Friday, January 28th, 2022

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 2

UNIVERSITY NEWS

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Suspended athletes sue University

U. sees record applicant pool for class of 2026

Separate plaintiffs were suspended in fall 2021 for alleged sexual assault

Admissions outreach leads to 9% increase in applicants relative to class of 2025

BY JACK TAJMAJER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY PETER SWOPE SPORTS EDITOR Two varsity athletes who were suspended in fall 2021 due to allegations of sexual assault sued the University in separate lawsuits in December and January. Each suit alleged that suspension without the completion of a full Title IX investigation constituted a breach of contract and sought injunctive relief through reinstatement and payment for damages of a to-be-determined amount of at least $75,000.

Stiles v. Brown University was filed in the Rhode Island District Court Dec. 17. An order issued by the court Jan. 25 ruled that Stiles can return to campus and participate in academic and athletic activities pending the conclusion of the Uni-

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

The suits sought payment for damages of at least $75,000. The two suits were brought separately in Rhode Island District Court. versity’s investigation.

The second case, Smith v. Brown University, was filed in the Rhode Island District Court Jan. 14. The two parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit Jan. 24.

The plaintiffs in each case re-

mained anonymous — going by the pseudonyms John Stiles and David Smith. Jane Roe is used as a generic stand-in name for the accusers in both cases and does not indicate a

SEE SUIT PAGE 5

The University received a record-high number of applications for the class of 2026, with a combined 50,608 applicants from both the early and regular decision pools, Dean of Admission Logan Powell told The Herald. Powell noted that applications rose in every category, every geographic region and every area of academic focus. He credited the University’s presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of both in-person and virtual outreach and, to a lesser extent, increased financial aid offerings for the rise in applications.

While Powell noted that the Admission Office does not “start the year with a goal in mind of increasing the applicant pool by a certain goal or size,” the applicant pool marks a 9%

increase from the 46,469 applicants to the class of 2025 — a record-setting year at the time — Powell said. The applicant pool had a relatively similar geographic distribution to the prior year with 20% of the pool composed of international students, 17% from the South and 14% from California.

The percentage of the applicants who applied to the University’s Program in Liberal Medical Education remained steady at 8%, while approximately 2% applied to the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program, 1% more than last year.

This year, 18% of the applicant pool identify as first-generation. The number of first-generation applications increased by 6%. Applications from rural and small-town students as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and students from Rhode Island – demographics prioritized by the Admission Office – increased by 5% and 8%, respectively.

The University declined to share statistics related to applicants who

SEE ADMISSIONS PAGE 2

ARTS & CULTURE

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Saturday Night Live: a standby line experience

Student navigate COVID-19 abroad

Despite long lines, frigid temperatures, SNL is even more impressive in person

BY REBECCA CARCIERI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR If you happened to be one of the many people walking on West 49th Street and 6th Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 14, you would have seen about 35 people decked out in their warmest clothes camping behind a barricade. Underneath the overhang of NBC’s famous Rainbow Room in New York City sat the standby line for one of NBC’s longest running programs — “Saturday Night Live.”

The standby line Throughout SNL’s 47th season, the show has implemented a first-of-its-kind digital standby reservation system. Traditionally, show attendees were those who won tickets through SNL’s ticket lottery or showed up at 30 Rockefeller Plaza before 7 a.m. the morning of the show to receive a ticket number. In an effort to digitize the process, SNL has made it so fans no longer have to show

up and wait, sometimes days in advance, to secure a high number. They only need to be one of the first 550 people to send an email to the SNL standby line’s address with a list of up to four people who wish to attend the show. The submissions open every Thursday at 10 a.m. and close whenever the 550 person mark is met.

The people who are chosen are then told to arrive at West 49th Street between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. the Friday before the show in order to check into their reservation. After 7 p.m., anyone without a reservation number is able to get in line and wait for tickets to be distributed the following morning. This reporter is one of those people.

Around 7:30 p.m., the standby line was barricaded. It was about 33 degrees Fahrenheit, and an NBC security guard frequently patrolled the closed-down street filled with less than 40 people who would end up camping there for the next eleven-and-a-half hours. People snacked and talked about their love for SNL with their neighbors until around 11 p.m. Then, NBC’s bathrooms closed to the public for the next eight hours and the situation became less comfortable.

By this time, the weather dropped to 21

SEE SNL PAGE 3

University resumes 8 abroad programs paused during the pandemic

BY MAI NEWBURY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The University’s undergraduate students departed for spring study abroad programs this year amid rising COVID-19 cases driven by the emergence of the Omicron variant.

But abroad travelers are at more programs around the globe than during previous pandemic semesters.

In consultation with the University’s Global Travel Risk Advisory Committee and leadership, the Office of International Programs followed through on its previous decision to expand the number study abroad programs for the spring 2022 semester from the fall 2021 semester, which was limited because of COVID-19.

Students enrolled in these programs have largely reported enriching and safe experiences as the semester begins.

This semester, the University is offering 18 programs as opposed to

APRIL JIANG / HERALD

the 10 they offered in fall 2021. According to the University’s Healthy Brown website, students abroad must meet the same vaccination requirements as students on campus. Such precautions come in addition to any surveillance testing required by their host countries and institutions.

The University considered the “public health conditions, travel restrictions, access to visas and vaccination rates” when reviewing study abroad locations for the spring semester, OIP Deputy Director Lau-

Metro

Metro

Commentary

Metro

SPH faculty pen letter in support of Providence employee vax mandate Page 2

Commission votes to reduce prison gerrymandering Page 4

Liu ’25: Miller reimagines Greek myths in “Circe” and “Song of Achilles” Page 7

R.I. invests in wind power by partnering with private companies Page 8

ren Alexander previously told The Herald.

Aside from these broader precautions, individual countries and programs have their own public health protocols that students must abide by. For example, Luci Jones ’23 was required to present a negative PCR result taken within 72 hours of beginning the DIS Copenhagen program in Denmark. “It was difficult to get the timing right,” she said.

SEE ABROAD PAGE 6

TODAY TOMORROW

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JULIA GROSSMAN ‘23 STAFF DESIGNER

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ADMISSIONS FROM PAGE 1 self-identified as students of color or who applied for financial aid.

Unlike the previous year, the University resumed some of its in-person outreach to attract students, offering campus tours for the first time since March 2020 and sending admission officers to visit schools across the country.

“We continued to do everything we did virtually, and we supplemented that with some in-person engagement,” Powell said, calling the office’s strategy a “both-and” approach. He also attributed the increase in applications to the University’s visibility throughout the pandemic due to the work of

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS faculty such as Dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha and economics professor Emily Oster.

“We have researchers (and) we have faculty members here who are nationally recognized for their work in the field of COVID research and COVID impacts,” Powell said. “That kind of public presence in a time of real challenge has been really extraordinary for us to have.”

Powell said he did not attribute a significant portion of the growth in applications to the University’s recent announcement that it would expand financial aid offerings for middle- and low-income families, as well as international students. But he added that the changes, which came just before

the early decision deadline, “probably started to gain a little traction in time for regular decision.” He additionally expects to see a larger impact “for years to come,” including “most clearly with the international student population.”

Powell said he hopes that “the new message is that Brown is affordable.” “If you’re a low-income family, if you’re a moderate-income family, we want to find a way to make Brown affordable,” he said.

Sara Harberson, a private college counselor and the former dean of admissions at Franklin and Marshall College, wrote in an email to The Herald that well-known colleges have continued to “see larger applicant pools,

especially those with Early Action programs.”

Harberson also wrote that the new financial aid policies “will surely impact some well-deserving students.”

But she noted financial aid policy is only one step in making the application process more equitable. “The biggest influencer in getting more low-income students to apply to a college like Brown is not a more generous financial aid program,” she said. “It is remaining test-optional permanently.”

Earlier this week, the University committed to expanding its test-optional policy through the 2022-23 admission cycle — but will evaluate the decision again before the 2023-24

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022 cycle begins.

Though the applicant pool increased, the University still expects to yield an incoming class of 1,700, Powell said, a relatively similar number to the previous year. He clarified that the admissions process “remains the same” and depends on “individualized” and “contextual” review.

“We think about academic excellence and we also think about diversity of perspective,” Powell noted.

Regular decision applicants and applicants deferred from the early decision pool will receive their admissions notifications on Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m. and will have until May 2 to inform the University of their decision.

METRO

SPH faculty, staff write letter supporting city employee vaccine mandate Letter follows ordinance seeking to limit unvaccinated employee firings

Faculty and staff at the University’s School of Public Health sent an open letter Jan. 14 to the Providence City Council in favor of a vaccine mandate for city employees. The letter, which was signed by over 30 faculty and staff, opposed a City Council ordinance seeking to place limitations on the firing of unvaccinated employees.

The ordinance was referred to

Public Health, who wrote much of the letter’s first draft. Shihipar said the letter made it clear to the council members voting for the ordinance that they were going against the advice of Providence’s public health community.

“The important thing is getting the public to know that (the ordinance) is going on,” said Jackie Goldman, a project manager at the School of Public Health.

Goldman said that the letter was part of a collaborative “rapid response” which began after they first heard about the city council ordinance on Jan 12.

The People, Place and Health Collective, based in the Department of Epidemiology, tweeted on the day the ordinance was announced: “Vaccina-

workers like police officers, as opposed to an exemption from the mandate.

According to WPRI, 13% of Providence police officers remain unvaccinated as of Tuesday, and those not vaccinated by Feb. 8 will receive a written warning.

“All the ordinance says is if the Mayor plans on doing a mass termination of any division in city government, he just needs to have a plan to explain what happens” next, Igliozzi said. Although the ordinance has not passed, Igliozzi said that his efforts have been successful thus far, as no city employees were fired by Mayor Elorza’s Jan. 14 deadline .

“We forced the parties to come to the table to negotiate a rational, reasonable outcome in order to achieve

the finance committee following an emergency meeting on Jan. 14. The ordinance would require City Council approval for the Mayor to fire more than 2% of employees in any public safety department or 20% in other city departments. Critics say the measure is designed to exempt unvaccinated police officers from the city’s mandate.

Mayor Jorge Elorza called the ordinance a “misinformed stunt” and NBC10 WJAR reported that the mayor would veto it if it were to pass.

According to its authors, the letter was intended to raise awareness about the ordinance and use the School of Public Health’s standing to pressure the City Council members who planned to vote for it.

“We released it publicly for a reason,” said Abdullah Shihipar, a research assistant at the School of

tion is required for a reason and city council should acknowledge that fact.”

Both Shihipar and Goldman work at the Collective.

The letter, released two days later, highlighted the successful vaccine mandate employed by United Airlines and asked that the city act as a model for its citizens by having its employees get vaccinated. “Carving out an exception for some city employees puts the public’s safety at risk,” it explained.

“We are public health experts and so to see something that was such a blatant attempt (to go) against everything that public health really believes in … it felt appropriate for us to make a statement.”

City Council President John Igliozzi, one of the ordinance’s sponsors, said that the legislation is about having a management plan for city

both goals,” Igliozzi said. He said that the ordinance, however, could be brought up for a vote again if the Mayor were to consider a “mass firing” once more, and cited concerns for public safety.

“If a significant number of police officers are fired, lawlessness would take hold,” said Igliozzi in a statement on Jan. 12.

Neither Goldman nor Shihipar believe the mandate would lead to mass firings.

Shihipar said it’s particularly important that police officers get vaccinated since they interact with “the most vulnerable people in the city,” such as houseless people and people who use drugs.

The Mayor’s office said in a statement on Jan. 12 that at least 21 police officers had gotten their first

BY JACOB SMOLLEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CARMEN KELLY / HERALD

COVID-19 shot since the policy was announced in late December. On Tuesday, WPRI reported that 57 Providence Police officers remained unvaccinated, down from around 80 earlier this month.

Nevertheless, the letter’s authors say that the mandate has to be accom-

panied by access to opportunities to get vaccinated. “(The mandate is) one lever that we have, but it can’t be the only lever we have,” said Shihipar. “I still think that we need to, even at this point, be proactive with our outreach.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

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SNL FROM PAGE 1 degrees, and it became difficult to stay warm. People brought tents, sleeping bags, heavy blankets and a multitude of layers, yet the night was just beginning.

At 1 a.m. (19 degrees), the barricades surrounding the line fell in a large gust of wind, waking everyone.

At 3 a.m. (15 degrees), NBC and the police started to open a lane for cars to drive through the previously closed street, creating a clamor of car horns and commercial trucks.

At 5 a.m. (13 degrees), early-morning risers decided to join the line, eating their breakfast and making conversation with each other.

At 7 a.m. (14 degrees), NBC employees arrived and handed out both dress rehearsal and live show tickets. Half of the hopeful audience members chose to attend the dress rehearsal — where they can see more sketches — while the other half chose the live show. This reporter received the 15th standby ticket to the live show.

The show After clearing multiple checkpoints for tickets, vaccine cards and IDs, forty people on standby were let into Studio 8H for the taping of SNL hosted

by Ariana DeBose with musical guest Bleachers.

The taping started with the “Biden Spider-Man Cold Open,” a hilarious spoof of a press conference with President Biden. In the sketch, Biden (James Austin Johnson) delivered a message to Americans on how to protect themselves from the Omicron variant: Don’t see the new “Spider-Man” movie. Johnson delivered an exceptional performance as Biden with his pacing and mannerisms, and all of his jokes hit their mark. An especially notable moment was when a different version of Biden (Pete Davidson) arrived from the multiverse and offered warnings about different timelines. At the end of the sketch, a cast member dressed as Spiderman made an appearance.

DeBose, who plays Anita in the newest movie adaptation of “West Side Story,” performed a monologue that catered to fans of the original musical.

Joined by cast member Kate McKinnon, DeBose sang and danced to songs from the Broadway classic. The two expertly sang “Tonight” and “America,” among other songs, throughout the five-minute performance.

The digital sketch “Urkel Reboot” played for audience members on screens in Studio 8H. The premise of the sketch was a dark reboot of sitcom “Family Matters.” Steve Urkel (Chris Redd) was seen fighting on the streets and cursing.

“Winter Formal,” a sketch about a couple who owns a dress shop, perfectly hit the school dance shopping experience. The main joke focused on the couple’s awkward son Donovan (Andrew Dismukes), whom girls were allowed to rent as a date. Dismukes perfectly encompassed the uncomfortable Donovan who is described as “having one huge computer and two ugly friends.”

REBECCA CARCIERI / HERALD

Frigid temperatures, including nearly 20 below freezing, did not prevent hundreds from spending the night in line in New York City to get coveted tickets to Saturday Night Live.

“NBA on TNT,” a sketch which centered around the Sacramento Kings facing a player shortage due to COVID-19 and having to enlist average people to join the team during a game, played well with audience members. The “regular” people described their experience on the team, while cast members playing commentators joked about their short stature and asthma attacks. One line about a little boy guarding Kyrie Irving was especially successful.

Another particularly notable sketch, “Eric Adams Press Conference,” poked fun at the New York City mayor. In the sketch, Adams (Chris Redd) answered questions from reporters while talking about his “swagger.” He was tough with the reporters and consistently men-

tioned how he was a former New York City Police Officer and had never gotten sick in an absurdly hyperbolic amount of years that increased as the sketch went on.

“New Governess,” a sketch spoofing “The Sound of Music,” saw Debose as a new nanny to a family of children.

When teaching the children how to sing, instead of the typical lyrics to “Do-ReMi,” the lines were changed to include pop culture references such as Queen Latifah and “The Simpsons.” The sketch highlighted DeBose’s musical ability and was very enjoyable.

“Kitchen Staff,” a sketch about workers at Longhorn Steakhouse who pronounced words in incorrectly, did not land as well as the other bits of the

night. “Sappho,” a sketch about two professors speaking about their discovery of unknown fragments written by the Greek poet Sappho, also sputtered rather than soared. The jokes were repetitive and boring.

The highlight of the episode was Elmo (Chloe Fineman) on “Weekend Update.” Earlier in the week, a clip of Elmo yelling at his friend Zoe’s pet rock Rocco on the popular children’s show “Sesame Street” went viral. On “Update,” Elmo addressed their relationship. Starting off pretty calm, Elmo discussed his apology towards Rocco.

But when Rocco was brought out in a tiny chair, Elmo lost his mind. After one of the cohosts of “Update,” Michael Che, revealed Rocco will host SNL in Febru-

ary, Elmo’s reaction intensified. Fineman’s impersonation was almost too good to be true. Her facial expressions were spot-on, and she landed a perfect impersonation of the Elmo character.

The live production of “Saturday Night Live” was fascinating to watch.

Every single space on the stage was taken up with crew members or actors.

There were a multitude of sets that were constantly moved behind the scenes in such a fast manner. Cast members could be seen running around and making quick changes during filming. It was incredibly impressive that the show is able to deliver as much as it does in such a short period of time. It was truly a worthwhile experience.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

METRO

Reapportionment Commission votes to limit prison gerrymandering New recommendation would count over 1,000 inmates in their home districts

BY EMMA MADGIC SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Jan. 5 the Rhode Island Reapportionment Commission voted 15-1 in favor of recommending that people whose prison sentences end by April 1 should count toward the representation of their hometown voting districts.

This is a proposed change to the current practice of counting incarcerated individuals as part of the district in which they are incarcerated rather than their hometown districts. This is known by some as “prison gerrymandering” and leads to artificially inflated voter counts in Cranston districts that house the Adult Correctional Institutions, a large prison complex in the state, The Herald previously reported.

Approximately 38% and 11% of the ACI population come from Providence and Pawtucket, respectively.

Malapportionment occurs when there is a disproportionate ratio of voters to representatives in a given district.

For example, because each district has roughly the same number of people, if one district has fewer people who vote, each voter has more influence than voters in other districts with a higher number of total voters. Because people who are incarcerated are also much less likely to vote, counting them in the district in which the prison resides increases the voting power of each individual in that district.

The Rhode Island General Assembly approves new voting districts once every ten years following the U.S. Census.

The Reapportionment Commission’s recommendation guided the draft of voting districts, which is sent to the General Assembly for review. The General Assembly has historically accepted the recommendations of the Reapportionment Commission, Steven Frias ’94, a Rhode Island Republican National Committeeman, told The Herald.

For opponents of prison gerrymandering, the months leading up to the General Assembly’s decision present

an opportunity to advocate for the end of this practice.

“The committee’s recommendation returned 1,074 inmates at the ACI (or 41% of the total prison population) back to their communities to be counted as a resident of their home district,” Representative Katherine Kazarian, a Democrat on the Reapportionment Commission, wrote in an email to The Herald. “Prior to this year, all inmates at the ACI were counted as residents of the prison complex in Cranston.”

But “one of the greatest impediments to implementing this change was that many of the addresses that the inmates gave to the ACI were either non-existent or not viable,” Kazarian noted. “But I think this recommendation is a step in the right direction and I hope we continue to see more progress in this area.”

According to Reapportionment Commission Co-Chair Sen. Steven Archambault, a Democrat from Smithfield, the commission’s recommendation was a “fair compromise.”

“The commission wanted some change,” Archambault said. He explained that while the commission wanted to acknowledge the demands of civil rights interest groups, “we didn’t think, as a commission, that people should be entirely counted as living in their homes if they have been (at the ACI) for a period of time where they’re not coming home anytime soon.”

Despite Archambault’s description of the commission’s recommendation as a compromise, people and organizations on both ends of the political spectrum remain dissatisfied.

For Harrison Tuttle, executive director of the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC, the recommendation of the Reapportionment Commission “is certainly not enough.” Rather, every incarcerated person should count as a resident of their hometown when determining voting districts, Tuttle said.

“This brings (incarcerated people) an opportunity to vote for the people that represent where they come from … and for their families who live in that area,” Tuttle said.

Because voting districts are drawn every 10 years, 2022 was a “once in a decade opportunity” to create change, Tuttle said. “Eliminating prison gerry-

mandering just like other states have done was an opportunity that if we did not address now, we would have to address in 2032.”

Steven Brown, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, maintains that prison gerrymandering is already against the law.

“We’ve argued for many years that the Rhode Island voting law itself is very clear,” Brown said. “There’s a provision in the election laws that says you don’t lose your home residence for voting purposes because you are incarcerated.”

According to Chapter 17-1 in the Rhode Island General Laws pertaining to Elections, “confinement in a correctional facility” would not lead to a person losing their residence for voting purposes.

Frias does not agree with the decision of the Reapportionment Commission. “It doesn’t make sense on multiple levels,” he said.

The Reapportionment Commission is assuming that the individuals who are incarcerated will actually be released April 1, Frias added. But in some instances, prisoners may be held beyond this date if they do not exhibit good behavior, which, according to Frias, does not warrant representation in their hometown districts.

Additionally, the Reapportionment Commission “is counting (incarcerated people) where they said their address was when they went to prison,” Frias said, arguing that many people may return to different addresses than where they lived before being incarcerated.

Frias also noted that other temporary residents, such as college students, are counted toward the population of the districts in which they reside, even though many vote in their hometowns.

In fact, Frias believes “this whole talk of prison gerrymandering is just a way to increase Democratic represntation.” The counting of eligible people who are incarcerated toward their home districts would expand representative districts in Providence at the expense of those in Cranston, where the ACI is located.

On Jan. 19, Rhode Island Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Cienki filed an open meetings complaint against the commission. The Republican Party of

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COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS VIA FARRAGUTFUL

Over 1,000 inmates at the ACI would be counted in their home districts with the committee’s recommendation.

Rhode Island published a press release criticizing the commission’s “flagrant disregard of the Open Meeting law.” The Open Meeting Act protects the right of the public to attend meetings of public bodies, according to Title 42, Chapter 46 Rhode Island General Laws.

“It’s important so that the public is aware of what is going on,” Cienki told The Herald. “So if the public has input as to what this public body is actually discussing, they can chime in and give their opinion.”

The complain alleges that there were 36 violations of the Open Meeting law in five different categories over the course of four months, Cienki said. She accused the commission of not giving “adequate notice” to the public of the maps they were voting on, not informing the public that they would be voting on the redistricting of incarcerated individuals and failing to provide recordings of the meetings within 35 days.

Additionally, Cienki stated, “it appears as if a majority of the members of the commission discussed the issue of reallocating the prison inmates either directly or through a conduit which would be outside an open meeting.”

The attorney general must file a court action in order for the complaint to have any consequences, Cienki said.

A letter from the attorney general’s office dated Jan. 21 and published by WPRI requests the commision provide a response to the complaint within five business days.

They’re not necessarily “going to change the maps because of this,” Cienki said. Instead, “the individual members of the commission who par-

ticipate(d) in (violating this law) can be fined.”

“The commission took on this important responsibility that showed an absolute indifference to the Open Meetings Act. And that is absolutely inexcusable,” Cienki added.

According to Cienki, there will be profound implications if her complaint is neglected. “If the attorney general fails to hold this commission accountable, local officials may decide to absolutely ignore the Open Meetings Act as well, and point to the attorney general: ‘Well you didn’t do anything about this commission, why should we follow open meetings?’” Co-chair of the Reapportionment Commission Sen. Archambault’s response: “Hogwash.”

“That’s nothing more than nonsense,” Archambault said. “Everything that the commission did was rooted in fundamental due process.”

Although the BLM RI PAC fell short of their goal of every incarcerated person counting in their hometown voting district, Tuttle hopes that “in 10 years we can completely eliminate prison gerrymandering altogether by continuing to elect a diverse, progressive group of elected officials in the General Assembly.”

Brown agrees that the fight to end prison gerrymandering is far from over.

“I see this as an important first step,” Brown said. “But it is a first step.

There’s no reason to set this arbitrary two-year cutoff point because it still creates malapportionment that should be addressed.”

COVID -19 AT BROWN JAN. 15 TO 19

JANUARY S

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Confirmed Positives

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F

44

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2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

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

7* SINCE AUGUST 24, 2020* Completed Tests

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

604,948

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

Total Cases

28

29

30

1,470 *APPROXIMATE **AS OF NOV. 16

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

SUIT FROM PAGE 1 connection between the two cases.

Stiles v. Brown Stiles is a senior at the University and a member of the men’s lacrosse team. Jane Roe, the accuser in the Title IX case but not a party to the lawsuit, alleged that Stiles sexually assaulted her Oct. 30. She filed a formal Title IX complaint Nov. 18, and the University suspended Stiles the next day. After Stiles appealed the ruling Nov. 30 to Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes, the University changed Stiles’ suspension to a remote learning requirement and campus removal, a change about which he was informed Dec. 7, according to the complaint.

His suspension resumed Jan. 7 for the spring semester.

Stiles and his attorney, J. Richard Ratcliffe, claimed in the suit that Roe filed her Title IX complaint “with the express purpose to have the Respondent (John) expelled from Brown University without conferral of his bachelor’s degree.” Stiles sought the ability to return to campus to graduate on time come May, should Jane’s complaint prove unfounded.

The University’s Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Complaint Procedure outlines the University’s policies for handling a complaint once one has been filed, a process that “includes procedural protections that ensure nondiscrimination, adequate notice and meaningful opportunities to participate,” according to the policy. The policy further “makes the presumption that reports and formal complaints are made in good faith and presumes that the Respondent is not responsible for the alleged Prohibited conduct until a determination is made at the conclusion of this procedure.” The policy also allows for emergency removal of students from campus when “there is reasonable cause to believe that the Prohibited Conduct is likely to continue and/or the Respondent poses a significant threat of harm to the health, safety and welfare of others or the University community,” as determined by a Threat Assessment Team.

In Brown’s objection to the motion, the University’s lawyers referred to this policy as reason for Stiles’ suspension prior to the completion of an investigation.

The complaint alleges that Stiles was denied the protections afforded by the University’s investigation procedures, constituting a breach of contract “by denying him his right to be presumed not responsible, denying him meaningful participation in an important phase of the Title IX process, imposing grave interim measures without ‘reasonable cause,’ failing to consider the significant and unreasonable burden a postponement of John’s graduation date will cause and failing to provide him adequate academic support

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS to allow him to continue his studies while this matter is Pending.”

“Brown’s precipitous, irregular and arbitrary actions breached the Student Conduct Procedures and Sexual Misconduct Procedure, the guarantees of due process and fundamental fairness and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing,” the complaint continues.

On Jan. 25, a ruling from U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy announced that the University must reinstate Stiles until the investigation concludes or a more thorough threat assessment warrants removal.

In her ruling, McElroy supported multiple of Stiles’ contentions regarding the suspension. She found that “the plaintiff has made a sufficient showing” that the University failed to meet the expectations of its conduct procedures.

She further affirmed that Stiles met the standard for demonstrating that irreparable harm would be caused by his suspension. “It is not speculative to presume that such a notation on his permanent record will have lasting, negative ramifications,” she wrote.

McElroy found that Brown was able to adequately protect the accuser “by the fact that a no-contact order is in place between the plaintiff and her.”

In response to Stiles’ complaint, the University made multiple court filings, including a memorandum opposing his request for injunctive relief and one opposing his request for the case to proceed under a pseudonym.

Brown contends that its conduct, including the immediate suspension of Stiles, did not constitute a breach of contract. “The (Threat Assessment) Team concluded that the significant violence and force underlying the alleged conduct posed a risk to the University community, justifying Plaintiff’s emergency interim suspension as an appropriate interim measure, pending the resolution of the formal complaint against him by the Title IX Office,” the University’s Attorney Steven M. Richard wrote in the memorandum. Richard added that neither the possibility of a delayed graduation nor the possibility of being unable to play a varsity sport constitutes irreparable harm and, consequently, he is not entitled to monetary compensation for damages.

In a separate memorandum, Richard lambasted Stiles’ request for anonymity in light of the fact that the initial complaint included identifying information about Roe that was later redacted.

“Plaintiff’s method of pleading (which is seemingly retaliatory in its tone and content) should not be condoned and rewarded by allowing him to shield himself as an anonymous litigant seeking redress from the Court (both injunctive relief and monetary damages), while he has purposefully elected to deny the non-party, complaining student’s right to anonymity in this litigation,” Richard wrote. “Purporting that he seeks confidentiality to protect his reputation,

Plaintiff has done the exact opposite to the non-party complaining witness who can be easily traced in the pleadings.”

Ratcliffe and Stiles “didn’t believe that (the information included) was such that (Roe) would have been readily identifiable and (they) had to put information regarding the incident,” Ratcliffe told The Herald. He declined to specifically address Richard’s comments or other specifics of the case.

The University will not challenge the order and stands by its investigative process, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. “The University has reviewed the court’s Jan. 25 decision and will comply with the order,” he wrote. “In both (Stiles and Smith), the University will continue its prompt and equitable investigation of the complaints alleging sexual misconduct under its policies and procedures, which are grounded in fairness and support for both complainants and respondents.”

Smith v. Brown David Smith is a junior at the University and a member of an unspecified varsity sports team. The Jane Roe in the Smith case alleged that Smith sexually assaulted her Oct. 30. She filed a complaint with the Title IX office Nov. 12; Smith was made aware of the complaint Nov. 16 and was suspended Nov. 18, according to court filings. He was ultimately allowed to finish the semester remotely following “multiple petitions for limited relief,” according to his complaint.

The two parties — the University and Smith — agreed to dismiss the litigation Jan. 24.

Smith’s legal team, which includes attorneys Maria F. Deaton and former Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch ’87, criticized the University’s decision to suspend Smith “prior to conducting any investigation, based solely on unsupportable, untrue accusations of sexual misconduct by a female student” in their complaint. They further contend that the suspension will have severe consequences for Smith.

“Brown’s heavy-handed and unjustifiable response to that complaint threatens to upend David Smith’s prospects for a promising academic and athletic career at Brown, as well as his prospects for a promising life and career after college,” Deaton and Lynch wrote in the complaint. Smith’s attorneys denied the validity of Roe’s allegations. “Her Formal Complaint is a one-and-onequarter-page unsupported narrative that paints a wildly different, and wholly unbelievable and untrue, account of her interactions with David Smith,” they wrote.

The complaint claims that the University’s decision to suspend Smith was based on flawed procedures. “The only way that the Threat Assessment Team could have recommended ongoing suspension was by accepting the wholly fantastic, internally flawed and unsup-

ported one-and-a-quarter-page Formal Complaint in its entirety and by completely rejecting the logical and factual five-page Response and six pages of counter-evidence,” Smith’s attorneys wrote. They noted that multiple Title IX administrators are new to their positions or serving in an interim capacity.

Smith’s legal team cites campus movements against sexual violence and pressure from community members as other possible contributing factors influencing the University’s decision.

“Brown’s unreasonable position of imposing immediate suspensions against any male, like David, accused of sexual assault is a tacit response to the fact that it is facing extreme pressure and scrutiny regarding its handling of sexual assault accusations within the university community,” they wrote. “At Brown, there is a history of protests and litigation when male students are found not responsible for sexual misconduct allegations, as occurred in 2014 when a male who was accused of spiking a female student’s drink at a party was found not responsible.”

“Brown’s rushed and unchecked suspension of David Smith is neither a fair nor a reasonable response to the criticism it is facing,” Deaton and Lynch further wrote. “Although the external pressures on Brown warrant the university examining its policies and procedures to ensure better protection for actual victims of sexual assault, those pressures do not warrant throwing the book in the harshest manner possible at a male student who, by any reasonable assessment, poses no threat to the continued health and safety of Jane Roe or the university community.”

Smith’s legal team concludes the complaint by reiterating that, in the plaintiff’s view, the University’s actions constitute a clear breach of contract.

The University’s attorneys did not file an objection to Smith’s motion to proceed under a pseudonym. But Richard argues that, should the case have reached a trial, the University would have preferred that Smith use his real name.

In a memorandum opposing the motion for injunctive relief, Richard rejected the plaintiff’s assertion that the University’s handling of the situation was improper. “Brown applied and followed its policies and procedures in conducting its threat assessment evaluation and, in exercising its institutional authority and professional judgment, concluded that Plaintiff’s interim suspension is warranted,” the memorandum reads. “It is not the Court’s role to pass judgment on whether it agrees with Brown’s determination, nor act as a ‘super appeals court’ to review a decision made in the University’s internal disciplinary processes.” Rather, Richard argued that, had the court found the University’s procedures improper, “the proper remedy would be a remand to Brown to conduct its threat assessment review in accordance with any instruc-

5 tion from the Court.”

He further rejected claims of “irreparable harm” to Smith. “A majority of federal courts have found that there is no irreparable harm in a delay in the completion of academic course work or an anticipated graduation date, which can be adequately compensated through a monetary damage claim if the plaintiff ultimately prevails in the litigation,” Richard wrote.

Experts address Title IX legal precedent R. Shep Melnick, a professor at Boston College and author of the 2018 book “The Transformation of Title IX,” said that, in general, the law affords schools legal flexibility in setting their own investigative and disciplinary policies for Title IX cases. Title IX regulations “actually don’t say anything about what the penalty should be,” he told The Herald. “That’s left completely up to the school; there is a list of conduct that constitutes violations of Title IX,” including rape, stalking, assault and harassment, among other violations.

“The regulations state a lot of minimum requirements,” he added. “They don’t say that schools can’t go beyond some of those” minimum requirements.

But Melnick noted that there is historical precedent for courts overturning university decisions in the area of Title IX. “Generally, courts are quite deferential to universities, but in these Title IX cases, it’s been different; universities have lost a surprising number of Title IX cases,” he said. The courts “have been fairly aggressive in overturning rulings of universities, giving monetary damages and requiring major changes in disciplinary procedures.”

Title IX Attorney Stephanie Joseph told The Herald that, in such cases, the extent of judicial intervention would depend largely on the specific facts of the case. “The courts are not going to insert themselves in the decisions of universities, as long as they have some reasonable basis with regard to student discipline,” she said. “That would really depend on the documents that were created during the investigation and discipline process. It’s very much fact intensive, but it could work out (in) many different ways depending on the thoroughness of the university’s documentation of its investigation (and) disciplinary process.”

Joseph noted that, in these sorts of situations, universities are forced to make difficult decisions. They have the option of using a preponderance of the evidence standard — meaning more probable than not — or the more rigorous clear and convincing evidence standard, she explained. They could face increased scrutiny “if they don’t take actions to exclude or isolate people who are accused and it turns out that the allegations are true and further harm is done to others on the university campus,” she said. “It’s a delicate dance, for sure.”

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6

ABROAD FROM PAGE 1 While Jones was able to begin her program on schedule, some of her peers “had been testing positive because they had previously had COVID and had to wait until (their tests) came back negative,” she added. Certain COVID-19 PCR tests can continue to show a positive result after the infected person is no longer contagious.

Denmark is not the only country that requires a negative PCR test from inbound air passengers. As of Dec. 6, 2021, the U.S. government requires that everyone intending to enter the country via plane “show documentation of a negative viral test result taken within one day of the flight’s departure.” The University will not cover the cost of these tests for students returning from trips abroad, according to an FAQ page about Spring 2022 study abroad on the Healthy Brown website.

Shantal Hernández ’23, who is on OIP’s “Brown in France” program, did note various alterations to typical abroad activities. “Some (in-person) orientation and cultural activities that have happened in previous years have been canceled or replaced with safer alternatives,” she wrote in an email to

The Herald.

“Parisian locals have been very cautious with COVID,” Hernández added.

“Most people wear their masks both indoors and outdoors in public spaces, and (it) is required to show proof of both vaccinations and a booster … to enter most local businesses.” Hernández also noted that most environments with a high likelihood of exposure, such as clubs and restaurants, are closed.

Jones noted similar vigilance around COVID-19 among the locals in Copenhagen. “Denmark is on their game with COVID precautions,” she said. “Most people here are wearing good masks, like surgical or KN95s, … and are tested twice a week at free local testing centers.”

Both Jones and Hernández reported that their abroad programs have suspended “homestay” housing in which students stay with a local resident during their time abroad.

Participating in a program such as DIS Copenhagen had been a goal of Jones’s since the beginning of her undergraduate career. “I’ve already learned so much just being here for four days,” she said. “Setting your life up in a completely different context, you start to see that the American way

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

isn’t the only way.”

“Honestly, I felt pretty nervous leading up to the program,” Jones added. “But now that I’m here I actually feel safer than in the U.S.” Jones hopes to come away from the program with more knowledge on environmentally sustainable policy and infrastructure and “a more global perspective.”

Participation in study abroad programs was lower in fall 2021, the first semester that study abroad resumed after the pandemic, than in pre-pandemic years, The Herald previously reported. Both Hernández and Jones said they have encouraged their peers to consider studying abroad while at Brown.

“I would highly recommend studying abroad to anyone considering it,” Hernández wrote. She also advised students to consult the OIP directly with any questions throughout the application process.

“I know it’s intimidating given the COVID-related complications — and a lot of people have been dissuaded from studying abroad because of our already-reduced time taking classes in-person at Brown,” Jones said. “But it’s worth it.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

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Liu ’25: Criticizing the stories we loved growing up The fantastical stories we all hear about as kids — Greek myths, fairy tales and Disney princesses — often recycle overdone gendered tropes featuring a male hero, an evil villain and a beautiful damsel in distress. These narratives play into outdated gender roles and power structures unrepresentative of real people and relationships, especially in an increasingly fluid and progressive world. But modern literature and art has provided an invaluable opportunity to destabilize these overbearing power structures that narrative and history have spent an eternity reinforcing. Madeline Miller ’00 MA ’01 — author, teacher and, most importantly, my favorite Brown alum — is an example of an author whose work offers the chance to subvert such common assumptions. Her novels “Song of Achilles” and “Circe” retell popular Greek mythology in unconventional ways and through previously unheard-from perspectives. In doing so, Miller subverts common assumptions perpetuated by famous Greek myths — proving the invaluable impact that literature can have on reimagining power, gender, oppression and perspective.

“Song of Achilles,” arguably Miller’s most well-received novel, turns the popular story of Trojan War hero Achilles on its head by explaining his life from the point of view of Achilles’s lesser-known best friend, Patroclus. In doing so, Miller undermines the hyper-masculine, heroic archetype common in most narratives of Achilles. The novel, while staying true to the story Greek mythology lovers know, centers around a character and a love story ripe with child-like passion, insecurity and naivety. Patroclus is often overlooked in other Greek myths but stars in this one, and through his mind readers are introduced to flawed, undeniably human characters that are both everything and nothing

like those in the historically popular stories. We hear about Patroclus’s and Achilles’s motivations for what they do, and about how so many of those motivations were tied to love — an emotion that has always been associated with instability and femininity.

It is almost shocking to read about Achilles’s vulnerable humanity amidst popular narratives that herald him as a rugged, courageous and

sional. The novel follows the story of Circe, a sorceress in ancient Greek mythology who has been banished to a deserted island due to her witchcraft. In most Greek myths, Circe is seen as evil and malicious, known and feared for turning the men who dared to visit her island into pigs. Miller chooses a different approach: Through Circe’s eyes, readers are taken through her complex life, complete with an abusive fam-

“Miller’s writing speaks to the ability of literature to reform narratives in ways that empower the historically marginalized and humanize the historically evil.”

relentless war hero. But it is crucial. Through “Song of Achilles,” Miller undermines the alltoo-common tendency in hero stories to conflate masculinity with the utter inability to be vulnerable, insecure or loving. The retelling reminds us that heroism and love should never be gendered. All the while, Miller stays authentic to the characters and story from popular Greek mythology. In turn, she paves a path for reimagining literature to challenge traditional norms.

“Circe,” Miller’s other widely-known novel and my personal favorite, similarly destabilizes gendered tales that represent powerful, non-feminine women as evil and one-dimen-

ily, traumatic experiences with men, a fear of abandonment and a tendency to love.

As I read “Circe,” I found myself wondering why I never questioned what exactly made Circe so angry in the prevailing mythological narratives that I’d grown up hearing about. That is because traditionally, popular retellings of Circe reflect the tendency in literature to give a woman power at the expense of her femininity. In literature, when a woman is dominant, strong and feared, they often lose something else — their beauty, their virtue, their sexuality and everything that is associated with their womanhood. Like Circe, they are demonized to pre-

serve a patriarchy that relies on the domination of anyone who is not a man. Miller’s retelling of Circe’s story thus forces us to reconsider the narratives that uphold this reductive view of femininity and womanhood. Like the characters in “Song of Achilles,” Circe’s beautiful, flawed emotion and vulnerability are what make her distinctly human — despite being immortal — and thus so easy to be loved.

In her retelling of Greek myths, Miller’s writing speaks to the ability of literature to reform narratives in ways that empower the historically marginalized and humanize the historically evil. Both the traditional tales of Achilles and Circe, at least as they are known today, are informed by reductive, patriarchal and oppressive views on gender, heroism and love. But through the simple act of telling a story, Miller’s writing reveals an invaluable ability to alter and reimagine narratives of domination and power.

She shows us that it is possible to love a story while recognizing the context behind it and to empathize with characters while criticizing the way they have been portrayed. We can all learn something from her writing — without art like hers, we would be less able to question narratives that perpetuate harmful systems of power. Miller is thus charting a future for literature that can tell compelling stories while making sure they teach lessons more reflective of our more progressive world.

Melissa Liu ’25 can be reached at melissa_y_ liu@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Drake ’24: Brown needs to oppose Koch influence Every year, the network of donors convened by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch spends millions of dollars on universities, think tanks, policy groups and politicians to promote a worldview that is anti-science and anti-democratic.

Between 1997 and 2018, Koch Family Foundations have spent nearly $150 million on groups that attack climate change science and policy solutions. Their network of wealthy donors has funneled significant funding into political campaigns and recently has opposed any reforms to expand voting and ensure fair elections. They have also donated millions of dollars to fund the Political Theory Project at Brown since its 2003 founding. The PTP and its programs are not merely incidental to the Koch agenda; legitimization of their pernicious worldview on college campuses, especially one of Brown’s prestige, is key for their theory of social change. As such, I call upon students, faculty, alumni and the administration to reject the current proposal to expand the PTP into a Philosophy, Politics and Economics Center, and to address the existing donor influence on the PTP. Donors in the Koch network explicitly intend to change the ideologies of university students. A 2015 grant proposal from the John Templeton Foundation-funded Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Freedom program at the University of Arizona promised to create a national “PPE Network” that would span “three continents and at least eight universities,” one of which was Brown University. They described one pilot program at Ormond College in Melbourne, Australia that expected “students to begin the course with 60% believing that wage floors create prosperity, and (hoped) to have less than 50% saying that they do by the end of the course.” Additionally, the proposal predicted “75% of students to believe at the beginning of the course that government work programs create prosperity” and aimed to “have less than 60% say that they do so by the end of the

course.” This overt attempt to persuade rather than foster inquiry is a blatant attack on academic freedom and should not be welcome on our campus.

I was a member of the PTP-sponsored Philosophy, Politics and Economics Society during my first year at Brown, and I can attest that the PTP’s mission to promote “methodological and

ruse has an almost fifty-year history; in 1974, Charles Koch stated that “the educational route is both the most vital and the most neglected” in terms of maximizing a donor’s political impact.

This legitimization runs deeper than just the students: faculty and academics are key, too. An internal document from the Institute for Hu-

“The PTP and its programs are not merely incidental to the Koch agenda; legitimization of their pernicious worldview on college campuses, especially one of Brown’s prestige, is key for their theory of social change.”

viewpoint diversity” is more complicated than it may seem. Each member of the PPE Society receives a $500 dollar fellowship per semester to partake in a bi-weekly reading group. The $500 fellowship is more than just a bonus. I’ve seen firsthand that this money lures students to the table that may not otherwise partake in a reading group on political theory while also encouraging engagement with a specific ideology.

Leaked recordings show that the Koch network uses academic programs to recruit “the most passionate students” as part of a “talent pipeline” where Koch-backed academics are “training the next generation of the freedom movement.” Even if students don’t agree with Friedrich Hayek or Austrian economics, these courses grant ideologies supported by the Koch network legitimacy on college campuses. This

mane Studies, a nonprofit where Charles Koch is chairman emeritus, confirms just this: “IHS has long identified faculty as a key ingredient in our recipe for social change … But the pace of growth in our academic pipeline is too slow to realize the magnitude of change we seek.” It even goes so far as to say, “imagine, for example, what our graduate student-support capability might look like if hundreds of trusted faculty at PhD-granting institutions acted as our agents.” This language is coming from a group that has worked directly with the PTP and its faculty.

The PTP brings academics to Brown through the semi-annual Janus Forum, which “provides two established researchers with alternative perspectives the opportunity to present their research in direct dialogue with one another.”

While this sounds like a great program in theory, it is more complicated in reality. An example of this includes the Spring 2021 debate between Sanford Levinson and Scott Douglas Gerber, both of whom are contributors to the Federalist Society, which has long received Koch money. Another example is the Fall 2013 debate between Steven Calabresi, a contributor to the Cato Institute founded by Charles Koch, and Stuart Taylor, Jr., a board member of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, which has also received Koch support.

This is inexcusable for a group that claims to promote viewpoint diversity. I’m not saying that it is inherently wrong to invite academics with Koch network connections to campus, but the large number of invited academics with such connections raises questions about how invited academics are selected.

I did not come to Brown to study at an institution that promotes the presence of the Koch anti-science, anti-democratic ideology. While the proposal for the PPE Center is set for further discussion at a February faculty meeting, students play a vital role in opposing the proposal. Convincing the administration that Koch money has no home at Brown requires a collective effort. Thus, I implore students, faculty and members of the Brown community to request that Provost Richard Locke P’18 and President Christina Paxson P’19 address the donor influence problems posed by the PTP and reject its expansion into a center that would touch more academic departments.

Ethan Drake ’24 can be reached at ethan_ drake@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

8

METRO

Through collaborations with energy companies, R.I. pushes green future Wind projects hope to make the state a hub for advancing Biden admin’s climate goals

BY JULIA VAZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER The state of Rhode Island has collaborated with energy companies and the federal government to jumpstart the country’s transition from fossil fuels to clean energy produced by offshore wind farms.

Following the Biden administration’s decision to support and target wind energy proposals, new projects have been set into development across the Northeastern coast. Ørsted, a green energy-focused company, partnered in 2019 with Eversource in New England to drive much of the building of future sites. In addition to the already operational Virginia Offshore Wind Farm, Ørsted was also awarded the construction of three more projects along the New England coast: Revolution, South Fork and Sunrise Wind.

Rhode Island’s central role in the offshore wind power industry is also connected to Ørsted’s presence in the United States. Block Island Wind Farm, built in 2016 by Ørsted, was the first fully operational wind farm in the coun-

try and served to study the feasibility, challenges and possibilities of such an enterprise. Ørsted estimates that its projects under development in the Northeast “will generate enough energy to power one million homes in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York annually,” Stacy Tingley, Ørsted’s deputy head of government affairs and market strategy, told The Herald.

Tingley added that the recent push toward clean energy in the Northeast was greatly impacted by Rhode Island’s leadership. “We are really fortunate in Rhode Island to have really great champions for offshore wind,” she said.

After taking office last year, Governor Daniel McKee signed the Act on Climate bill in April 2021 to set Rhode Island on a path towards achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Moreover, his fiscal year 2023 budget proposes more than $150 million to fund projects that target climate action and develop a green economy.

Alana O’Hare, press secretary for Governor McKee, wrote in an email to The Herald that these investments will promote an economy conscious of ocean resources, or a blue economy, that can benefit an entire supply chain across the nation by creating jobs and meeting climate goals.

Rhode Island’s dense population, high demand for energy and long stretches of shallow waters make the

state an ideal location for offshore wind farms, Tingley said. The state, therefore, has become a hub in the nation for green energy development. “We have the academic research and scientific expertise at the University of Rhode Island ensuring our developments co-exist with the natural ecosystems and those who work therein. We have one of the most ambitious timelines in the country for development, as well as our goal of meeting 100% of Rhode Island’s electricity demand with renewable energy by 2030,” wrote Brian Hodge, the deputy director of communications at Rhode Island Commerce, in an email to The Herald. Rhode Island Commerce is “a quasi-public agency” which offers economic development services to the state of Rhode Island, according to its website.

Hodge added that Rhode Island’s investment in renewable energy and more sustainably-powered economies has been vitally supported by the federal administration. “Rhode Island has been selected as a finalist with two applications in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge,” he wrote. “As a finalist, the state has received $500,000 for additional planning for each project and advances to the final round with available funding of up to $100 million.”

Despite having to go through extensive approval processes and promising advancements towards clean energy,

LOKI OLIN / HERALD

projects face opposition from the fishing industry. Laura Dwyer, public educator and information coordinator of RI Coastal Resources Management Council, explained in an email to The Herald the complex mechanisms in place to guarantee the success of wind farms: “We evaluate things like whether a project will impact the state’s coastal resources, whether it will impact the state’s fishing industry/economic development, its cultural and historic resources, its marine transportation, navigation and infrastructure and its existing and future water-dependent uses.”

Still, Dwyer recognised the validity of the fishing industry concerns. “Wind

farms do impact the fishing industry,” she wrote. “Construction of the turbine foundations and submerged cables, and their operation in the offshore area, can impact fishery operations by altering fishing methods and gear, navigational safety and displacement issues.”

Rhode Island has become a national leader in clean energy solutions. “Global need for electricity is only rising, and so are global calls for emission reductions and renewably sourced energy,” Hodge wrote. “Rhode Island and the U.S. government have ambitious green energy goals and wind energy is a key component to reaching those goals.”