SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 16
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY NEWS
U. to house displaced Ukrainian scholars U. working with Scholars at Risk, New University in Exile Consortium
Vincent Zhou ’26 reflects on 2022 Olympics, career 2022 silver medalist will next compete at World Championships in France
BY ALEX NADIRASHVILI UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
BY PETER SWOPE SPORTS EDITOR
to the sport that has been central to his life. A lifetime of preparation Zhou originally arrived in Providence in the fall 2019, joining the Brown community as a member of the class of 2023. But trying to balance academics, college student life and training to compete at a high level proved a daunting task. During that semester, Zhou exclusively took classes that met Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the other four days of the week dedicated to training. “I was living with a foot in each world, and it was very hard to focus fully on succeeding in both” skating and academics, he said. “The mental switch was extremely difficult.” Zhou has been on leave since the conclusion of the fall 2019 semester to focus on training and competing, though he plans to return to the University this fall. He has spent much of the time since he left Brown training in Colorado Springs, CO.
The University is currently working with partner organizations such as Scholars at Risk and the New University in Exile Consortium “to provide a safe academic home” for Ukrainian scholars displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion, according to a Feb. 27 community-wide email from President Christina Paxson P’19, Provost Richard Locke P’18 and Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes. The motivation behind the decision to aid displaced scholars stems from the “unprovoked and unjustified invasion and attack by Russia on a democratically elected sovereign state, Ukraine,” Locke said to The Herald. The attack “runs against the core values of this university … (including)
Most Scholars At Risk applicants have been female, as Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 can not leave the country. freedom of expression, self-determi- where students and scholars can connation and support for democratic tinue their important work,” Locke rule,” Locke added. said. “This is something that we’ve According to Locke, the Univer- been doing for a number of years … sity reached out to Scholars at Risk We started doing this in 2016 around and the New University in Exile Con- the Syrian crisis.” sortium Feb. 24 after news broke of The University is currently foRussia’s invasion. The University has cused on aiding displaced scholars, previously worked with both SAR and not students, according to Locke. the Consortium to bring displaced Af- These individuals include academics ghan scholars and students to Brown, whose universities have been closed The Herald previously reported. “We try to serve as a safe place SEE UKRAINE PAGE 2
UNIVERSITY NEWS
ARTS & CULTURE
BrownTogether Campaign sets new $4 billion target
‘Euphoria’ returns to screen with crazy stakes but little plot
Extension through 2024 will fund research, financial aid, athletics
Second season of HBO’s biggest hit delivers enthralling storylines
BY MIZUKI KAI SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Tuesday, President Christina Paxson P’19 announced that the BrownTogether campaign was extended to Dec. 31, 2024 with a new $4 billion target. The extension comes after the campaign reached its original $3 billion goal in November. The BrownTogether fundraising campaign was established in 2015 to fund “Building on Distinction,” a long-term strategic plan released in 2013 to guide the University’s growth and development. According to the University, the campaign aimed to “support investments in people, innovative education and research” and “initiatives in campus infrastructure and student life.” The fund also seeks to “increase support for addressing important world issues through research and
VICTORIA YIN / HERALD
scholarship in areas outlined as ‘integrative themes’ in ‘Building on Distinction.’” “When we established the $3 billion goal for BrownTogether, we knew it was ambitious — the most ambitious fundraising goal in the history of the University,” Paxson wrote in an email to The Herald. “Our community has shown amazing commitment and generosity to helping Brown realize the vision we shared in 2015 for making a transformative impact on the ways we educate Brown students, pioneer new paths for research and discovery and make a real difference in the world.” The campaign — which is led by Chancellor Samuel M. Mencoff ’78 and campaign co-chairs Joan Wernig Sorensen ’72, Theresia Gouw ’90 and Ralph Rosenberg ’86 — originally aimed to reach its $3 billion goal by December 2022. Having reached the target over a year early, the campaign has raised an additional $212.5 million since November. “We could not have imagined that we would eclipse the goal a
SEE CAMPAIGN PAGE 3
When Vincent Zhou ’26 tested positive for COVID-19 just a day before he would have competed in the men’s figure skating individual competitions, his first reaction was to think, “Okay, this is happening.” “It doesn’t exactly process,” he said in an interview with The Herald. “You read the words, you understand the words and you understand that this is your reality,” but the shock remains. Zhou — a 2018 Olympian who traveled to China for the 2022 Olympics — tested positive for COVID-19 after competing in just one ice skating event. But he is more than this: He is a world-class athlete, a Brown student and a skater who hopes to give back
SEE ZHOU PAGE 7
BY LIVIA GIMENES STAFF WRITER Back in June 2019, a new show aired on HBO. With dazzling lights, eccentric makeup, gripping storylines and a side of superb acting, “Euphoria” immediately drew in a young adult audience — a switch from the traditional Gen X target of HBO — and established itself as one of the best in the teen drama canon. Now, almost three years later, “Euphoria” is back with a new and even crazier season. The sophomore season of “Euphoria” takes all of the most successful aspects of the first season and amplifies them by a hundred. The show’s production manages to be even more impressive and impeccable than the critically acclaimed visuals from the first season. It’s shot completely on a Kodak Ektachrome — a rare, discontinued film that Kodak
Metro
Arts & Culture
Metro
Ives and Wickenden Street small businesses see changes Page 3
King Richard is successful, inspirational story Page 4
Providence public schools face teacher shortage Page 6
COURTESY OF WARNER MEDIA
The second season of “Euphoria,” released in January 2022, has skyrocketed the show’s popularity. specially manufactured at the request of “Euphoria” director Sam Levinson. Plus, it features another riveting soundtrack by singer Labrinth as well as notable hyperpop and throwback classics. It’s even prettier, even more charming and just euphoric to watch. Furthermore, it delivers plots and storylines that make the first season’s intense drug use and party
scenes seem like child’s play. Realism went out of the window this season, such as when a school play — which appeared to have a Broadway budget — exposed students’ private lives and even featured a four-minute-long homoerotic dance sequence. It invested in an absurdist and eccentric nature
SEE EUPHORIA PAGE 8
TODAY TOMORROW
DESIGNED BY DANA TONEVA ’24 DESIGNER NEIL MEHTA ’25 DESIGN EDITOR
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JULIA GROSSMAN ’23 DESIGN EDITOR
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UKRAINE FROM PAGE 1 or who have been driven from their homes because of conflict, Locke added. Arien Mack, founding director of the New University in Exile Consortium, explained that the organization has shifted “from just working with scholars in exile to trying to help scholars who need to be in exile get there and get placements” in other countries. Scholars often write directly to the Consortium following their displacement, asking to be placed with a partner university, Mack said. “We answer every one of them and ask them to send us what credentials they have and do what we can to try to find schools that will be sympathetic and take them,” Mack added. Scholars at Risk similarly supports “scholars in any country where they’re not safe to do their work because of the nature of their work, who they are or because they are coming from a crisis situation,” said Rose Anderson, director for protection services at SAR. At SAR, scholars must initially apply through a secure online form that collects basic information on the scholar’s degree level, risk experience and contact information, Anderson said. SAR then ensures that applicants meet the organization’s risk and scholarship threshold and
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reaches out to partner universities to match the scholars. Once provided with a list of potential scholars, University administration reaches out to on-campus departments and centers to see if they have the capacity to host the scholars, Locke said. In the case that space can be made, the University works to ensure that scholars have visas, housing, healthcare and other necessities, Locke said. Scholars are offered “visiting appointments, … usually a salary and standard packages, certain benefits,” he added. Displaced scholars typically come for a year or two, according to Locke, after which the University aids them in finding permanent employment, either at Brown or elsewhere. “These are people who can’t do the work or can’t do their studies at home, and they certainly need a place to be,” Locke said. “And so we create that home for them.” Once the scholars are settled at their respective universities, the Consortium continues to offer them intra-community programming, Mack said. This programming includes weekly seminars led by “distinguished academics,” the opportunity to teach co-led seminars and a retreat invitation extended to scholars and their families. Locke doesn’t know yet when displaced scholars will arrive on campus.
The University is currently waiting to receive lists from SAR and the Consortium, he said. According to Anderson, the question of the scholars’ arrival on campus “always depends on when they can get a visa, and visa processes are always unpredictable. … That’s a continual challenge.” SAR has currently received fewer than 10 applications, though Anderson anticipates that this number will rise in the coming weeks. This is most likely because Ukrainian citizens currently have the ability to stay in a European Union country for 90 days, Anderson said. About half of the scholars who have reached out to SAR are no longer in Ukraine, according to Anderson. SAR has also fielded a majority of female applicants, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 currently cannot leave Ukraine under martial law. Meanwhile, the Consortium is facing difficulties with matching displaced Ukrainian scholars and partner universities, partially as a result of the organization’s continued dedication to the crisis in Afghanistan, Mack said. “We’re still immersed (with helping Afghanistan students) … We are doing what we humanly can do,” she added. “We are a small group. The staff consists of myself, the executive managing assistant and a bunch of graduate students who work part-
time with us.” Mack explained that the Consortium has had to adopt an individual-based method where “the way we help and the way people can get help is one by one. … The process is one person at a time, one scholar, one student.” “It’s not a mass response. It’s not easy, and it’s costly because universities have to come up with funding,” Mack added. “Brown has been wonderful in doing that, … they are one of the leading universities in the United States who have really stepped up.” Institutions are “always in need of more funding to host scholars,” Anderson said. “Host institutions themselves fund scholars. SAR doesn’t grant fellowships, so resources are generally a challenge in this work.” Because of these funding issues, SAR has started advocating for “more national-level fellowship schemes for hosting large numbers of researchers at risk,” especially in Europe, according to Anderson. Fellowships such as the Phillips Schwartz Initiative in Germany and PAUSE program in France can “support a larger number of s cholars each year before they have government funding,” Anderson added. “That is just not accessible for one institution or one NGO.” “There’s too much that has to be done,” Mack said. “It’s once again governments that have to rise to the
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
occasion and provide the humanitarian aid that’s needed.” Locke commended the University community for its mobilization efforts in light of the conflict. “What’s really wonderful at Brown is how people mobilize and come forward to help, offering advising, places to stay and things like that,” Locke said. “It’s just really incredible — the outpouring of support.” Masako Fidler, professor of Slavic languages, emphasized that the University community’s support of Ukraine is “completely in alignment” with the University’s dedication to diversity and inclusion. “It will be great … to hear different voices,” Fiddler said. “I think that will be a really valuable sort of exchange.” Locke also emphasized other University efforts to support its community during this time. “We felt that when we saw this terrible event unfolding, we needed to act in ways that are appropriate for the University,” Locke said. This includes using “teaching and research to inform the public, and through our teaching and research hopefully inform policy. That’s why there’s a lot of events happening around Ukraine.” “As a University,” Paxson wrote in the email, “we have tremendous resources that can help support our community and inform our global society.”
METRO
Report addresses labor movement, transition to a green economy in RI Research shows how transition to clean energy can advance social equality BY JULIA VAZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER Climate Jobs Rhode Island, The Worker Institute at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and other organizations have collaborated to address how the state’s climate goals and the labor movement intersect. A year of research culminated in the report “Building a Just Transition for a Resilient Future: A Climate Jobs Program for Rhode Island” released in January. The document explains how Rhode Island can progress towards a clean energy economy while supporting vulnerable working families and advancing social equity. The report outlines a series of policy recommendations to inform Rhode Island’s path to an equitable and climate-friendly economy. While the suggested measures are vast, the main goals include creating high-quality jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in infrastructure. It affirms that the only way Rhode Island can construct a sustainable, transformative and long-lasting green economy is by combining climate change mitigation with investments to improve the resilience of disadvantaged communities. In an email to The Herald, Lara Skinner, director of the Worker Institute’s Labor Leading on Climate Initiative Cornell, highlighted the Carbon Free Healthy Schools recommendation — which suggests tran-
sitioning all K-12 public schools to net-zero emissions by 2030 using solar power — as one of the most impactful elements of the report. The aim of the project is to create high-quality jobs, reduce the state’s energy costs and make schools safer for the community, according to Skinner. The recommendation also directly addresses inequality. “This work can also start in frontline communities that face historic inequities, ensuring that the most vulnerable students and communities see the benefits of this program first,” she wrote. Erica Hammond, lead organizer at Climate Jobs Rhode Island, explained how the transition to a green economy directly impacts workers. Climate Jobs Rhode Island is “a broad and growing coalition of labor, environmental and community partners committed to a just transition to an equitable, pro-worker, pro-climate green economy,” according to the coalition’s website. “For a long time, many of these renewable jobs have been taken up by employers who are not union and are not paying their workers family-sustainable wages,” she said. For Hammond, as Rhode Island develops the projects necessary to meet its climate goals, it is important that the workers who will make the transition possible are treated fairly. “We need to make sure labor is included in this conversation,” she said, adding that the need for green infrastructure jobs is an opportunity to uplift the community. “We need to make sure we are putting people over profit.” The underrepresentation of marginalized groups in the workforce is another social issue that can be
attenuated by investing in the clean energy industry, according to the report. Hammond highlighted the work of Building Futures Rhode Island, an organization that hopes to meet the need for skilled workers through an apprentice system that allows low-income and BIPOC communities to enter the job market. “We need to make sure we understand how to expand programs like that so that more individuals can utilize them,” she said, explaining the importance of having a diverse workforce. The researchers began developing the report in early 2021. According to Skinner, the process involved a coalition of organizations that contributed to research on “climate, jobs and equity issues in Rhode Island.” To write the report, The Worker Institute “talked to leaders of unions and environmental organizations, experts and policymakers’’ to create a set of recommendations capable of creating a climate-friendly, equitable economy in the state, Skinner wrote. Climate Jobs Rhode Island was able to share its goals and principles during the research process, according to Hammond. “Our coalition members had the opportunity to look at each draft at each step of the way” and provide feedback, she said. Both Skinner and Hammond hope that the report can be used as a roadmap for policymakers on how to expand the state’s economy while prioritizing climate goals and fair labor practices. Skinner commented that the report was written to share concrete recommendations that can be put into practice. “We explain what needs to be built to address climate change and transition Rhode Island to a net-zero economy, how much it
VICTORIA YIN / HERALD
The main goals of the report include creating high quality jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in infrastructure. will cost, how many jobs it will create and how to make sure the jobs are good jobs,” she wrote. While the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources cannot comment on job reports produced by outside entities, OER has continuously issued their own Clean Energy Jobs report which addresses how the green sector is impacting labor in the state. In an email to The Herald, Chief Public Affairs Officer Robert Beadle wrote that “a workforce strategy is in development.” The plan, which is part of Rhode Island’s 2021 Act on Climate, aims to create “quality and family-sustaining clean energy jobs that pay wages and benefits consistent with or that exceed area wage and labor standards,” reads the regulation. The 2021 Act on Climate also addresses Rhode Island’s opportunity to reframe its workforce demographics into a more equitable reality by providing for the development of programs that recruit, train and work to retain women, people of color,
indigenous people, veterans, people who were formerly incarcerated and people with disabilities. Beadle also addressed the avenues available for public advocacy groups to inform the state’s climate policies. “The Rhode Island Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) is one avenue that labor and public advocacy groups may use to engage with the state’s climate policy,” he wrote. He added that the OER is also engaged in providing Rhode Island legislators with resources, recommendations and data to inform proclean energy legislation. For Hammond, the most important feature of the report is that it allows Rhode Island to imagine the full potential of transitioning into a clean energy future while addressing the labor movement and advancing social equality. “We want lawmakers, community members and decision-makers to use it as a framework for how we should move forward,” she wrote.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
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METRO
Ives, Wickenden businesses see changes due to COVID-19, gentrification Owners discuss new developments, hope that streets retain small businesses BY RHEA RASQUINHA SENIOR STAFF WRITER Five blocks east of Thayer sits Ives Street, a calm stretch filled with a variety of small businesses and eateries. While Ives is farther from the University’s central campus, it is still known as a popular place in the community to shop and eat. The Herald spoke to four business owners on Ives and three from the nearby Wickenden Street about changes to the area. Peaceable Kingdom first opened on Wickenden in 1980 and moved to Ives seven years later. The gift shop is filled with artisan-crafted jewelry, clothing and more, along with the wagging tail of the puppy-of-theshop, Louie. According to owner Joan Ritchie, the biggest change to Ives Street is the new businesses coming in. “They’ve changed the setting enormously,” she said, citing an increase in walking traffic. Ritchie added that these changes are a result of gentrification, but that the process “took much longer than other streets.” Emory Harkins, co-owner of Twenty Stories on Ives, echoed Ritchie’s sentiments, noticing an influx of new businesses. Harkins, a Providence native, opened the bookstore’s storefront in 2019. “It’s exciting to see a lot of young entrepreneurial people coming to the street,” he said. “The street has definitely grown in popularity with the addition of some amazing places,” wrote Lori and Paul Kettelle, co-owners of PVDonuts, in an email to The Herald. All but one of the restaurants mentioned in a 2011 Herald article on Ives have now closed. More recently, Malachi’s coffee shop, Eagle Supermarket (now Chomp) and a travel agency (now Kow Kow) have closed, wrote the Kettelles. Off of Ives, Lion Eye gift shop and Togs on Brook closed at the end of 2019 and 2021, respectively. “We’re honestly not sure why the closures happened,” wrote the Kettelles, “especially in regards to Malachi’s, which was a very popular
spot.” “There’s a different flow to (Ives) street,” said Ann Dusseault, owner of Old Bag Vintage, a vintage clothing store that opened in October 2020. Dusseault previously owned Pie in the Sky on Thayer Street, which closed in Fall 2020, The Herald previously reported. On Ives, most storefronts are closed Monday and Tuesday, giving Dusseault freedom to take days off, which were very rare during her 27 years on Thayer. Rent is less than a quarter of what she paid on Thayer, but the Fox Point neighborhood as a whole has become more expensive compared to when she first arrived, Dusseault said. Many of the places formerly on Thayer that stayed in business have moved to the West Side or Hope Street, she added, and the introduction of franchises like Shake Shack and Warby Parker has also happened in the communities around Harvard and Yale. Owners also shared different views about the future of the street. “I hope that it will stay small business,” Harkins said. “I think, unfortunately, there’s going to be some people who come in with a lot of money … and are going to start making it more of a luxury housing market.” Ritchie also thinks that the street will become more expensive. New development “changes the whole feeling of the community,” she said. There have also been struggles with increasing rent prices, both for businesses and residential properties, Ritchie said. According to Harkins, the surrounding housing community has also become less accessible. “I do hope that there’s something that can be done for affordable housing in Fox Point as a whole, not just specifically on Ives Street.” Despite changes that have occurred, there is still hope that Ives will remain largely the same. Harkins said that he does not think the street will be developed to the extent that Thayer has been for a long time. “I don’t know if it has the capacity for that just because there’s not as many commercial storefronts,” he said. “Most of the landlords and people who own the buildings in the neighborhood are invested in the neighborhood itself and in the community more than selling out to
TIFFANY DING / HERALD
BrownTogether has raised another $212.5 million since it met its $3 billion goal in November.
ELSA CHOI-HAUSMAN / HERALD
Business owners on Ives and Wickenden streets see opportunities while facing gentrification concerns. All but one restaurant on Ives mentioned in an article in The Herald in 2011 have since closed. bigger corporations.” “I think it’s going to prosper,” Dusseault said. “It’s one of those places people will be attracted to.” She also hopes that increasing prices and commercialization don’t push out current residents. “We think it’ll continue to grow and flourish as a diverse community of residents and business owners,” especially with the development of the India Point Park waterfront area, wrote the Kettelles. Running perpendicular to Ives is Wickenden, whose businesses share experiences with those on Ives. “Things come and go all the time,” said Richard Kahan, owner of Red Bridge Antiques, whose storefront has been on Wickenden since 1998. “There used to be many more bars on the street, along with 12 antique shops, but numbers have dwindled, and only three antique shops remain,” he said. Marian Clark, owner of Benefit Street Antiques, has been on Wickenden for 34 years. Because of the pandemic, “the last few years have been really scary,” Clark said. Still, Wickenden is “a lively street,” she said. “There’s a lot going on here,” with businesses ranging from a gas station to an eyeglass place to antique shops, restaurants and florists. The Wickenden Area Merchants Association works to support busi-
nesses and raise awareness of the street, said Vincent Scorziello, owner of Campus Fine Wines, who helps run the association. Scorziello’s store, located at the corner of Brook and Wickenden Streets, has been around for 40 years, and he has owned it for 10. The association includes business on Wickenden and a few side streets, including Brook, Hope and Ives. They collaborate on group advertisements, events on the street and the biannual Makers and Merchants street fair. “The goal of the Merchants Association is to do what we can to improve the street and raise awareness of businesses,” Scorziello said. The street has not changed “as much as you would think with a pandemic,” Scorziello added. Bars and other establishments that depend on in-person activities seemed to face the most difficulties, but “most of the businesses on the street seemed to weather the pandemic pretty well,” he said. As for the street as a whole, “Hopefully it’ll keep some of its personality because I think what makes it special is the little mom-and-pop businesses and small businesses,” Kahan said. She added that Fox Point “still has some soul.” “It’s such a niche and everybody loves it,” Clark said. “I would like it to stay like it is,” — a walking street for the neighborhood — rather than
be modernized, she added. As the area is fairly developed, a potential contributor to increasing prices is the high demand for space, Scorziello said. But a lot of the businesses he works with have been on the street for a long time and seem to have secure relationships with their landlords and stable rent, he said. There are currently developments on both ends of Wickenden, Scorziello said. Where Wickenden turns into Point Street, the new land created by the I-95 Commission is slowly being sold off and developed. This development is supposed to include a market — rumored to be Trader Joe’s — which could potentially bring people to the street. But, being right off the highway ramp, “I think people are just going to get off the highway, go to the Trader Joe’s or whatever is there, and then hop back on the highway,” Scorziello said. Another development supposed to be happening by the Pedestrian Bridge is mostly residential with street-level retail, which Scorziello said will be “good for foot traffic and people coming to businesses.” Both streets and the surrounding areas continue to change, but businesses hope to preserve the atmosphere of the area. “The fun thing is when people come in, who went to school 15 years ago, and say ‘I can’t believe you’re still here,’” Kahan said.
CAMPAIGN FROM PAGE 1
“The difference that the campaign is making has clearly resonated with alumni and donors in exciting ways,” Paxson wrote. ”We knew we had an opportunity to build on that momentum to do even more.” The funds from the extension will be used to finance “research and teaching in medicine, public health, engineering and the arts, as well as student financial aid, Brown Athletics and transforming its career service program,” according to the Today@ Brown announcement. The campaign will continue to fundraise for original campaign pri-
orities such as the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, the Pembroke Center and the Brown Annual Fund. “The revised $4 billion target will take the energy that this campaign has generated and allow us to finish what we started in some priority areas and raise funds in areas that will help Brown build additional strength,” Paxson wrote.
full year ahead of schedule,” Paxson wrote. Paxson added that students, staff and faculty feel the impact of the campaign “through enhanced financial aid and student support, the recruitment and retention of top faculty who are leaders in their fields, strengthening research and expanding into new fields, improving facilities across campus and enhancing the student experience with new programs, initiatives and services.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
ARTS & CULTURE
‘King Richard’ is standard, feel-good cinematic success True story of Williams family is comforting, honest inspiration BY RYA VALLABHANENI SENIOR STAFF WRITER After watching “King Richard,” many audience members might come out of the film feeling like they’ve seen it before. Although the content of the film is novel, as the story of Venus and Serena Williams has never been told from their father’s point of view, its overarching theme is decidedly not: An underdog rises to stardom, complete with a chronological plotline and run-of-the-mill cinematic cues to go along with it. The scenes are emotional but not overly so; the music fitting but not anything special. The story is nearly unbelievable, but it is somehow based on true events. The movie, in essence, has done the bare minimum: relay a real life event and nothing more. While director Reinaldo Marcus Green undoubtedly does justice to the story of the Williams family, he is less successful when it comes to making their journey into a noteworthy piece of art. “King Richard” is based on the childhoods of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, and it primarily focuses on the role that the girls’ father played in their early careers. The film begins with Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) as young kids practicing with their father Rich-
is simultaneously trying to find proper tennis facilities and coaching for girls while also working as a security guard to support his family. By the film’s end, Venus has reached the highest levels of professional tennis and been offered a multi-million-dollar deal from Nike. Her father, understandably, is proud. Richard Williams is portrayed — as so many fathers of successful athletes are — as focused, slightly egocentric and incredibly caring. He is a singularly-minded man; he focuses solely on success for his daughters and has developed a 78-page plan to make that success come to fruition. Throughout the entire film, he remains fixated upon this plan. He wants large houses, fame and a life free from socioeconomic stress for his daughters. He believes that making them into the world’s best tennis players is their best shot at mak-
Richard really is not delusional. Both men that end up coaching Venus — first Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn), then Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) — recognize her unnatural level of talent. Venus spends several years competing in Junior tennis tournaments, where she absolutely dominates. Serena, once she is old enough, then begins to do the same. But right when Venus starts to truly live up to Richard’s plan — landing all-star coaches, offers from agents and plenty of public support — he begins to get uncomfortable. He sees his daughters growing cocky — indulging in things like country club food, for example — and can’t quite reconcile this with the treatment he is so accustomed to as a Black man in American society. After having found some semblance of economic security, he chooses to pull Venus
before she is given the chance to play another match. Although Richard preaches the importance of having a proper childhood and education, he increasingly appears as a man who is afraid of success. He is wary of exceeding his supposed place in society — even though that’s what his plan is all about. He turns down contracts from agents, a three million dollar deal from Nike and claims he’s worried Venus will burn out. Yet, in his concern for his child, he almost closes the window in which she is meant to take her shot. During one of the film’s more emotional scenes, Richard’s wife Brandi Williams (Aunjanue Ellis) manages to make him reconsider his perspective. “You just scared,” she tells him. “Scared you will fail.” And that, really, is all there is to it: Richard, although he says he wants it, is afraid of actual
the end of the film, allowing Venus to face Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (Marcela Zacarias) — the world’s No. 1 female tennis player — in a professional tournament. But Venus’s inability to get a handle on her nerves, which ends up costing her the game, makes it clear that her father’s decision to pull her out of tennis for so long may have left its mark. “King Richard” is a happy movie. Although it charts the true story of two Black children shooting for success in a largely white sport, the message is mainly one of family and optimism. Green turned the film away from trauma and toward success, making for a film that is tangible, inspirational and full of substance. The story of Richard Williams is a triumphant one, after all. As one of the film’s closing remarks states: “Nearly everything he planned for
ard (Will Smith) on a public tennis court in Compton, California. Richard
ing this happen. Absurdly long-term plans aside,
out of Juniors, the pre-professional tennis circuit. A full three years pass
change. He gets over some of his fear by
his daughters back in Compton came true.”
COURTESY OF WARNER MEDIA
As his daughters become increasingly successful, Richard Williams begins to fear the lifestyle changes that come with being world tennis stars. “King Richard” tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams’s rise to fame from their father’s point of view.
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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | POST-
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MAR 4 — VOL 29 — ISSUE 3
FEATURE
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See Full Issue: ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
NARRATIVE
Gone in a Moment
loving a world that’s slipping out of my grasp by Liza Kolbasov
A few weeks ago, on a grocery run, I came across bunches of daffodils—the first sign of spring. I bought a bunch and brought them home, cradling them gently; I put them in an empty pasta jar, and propped them up against the windowsill. Daffodils always remind me of home—my mother loves them, and buys them every March because they make her think of spring. In turn, they remind her of her mother, who used to do the same. Perched by the window, drinking in the sun, the buds quickly bloomed and smiled at me for a few days. Then, almost as quickly as they opened, they shriveled, leaving a trail of petals on the countertop...
ARTS & CULTURE
The Costs of Staying Informed
The Violence Signature
by Samira Lakhiani
mourning the creation of a generational culture
reflections on news fatigue illustrated by john gendron
My desk is overwhelmed by tidy stacks of newspapers. Every crossword puzzle is solved, while every article is unread. An optimist beyond reason, it’s natural for me to withhold from the news. I’ll thumb through it every now and again, only to graze upon more of the same: new government policy perturbing the public, CDC guideline update, climate change swiftly expediting world doom… I prefer to do the puzzles because I can disentangle them. It’s comforting to know that a solution is always within reach. The most frustrating aspect of reading global issues is that I can’t solve anything. I can’t clean all of the oceans. I can’t bridge the wage gap. I can’t depolarize political parties.
The bitter truth: we can’t un-wreak havoc. Reading the news is merely becoming aware of a dilemma; it is knowing there are things to solve, but lacking the means to solve them. Racism, refugee crises, poverty, school shootings, carbon emissions, fast fashion, sexual assault, unemployment, theft, violence, corruption. All I see when I read or hear the news is a wealth of problems upon problems, accompanied by a scalding feeling of helplessness. And all I can do is watch them accumulate. Incessantly. Perhaps I am projecting my frustrations with the world onto the news. I should clarify that I don’t find the news to be the entire villain here; these tragedies shouldn’t be happening in the first place...
“A Libra has never serial killed in the United States.” “I’m trying… trying to anti hist my mines.”
Shapes
1. Heart <3
6. Love triangle
2. Venn diagram
7. Square, as opposed to there
3. Taurus? Torus?
8. Parallelepiped
4. Riktingo
9. Blob
5. Boobies
10. Shape of You — Ed Sheeran.
“When I stand there with the house behind me, looking out at the water that shivers in the gusty November air, my nostalgic sadness drains away.” —Eleanor Peters, “Moose House” 02.19.21
“It is easier to hide behind a computer screen than it is to look you in the eye and tell you I am baring something of my soul to you.” —Anna Harvey, “Tell Me How You Really Feel” 02.21.20
post–
Want to be involved? Email: kyoko_leaman@brown.edu!
by Madaline Canfield On a Sunday we exploded. Or, well, no, we didn’t. That much is demonstrable. The buildings remained intact, the students remained upright; the roads still lay there paved with the perfection of their previous imperfections. I can see it all now out the window, historic and unchanged. But last November in the afternoon hours something exploded, and if not the physical structures, then that something must have been our phones, at the very least. Sirens, but reduced ones. The banal and bored whimper of a bomb alert shoving itself out the speakers of our trusty digital devices. “The university might blow up (we don’t know why) so you should probably move your person if you are currently situated here or here—oh, or...
LIFESTYLE
Taking on the Big Apple a little city girl's guide by NADIA HELLER
As I’m driving in from Providence and the buildings roll past my window, I crack open the glass and let the wind wash away all of the ink that paints me as a little city girl. With the skyline in my billowing hair and the unbreakable musical tradition of Frank Sinatra bursting through the radio and from the home barefoot, practicing for summer. , I become a big city woman. I leave behind my life as a college student without a summer internship who is ...
MARCH 4, 2022
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
METRO
Teacher shortages continue to strain Providence Public School District Vacancies caused by pandemic, curriculum, certification requirements BY SAMEER SINHA METRO EDITOR The Providence Public School District currently has 129 teacher vacancies, according to Maribeth Calabro, president of the Providence Teachers Union. These vacancies have been caused by various factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, curriculum and certification requirements. Teacher vacancies have been a problem for the district in recent years, Calabro said, and the number of vacancies has grown since the beginning of the year. The large number of vacancies takes a toll on students and teachers alike, she added. Nicholas Domings, chief communications officer for PPSD, wrote in an email to The Herald that it is important to consider that teacher shortages are “a nationwide issue” and not specific to Providence. “People in education are resigning at a much higher rate than other sectors,” he added. He wrote that while vacancies are high, it is important to compare the vacancies in PPSD to vacancy rates in other similar districts. Domings explained that “urban and high poverty districts have been hit much harder by COVID and teacher resignations.” When compared to other similar districts, PPSD had higher-than-average retention rates, Domings wrote. Teacher retention in similar urban districts ranged from 83% to 91%, and, in 2020, PPSD’s retention was 92%. In 2021, the retention rate was 88%, according to Domings. Nationwide, the retention rate is about 92%, according to the National Association of Secondary School Principals. But Domings noted that “PPSD is
experiencing more teacher vacancies than in years past,” prompting increased retention and recruiting efforts from the district. These efforts include earlier job postings, sign-on bonuses and loan forgiveness. Additionally, he wrote, “the prime hiring season for education is March through June, so (PPSD expects) vacancies to drop significantly over the next few months.” Calabro and others cited various reasons for the lack of teachers in the district, including COVID-19, too many requirements for the curriculums taught by teachers and teacher certification requirements. COVID-19 Maya Chavez MA ’14, a former teacher at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School in Providence, resigned in September partly due to concerns that COVID-19 conditions in her school made it an unsafe work environment. Providence Public Schools are operating fully in person with no remote option, The Herald previously reported. The average vaccination rate in K-12 schools in Providence is 35%, according to the district. In elementary schools, the vaccination rate is 15%. “I can’t imagine that if it were a different safety threat, it would be as ignored as it is for COVID,” Chavez said. “It felt deeply wrong to sit in my classroom and talk about civics, social justice and racial and ethnic disparities throughout society, all the while knowing that (the students) are unsafe, and that the policies of the district are going to disproportionately harm the same communities that were hardest hit by COVID.” Domings wrote that the district has taken steps to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 prior to returning from February break. These steps include hosting 70 free vaccination clinics at PPSD schools, supplying every student and staff member with free KN95 masks and providing free at-home rapid tests to use. Additionally, the district has supplied 1,500 air purifiers and 900 box
fans to schools, as well as “ample supplies” of masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing spray and wipes for all classrooms, Domings wrote. The district has also provided “15,000 Chromebooks and laptops to students for distance learning when necessary,” he added. Curriculum requirements for teachers PPSD has imposed curriculum requirements on schools aligned with standardized tests and “college- and career-ready standards” in order to increase the quality of education for students, according to the Rhode Island Department of Education website. With an aim of increasing the quality of education, course materials must be in line with standardized tests, curriculum frameworks and academic standards, as outlined by state legislation passed in 2019. Calabro felt that many of these requirements have been harmful. “Many teachers feel that we have gone backwards (by) about ten years in terms of the rigor of content and the level of engagement that the content requires,” she said. Multi-language learner teachers, in particular, don’t feel they have adequate resources to meet the needs of the diverse student population, she added. The shortage of teachers has also forced current employees to cover vacancies, resulting in teachers having too many classes or too many students, which “takes a toll,” Chavez said. The demands of teaching in the district, which include meeting achievement requirements and handling heavy work loads, has put a strain on teachers, she said. “There’s no joy left in teaching. It is and has been an exhausting, mentally draining situation to have to be in.” Certification requirements Teachers are facing increasing demands to receive certifications in the district, such as the English Language Learner and Science of Teaching and Reading certifications, Calabro said. The district has “prioritized English language learners but not done the
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Providence Teacher Union President Maribeth Calabro attributes the shortages to COVID-19, curriculum and certification requirements.
work to create a pathway for teachers to obtain that certification,” she said. “We have the ability to join cohorts for a variety of course offerings for the certification process, but, in Massachusetts, they did it at the school level, and it was at no cost to the teachers.” Calabro acknowledged that the district supplements up to $8,000 for the coursework, but increasing certification requirements in areas teachers do not focus create s unnecessary challenges. Chavez expressed frustration with the new requirements. “We risked our lives teaching during a pandemic before anybody was vaccinated,” Chavez said. “The district will give us funding for some of it, but you still end up paying … out of pocket. It’s a completely unreasonable expectation.” “It’s not that people don’t want to have the additional certifications, but to spend your own money and have to do it on your own time is pretty untenable,” Chavez added. In February, over 300 teachers received a notice that they may be displaced from their jobs, many due to a pending certification requirement, according to WPRI. Similar notices have been sent out in prior years, the Herald previously reported. Calabro said that the district’s ac-
tions regarding certification requirements and teacher displacement notices are “wreaking havoc on morale in terms of transparency and trust” with the district and Department of Education. “It is important to note that notices to staff are displacement notices, not layoffs,” Domings wrote. “Individuals are not losing their jobs, but either need to rectify licensure issues or apply to other jobs in the district.” Domings wrote that the certification requirement is overdue. “While the composition of our student body has changed over the past decade, the qualifications for teachers have not. We need to have staff that are trained and equipped to support multilingual learners,” Domings wrote. “Moreover, beyond it being the right thing to do, we are required to do so by our settlement agreement with the Department of Justice.” Domings wrote that the lack of certifications is not the fault of teachers, but the result “of decades of mismanagement of the district which the takeover was designed to rectify.” He added that the district has invested $5 million in helping teachers receive their ESL certification and has created a dedicated email for additional assistance in certification.
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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
ZHOU FROM PAGE 1 Zhou began figure skating as a young child and rapidly excelled, he said. “I was very successful and (able to) improve very quickly as a young skater.” But his development would soon hit a roadblock: At the age of 12, complications from surgery to correct an injury prevented Zhou from being able to compete for about two years. The injury “kind of put a stop to my rapid growth,” he said. “I kind of had to start from square one when I was 14 or 15.” Overcoming the struggles of these years of training had a formative impact on Zhou as a skater, he said. “I learned what it meant to chase my dreams and make sacrifices and do the gritty hard work before expecting results.” Zhou bounced back from his injuries and became the youngest member of Team USA to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He described his 2018 experience as “like being a kid in a LEGO Store.” There “was just shiny stuff everywhere,” he said. “It was a crazy experience, and I’m glad I got to experience an Olympics free of COVID because it was definitely different this past time around.” Zhou emphasized the importance of “finding the right training environment and finding the right motivation,” both for recovering from his injury and preparing for the 2022 Olympics. “I have my fair share of swings no matter where I train, but in Colorado Springs I really found a productive and inspiring environment,” he said. “Coupled with my own desire to make the Olympic team (in) 2022, I really gave it everything.” Zhou also credits his teammates in helping him achieve his maximum potential as an athlete. “We all push each other,” he said. “I’m grateful to have that level of competition (and) to have teammates like that because without (them), the sport wouldn’t be pushed forward in (the) way it is.”
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More than an athlete Zhou aims to make the most out of every experience he has. “Every single year, the different challenges and successes and failures that I go through help me grow as an athlete and as a person,” he said. Still, he emphasized that trying to manage both the stress of competing and life’s general stressors would be difficult for anyone, no matter who they are. “Even for the best skater in the world, (it) is a lot more difficult than most people might think,” he said. “I’ve had struggles with injuries, personal struggles, COVID struggles, relationship struggles (and) coaching struggles. The list goes on and on, but all I can do is apply this growth mindset.” “From every experience, whether good or bad, there’s always something (we can use) to grow as a character or an athlete or a human being,” he added. “I take that mindset to every single struggle that I go through, and, as a result, I find myself coming out of situations with a better mindset. I think that definitely helps me manage the stress of” being a skater at this high level. Even for a world-class athlete like Zhou, the “grass is always greener” mentality can be difficult to escape. “A lot of the time I catch myself thinking, ‘Oh, it would be so nice if I didn’t have to skate today.’ Normal people don’t know the struggles” of being an Olympic figure skater, he said. “But then I realize everybody’s going through stuff, and if I were in their shoes, I would envy myself,” Zhou said. “That kind of helps me. I like to look at things from different perspectives.” Mental health awareness is an important issue for Zhou, who has seen it become a more widely-discussed topic in recent years. “Before there was a big social media awareness movement for mental health, nobody ever really talked about it,” he said. “There’s no reason mental health shouldn’t be just as important, if not more important, than physical health.” He explained that figure skating
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is just as — if not more — grueling as other sports. “I can assure you from thousands of hours of training, it is not glitter and fancy outfits at all,” Zhou said. “It’s blood, sweat and tears just like any other physical activity that you might consider a sport.” “In a lot of sports, it’s all about being the fastest or jumping the highest or being the strongest — basically, the champion is whoever can reach their maximum physical potential,” he added. “I would contend that skating is harder, because you (have) to do all that while making it look good.” “So much to be grateful for” Heading into the 2022 Olympics, Zhou was confident in himself, but he still hoped to remain grounded. “I was trying to just do my thing and skate with as little pressure on myself as possible,” he said. “I was running great programs and other practice sessions and just trying to have a good experience.” Just a day before his positive COVID-19 test, Zhou competed in the team skate competition as part of a Team USA mens’ group that earned a silver medal. “I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to compete on Olympic ice,” he said. “If my positive test had happened one day earlier, I wouldn’t have had that chance.” While the 2022 Olympics were difficult for him, Zhou is trying to focus on the positives and work through the negatives. “There’s so much to be grateful for (from) my experience at the Olympics,” he said. “I know there was a lot of bad in there, but dwelling on that isn’t going to help me be in a good spot mentally.” Looking to the future Zhou’s next competition will be the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships, which will be in France at the end of March. Zhou is excited to be able to compete again, but he doesn’t see it as an opportunity for redemption. “I don’t really want to put that sort of pressure on myself,” he said. “That’s not a helpful
COURTESY OF U.S. FIGURE SKATING
Zhou was the youngest member of Team USA to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. way to think of it.” “You could see it as the opportunity that I didn’t get at the Olympics,” he added. “I think (that) is a better way of framing it.” Right now, Zhou is excited to return to Brown and focus on his college experience. “This time, I’m looking forward to being able to dedicate all my time and energy into one thing,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being able to fully experience and enjoy the environment because I know that Brown is an amazing school (with a) beautiful campus and lots of amazing people.” He added that, after his grueling 2019 fall semester, he is also excited to be able to take classes on a more normal schedule. Zhou is open to possibly competing at the Olympics again in 2026, but preparing while also being a student at Brown would be challenging. “If I
do go for 2026, it’ll be very difficult to dedicate all my time to training,” he said. No matter what happens in 2026, Zhou hopes to stay involved with figure skating for the rest of his life, be it as a skater who performs in shows, a coach or some other form. Ultimately, his goal is to give back to figure skating and help it grow in the United States. Zhou hopes to study business and eventually start a sports consulting or management business, he said. “All the knowledge and experience I have in not just skating, but (in) athletics in general is too valuable to just be put aside for a different career in the future.” “I find inspiration in thinking of how to develop the next generation,” Zhou said, “and (in) what it takes to create not just one great skater here and there, but many great skaters representing the U.S.”
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
EUPHORIA FROM PAGE 1 that only glimmered in the first season. And that’s exactly what made the show skyrocket in popularity like never seen before. Afterall, it was this plunge into absurdity that had viewers flocking to watch the real Superbowl on Feb. 13: the fight between Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) and Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney). This season was filled with so many intense events that viewers often felt like they were inside the show. Still, the elevated stakes of this new season did come at a price. “Euphoria”’s first season took a new take on the representation of dark themes relating to sexuality, abuse and relationships — it was shocking but not just for face value. Audiences were forced to grapple with uncomfortable topics and how the characters addressed them. That is not necessarily the case for season two. While the show continues to explore some of the same themes
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from season one, they are portrayed in a crude and graphic manner that wasn’t present before. Take Nate Jacob’s (Jacob Elordi) storyline with his dad, Cal (Eric Danes). The first season addressed the dark and twisted way in which Cal’s secret life of having sex with underage partners impacted Nate both emotionally and physically. Season two shed more light on this storyline — but the manner in which it was portrayed felt unnecessary and uncomfortable. Surely no one needed to see a drunk Cal return home from a gay bar and then urinate at the entrance of his house before coming out to his family, all while having his penis out. These complaints regarding the more graphic nature of season two have also been expressed by the cast. Sydney Sweeney, who already has some of the most sexualized scenes in the show, told The Independent that she had to ask Levinson to remove some of Cassie’s topless scenes because she felt they weren’t necessary. This hints at another big problem
with the latest season of “Euphoria” — shock tramples plot. Throughout the season, many moments, like the drug deal scene in Episode One when most characters are stripped naked, left audiences wondering “why am I watching this.” These instances leave audiences feeling uncomfortable without progressing the plot. This issue is only worsened by the fact that the show does not know how to properly allocate time to storylines and resolve loose ends. The show did a good job at expanding on beloved characters like Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) and Fezco (Angus Cloud) by giving them a beautiful, romantic storyline. But, it ignored half of its already established characters. Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schaffer), one of the most prominent characters in the first season, gets the bare minimum in terms of character development. She is involved in Rue’s (Zendaya) storylines, but she doesn’t have much character growth on her own terms this season. This is particularly odd if you consider that Jules was one of two
characters that had a special episode between seasons to explore the depth of her character. It gets worse. It’s hard to tell if Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira) even had a storyline. Throughout the entire season, she was either the background best friend of Maddy or having nonsensical plot points, like gaslighting her boyfriend Ethan (Austin Abrams) into thinking that she had brain cancer. Meanwhile, the show completely forgot that Chris “McKay” McKay (Algee Smith) was a main character and had a separate storyline in the first season. This season, he was only featured in one episode with hardly any dialogue. This lack of consistency with characters is not just frustrating, but also disappointing. The first season succeeded by telling complex storylines and fully fleshing out its characters without holding back. Scenes like when Jules is talking about her sexuality being defined by her relationship with men, or when Rue was describing her depression through not being able to
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pee, was what made the show so real and appealing. Without moments like this, “Euphoria” feels more like a darker and R-rated version of “Riverdale” than anything else. By the final episode of the season, viewers anticipated answers to questions such as: Would Rue find out Jules’ secret? What is Rue going to do with the $10,000 she owes to drug dealer Laurie? Will Maddy and Kat stay friends with Cassie? What lies ahead for Nate and Cassie’s relationship? What is going to happen to Fezco and Faye? Instead, almost four minutes of the finale were filled with Elliot (Dominic Fike) playing the guitar and singing a song he wrote to Rue. “Euphoria” has been renewed for a third season. One can try to hold out hope that the new chapter will harken back to what made its initial release so great. But, considering it was season two that doubled the viewership and made it one of the most commented shows on social media, it’s hard to believe that Levinson will return to more grounded storytelling.