron said that “if you watch ‘Way of Water’ at home on a reasonably large flat screen TV with a decent sound system … you’re going to have a good experience.”

“Avatar: The Way of Water” may not be the most narratively complex film, but James Cameron’s directing and the movie’s visuals add up to a highly entertaining story that surpasses the 2009 film. Cameron’s film is, in many ways, the stereotypical blockbuster — it sacrifices story for spectacle. But the film’s visuals play into its audience’s childlike sense of wonder, allowing Cameron to prove once again that he is one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood.

Employees, neighbors commemorate Wayland Bakery following closure

Wayland Square

looks back on 94-year community staple, looks ahead to future

BY LYNN NGUYEN STAFF WRITER

After nearly a century in operation, Wayland Bakery closed Dec. 31. The shop, which opened in 1928, stood on Wayland Avenue, serving freshly baked goods and hot lunches to both the Brown and East Side communities.

While activity at the bakery has ceased, the owners have shifted focus to their other business, Zaccagnini’s Pastry Shoppe in Pawtucket. The owners declined to comment on Wayland Bakery’s closing, but their daughter Juliana Rodriguez wrote about her experience with the bakery in a message to The Herald.

Wayland Bakery sought to be a “community-based establishment” that “would provide the freshest baked goods that remind you of home,” Rodriguez wrote. “What started off as a family-run bakery turned into a huge staple in the East Side community.”

The bakery continued to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the “loss of customers, loss of profit and increase of supply costs,” she wrote.

But the bakery’s closing doesn’t mean Wayland’s favorite delights are gone. “The memory of Wayland Bakery will remain alive,” with the same pastries being sold at Zaccagnini’s, Rodriguez wrote. “We encourage everyone to visit Zaccagnini’s, where everything is created with the same attention and love” and Wayland Bakery’s “sense

of home” still permeates, she added.

The “iconic” bakery prepared former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s wedding cake, which attracted people to snap pictures of their shop sign, said Jessica Leach, owner of Opt Eyewear Boutique, a family-owned optical shop located next to Wayland Bakery.

The bakery’s closing came as a shock to Leach, who said she was not “notified” about the closing of the bakery until “finding out on the news.”

“It’s going to be strange without (the bakery) there,” she said.

Other business owners in Way -

land Square expressed their sadness over the loss of the bakery but remain optimistic about the future and Zaccagnini’s continued offerings.

McBride’s Pub, another long-established restaurant in Wayland Square, featured Wayland Bakery’s apple pie on their menu. “We would order (one-to-two) pies weekly and pick them up,” wrote Manager Jennifer Monastesse in an email to The Herald. “Thankfully (Zaccagnini’s) is delivering pies to us so we will be able to serve the same product going forward.”

Monastesse recalled how she

“loved grabbing their lunch deal of a sandwich, bag of chips and a cookie.”

“We will miss them but are excited to be able to support” Zaccagnini’s, she wrote.

“You felt like home when you walked in the doors. No (digital sales) systems, handwritten tickets and an old-school cash register,” Monastesse added. “Nothing else can replace” the bakery.

Sergio Mendoza, owner of Madrid European Bakery and Patisserie, is a newcomer to Wayland Square but knows that Wayland Bakery was “wellliked” with “loyal fans.” The closing

“surprised and saddened” him, Mendoza wrote in an email to The Herald.

“Whenever a bakery is open for as long as Wayland Bakery was, having its doors close signals the end of an era,” Mendoza wrote. The shop “symbolized the loss of a classic staple of Wayland Square.”

But despite the closing of the bakery, Mendoza remains optimistic about the future of Wayland Square. “With the series of vibrant bakeries and restaurants that are newly open,” he wrote, “we trust that Wayland Square will continue to have a lot to offer the community.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.

The use of the underwater equipment as a variation from the first movie meant director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau would need 13 years to finish the project.

RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD

Shopping period can be hectic and stressful. Professors should keep that in mind

As shopping period rolls around once more, every student at Brown is reminded of the joys and challenges of the open curriculum. The two weeks at the beginning of each semester find students packing into lecture halls, sending flurries of emails begging for override codes and juggling lengthy to-do lists to keep up with all the classes they are considering. Despite the chaos, shopping period is an essential part of the open curriculum — but for it to be feasible, professors need to keep major assignments out of shopping period.

According to University resources, shopping period is a “hallmark of the Brown open curriculum” which “provides students the ability to explore subject matters in line with their interests.” Shopping period grants students the chance to try a variety of classes, meet professors and test out different schedules. Because the open curriculum offers so many options, students need this time to explore classes and make informed decisions about how to spend their semesters.

Of course, that exploration requires that students make time to attend and keep up with many classes. Shopping period can be stressful for students trying to manage work for all of the classes they are shopping, a number which can end up as double or triple a full course load. No one wants to come out of shopping period registered for a course only to have eight late assignments due. But the choice between that or dropping an otherwise intriguing class often arises when there are major assignments during shopping period.

To be clear, not all assignments are equal in scope or equal in the burden they place on students. Assigning a lengthy essay differs greatly from having students try a weekly problem set or an ungraded discussion post. An assignment due the first or second time a class meets is also quite different from an assignment due the last day of shopping period, once many students have settled their schedules. Professors must exercise discretion when planning assignments at the beginning of a new semester.

We understand the value of engaging seriously with class material during these two weeks and appreciate that students should get a sense of what assignments are like before they are locked into their courses. But we ask that professors remember the important role shopping period plays in cultivating academic exploration. Students are disincentivized from exercising their intellectual curiosity when professors frontload coursework.

Professors, be cognizant of what class you are teaching. Students taking Orgo during shopping period are likely to stay in the class to fulfill concentration requirements. But students flitting in and out of seminars to manage their schedules, concentration requirements and interests are likely shopping many classes. Early assignments for the former are pretty reasonable, for the latter a potentially unnecessary stressor for students.

If you are a faculty member assigning work during shopping period, consider making those first couple of assignments ungraded or participation-based or even implementing a policy that allows students to drop their lowest grade from a series of assignments.

Put simply, please just be considerate of students as you plan your classes during shopping period.

Shopping period is an important part of the open curriculum and a Brown education, but it takes sacrifices. Racing back and forth across campus to attend five classes in a row is a hassle for students. Not knowing which or, likely worse, how many students are taking your class must be a pain for professors. And students should accept that shopping period might always be a bit stressful. But professors should also do what they can to not exacerbate the problem.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s Editorial Page Board. This editorial was written by its members Irene Chou ’23, Yasmeen Gaber ’23, Tom Li ’26, Jackson McGough ’23, Alissa Simon ’25, Kate Waisel ’24 and Yael Wellisch ’26.

Graduate Labor Organization to renegotiate expiring contract with U.

Entire contract up for reconsideration, discussions to begin in February

BY KATIE JAIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Graduate Labor Organization will begin renegotiating its collective bargaining agreement with the University this February in preparation for the previous contract’s expiration at the end of June, according to Ethan Bernstein, executive dean of administration and finance at the Graduate School. The agreement outlines terms including graduate student stipend rates, teaching responsibilities, health insurance and grievance procedures.

According to GLO President Sherena Razek GS, the University has offered a tentative date of Feb. 15 to begin contract negotiations, though the location for negotiations has not yet been determined.

‘Every article, every condition of our work … is on the table’

While GLO and the University meet annually to renegotiate stipend rates, this round of negotiations will cover all 15 articles of the contract for the first time since its inception in 2020.

“We’re going to be reviewing the entire current contract and deciding if there’s updates or changes, additions or subtractions that we want to make to it,” Bernstein said. “We’ll discuss a potential length for the new contract, all the while ensuring that we’re supporting graduate students as best we can.”

“The stipend is just one piece of it,” Bernstein added. “Often other supports and benefits can be even more impactful to students, depending on the stage of their career.”

“Every article, every condition of our work, from healthcare to (teaching assistant) responsibilities to protections against discrimination and harassment, is on the table,” Razek said. “So the stakes are a lot higher this time, and of course, our wages are also still on the table.”

Once negotiations start, the bargaining committees on each side will exchange proposals until an agreement is reached. Both GLO and the University expressed interest in collaborating to create an agreement that better serves the University’s graduate population.

University Spokesperson Brian Clark said that it is “impossible” to predict when the process will end. “Negotiations can be complex and multifaceted, and they take a lot of data gathering (and) research,” he added. “We can acknowledge now that

it’s going to take some time.”

Clark added that the administration is focused on “working together collegially with the grad student representatives and doing our best to reach that contract.”

“We are fully hoping that our employer will come to the table and bargain in good faith with us and that we’ll be able to hold strong on our priorities and win a contract that grads deserve,” Razek said.

“We have many of the same goals and priorities,” Bernstein said. “We’re looking forward to furthering that sense of collaboration and commitment to graduate education.”

From health care to language ambiguity: discussing the contract

Though neither party could comment on the specific areas of the contract they plan to renegotiate, Razek said job protections will continue to be a primary concern for GLO this fall. This fall, the organization protested when three graduate students reported being forced out of their programs, The Herald previously reported.

“In the fall, we had a campaign around three grads, all grads of color, who had been unfairly and unjustly forced out of their programs,” Razek said. “We need better job security. We need to make sure grads actually have the five-year guarantee funding package that we’re promised when we come here to work for Brown.”

Two of those grads, Jeremiah Zablon GS and Karina Santamaria GS,

and welcome to join.”

have since been reinstated.

Federal law prohibits the University from disclosing students’ academic or financial circumstances, preventing administrators from speaking on the matter, Clark wrote in previous communications with The Herald.

Razek additionally cited health care and cost of living as two areas that GLO feels the current contract does not adequately address.

“There are ways in which our health care isn’t serving people,” she said. “The cost of living and how expensive it is now to rent in Providence has just gotten to a breaking point. Inflation is a huge issue across the country, but it’s definitely also a factor we want to consider.”

The University did not directly respond to Razek’s claims about health care and economic conditions in Providence.

The University hopes to clarify ambiguous language in the contract to make sure the outlined processes flow more smoothly, Bernstein said.

“Sometimes over the past three years, there’s been a question about what applies and what doesn’t, what’s the right process to follow, who should be informed and at what step — everything from grievance processes to the recognition and bargaining unit clause,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein also noted that the University wants to renegotiate some of the “administratively challenging” requests the contract makes of the University, including dues deductions

and collecting authorization cards.

“I really do not understand how collecting information about the workers they employ would be hard to manage for a university which possesses such immense resources,” Razek wrote in a message to The Herald.

Potential for open bargaining, next steps

According to Razek, the University and GLO representatives have been discussing whether the negotiation will function as an open bargaining process, wherein “any worker who is impacted by the contract has a right to attend and observe negotiations.”

GLO and the University have disputed open bargaining in past negotiations, The Herald previously reported.

Open bargaining promotes “principles of transparency, democracy and collective power,” but the University had so far rejected GLO’s request to do so, Razek said. “Grads deserve to be in the room when decisions are made about our livelihoods, our safety (and) our well-being.”

“One of the priorities that often precedes the start of a collective bargaining process is discussion about ground rules and principles that can help to encourage a collaborative and collegial process,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. “Brown remains in conversation with GLO representatives on many of these considerations with the goal of a positive rapport and productive sessions toward an

agreement that works well for both the University and the union.”

Bernstein and Clark also anticipated that situations unique to a student union might arise amid negotiations, as union members change from semester to semester and are in the University both as workers, which is a status covered by the union, and as students, which is not.

According to Razek, GLO has prepared thoroughly for these negotiations by running training sessions, surveying hundreds of graduate students and electing its bargaining committee, which will release the union’s final bargaining platform at its general body meeting next week.

“Our bargaining committee has been poring over the current contract, finding the ways in which organizers have experienced grievances, grads are struggling and our contract hasn’t been serving us,” she said. “We’ve tried to find those weak points and to really know what we can improve.”

Bernstein said that he hopes the relationship the University has built with GLO over years of negotiations will ease the bargaining process.

“Over the past three years, we’ve built a strong working and collaborative relationship with GLO leadership,” he explained. “And throughout it all, I think we’ve developed a strong, respectful, honest way of communicating and coming to common solutions.”

This article was originally published online Wednesday, Feb. 1.

together by their passion for music. Everyone has their own special place in the group, and that’s what makes us unique.”

Though Barsaat has focused on performing both popular South Asian and English-language songs, Binjrajka emphasized that the group remains open to “people from all backgrounds and cultures and ethnicities.”

“They should all feel comfortable

Binjrajka said that Barsaat inspired her to have a greater appreciation of her culture and music.

“Growing up never having learned South Asian styles of music, I was too intimidated to try (them) out” alone, she said.

“We have a lot of gratitude for cultural organizations like the South Asian Students Association for having such a huge presence on campus and giving us a platform to perform,” she added.

This year, Barsaat’s performances have taken them beyond College Hill to neighboring campuses. Last fall, Barsaat performed at Wellesley College’s South Asian culture show.

“It was really fun and a different experience,” Panse said, describing the performance as the group’s best of the semester. “It was great being able to showcase our talent in front of so many new people.”

Back at Brown, Barsaat is preparing for their spring show, which will take place in April.

Currently, most of Barsaat’s repertoire focuses on popular Bollywood and English-language music. But the group hopes to “bring more music from different styles, languages and less mainstream artists into the spotlight,” Binjrajka said. “South Asian music is so much more than the Hindi-centric pop music we listen to.”

The group has been experimenting with songs in other languages like Korean and Tamil and are excited to debut their new arrangements soon. They also plan to collaborate

with other campus groups, building on past relationships with fellow a cappella groups Shades of Brown and Alef Beats, Binjrajka said.

Karwa said that given the group’s talent and originality, she hopes that Barsaat continues to grow “not just in size but also presence.”

Moving forward, Barsaat aims to become a more established presence on both Brown’s campus and throughout New England, Panse said. “We are excited to explore what this new chapter holds for us.”

BARSAAT FROM PAGE 1

DANA RICHIE / HERALD

Both the Graduate Labor Union and the University expressed interest in collaborating to create an agreement, but both sides acknowledge that a deal may take time. GLO is hopeful the negotiations will function as an open bargaining process, according to GLO President Sherna Razek GS.