THE BROWN DAILY HER
BROWN TO REVIEW WHITE HOUSE COMPACT
Compact would require international undergraduate enrollment cap of 15%
BY CATE LATIMER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 sought input from the broader Brown community about the Trump adminis -
Students
tration’s “Compact for Excellence in Higher Education” on Friday. She first acknowledged the compact at Tuesday’s faculty meeting, where faculty members and invited administrators discussed the memo in a private session.
If signed, the compact would require Brown to freeze tuition for five years, limit grade inflation and cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15% in exchange for “substantial and meaning -
ful federal grants” and other benefits, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The University has been asked to provide feedback on the compact by Oct. 20, she wrote in an early morning Today@Brown message.
“We need to decide, as a community, how or whether to respond to the invitation to provide comments,” Paxson added.
This marks the first time Paxson
Brown sends letter to DHS urging with-
drawal of proposed visa rule
Rule would set limits on periods of stay for community members on F-1 and J-1 visas
BY SOPHIA WOTMAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Brown’s Office of Global Engagement submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Sept. 29, urging the department to withdraw a proposed rule “that may have significant impacts for international students and scholars, as well as the educational and research mission of the University at large,” according to a Friday morning announcement.
The proposed rule is titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors and Representatives of Foreign Information Media.”
The DHS’s proposed rule would set the “authorized admission and extension periods” for F and J visas to the length of the recipient’s
program, not to exceed 4 years, according to a description of the rule.
The rule would also introduce changes to government evaluation of visa extension requests and “a variety of limitations on changes to academic programs and educational objectives,” the Friday announcement reads.
The proposed rule would set the “authorized admission and extension periods” for F and J visas to the length of the recipient’s program, not to exceed 4 years.
Brown’s comment letter, signed by Associate Provost for Global Engagement Asabe Poloma, voices concerns about the impacts of the proposed rule on the Brown community and higher education as a whole, calling for the DHS to remove or significantly revise the rule change.
The letter specifically points to efforts to establish fixed time limits on visas and more complicated visa extension requirements, stating that it will “significantly increase costs for
SEE VISAS PAGE 3
has spoken publicly about the compact, while other institutions that received the memo, such as Penn and Dartmouth, released statements earlier this month.
She emphasized that Brown’s mission and values will guide the University’s decision-making process, citing academic freedom and a “diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences.”
“I am grateful for the many comments I have received in the past week,
‘The Life of a Showgirl’ has nothing to show
and I look forward to hearing from more stakeholders in the coming days,” she wrote, soliciting emails from community members, including “faculty and student governance entities that have decided to collect and synthesize feedback” to be shared with her and other administrators.
The University did not immediately provide further comment.
Feeling sick? The science behind ‘Keeney Cough’
Over 100 Brown students, faculty rally against Trump administration compact
Protest was organized by Brown Rise Up, a newly formed student group
BY ZARINA HAMILTON & SOPHIA WOTMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER & UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
On Thursday afternoon, about 120 Brown students and faculty members gathered at the Van Wickle Gates for a rally urging the University to not sign the Trump administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
The protest was organized by Brown Rise Up, a newly formed student group “working in coordination with faculty and graduate students to resist authoritarianism in higher education,” according to a Brown Rise Up news release.
During the rally, some protesters chanted “reject, rise up, Brown does not belong to Trump,” while others held up signs that read “students over politics” and “don’t be an accomplice.”
On Oct. 1, the Trump administration invited nine universities — including Brown, Dartmouth and Penn — to sign a 10-point memo, which outlined a series of commitments that institutions could agree to in exchange for “substantial and meaningful federal grants” and other benefits, according to the Wall Street Journal, who was the first to report on the compact.
Some of the demands include freezing tuition for five years, limiting grade inflation and capping international undergraduate enrollment to 15%.
At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 declined to make a formal statement regarding the compact, The Herald previously reported. Early Friday morning, Paxson confirmed receipt of the compact and sought input from the broader Brown community via a Today@Brown announcement.
During the protest, a small group of students, faculty and graduate students delivered a state -
KAIA YALAMANCHILI / HERALD
UNIVERSITY NEWS
STUDENT LIFE
Pre-professional club leaders note influx of ‘eager’ first-year applicants
Organizations have noticed increased intensity from the class of 2029
BY REBECCA GOODMAN STAFF WRITER
Every year, Brown Investment Group asks its applicants to estimate the average revenue of Ceremony on Brook Street, the club’s favorite cafe. But this year, for the first time, the cafe reached out to BIG and pushed back against the exercise. Over 10 first-year applicants, in pursuit of the correct answer, had reached out to Ceremony to request confidential financial information.
BIG is not the only pre-professional group to note an unprecedented intensity among first-year applicants. Various campus organizations told The Herald that they have noticed an increase in first-year students who are already focused on their post-graduate careers.
BIG saw a record number of applicants this year, according to Faizaan Qureshi ’27, the club’s co-president, though he attributed some of the growth to the club’s recent collaboration with the Center for Career Exploration to boost outreach. Similarly, Collegiate Consulting Group saw its applicant pool increase from 180 to 300 submissions, said CCG co-president Brendan Rathier ’27.
Rathier partially attributes this phenomenon to the uncertain hiring landscape, which he thinks is the “biggest component” driving the competitive culture of pre-professionalism within the first-year class.
Alongside the uptick in quantity, the quality of applications has also increased, Rathier said. Many of these applications included “top-notch resumes” from first-
FINANCES
year students who already had “significant entrepreneurship experience,” said Tanay Subramanian ’26, another CCG co-president, in a message to The Herald.
“Several applicants started their own businesses in the five and six figures,”
Subramanian added. “They already had experience with finding a market gap and creating a business solution, handling everything from marketing and supply chain to finances and strategy.”
“If I were to apply to CCG again, there’s no way I (would) get in,” Rathier
said.
Qureshi added that several incoming students even sent him emails in advance of A Day on College Hill, Brown’s admitted students day.
Rathier, who is also a computer science teaching assistant, recalled several firstyear students approaching him to network about internships and job opportunities.
“I’m like, ‘you guys are freshmen, you need to chillax,’” he said.
Jena Forlemu ’27, vice president of Black in Business at Brown, described
first-year students as “pretty eager.”
During an Oct. 2 BIBB finance panel, many students jumped to ask questions about finding internships and other professional opportunities.
Some first-year students feel that this head start is necessary.
Max Donovan ’29 is “regrettably” already thinking about post-graduate career opportunities, “even though I just got here a couple weeks ago,” he said.
Donovan applied to several of Brown’s large finance-related clubs in the first few
weeks of the semester, he said. He is now a member of BIG after receiving rejections from CCG and Bruno Finance Society.
For Donovan, “indirect peer pressure” played a significant role in his decision to apply to multiple finance and consulting clubs.
“If everybody’s doing it, you feel like you’re putting yourself at (a) disadvantage if you don’t do it as well,” he said.
This mindset does “introduce a lot of stress early on that maybe shouldn’t be present the first month of college,” Donovan said. But a poor job market, high competition and rampant pre-professionalism all characterize “the world we live in,” he added.
Jeremy Eisen ’29 recalled facing similar pressure to be proactive about building his resume.
“I’m hearing from everyone … that if you don’t do this stuff now, then you’ll have a hard time getting the opportunities later,” Eisen said.
Yoon Lee ’29 described her participation in pre-professional clubs as joining “the bandwagon.”
“I wanted to get hands-on experience because that's what a lot of these pre-professional clubs emphasize,” she said. For others, planning ahead isn’t a product of pressure. Naima Bead ’29, who aims to go to law school and then pursue either contract law or mergers and acquisitions, has taken steps toward her goal by joining Brown Pre-Law Society and BIG. Bead didn’t feel pressured to join these organizations, she said. Instead, she “wanted to build a community” and connect with students who “share the same passions and goals,” she added.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 9, 2025.
How do departments across campus spend their share of Brown’s endowment?
Funds have paid for professorships, student awards and lecture series
BY CATE LATIMER & CIARA MEYER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Brown’s $7 billion endowment is composed of nearly 4,000 individual funds. Many of these funds were donated for designated purposes — including supporting the work of departments across campus.
“Individual endowment funds are not likely to be tied to departments or other academic units as a whole, but rather designed to support specific initiatives, projects (or) priorities within a department,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
For fiscal year 2025, the University withdrew 5.5% of the total endowment for University operating expenses.
Some of these funds will go toward the “Educational and General” budget, which supports professorships, over 70 academic programs and varsity sports, among other expenses. In FY2026, approximately 22% of the budget will come from the endowment. The additional 78% is funded by tuition, annual donations and other revenue streams.
The Department in Literary Arts, for example, had a discrete budget for at least 20 years before its split from the English department in 2005, Department Chair Matthew Shenoda wrote in an email to The Herald. This included endowed funds assigned to support literary arts programming. When the departments separated, literary arts carried with it “endowments for which it had already gained responsibility,” wrote Shenoda.
The literary arts department’s endowed funds finance student prizes, honors projects and targeted curricular support, Shenoda wrote. All endowed gifts are made through the University’s Division of Advancement, and the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — de-
termines the annual yield the department can take from the funds, he added. Departments have no responsibility for managing the investment of their own endowed funds, wrote Shenoda.
The investment of all of the funds that make up the Brown endowment is controlled by Brown’s Investment Office,
Clark explained.
The Department of Classics currently has six endowment funds designated for its use, according to Department Chair Joseph Pucci. The oldest funds originated in the 1800s and the most recent fund was created in 2012.
One of the older endowments is “the Lucius Lyon Premium, which was endowed in the late 19th century,” Pucci wrote. Since its inception, the fund has been used to finance an annual award for the examination of Latin language or Roman history, according to the department’s website. About 20 years ago, its use was expanded to also “support students, especially graduate students, in their research and professional development,” he added.
Other funds are set aside for various expenses. Some finance student travel and research, while others support the department’s annual Latin Carol Celebration and pay for book launches, Pucci explained.
At the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, endowments are used to support financial aid for master’s students, several lecture series and stipends for student internships, according to Director Eric Patashnik.
“Endowment funds are critical to the Taubman Center’s capacity to promote research, learning and public engagement on American politics and public policy,” wrote Patashnik. “Quite simply, the Taubman Center could not advance its core mission without our endowment funding.”
CIARA MEYER / HERALD
ELLIE LIN / HERALD
UNIVERSITY NEWS
students, scholars and institutions while creating uncertainty regarding established educational and research pathways.”
ness of American higher education, weakening the research innovation enterprise and disrupting workforce pipelines in critical areas of national need,” wrote Poloma.
“These changes would deter talented individuals from choosing the U.S. as a destination for study and scholarship, undermining the competitive -
ment, arguing against the compact, to Paxson’s office in University Hall. The statement was signed by Brown Rise Up, Stand Strong Brown, the Brown Dream Team, Brown Democrats and the Graduate Labor Organization.
“This compact is an attack on academic freedom and diversity of thought that would mark an end to the University’s ability to self-govern,” the statement reads. They specifically cited two provisions — one requiring faculty to be politically neutral in official capacities and the other prohibiting the belittling conservative ideals — as “incompatible with the values of Brown University.”
Addressing the crowd, rally speaker Garrett Brand ’26 said that if Paxson were to sign the compact, she would be choosing to side with authoritarianism over students, faculty and staff.
Faculty members, many dressed in academic regalia, taped over their mouths in a symbolic gesture against the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
“We’re here today because Donald Trump is once again attempting to control our university,” Brand said.
The University and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Brand went on to emphasize the growing hesitancy of students at Brown to speak out against the Trump administration, claiming that there are some students — especially those on student visas — who “wish they could be here to raise their voices,” but are fearful of doing so.
The letter emphasizes the increased financial and staffing burdens that the rule would place on academic institutions, largely given the additional need to track visa expirations.
“They cannot join us, because they are righteously worried that expressing their disgust with this compact will be used as justification to deport them from this country,” Brand said.
He added that across the nation, “the rights to speech and dissent have already been under attack,” referring to the March 25 detainment of a Tufts University graduate student who had penned a pro-Palestine op-ed, as well as the recent presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on College Hill.
Several faculty members, many of whom were dressed in full academic regalia, spoke about how the compact would affect their ability to teach in their classrooms.
In a speech to the crowd, Laurel Bestock ’99, an associate professor of the history of art and architecture, archaeology and the ancient world and Egyptology and Assyriology, noted her concern about the compact, emphasizing the importance of classrooms being a place where professors and students can challenge one another.
“The compact is a chilling instance of surveillance and telling us what to think and what to do,” she said.
“I feel like I can’t stand by,” said Professor of History and Humanities Holly Case in a speech at the rally. “I feel like it’s my task as a faculty member to preserve your rights as students to free speech.”
After Simon Aron ’28, co-founder of Brown Rise Up, found out about the compact, he spoke with students, faculty, graduate students and alumni about how to pressure University Hall to reject
Additionally, the letter argues that the rule would impose a cost on students and scholars, as many international students will need to submit multiple visa extensions and potentially hire legal counsel to ensure that filings are done properly.
Poloma specifically argues that the proposed rule’s provision prohibiting graduate students from changing pro -
the compact.
“The nation is looking to Brown to see what we do,” Aron told The Herald. “I think that students and the community are going to see this and realize that there’s resistance.”
In a speech during the protest, Caitlyn Carpenter ’26 explained that the rally occurred in alignment with similar demonstrations at Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth, which also received the compact.
“As soon as one school signs, the pressure exponentially increases on the rest of the schools to sign,” she said. “As soon as a school rejects the compact, does not negotiate, does not fold to Trump, it makes it that much easier for the other schools to not sign.”
grams during their stay is “arbitrary and harmful.” The rule could impact Ph.D. students who choose to pursue a master’s degree instead or dual-degree students who need additional time to complete their studies,” she noted.
In the letter, Poloma also stated that the criteria for visa extensions are too narrow, as students often need additional time to complete their de -
grees. She urged the DHS to consider program length and design as potential reasons to grant exceptions to the rule.
The DHS and the University did not immediately provide comment. VISAS FROM PAGE 1
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The protest was organized by Brown Rise Up, a newly formed group working “to resist authoritarianism in higher education,” according to a press release.
BUSINESS
Students react to sudden Thayer Street Starbucks closure
This comes amid a wave of hundreds of other closures across the U.S.
BY MICHELLE BI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
College Hill now houses one fewer option for those needing a caffeine fix.
Just over a week ago, Brunonians craving a pumpkin spice latte or looking to satisfy a sweet tooth with a pink drink were met with an abrupt warning: The Starbucks location at 218 Thayer St. was about to shut its doors, according to a notice posted outside the store.
“We’re deeply grateful for the community that’s been built here,” read the notice, which was signed by the “The Starbucks Coffee Company.”
we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance,” Niccol wrote in the statement.
The Thayer Street location seems to be the only Rhode Island location impacted by the closures, according to Newsweek. There are around 30 remaining locations in the state, including one near Wayland Square and another downtown.
Rangarajan referenced a number of bars that used to be open on Thayer Street in the early 2000s and 2010s, such as Liquid Lounge and Kartabar.
“I’d like a bar on Thayer, preferably with nice pool tables and maybe some cool, funky music,” Rangarajan said. “I want my draft beer back.”
Gideon Buddenhagen ’26, a barista at the Underground Coffee Company, said he was “indifferent” about the closing. He hopes that the departure might “bring a few people who are usual Starbucks customers to come to the Underground” instead.
By Sept. 28, the windows were covered with brown paper as the Seattle-based chain officially said goodbye to Thayer Street.
This particular location had been in
“Our commitment to creating welcoming, memorable experiences remains unchanged,” the notice continued. “We hope you’ll visit us at a nearby Starbucks where we’d be honored to continue sharing moments with you.”
operation since before 2000, only closing briefly in 2022 for renovations, The Herald previously reported.
In a Sept. 25 statement, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol wrote that in the 2025 fiscal year, the company plans to close about 1% of its stores across North America as part of the “Back to Starbucks” initiative. “We identified coffeehouses where
Mya Reynolds ’28 said she was taken aback by the “last-minute” nature of the closure. The coffee chain had often provided a “little morning treat for my 9 a.m.,” she added.
Ari Dev Rangarajan ’25.5 recalled being “bummed” on hearing of the closure, saying that he would miss the cafe’s “really nice energy.”
But students also expressed excitement about what establishment might next occupy the building.
“It’s a cool opportunity for a less dominant chain” to move in and “get a chance to be part of the Providence community,” Buddenhagen added.
Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 5, 2025.
Cinemas by January 2026 BUSINESS
Curtains to close on Providence Place’s Showcase
Students express dismay at theater’s exit amid the mall’s financial distress
BY GIA SHIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
One of downtown Providence’s largest entertainment sites is expected to close its doors this winter.
Showcase Cinemas at Providence Place Mall will shut down by Jan. 31, 2026, after its parent company, National Amusements, chose not to renew the movie theater’s lease.
The departure comes amid financial struggles for Providence Place. The mall entered receivership in October 2024 after private lenders alleged that the owner, Brookfield Properties, defaulted on a $305 million loan issued in 2011. In October 2024, the mall still owed approximately $259 million.
In a Sept. 19 motion, court-appointed receiver Mark Russo asked the Providence County Superior Court for permission to end the lease ahead of schedule and begin
searching for a new operator. Russo also requested to retain the movie theater’s equipment and furniture while they conduct the search.
Russo did not respond to The Herald’s requests for comment.
Showcase opened its doors in April 2000, about eight months after Providence Place began welcoming shoppers.
The 16-screen complex, complete with an IMAX auditorium, became a go-to destination for many Brown students looking for an accessible walk downtown, especially because the large cinema possesses a broader selection than Avon Cinema on Thayer Street.
“I was pretty heartbroken,” said Carter Via ’28, who regularly visited Showcase during his first year at Brown. “We went often as a group, and we still reference (the movies) to this day. It was a formative part of our freshman year.”
“There’s just something different about going in person and watching with a collection of strangers in one room,” Via added.
Providence Place, once a jewel of the Rhode Island retail experience, has seen a steady decline in foot traffic and anchor
tenants in recent years.
Theaters nationwide have also faced financial headwinds, as streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have influenced consumer behavior. A September survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 75% of U.S. adults have streamed a new release at home rather than in a theater over the past year.
Still, students say the Showcase experience is difficult to replicate.
“It’s been there my whole life,” said Zacharia Posternak ’28, who grew up close to Providence. He added that the theater was always a “go-to … not just for the newest movie, but because it was walkable and had more options than anywhere else nearby.”
Posternak added that theaters help keep audiences more engaged during the viewing experience. “When you watch something at home, it’s so much easier to gloss over and not catch the fine details,” he said.
Andrew Kim ’27, a member of Brown Motion Pictures and the Ivy Film Festival programming team, said he saw the “Demon Slayer” movie at Showcase two times this fall.
“The first time I watched it, I was sitting in the IMAX screening, and it was huge,” Kim said. “I felt immersed in the movie. I was with all my friends, and it was so good that I had to go a second time.”
“To see this place close is very sad,” he added.
Kim said he hopes a smaller or locally owned operator eventually takes over the space. “Big chains like AMC are fine, but they feel corporate,” he said. “I love the Avon because it’s personal, and you can talk to the owner. It’d be great if the next
tenant brought that local feel.”
A new operator has not yet been named. But for some students, the theater’s closure feels like one more sign of how shared rituals are giving way to convenience.
“It’s almost reflective of the advancement in technology,” Via said. “Losing theaters is part of that bigger trend of losing in-person experiences, now that there’s so much technology available to us.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 9, 2025.
Audit reveals Washington Bridge inspectors missed signs of developing failures
State lawmakers seek to hold additional oversight hearings on the bridge
BY PAVANI DURBHAKULA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Sept. 26, a leaked forensic audit of the I-195 Washington Bridge revealed that there were long-term structural issues with the bridge that had been developing for years before the state decided to close the bridge in December 2023.
While the April 2024 draft report does not place primary blame on any specific individual or group for the bridge’s failure, it states that bridge inspectors and program managers “should have and could have been aware” of growing issues.
The bridge was shut down in 2023 due to structural issues, including fractured steel rods and deteriorated cantilever beam systems. Its westbound lanes are currently being rebuilt.
In August 2024, the state filed a lawsuit against 13 private companies that worked on the bridge prior to its closure, claiming that the companies failed to identify and rectify the bridge’s structural issues.
Conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and commissioned by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the audit examined inspections conducted on the bridge dating back to 2001. The report was not publicly available until a portion was leaked by the Instagram account What’s Going On In Rhode Island two weeks ago.
In their post, the Instagram account claimed that “nothing in this report warrants a lawsuit against the 13 companies who worked on the bridge.”
Later that night, the Office of R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha P’19 P’22 released the report on their website “so that media outlets may reliably verify its authenticity,” wrote Timothy Rondeau, a spokesperson for the office, in an email to The Herald.
Before the report was leaked, it was accessible to Neronha’s office and had been made available to the defendants’ legal counsel, according to Rondeau.
The audit was not released to the public previously due to the lawsuit, wrote R.I. House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D-Warwick) in an email to The Herald.
Shekarchi added that he was “deeply troubled by the findings of the forensic audit.”
“Now that the forensic report is available, we will conduct a thorough and rigorous examination of the new information contained in it,” wrote R.I. Senate President Valarie Lawson (D-East Providence) in an email to The Herald.
In a conversation with journalist Gene Valicenti last week, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti claimed there were “a bunch of big lies” being spread about the audit’s findings.
Responding to claims that RIDOT had kept the report a secret because it reflected negatively upon the department, Alviti ex-
plained that the Attorney General’s Office had instructed RIDOT to not discuss the report because “there’s over $100 million at stake” in the ongoing lawsuit.
“We need to protect this important court case,” Alviti added.
Shekarchi explained that “the House and Senate have already held two joint oversight committee hearings on the bridge and required monthly transparency progress reports in state statute.” Now in light of the report, the General Assembly plans to conduct an additional oversight hearing in November.
When asked whether RIDOT will take partial responsibility for the bridge’s failure based on the audit’s findings, Alviti said “there is a large body of evidence that I think will result in the … responsibility for what happened being placed on the right people.”
There is currently dispute over who will be able to testify in the upcoming oversight hearing.
Gov. Dan McKee asserted that RIDOT
employees could not respond to questions about the bridge’s failure during the hearing without the possibility of “jeopardizing” the lawsuit.
Shekarchi wrote that he, Lawson and Neronha disagree with McKee.
“The people of Rhode Island deserve transparency and accountability,” Neronha wrote in a statement shared with The Herald. “Though my office seeks to hold accountable several contractor companies for what we allege was negligent behavior, that doesn’t mean those in state leadership charged with maintaining our roads and bridges get a free pass.”
“The public deserves answers after nearly two years of major disruption due to the closure of this vital highway,” Lawson wrote.
RIDOT did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment.
DOLMA AROW / HERALD
A papered-over 218 Thayer Street, formerly the site of Starbucks, on Oct. 5.
SELINA KAO / HERALD Showcase Cinema at Providence Place Mall on Wednesday. Showcase opened its doors in April 2000, about eight months after Providence Place began welcoming shoppers.
EDUCATION
Brown undergrads take on substitute teaching at Providence public schools
Providence Public School District is facing ongoing teacher shortages
BY AVA STRYKER-ROBBINS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Amid a teacher shortage in Rhode Island public schools, some Brown students are stepping in front of the blackboard as substitute teachers.
The first day of the 2024-25 school year saw 104 teacher vacancies across the Providence Public School District. This metric improved in the 2025-26 school year, but over 70 classrooms still started the year without a full-time teacher.
“There’s a real need for qualified adults in front of students,” said Katie Rieser MA’17, an associate teaching professor of education at Brown. “In the short term, it requires that the district think creatively and strategically about how to hire substitutes who will be qualified.”
Currently, the only qualifications to become a PPSD substitute teacher are an Associate’s Degree or two years of college education, as well as three to five days a week of availability. These standards align with state regulations.
Applicants undergo an interview process and background checks before being hired. Substitutes make $180 each day and often work across multiple grade levels and academic subjects.
CITY POLITICS
schedule.
“Each day, there are on average 165 absences or vacancies that require a sub to fill,” Alex Torres-Perez, senior director of communications and external affairs for the PPSD, wrote in an email to The Herald. Torrez-Perez added that so far, 243 substitute teachers have taken on assignments for the 2025-26 school year.
The PPSD recruits extensively for substitute teachers, Torres-Perez wrote. “Undergraduate students who may not be majoring in education sometimes find an interest in going into education through substitute teaching, which makes them good candidates,” she added.
Torres-Perez noted that recruiting undergraduate students to sub is not a direct response to the teacher shortage. “Hiring
Brown University students as substitute teachers has been part of our partnership program,” she explained, adding that the initiative began two years ago.
In an education class he took last year, Daniel Solomon ’26 extensively researched the teaching profession and Providence schools. After learning that he was eligible to serve as a substitute teacher, he submitted his application and was later hired. Through the district’s online platform, Solomon is able to accept teaching assignments that fit his schedule.
On days he substitutes, “I arrive to the school with enough time to prepare for the school day (and) become acclimated with the classroom,” he said. “And then, you know, teach.”
Solomon was drawn to subbing because of his passion for education and social policy. “I felt that this was the most pragmatic way for me to learn more about urban public schooling, while also trying to make a difference … in an area that’s critically needed for the district,” he said.
“I find it very fulfilling.”
Justin Bolsen ’26 started his role as a substitute teacher this fall. Bolsen heard he could start subbing in the PPSD while working as a fellow at Generation Teach, a summer program that brings high school and college students into elementary or middle school classrooms.
“My Monday, Wednesday, Fridays were completely free for me to substitute, and I thought it’d be a really good opportunity
to check out the schools before I possibly student teach at one of them,” he said.
Like Solomon, Bolsen had to submit a resume and interview with the head of Human Resources before he was eventually hired.
Bolsen added that teachers often provide notes for substitutes on what to assign to their students or post assignments on Canvas in advance.
“It’s been really nice to get a feel for Providence through the students, because the city is kind of a representation of the people that live there,” Bolsen said. “Being in contact with a lot of young people … gives me a much better idea of what’s really going on in the city and what the kids are looking forward to.”
“Districts that struggle to retain strong teachers, like Providence, end up relying on substitutes more than is optimal for students and student learning,” Reiser said. In her view, substitute teaching is not a “very good supplement or replacement for trained teachers.”
While Brown undergraduates are “a good pool of people” to draw from, Rieser said, they’re often less familiar with the broader Providence community than other potential substitute teachers.
To Reiser, understanding “the hyperlocal context of schools, the specific kids in front of you, what they’re bringing to the classroom (and) what they’re facing inside and outside of the classroom” is integral to being a teacher.
Axel Brito ’26 wants to be first Republican elected to Providence City Council in 39 years
Brito’s campaign is a longshot bid in deep-blue Providence
BY LEV KOTLER-BERKOWITZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER
It’s been 39 years since a member of the Republican Party was elected to the Providence City Council. Axel Brito ’26 hopes to change that on Dec. 2.
Brito, a 21-year-old Los Angeles native, is running as a Republican in the Ward 2 special election, which will fill a seat vacated by former City Councilor Helen Anthony. Voters in Ward 2 — which includes Blackstone, College Hill and Wayland — will ultimately choose between Brito and the winner of a four-way Democratic primary race.
The winner of the election will be sworn into office as soon as the results are certified, according to City Council Chief of Staff June Rose. All 15 City Council seats, which each carry four-year terms, will be up for re-election next year, Rose wrote in an email to The Herald.
Brito hopes that his fiscally conservative, pro-individual freedom platform will resonate with Ward 2 voters.
Over the last three years, Brito has only spent two weeks back home, he told The Herald. Instead, he has chosen to spend breaks in Providence, a city he finds “quite beautiful.”
Housing issues in Providence, including recent increases in rent costs and property taxes, were key factors in Brito’s decision to run for the Ward 2 seat. “There should be a rent cap … (and) property taxes should be reduced for houses under $2 million,” Brito said.
As part of a University program that allows undergraduate students to simul-
MAX ROBINSON / HERALD
In December, voters of Ward 2 will decide between Axel Brito ’26 and the winner of a four-way Democratic primary race.
taneously work toward a Master of Arts in Teaching, Brito will stay at Brown for an additional year after graduating in 2026 with bachelors degrees in political science and education studies.
Despite running as a Republican, Brito does not adhere to GOP extremes, he said.
“The Republican Party has shifted far too much to the right,” he said.
“I believe in transgender rights, I believe in immigrant rights (and) I believe in civil rights,” he said. “I believe in gun rights.
… That’s the most conservative thing about my viewpoint.”
Brito noted that immigrants are “part of our community.” While he didn’t think council members could intervene in federal immigration enforcement, he plans to “speak up” about the issue.
Bringing the Providence Public School District back under local control is also at the top of Brito’s priorities. PPSD has been under state control since 2019, The Herald previously reported.
Brito wants “parents, teachers (and) alumni (to) be on that school board, and be able to represent themselves and have actual power.” Gabriel Long, the father of a PPSD first-grader, said the state’s takeover has relegated the Providence School Board to an advisory role often ignored by the state.
Anthony Vega, the press secretary for the City of Providence, wrote in an email to The Herald that Mayor Brett Smiley “agrees that Providence Public Schools should return to local management,” noting Smiley’s PPSD Transition Plan that was released earlier this year.
The Rhode Island Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
Axel Brito ’26 canvassed on College Hill on Wednesday. Brito hopes that his fiscally conservative, pro-individual freedom platform will resonate with Ward 2 voters.
In an interview with The Herald, Brito challenged several of Smiley’s mayoral actions.
Smiley has been “mismanaging the city’s budget and buying stuff that’s completely unnecessary,” Brito claimed. He referenced the city’s purchase of a building at over double its valuation, alleging that the deal had “direct ties to (Smiley’s) backers.”
In response, Vega wrote that purchasing the building, which houses 10 city departments, saves the city millions in annual rent costs.
Brito also criticized the Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements between the city and several Providence colleges and universities, including Brown.
“Brown should definitely be paying more of their dues,” Brito said. The University “consistently talks about community, and they consistently talk about their partnerships with school districts,” but is “directly part of the reason why we don’t have what we need.”
“We can’t keep raising property taxes forever just because institutions like Brown, RISD and other nonprofit organizations get away with abusing that status,” Brito said.
University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald that the PILOT agreements “established Brown and Providence’s other colleges and universities among the nation’s most generous voluntary financial contributors to the city in which they operate.”
Brito also called for “more bike lanes” and “other modes of transportation that aren’t just buses and cars.” He noted that recent cuts to the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority have been “hugely detrimental to … people that need to get to work,” particularly individuals who “commute from more suburban areas.”
Brito joined the race relatively late, deciding to run in the middle of September. Dave Talan, vice chair of the Providence Republican Party, wrote in an email to The Herald that his organization “sent out requests to every registered Republican in Ward 2 to consider running for the open City Council seat, (and) Axel responded that he would like to run.”
But Brito faces several obstacles in his campaign. “Ward 2 is very blue,” Professor of Political Science Katherine Tate wrote in an email to The Herald.
Brown’s on-campus housing falls in Ward 2, and its students — and employees — tend to lean heavily Democratic, The Herald previously reported. Brito said it would be “lovely” if more students and residents voted in local elections, but he added that he does “not want Brown students to register and vote” in this one “because they would probably vote for the Democrat.” Finances are yet another obstacle to Brito’s longshot bid. “My coffers are very empty,” he said, but he’s “not really that worried.” While Democratic candidates are “pouring all this money into the primary,” Brito plans to prioritize “(knocking) on doors” and conducting a grassroots campaign, he said.
He noted that in the past, he has tried to distance himself from student groups involved in politics. But he plans to attend an Oct. 22 forum for the Ward 2 candidates hosted by the nonpartisan student group Brown Votes.
Still, if elected, Brito hopes to pave a new path to change.
Talan wrote that “at least three of the other four” candidates for City Council are “very liberal, much more so than the average East Side Resident.”
Vega noted that RIPTA is funded by the state, not the city, and emphasized that the mayoral administration “will continue to ensure Providence is a safe community for the many cyclists and pedestrians who live, work and visit our city.”
COURTESY OF NICK DENTAMARO VIA BROWN UNIVERSITY
Through the district’s online platform, Daniel Solomon ’26 is able to accept teaching assignments that fit his
FOOTBALL
Kings of Rhode Island: Football brings home Governor’s Cup
The Bears triumphed 2821 over rival URI, marking the first win in years
BY LYDELL DYER SPORTS EDITOR
Beneath the dazzling lights of Rhode Island FC’s Centreville Bank Stadium, the Brown football team (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) brought home the Governor’s Cup on Friday night. The Bears triumphed 28-21 over No. 8/10 University of Rhode Island (4-2, 2-0 Coastal Athletic Association), winning the hometown match-up for the first time since 2017.
Entering week three, the 2025 Brown Bears were still somewhat of an enigma. During the season opener against Georgetown, the team dominated, seemingly fueled by not only the desire to win, but also to humiliate and terrorize. But come week two’s match against Harvard, both sides of the ball looked cowed.
But on Friday night, facing a top-10 opponent and their state rival, the Bears took a stand. If there was any uncertainty about who the 2025 Bears are, the team had an answer: They’re a winning football team.
“It’s a special night,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 said during a post-game conference. “I’m really, really proud of our guys.”
“We’ve got fabulous kids to coach,” he continued. “I’ve got the best job in the world, and a night like tonight makes you feel good.”
From the opening whistle, Brown’s defense swarmed the field like sharks smelling blood. On the second play from scrimmage, safety Nevaeh Gattis ’26 screamed into the backfield, sniffing out the fake hand-off and sacking URI quarterback Devin Farrell for a loss of 7 yards. Now facing a third-and-long from inside their own 9-yard line, the Rams looked to pass.
With the chance to get an early stop, Week 1 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week Tommy Dunn ’27 lined up wide, to the left of the offensive tackle. But as soon as the ball was snapped, Dunn stunted in side. Looping right, he surged through the A-Gap, splitting through the offensive line to barrel straight into Farrell’s chest. The ball went careening into the air, fluttering like an injured bird as it wound its lobbing arc into the arms of Elias Archie ’26, who pulled it in along the left sideline and re turned the ball to the URI 10-yard line.
From there, it only took two plays for 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Matt Childs ’28 to score. On second down, Childs bounced the handoff to the left and toward URI’s safety. One-on-one against one of the Ivy League’s best backs, the Rhody safety lunged for Childs’s legs. But instead of coming away with a tackle, he was left to peel his head from the turf, staring up to watch Childs strut into the endzone.
“It feels really good being able to play complementary football — the of fense helping the defense, the defense helping the offense,” Archie said in the post-game conference. “It’s a good thing that we’re able to (capitalize) when the other team makes a mistake.”
Down by 7 less than 2 minutes into the game, the Rams proved why they’re a nationally ranked team. Taking the opening kick-off down just past the 40-yard line, URI marched down the remaining 59 yards
to score in only eight plays.
Once in the red zone, Virginia Tech transfer Farrell looked to his Rhode Island born-and-bred receiver Marquis Buchanan. Slotted to the left, Buchanan made quick work of his defender, closing the gap and faking inside before fading out toward the sideline. As the boundary inched closer, Buchanan spun to reel in a perfectly placed back-shoulder pass.
With 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter, it was a tied game. But in the face of a roaring URI offense capable of usurping their lead, the Bears rose to the occasion.
On their next drive, wide receiver Tyler Pezza ’26, a hometown hero from North Kingston, led the charge. Since the season-opening game against Georgetown, it has been clear that Pezza is the favorite target of quarterback James Murphy ’27. And on this drive, their connection was magic.
Facing a tough third-and-long at their own 36-yard line, Murphy stood confident in the pocket as Pezza carved through the Ram’s defense on a dig route. Knowing contact was imminent, Murphy fired, hitting Pezza between the numbers for a 16-yard
Brown’s 30-yard line, Farrell dropped back to pass. Pump faking, he drew in Bruno’s secondary before heaving a ball into the corner of the endzone. Omari Walker, a senior wide receiver who transferred from Arkansas State, bolted up the sideline, breaking past his defender and pulling in the touchdown grab. Following the 74-yard, seven-play drive, URI had once more tied the game at 14-14.
But just as they had done before, Brown rose to the challenge.
In only seven plays, the Bears marched from their own 25-yard line down to the URI 15. On first down in the red zone, Murphy rolled to the right. Tight end Dillon Golden ’26 ran a crossing route, running in sync with Murphy along the 5-yard line. As URI’s defensive end came crashing into the backfield, Murphy fired a strike to Golden, who caught the ball and fought through contact to lunge into the endzone. For five glorious seconds, the Bears celebrated a touchdown.
But a tiny yellow flag, and the illegal-man-downfield call it represented, nullified the touchdown.
Disheartened but not defeated, Brown rallied. Following a short run to Childs and
forced a fumble.
Following an excellent kick return, the Rams started a new drive at the 49-yard line. After a series of short passes advanced URI to the Brown 33, Farrell looked for the finishing blow. Standing tall in the pocket, Farrell lasered a ball to Greg Gaines on a post route. Reeling the ball in at the 7-yard line, Gaines fought against cornerback Alejandro Bello ’28, who was draped around his shoulders like a blanket.
But despite the stellar coverage, Gaines pushed forward, and for 6 yards, the two tussled in the direction of the goal line. At the 1-yard line, smelling his second score of the day, Gaines reached for the endzone.
And that’s when Elias Archie stepped up.
Flying from nowhere, Archie punched the ball out just inches shy of the goal line, sending it tumbling out of bounds and stealing a possession for Brown.
The Bears “talked about all week how (the Rams) weren’t very good with the ball,” Archie said. “That’s something we practiced a lot during the week — trying to get the ball out — and it ended up paying off and helping us out.”
With the chance to draw even further
twirled inside — sending the defender flying out of bounds — before tucking the ball and spearing forward to cross the goalline. With 4-and-a-half minutes to go in the third quarter, Brown led the game 28-14.
Though neither team scored during the rest of the third quarter, the Rams made things interesting in the fourth. With 8 minutes to go, URI launched a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown scoring drive, bringing the game to 28-21.
When the Bears received the ball, there were just over 4 minutes left to play. Brown was able to hang on until the 2-minute warning, but facing a fourth-and-2, the Bears punted.
With 2 minutes to go, URI launched a final offensive drive. They had one timeout, 90 yards to cross and one last chance to escape defeat. Thirty seconds later, the Rams had crossed to their own 31-yard line. And thirty seconds after that, they were at the 50. On pace to run out the clock and still cross the length of the field, it was Brown defense’s time to shine.
On third-and-10, Farrell looked for a receiver over the middle. Dunn, who had menaced Farrell on his first interception,
The Bears on Friday night. Brown brought home the Governor’s Cup for the first time in seven years. JAKE PARKER / HERALD
SOCCER
Women’s soccer cruises past Penn 4-0, eyes Ivy Tournament
Brown now stands tied for second place in the Ivy League
BY MILES MONROE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
In a packed pink-out game on Stevenson-Pincince Field on Saturday night, the women’s soccer team (8-2-2, 2-1 Ivy) dominated Penn (4-3-3, 2-1 Ivy), securing a 4-0 victory — the team’s second Ivy League win of the season.
Following the victory, the team is now tied with Harvard for second place in Ivy League standings, trailing behind Ivy leader Dartmouth by just one point
“After a tough result last weekend, this was exactly the kind of response we were looking for,” Head Coach Kia McNeill told Brown Athletics, referencing last week’s heartbreaking last-minute loss to Columbia.
But when the bright lights flashed to life on Saturday night, the team rose to the occasion, dazzling the audience with spectacular play from kickoff to the final whistle.
“The team was dialed in from the first whistle to the last, which was great to put together a 90-minute performance,” McNeill said.
Headlined by star players Joy Okonye ’27 and Naya Cardoza ’26 — who lead the team in goals and points on the season with 6 goals each — the offense took Penn for a ride. In the first 24 minutes of play, the
SOCCER
relentless Bruno offense recorded 9 shots.
By the 25th minute, the Bears’ onslaught was too much for the Quakers to contend with. Attacking the box from the left side, Kyra Treanor ’28 crossed a ball into the box, finding Corine Gregory ’27 perfectly in stride, who powerfully finished the play past the Penn goalie.
“We executed the game plan really well, especially in terms of our defensive shape and areas to exploit in the attack,” McNeill said. “If we can maintain this standard moving forward, we’re going to put ourselves in a very good position.”
Though the Bears did not score again in
the first half, they peppered the Quakers’ defense, tallying 13 shots throughout the period. Five impressive saves by the Penn goalkeeper Annabel Austen and some close Bruno misses kept their lead at 1-0, but Brown still dominated on the other side of the field. Bruno’s defense silenced every Penn attack, allowing just 2 total Quaker shots throughout the half. When play resumed, the Bears picked up right where they left off. Less than 10 minutes into the half, Jael-Marie Guy ’29 heroically stole the ball from the Penn goalie as she was trying to clear it, before juking the goalie and burying the ball into the back of the net.
“Leading up to my goal, I made sure to have an aggressive mindset and hunt the ball whenever the opportunity presented itself,” Guy wrote in an email to The Herald. “I was grateful to be in that moment hugging my team on our home field with my family and friends watching in the stands. There is really no better feeling.”
Just a minute after Guy’s goal, Okonye stepped up to take a penalty shot after Audrey Lam ’27 drew a foul inside the box.
With the poise characteristic of a 2024 AllIvy midfielder, Okonye beautifully finished the shot into the top right corner past the
diving Penn goalie
Brown continued to command the game as the clock wound down, outshooting the Quakers 20-5 on the night with a whopping 10 shots on goal. And even though the opposition couldn’t mount any attacks of their own, Bruno’s offense kept applying pressure.
The Bears tallied their final goal of the game with just three minutes remaining. Ella Weil ’28 laid the ball to a wide-open Angelina Vargas ’27 at the top of the box, who then sailed a gorgeous ball into the left net past the helpless Penn goalie. When the final whistle blew only minutes later, the Bears emerged victorious, towering over the Quakers with a 4-goal lead.
“With the big win over Penn, the mindset is for us to maintain this standard … especially knowing everyone in the league wants to beat us,” Okonye wrote in an email to The Herald.
The team looks to claim first in the Ivy standings in the team’s next matchup against current conference leader Dartmouth this Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
“Moving forward, Brown Women’s Soccer is looking to maintain our standard of focus, hard work and consistent improvement on our strengths and weaknesses,” Guy wrote. “Overall, we want to make a statement to the Ivy League by showcasing our talent and bringing home another ring.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 7, 2025.
Men’s soccer falls flat against No. 13 Princeton in 1-0 loss
On Saturday, the Bears suffered their first defeat since Sept. 10
BY SAJIV MEHTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On a sunny New Jersey late afternoon last Saturday, the men’s soccer team (53-1, 1-1 Ivy) fell 1-0 to No. 13 Princeton (8-1-0, 2-0), marking the Bears’ first loss since Sept. 10. The tight contest featured constant pressure on Brown’s defense by the Tigers and stalwart goal protection for both sides.
The Bears entered Saturday at third place in the Ivy League, coming off a close 2-1 win at home against Dartmouth last week. Following the loss to the Tigers, Brown slipped to fourth.
“I don’t think either team was at their best, and it became more of a battle,” Head Coach Chase Wileman told Brown Athletics. “Ultimately, we didn’t do nearly enough over the 90 minutes to earn anything out of the game.”
Despite the anticipation of a top-three Ivy League match-up, both teams started the game off slow: Brown conceded a number of early turnovers, and Princeton failed to hit the mark, sending a volley of errant shots past the goal.
As the Tigers found their stride, their forwards placed near-constant pressure on Bruno’s defense, rarely allowing the ball to leave Princeton’s offensive third. But despite the onslaught of attacks, the Bears’ defense did not back down.
Bruno resolutely stopped Princeton’s advances on multiple occasions, including threatening shots on goal from inside the box in the game’s 13th and 19th minutes. Brown goalkeeper Max Pfaffman ’28
displayed his agility on both occasions, deflecting the ball with his left leg in the former and extending his arm to bat down the ball in the latter.
In his fifth straight start, Pfaffman was a bright spot for Bruno, recording 6 saves.
“I’m always looking to find improvements to my game, and every match is an opportunity to learn,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. “At the end of the day, my job is to help the team get results.
Winning is what matters most.”
But even Pfaffman’s staunch resolve
was unable to prevent Princeton’s machine-like barrage on Brown’s goal.
Following another impressive save from the Brown goalie in the game’s 31st minute, Princeton was poised to take a corner kick. The Tigers sent a punt into the box from the right, but the Brown defense headed the incoming ball out of the goal area — right to where a Princeton forward was waiting.
The Tigers kept up the attack, trying to set up a header with a high-arcing pass, but the Bruno defense found the ball first.
As it bounced out of the box, Princeton pounced once more. Standing around 20 meters out, Princeton’s Liam Beckwith fired a bullet into the box, where his teammate Bardia Hormozi headed the ball to the bottom right corner of the goal. Lunging, Pfaffman scraped the ball just inches shy of the goal line, but Hormozi recovered his own shot, slipping the ball beneath Pfaffman’s outstretched arms to claim the first and only goal of the game.
Following the Princeton score, the
Bears succeeded in moving the ball up the field. But aside from one unthreatening shot directly at Princeton’s goalkeeper, they were unable to create any real chances to bounce back before the half.
The first 41 minutes of the second half were, statistically speaking, nearly identical to the first half. Once again, Brown put up just 2 shots to Princeton’s 10, and Pfaffman recorded another 3 saves.
But during the final 4 minutes, Brown played with an energy they hadn’t been able to find all day. At last, Bruno was able to pressure Princeton’s defense, getting 3 shots off as the clock wound down.
In the 88th minute, the Bears mounted their final offensive. Off a pass from midfield, Mads Stistrup Petersen ’26.5 dribbled into the box and dished the ball left to an in-stride Isaiah Robledo ’29. Without missing a beat, Robledo delivered a strike, and the ball climbed through the air, seemingly destined for the net’s top-right corner.
But a spectacular, acrobatic save from the Princeton goalie dashed Brown’s hopes of a last-second miracle, effectively ending the game.
Reflecting on the 1-0 loss, Lorenzo Amaral ’27 wrote in an email to The Herald that the team was “not good enough.”
Amaral added that “it’s time for us to come together and continue to believe and work hard in training for our next Ivy game.”
The Bears will have the opportunity to reclaim the third-place spot in Ivy League standings when they host Penn next Saturday on Alumni Day. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Stevenson-Pincince Field. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on
SIDNEY LIN / HERALD
The Bears look to claim first in the Ivy standings in their matchup against conference leader Dartmouth this Saturday.
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Following a close 2-1 home win against Dartmouth last week, the Bears entered their match against Princeton at third place in the Ivy League.
Dear Readers,
I just turned 21, an event that has brought with it much existential dread. When I get asked my age, I still default to 18, or even 16 some days. Slow, creeping Father Time keeps breathing down my neck, so I search for ways to distract myself. The best method so far has involved a little pain, been a little permanent. I’m now on my second year of gifting myself a tattoo.
It’s fascinating, the things we choose to permanently put on our body, the ways we mark ourselves and our lives. At the moment, I only have two tattoos: a black iris (in honor of Hozier’s “Jackie and Wilson”) and a pair of sanderlings (a bird I saw all the time growing up in Florida). Now when I walk around, I’m making a visible statement about me, in ink and blood. It’s simple right now, but I imagine it will only get more complicated as I plaster more artwork on my skin, as I broadcast more ways to interpret my life.
In this issue of post-, our writers also think about the ways we frame not only our own stories, but the stories of others. In Feature, Ivy looks at her and her grandmother’s relationship to art, told through the lens of a migrating warbler. Also in Feature, Katya wonders about why we are so drawn to tales of revenge. AnnaLise
examines the velocity of her relationships (and longboards!) for Narrative. Meanwhile Coco slows down and peoplewatches in Paris. In A&C, Chelsea thinks about the power of the simile, and Ann fights back against the Labubu hate. Lifestyle writer Merissa tells us about attending college in her 30s, and April reflects on the meaning held within our names. Finally, Alayna gamifies our Brown experience with a bingo board for post-pourri and takes us to a new galaxy with an outof-this-world crossword!
There’s something so sweet about our desire to tell stories in everything we do, to curate our aesthetics and our media towards some coherent persona. We want to be seen and understood. Or maybe we want to be deliberately confusing. I hope this issue of post- inspires you to start crafting your own story—I’ll be listening!
“You can say any slur that applies to me.”
“Kittypets is like calling brown people coconuts.”
Falls
1. Of democracy
2. Icarus
3. You on your head when you were born
4. Hailey Bieber getting out of car after Justin Bieber skateboarded off
5. “It’s the perfect texture for running” girl
6. Of Rome
7. Humpty Dumpty
8. The cop who went really fast down that slide
9. From grace
10. Yours (from Heaven)
“I don’t know what they’ll look like when I return in December. Perhaps this winter will be rainy, and they’ll be emerald green, trees and bushes bursting to life. But it’s more likely I’ll find myself remapping a dozen new ashen scars, unfurled across the slopes, the constancy of change once again making itself known. The next fire season will come, and the one after, and after. The mountains will erupt again and again. Nothing will ever be the same as it is today.”
— Michelle Bi, “leave no trace” 10.9.24
“And I know: to love is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I hum along with the music that swells from the speaker. It’s simple, isn’t it? Love isn’t just a flash, a bolt you feel leaping across your veins. Love is what I feel when I look at you ” — Daphne Cao, “the shape of love” 10.18.23
by Alayna Chen illustrated by Lesa Jae
Across
1. Sun's partner
5. Jupiter's moon and Britomartis's mother
6. Liquid sample
7. BB-8 or R2-D2
8. Thesaurus words
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Emilie Guan
FEATURE
Managing Editor
Elaina Bayard
Section Editors
Anika Kotapally
Chloe Costa Baker
ARTS & CULTURE
Managing Editor
AJ Wu
Section Editors
Lizzy Bazldjoo
Sasha Gordon
NARRATIVE
Managing Editor
Gabi Yuan
1. Say "I do"
2. Hunter known for his belt
3. Old Dodges
4. Requirement
5. Cow's leftovers
Section Editors
Chelsea Long
Maxwell Zhang
LIFESTYLE
Managing Editor
Daniella Coyle
Section Editors
Hallel Abrams
Gerber
Nahye Lee
POST-POURRI
Managing Editor
Michelle Bi
Section Editor
Tarini Malhotra
HEAD ILLUSTRATORS
Junyue Ma
Lesa Jae
COPY CHIEF
Jessica Lee
Copy Editors
Indigo Mudbhary
Lindsey Nguyen
Rebecca Sanchez
Tatiana von Bothmer
LAYOUT CHIEF
Amber Zhao
Layout Designers
Emma Scneider
Emma Vachal
James Farrington
Tiffany Tsan
SOCIAL MEDIA
Rebecca Sanchez
Yana Giannoutsos
Yeonjai Song
OPINIONS
Gupta ’25 MD’29: We’re all taking casual dating too seriously
There’s something deeply unserious about how we talk about casual dating. Which is funny, because we talk about it seriously. Like, tax-code seriously.
The phrase “I’m not looking for anything serious right now” has started to become a legal disclaimer instead of an honest emotional boundary. This easily translates to “by engaging in this situationship, you acknowledge that this does not constitute a relationship, partnership or any contractual form of attachment, emotional or otherwise.”
And yet — most of us aren’t actually trying to be heartless. Really, we’re just terrified of being misunderstood. Of wanting too much, or too little or the wrong thing. So we preemptively disclaim. We
a date if we can already see the wedding hashtag or, conversely, if we’re absolutely sure it’s “just for fun.” People are no longer allowed to exist in between. The irony is that the middle space is the only way we ever actually discover who we click with. The only way to figure out if chemistry translates to compatibility is by spending time together.
Think about how we talk about dating: “I’m not ready for a relationship right now.” “I’m focusing on myself.” “I just got out of something.” Those are all valid reasons, but they’ve also become the script we read off to avoid accountability.
Dating has become like grad school: You can’t apply unless you’ve already completed the prereq-
say “casual” to avoid seeming needy and “not sure yet” to avoid seeming cold. We hedge so hard we forget to actually date. Somewhere between “what are we?” and “let’s not put a label on it,” we collectively gave up.
We’re taught that dating must be a calculated act of self-preservation. We should only go on
uisites — self-love, emotional stability and career certainty. But, in reality, there’s nothing morally superior about waiting until you’re “ready.” Ready for what? To love someone perfectly? That’s never going to happen.
Sometimes you need to date while you’re messy and still figuring out what you want — even while
your inner child and your inner cynic are arguing over whether love is real. It’s not irresponsible as long as you’re honest.
We’re so allergic to uncertainty that we’d rather not try at all. We’d rather talk in circles about “vibes” and “situationships” and “seeing where it goes” than actually go anywhere. We don’t want to
each other, caring about each other, maybe cooking breakfast together, you’re allowed to call it what it is. If we de-formalized the language, if we let words be temporary and true instead of final and terrifying, maybe we’d stop talking around our relationships and just start having them.
So here’s my pitch: Let’s redefine “casual.”
Sometimes you need to date while you’re messy and still figuring out what you want — even while your inner child and your inner cynic are arguing over whether love is real. “ “
risk finding out that something doesn’t work, because rejection or disappointment feels like failure. But if you never start, you never learn.
Sometimes the whole point of dating someone is to realize you don’t want to date them. That doesn’t mean you wasted time; it means you got information.
Part of the problem is linguistic. We’ve made words like boyfriend, girlfriend and partner so weighty that using them feels like signing a lifelong contract. Somewhere along the way, these labels stopped being ways to describe what’s happening and started being milestones you’re only allowed to claim after you’ve done six months of emotional due diligence. We’ve turned ordinary words into commitments so big that most people would rather avoid them entirely than risk using them “too soon.”
But that’s ridiculous. You don’t need to be 100% sure to use a label. They are just ways to describe what someone is to you right now. If you’re seeing
Let’s bring the word back to what it was supposed to mean — open, exploratory, a little uncertain but still sincere. Let’s stop pretending that the only respectable ways to date are either in total detachment or total devotion. There’s a whole spectrum in between where most real connection actually happens, and it’s about time we started spending time there again.
Certainty is fleeting. Curiosity is sustainable. You don’t have to know exactly where something is going to let it start. You just need to try.
If you have questions about sex or relationships that could be discussed in a future column, please submit questions to an anonymous form at https://tinyurl.com/ BDHsexcolumn. Anusha Gupta ’25 MD’29 can be reached at anusha_gupta@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Miller ’70: This time, it’s more important than ever for Brown to say no
Well, that didn’t take long. The bully who took your lunch money is back, and this time he wants your backpack, too.
On July 30, threatened with the loss of more than $500 million in federal research funding, Brown signed an agreement with the federal government that led to the “permanent closure” of reviews of the University’s compliance with antidiscrimina-
“
The
confidence that the hallmarks of what makes Brown, ‘Brown’ will continue to flourish.” This sounded great until Oct. 1, when the Trump administration “invited” Brown and eight other schools to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” in exchange for preferred access to federal funds in the future. Despite the appeal, the University must reject this proposal to protect its indepen-
temptation to sign on to the Trump administration’s compact for preferred access to federal support is understandable. But I feel compelled to suggest again: If not us, then who?
tion laws alongside an affirmation that “the government does not have the authority to dictate teaching, learning and academic speech.” At the same time, other aspects of the agreement — especially those regarding the rights of transgender students — raised concerns among Brown community members. Still, it may not have seemed like a bad deal at the time.
If you thought that was the end of Trump’s demands on Brown, you were mistaken. As a result of the July agreement, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 wrote that Brown can now “move forward with fulfilling critical aspects of our mission with the
dence and academic integrity.
The danger of this 10-point memo is how reasonable much of it seems to be. It requires a five-year freeze on tuition, even offering free rides to students in the “hard sciences.” It speaks of maintaining a “vibrant marketplace of ideas” and an “intellectually open campus environment” — ideals that already define Brown. The memo also includes a cap on international student enrollment which would mean more opportunities for American students, a commitment many might find compelling.
But the danger is that accepting these conditions establishes a precedent that the federal government
can dictate any aspect of university governance, including admissions policies, hiring, promotion, student discipline, grading and curriculum, among others. And it can do this anytime it likes by the threat of withholding funding for research or other purposes.
Remember that assertion about not dictating “teaching, learning and academic speech?” Well, the compact actually restricts free speech by requiring that University employees “abstain from actions or speech relating to societal and political events except in cases in which external events have a direct impact upon the university.”
Several months ago, before the July 30 agreement, I wrote an op-ed titled, “What if Brown just says no?” Since then, the relationship between the federal government and universities has become even more precarious. The temptation to sign on to
the Trump administration’s compact for preferred access to federal support is understandable. But I feel compelled to suggest again: If not us, then who? Who will stand up and decry these extortionate tactics that hold research funding hostage and seek to place American universities under direct government supervision, crushing dissent and independent thought in the process? Brown must respond and reject the compact with an unequivocal, overwhelming “No!” while encouraging the other eight universities to do the same.
Kenneth Miller ’70 is an emeritus professor of biology. He can be reached at kenneth_miller@brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
MAX ROBINSON / HERALD
RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD
Editorial: Trump’s compact is a bridge too far
On Oct. 1, the Trump administration invited Brown and eight other universities to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” Contained in this invitation is a shakedown: Give up meaningful say in matters of administration, admissions, finances and academic freedom, and in return, President Trump will allow the University continued access to student loans, visas, research funding and tax exemptions.
The administration’s demands are unconstitutional and un-American. The compact favors universities that Trump believes to be “good actors” and swindles the rest. By inviting the University to take part in this agreement, Trump gravely misunderstands Brown. Our past willingness to negotiate in good faith does not mean we will blindly buy into Trump’s attempt to strip universities of self determination. Yes, Brown is a “good actor,” but that does not mean that we are unprincipled. We urge President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 to reject this outrageous demand and to protect the University’s independence.
In August, our editorial page board applauded the agreement Paxson struck with the Trump administration. We believe it was a principled, pragmatic compromise that addressed the government’s legitimate civil rights concerns while carefully balancing Brown’s financial needs and its academic freedom. In our editorial, we wrote that “our independence and core values cannot be put up for sale, nor can we allow the University to censor protected speech.” As argued, the previous agreement with the federal government did not compromise these values. This current compact, unfortunately, does.
The compact contains a wide range of demands that interfere with Brown’s freedom. Its mandates include capping international undergraduate en-
rollment at 15%, mitigating grade inflation and implementing a five-year tuition freeze for domestic students. Allowing the federal government oversight over admissions processes, grading policies and tuition increases would be a blatant concession of institutional independence.
Perhaps more troubling is the effective speech ban this agreement would impose. The letter requires that participating universities ban “support for entities designated by the U.S. government as
demonstrations, we fundamentally believe in a student’s right to protest. When the government enters the business of policing speech — even speech we find objectionable — we lose the ability to speak altogether.
Additionally, the government requires institutional neutrality that extends to all university employees. Neutrality is a worthy consideration, but the government deciding what is acceptable speech is a chilling thought. Is an economics pro-
terrorist organizations.” While at first glance this may seem reasonable, it is a thinly veiled attack on pro-Palestinian students protesting the Israel-Hamas war and the Trump administration more broadly.
Who gets to decide what constitutes support for terrorism? Last month, Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that identified anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity as underpinnings of political violence and American terrorism. While we do not agree with everything said during student
who believes that trickle-down economics does not work belittling “conservative ideas?” Is a biology professor who believes that Tylenol does not cause autism engaging in political speech? What about a philosophy professor who does not believe life begins at conception? We share the government’s ambition of “fostering a vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus,” but instituting ideological regulation is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to conceal unacceptable government intrusion.
If the government ever decides that Brown is not in compliance, it can withhold federal support for at least one year with seemingly little due process. These are benefits that Brown is entitled to receive under federal law. Upon a second infraction, it can require the return of all federal funding provided during that calendar year, an amount that could total to hundreds of millions of dollars. It would place a sword over the University’s head and require that we always carry the fear of offending the government in the back of our minds.
This agreement is akin to a protection racket. It requires fealty and patronage to the government in exchange for protection from the government. It is an extraordinary attempt at a power grab — not through the legislative process but rather through executive edict and coercive threats. It misunderstands the role of federal research funding. Universities are not beneficiaries of handouts but rather are government contractors doing lifesaving research on behalf of the American people. It aims to destroy what makes American higher education great — the ability to speak freely, think critically and pursue knowledge.
Responding to this threat requires solidarity. If one university signs on, the entire system of higher education is in mortal danger. We strongly urge Paxson to reject this proposal and to set an example for peers to follow.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 135th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. A majority of the editorial page board voted in favor of this piece. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Zang ’26: Two years after Oct. 7, I have never been prouder to be Jewish
Today marks two years since the Oct. 7 massacre, and I feel angry. I feel angry at the horrors, the loss and the way it destroyed my sense of safety.
I remember that day clearly: I was getting ready to celebrate Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday celebrating the completion and renewal of the annual Torah reading cycle. It is a time to connect, celebrate and pray. That morning, my roommate ran to my door to ask if I had heard about the terror attack in Israel. Over the next 24 hours, we were glued to our phones trying to understand what was happening from more than 5,000 miles away. Overwhelmed, we cried. We cried, not knowing what this meant for Israel, for the Jewish people or for Jews on campus. Two years later, despite the hardships Jewish students have faced on campus, our community has demonstrated its resilience, a strength that we must preserve.
Oct. 7, 2023, was the deadliest day for the Jews since the Holocaust. It was the manifestation of a long-planned attack by Hamas, a terrorist organization that, in its 1988 founding charter, committed to destroying Israel and the Jewish people. They murdered us, and they kidnapped us. They proudly recorded themselves while they destroyed our homes, burned our families alive and raped our women. They were unsuccessful, however, in taking from us our faith.
In the days following the attacks, while we were still searching for our missing family members and burying our dead, some students at Brown weaponized the massacre. At an Oct. 12, 2023, vigil organized by Brown’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a peer called out “glory to our martyrs.” In a post released shortly after the attack, they proclaimed that they “stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance” and that they hold “the Israeli regime and its allies unequivocally responsible for all suffering and loss of life,” glossing over the countless documented war crimes committed by Hamas
on that day.
Even at an Ivy League university, where students are known for their critical thinking, I felt unwelcome on my own campus because I am a Zionist Jew. I heard students calling for a global intifada, an incitement to violence against Jews. I watched as students occupied campus buildings and chanted hateful slogans on the Main Green. I wanted to believe that they didn’t understand, that they were misinformed. However, the sad reality is that they are informed and they still
us feeling alienated from the rest of our Brown community — we courageously leaned deeper into Jewish life, failing to let the noise break our strength. For example, in March 2024, around 30 Jewish students, including myself, travelled to Israel on a volunteer trip. We visited the site of the Nova massacre, where hundreds of young Israelis were brutally murdered while dancing at a music festival. After witnessing the horrors firsthand, we grew more resolved to tell the story of what had happened on Oct. 7. Together,
choose to sympathize with Hamas.
Today, on the second anniversary of that horrible day, some of our fellow students released a disturbing statement saying, “With grief, rage and resilience, we mark the second year since Al-Aqsa Flood and the Zionist colony's genocide in Gaza began.” They emphasize their “support for resistance … no matter its form.” How would you feel if your fellow Brown students expressed their “support” for the rape of your mother and the beheading of your father?
Despite this incredibly difficult moment in the Jewish student experience — one that left many of
we also spoke out against divestment and won. Instead of being swayed by mainstream rhetoric, I became more connected to my Judaism. I have started observing Shabbat and keeping kosher. I showed pride in my identity. As a tour guide at Brown, I always mentioned and continue to mention that I am involved with Jewish life on campus, despite worries of how I might be perceived. Pride and resilience in the face of a world that seems to hate us is something that every Jew must carry. It is what has ensured the survival of the Jewish people for millennia, and it is what will equip us to confront the
challenges of our future. When we choose the more difficult path of courage, we build a collective whose strength is derived from its resilience.
Two years later, we can see that strength fully materialized. Despite facing harassment on campus and across the globe, our Jewish community is stronger than ever. We have Shabbat dinners with hundreds of students every week, we host daily prayers and there is a kosher kitchen in the main dining hall. I can tangibly feel the Jewish community growing at Brown and becoming more vibrant since my freshman year.
When SJP was suspended from campus last year, I felt I could finally walk around campus free of harassment. To hear that they have been reinstated is a hard reality. Regardless, we held a vigil to remember the victims of Oct. 7 and honor their lives, because again, no matter how they choose to twist the story, we will never forget what happened that day. I hope campuses become a place where students generate ideas for peace, not negate each other’s experiences. I pray that Hamas will soon surrender, that there will soon be peace and that the hostages will finally return home to us.
Oct. 7, 2025, is the beginning of Sukkot. A holiday we refer to as ‘Z’man Simchateinu,’ a time of our joy. We are commanded to be happy, but today I am angry. Although I must now hold both grief and joy every year at Simchat Torah, I am reassured in knowing that the Jewish people are still here, and we are not going anywhere. We are dancing again, because no matter how many times they try to break us, it is our tradition of resilience that keeps us alive.
Chag Sameach and Am Yisrael Chai.
Victoria Zang ’26 can be reached at victoria_zang@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
fessor
BEN KANG / HERALD
DOLMA AROW / HERALD
ARTS & CULTURE
EVENT
Pulitzer-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri reflects on writing, translation at Cogut event
Lahiri has published several works in both Italian and English
BY ANNIKA SINGH METRO EDITOR
At a Monday evening event at the Cogut Institute for the Humanities, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri spoke about writing across various languages, her relationship with perfectionism and her upbringing in Rhode Island. The 90-minute talk was organized as part of the Cogut Institute’s Flynn Speaker Series and moderated by Associate Professor of Literary Arts Karan Mahajan.
Over her decades-long career, Lahiri has penned numerous novels, story collections and essays in both Italian and English. Her debut story collection, “The Interpreter of Maladies,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000, and her first novel, “The Namesake,” was adapted into a major motion picture. She is currently the director of creative writing at Barnard College.
After Lahiri’s work in English gained critical acclaim, she began publishing work in Italian. In a 2015 New Yorker piece, Lahiri explained that she learned the language over the course of a decade largely because she had an “infatuation” with it.
At the talk, Lahiri said she couldn’t rationally explain why she gravitated toward the language. She compared the choice to write in Italian over other lan -
EVENT
The 90-minute talk was organized as part of the Cogut Institute’s Flynn Speaker Series and moderated by Associate Professor of
guages to why one might “fall in love with one person and not another person.”
Lahiri didn’t intend to start publishing works in Italian, she said. “It was like I had played the piano for a long time, and then suddenly I picked up a violin, and this could also make music in a different way,” she said.
For her, learning the language allowed her to “create a triangle out of the warring dyad of English and Bengali, which were the two languages that raised” her.
Working in Italian also allowed Lahiri to overcome her perfectionist instincts while writing, since she had to “tolerate not being able to express (herself) perfectly well,” she said.
She also “felt imperfect as a person,” and moving to Italy in 2012 allowed her to confront that, she said.
Lahiri described the ideal of belong -
ing in America as more of a “myth” than a reality.
She grew up in Kingston, Rhode Island, but she only published her first novel set in the state — “The Lowland” — in 2013 after years of avoiding the setting.
“I was raised by a mother who suffered from terrible nostalgia and homesickness for her city, Kolkata, and that made me who I was,” Lahiri said.
“To write about Rhode Island,” she explained, “was to dredge that emotional stuff up and in a very unfiltered way.” Instead, she would end up “masquerading” her experiences by setting stories in Massachusetts.
After experiencing alienation throughout her upbringing, Lahiri felt as though she “couldn’t be American,” she said. But living in Italy and writing in Italian allowed Lahiri to embrace “a state
of foreignness, instead of pretending that (she) belonged.”
During the talk, Lahiri also reflected on the thematic recurrence of transit in her writing, pointing to her 2018 novel “Dove mi trovo.” The novel was originally published in Italian, and Lahiri ultimately settled on its English title while she was sitting on a flight to Rome. Instead of using the literal translation of “Dove mi trovo” — “Where I find myself” — she chose “Whereabouts.”
“We may think we’re more acutely in transit when we’re sitting in (Boston Logan International Airport) or whatever, but it’s just an illusion,” Lahiri said. “We’re always in transit between one thing and another.”
For her, translation represents transit: As works are translated from one language to the next, “there’s no definitive text anymore,” she said. “Even if the translation is finished, we know that another translation can come tomorrow.”
Lahiri also said she prefers writing short stories, which she called “the freest form.”
Short stories are “free from the whole economics of publishing,” she said, adding that story collections are seen as a “dreaded form” in the publishing world.
“Mention it to any agent or publisher and watch them run,” she joked.
Cogut Institute organizers received an “overwhelming response” to the event, they wrote in an email to waitlisted participants. During the panel, Karan Mahajan joked that, given how popular the event was, he “could have sold tickets
on the black market.”
Akir Sridharan ’28 registered for the event after recognizing Lahiri’s name from books his father owns at home. After securing his spot, Sridharan read two of Lahiri’s books on a single trip to Boston.
“I was kind of worried that I’d come (to the event) and be totally out of my depth, ” said Sridharan, who intends to study applied math and physics. But ultimately, he felt more comfortable than he expected.
“I didn’t know they had events like this at Brown that anyone could go to,” he added. “I’m really happy I got the opportunity” to attend.
Biagio Mazzella GS, a graduate student in Italian studies who attended the event, said that Lahiri’s discussion of cultural translation between Italian and American literary landscapes was thought-provoking. The talk, he said, made him question what it means to “convert or communicate Italian culture here, in the Anglophone world.”
Giovanna Conti GS, also a graduate student in Italian studies, said that Lahiri’s place in the Italian literary world was interesting to her — particularly because “she’s not considered an Italian author, but an Italian language author.”
For her, this provoked questions about what the label of “Italian author” even means.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 7, 2025.
Simmons Center exhibition spotlights legacies of European colonialism, slavery
The exhibition is on view until Dec. 12 at the Ruth J. Simmons Center
BY ERIC DOGINI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On May 23, the “Unfinished Conversation Series” exhibit opened in the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. The exhibition, which will remain on display until Dec. 12, uses recordings of interviews from descendents of those who were enslaved and colonized to piece together the modern legacy of European colonialism and the experiences of those who suffered under it.
The physical exhibition is only a microcosm of the full “Unfinished Conversation Series” project, which includes a digitally archived collection at the John Hay Library. The project contains over 150 interviews in more than nine languages recorded across eight different countries, each providing a unique perspective on how slavery and colonialism shaped the lives of the interviewees and their ancestors.
The physical exhibit brings attention to this larger archive, focusing on the common threads between the collection stories, said Yannick Etoundi GS, the exhibit’s lead contributor and a fifth-year PhD student in the Department of History of Art and Architecture.
The Global Curatorial Project — a collection of partners and institutions brought together through the Simmons Center — was the primary organizer of the “Unfinished Conversation Series” archives, according to the exhibition catalog. The
digital archive was born out of a wish to foreground the “experiences, lives, ideas and ways” of “the enslaved and the colonized.”
In an interview with The Herald, Etoundi said his participation in the project goes back over three years to when he was a member of the student group that helped build the digital archive. He traveled to other countries and conducted interviews for the collection. While working on supplementary projects, such as documentaries and the physical exhibit, he traveled to other countries and conducted interviews for the collection.
Reflecting on his time interviewing in Jamaica, he noted that at first there’s a “certain nervousness” as the interviewees are put in front of the camera. But as they continue to speak, he said it becomes evident that it may be the first time “their story was given the credit that’s due.”
Interviews have “been a part of this whole process of turning to the community to understand their histories” and figuring out how to “incorporate their histories within these institutions, at Brown and different museums,” Etoundi added. “The importance that (is) given to those stories, I think that’s really special.”
Two years into Etoundi’s involvement, the opportunity to develop an exhibit came about. In the offer, he saw a chance to “translate all these different aspects of the project for a larger audience” of both the Brown and Providence communities, he said. He referred to the exhibition as the “first unveiling phase” of the digital archive that he hopes people engage with it in “different capacities,”
whether that be using it for their own work, as a teaching aid or simply to better educate themselves.
Additionally, Etoundi emphasized that the making of the “Unfinished Conversation Series” was “a collaborative project from start to finish,” adding that University archivists, librarians, faculty and staff members were integral in bringing the digital archive to life. According to the exhibition catalog, Hay librarians helped connect the different film crews and partner institutions involved in the project.
Bianca Pallo, the project’s archivist at the Hay from 2022 to 2024, “arranged over 26 terabytes of digital objects” collected in the process of recording these histories, according to the exhibition catalog. Students at Brown — some of whom provided their
own testimonies for the collection — also helped in the curation process of the “Unfinished Conversation Series.”
Etoundi hopes visitors gain an understanding that the people interviewed “still grapple with the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism in their daily lives.” The collection also elucidates the ways in which people are “carving their own sense of freedom at different scales,” both as individuals and a collective, he added.
Beyond its digital component, the “Unfinished Conversation Series” is a part of a greater initiative to shed light on the untold histories of European colonialism — alongside the archive, documentaries and publications were produced with an upcoming digital humanities website.
The series was also vital in the cu-
ration of the travelling exhibition, “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World,” previously housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and is set to be displayed in the Museu Histórico Nacional in Brazil.
The “Unfinished Conversation Series” project was funded by both the Abrams Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation. In addition to the exhibition and the digital archive, supplemental materials from the project are available to the public through the Special Collections Reading Room at the Hay.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 7, 2025.
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Literary Arts Karan Mahajan.
COURTESY OF KIKU MCDONALD
The
ARTS & CULTURE
REVIEW
‘The Life of a Showgirl’ has nothing to show
Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated 12th studio album misses the mark
BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
For Taylor Swift, announcing her latest album “The Life of a Showgirl” on “New Heights” — a podcast hosted by her fiance Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason — was extremely out of character. Rarely had she acknowledged her romantic partners outside of her music, let alone used their platform to announce her own work.
But in hindsight, the decision makes total sense: “The Life of a Showgirl” has the emotional depth of a Kelce brothers podcast episode.
Released on Oct. 3, Swift’s 12th studio album has only 12 tracks and signals a new era in her discography. For the first time in 13 years, Swift’s album features no production credited to Jack An tonoff. Instead, she returned to Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback, who produced some of her greatest pop hits, including “Shake it Off” from “1989.” While this choice reveals a desire to bring a dif ferent ener gy into her music, listen ers were instead given 42
minutes of insipid background noise.
The album opens with “The Fate of Ophelia,” a song in which Swift takes inspiration from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to describe an end to her heartbroken past. The song is the album’s lead single, and for good reason: With a thrumming tempo and infectious beat, “The Fate of Ophelia” is a formulaic pop earworm that has already broken records, achieving the highest number of single-day streams in Spotify history.
But the album’s greatest shortcoming is its juvenile and clunky lyrics, which start to emerge as early as its opening track. The hook in “The Fate of Ophelia” — “Keep it one hundred on the (Land), the sea (Sea), the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes” — doesn’t work the way Swift intends it to. The lyrics are, quite simply, awkward and misplaced. The colloquial phrases on the opening track point to a concerning pattern that plagues the rest of the album.
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REVIEW
Something on
Plays are written, cast, directed, performed within a 24-hour period
BY TALIA LEVINE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
On Saturday evening, students eagerly filed into TF Green Hall, hoping to catch a showing of one of Something On The Green’s 24-hour plays — which are written, cast, directed and performed within a single 24-hour period.
This year’s iteration consisted of five short plays, all of which were inane in t he best way.
The 75-minute show started with “Super Odd, This Group: God Save the Freaks!” directed by Ellen Chen ’29 and written by Fiona Mathews ’26, Georgia Turman ’26, Olivia Rodriguez ’26 and Liliana Greyf ’26, a former Herald senior staff writer.
The play stars three “freaks” — Eek (Alice Cannon ’26), DJ FREAKALOT (Jack Lipsey ’28) and Pi Boy (Noah Martinez ’27) — all trying to win first place at a freak show by showcasing their unusual skills. Between Eek’s mysterious German accent that only appears while juggling and DJ FREAKALOT’s werewolf tendencies, the show had something for everyone.
The play somehow took an even sillier
dancing through the lightning strikes / Sleepless in the onyx night / But now the sky is opalite’” are callow for a singer who’s been writing music since her childhood. The song’s production is more appropriate for a Disney movie soundtrack than a 14-time Grammy Award winner.
After “Opalite,” the quality of the album takes a nosedive. “Father Figure” interpolates the iconic George Michael song of the same name. Swift’s version is believed to be about Scott Borchetta, the founder of Swift’s former label Big Machine Records who was embroiled in scandal after selling the artist’s masters. Yet again, the impact of this journey is stunted by lines like “You made a deal with this devil, turns out my dick’s bigger.” By foregoing the nuance of her typical songwriting, Swift forgets how to cultivate artistry.
The cringe continues on “Eldest Daughter,” the album’s fifth track. Swift has a practice of placing her most vulnerable and personal songs as track five. On “Lover,” fans received the powerful track “The Archer.” On “folklore,” the fifth track is the stirring “my tears ricochet.” Great, vulnerable art is truly timeless, affecting listeners both in the moment and years later. But there is nothing immortal about a song flooded with words like “trolling” and “memes.” On “Eldest Daughter,” Swift sings, “But I’m not a bad bitch / And this isn’t savage.” At only 35 years old, Swift has managed to embody the embarrassing millennial archetype of desperately trying to stay hip and cool.
“Ruin The Friendship” is equally lazy. While the song’s 2000s-inspired production matches its lyrics regarding teenagehood, it closes with a lame address to listeners. There is nothing inventive about this or the empty advice Swift offers to “ruin the friendship.”
In “Actually Romantic,” Swift seems to respond to Charli xcx’s “Sympathy is a knife” from her explosive 2024 album “BRAT.” Charli xcx has incomparable
musical prowess: Despite having a club sound, “Sympathy is a knife” is excruciatingly vulnerable in exploring the artist’s feelings of inadequacy. In the song, Charli xcx supposedly references Swift as the “one girl taps (her) insecurities.”
But Swift’s response in “Actually Romantic” lacks all of the nuance mastered in “BRAT.” In “Actually Romantic,” Swift equates Charli xcx’s attention with that of a crush, which culminates in a bridge that features the lyrics “It’s kind of making me wet (Oh).” Cruel and out of proportion, “Actually Romantic” doesn’t achieve the glory that Swift hoped it would.
“Wi$h Li$t” is Swift at her most insufferable. In an era when the average American’s life is characterized by political turmoil and financial instability, it rings hollow to hear a billionaire sing about hoping for the little things in life. Swift’s tireless public relations team leaves no authenticity to be found: “We tell the world to leave us the fuck alone, and they do, wow,” Swift sings. How can this be authentic when both Swift and Kelce have profited endlessly from their relationship?
“CANCELLED!” is a similarly bizarre subject matter for Swift to take on, especially when she sings “Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.” Inducing major eye rolls, the song reiterates the perpetual victimhood in Swift’s self-perception. Yet again, Swift lengthens the chasm between herself and her listeners.
As the album nears its end, every track’s production blends together to produce a tedious body of work. On “Wood,” she pushes the boundaries of just how asinine her lyrics can be. Listeners are subjected to countless euphemisms about Travis Kelce’s manhood. There is nothing charming about these lyrics: “Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me and opened my eyes / Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see / His love was the key that opened my thighs” is, quite frankly, offbeat. Intimacy is an important
aspect of love, but the surface-level nature of “Wood” raises questions of how hastily assembled this album was.
Swift’s sexual references across “The Life of a Showgirl” take a page out of Sabrina Carpenter’s 2025 album “Man’s Best Friend,” but Swift’s fall short because she can’t quite commit to the bit the way her protege does. Unlike Carpenter’s, Swift’s innuendos are softened by crashing instrumentals or entirely void of explicit vulgarity.
“Honey” is an unremarkable song that precedes the album closer, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The album’s namesake track features Sabrina Carpenter, but unfortunately, the two artists’ combined star power couldn’t save the track from sounding like it belongs in a drama class’s musical production. What happened to the glitz and glamour of Swift’s “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart,” which — in under four minutes — achieved what the album “The Life of a Showgirl” failed to do?
Art that is purposeful has a dual role: It is deeply personal, and it is reflective of the cultural moment. “The Life of a Showgirl” fails on both counts. Not only are the poignant diaristic elements of her writing gone — replaced by bizarre sexual details no one asked for — but she mistakes employing Gen Z sayings for cultural commentary. There is no intellectual labor to be done when listening to this record. Swift and her producers created unoriginal melodies and wrote superficial lyrics, packaging it up to listeners as the next great pop record. But any pop music lover knows that the genre is more than just formulas, references and shock factor. The recent cementation of Swift’s legacy had a blinding effect: Her worldwide success has produced an album that rings hollow, unable to resonate with anyone but herself.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct 5, 2025.
the Green’s 24-hour plays are as funny as ever
turn when the trio accidentally summoned the Freak Oracle (Mar Falcon ’26) who had a different — and more sexual — approach to the word “freaky.”
But with well-timed jokes at every turn, and the vague insinuation that everyone in the audience is also a freak (or at least the people who do slam poetry), the first play was a lighthearted and highly entertaining commentary on what society deems acceptable.
The second show, titled, “Shame on them. Gag!” was written by Ilan Brusso ’27 and Alexa Burton ’28 and directed by Zane Elinson ’28. The show follows three young women in ancient Greece, the Vestal Virgins, as they (try to) avoid male temptation. It opens with the introduction of the Virgins’ newest recruit, Anya Anya (Noa Saviano ’29), as she joins Sexta (Daisy Fallon ’28) and Horatia (Avery Liu ’26) in their lifetime of virginity.
The play revolves around one central premise: The virgins must tend to a flame at all times and cannot let it go out because it was a gift from the gods — a reference to the Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome. The play, chock-full of silly references, culminated in would-be womanizer Checkhov (J.D. Gorman ’26) being burned alive. Gorman’s facial expressions throughout were priceless.
The third show, “The Secret of the Garage,” written by Evelyn Anderson ’26 and
Corinne Adams ’28 and directed by Chloe Nevas ’26, followed a married couple, Bert (Zoë Espiritu ’29) and Ernie (Raya Gupta ’29), debating whether to turn their garage into an in-law suite or an above-ground sex dungeon.
The performance by the Garage Goddess (Georgia Gray ’29) stood out as the play’s shining point. Her acting was one of the highlights of the evening, with welltimed facial expressions that were, at times, more entertaining to watch than the words were to listen to. The play was most memorable when Gray was given the opportunity to lean into her inner absurdity.
The following play, “Sinners on the Gondola,” had the most cohesive plot of the night. Written by Tatsuya King ’27 and Gunner Peterson ’27 and directed by Michael Harris ’29, the show revolved around a magic typewriter that can compel actors to perform the scripts written on it.
Starring a playwright named Sarah (Jamie Nguyen ’27) and a cast of three actors, Mike (Evan Hamaoka ’28), Beatrice (Lexie Cohen ’28) and Malcolum (Eran Sanderatne ’29), the farcical play toys with the fourth wall and allows the audience an intimate glimpse into the well-developed personalities on stage. One moment, where one actor took over the magic typewriter and used it to make two other characters reenact a sex scene between his divorced parents, was espe-
cially notable.
The last show, “Sassy Old Time Genius: The Allegory of The Rave,” was the cherry on top of a hilarious evening.
Written by Maria Gomberg ’26, Annabel Richards ’26 and Skylar Walters ’26 and directed by Charlie Fitzgerald ’28, the play was a comedic twist on Plato’s allegory of the cave, where Plato (Eliot Waldvogel ’29) is a gay DJ who engages in BDSM.
The play stars two Tiktok-ified Athenian women — Addisonia Reae (Acadia Phillips ’28) and Mackenzodite (Helen Hen ’29) — as they follow their friend Alexander “Xander” (Joshua Williamson ’27) to a rave in the cave of his situationship, Plato.
Complete with references to Marx and thought-provoking questions about reality, the final play seemed truly at home in a place like Brown. One of the best — albeit unintentional — parts of the show came when the rave music failed to start due to technical difficulties, forcing the actors to dance very chaotically in complete silence.
The five-play set left audiences entertained, perplexed and a little bit concerned about the sheer number of sex jokes that the writers included. Hopefully, no one’s parents were in attendance.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 6, 2025.
TALIA LEVINE / HERALD The play, chock-full of silly references, culminated in would-be womanizer Checkhov (J.D. Gorman ’26) being burned alive.
Taylor Swift at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. At only 35 years old, Swift has managed to embody the embarrassing millennial archetype of desperately trying to stay hip and cool.
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
HEALTH
Feeling sick? The science behind ‘Keeney Cough’
Harmless viral strains have been responsible for cold-like symptoms
BY JONATHAN KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER
First-year flu, “Metcough,” “Keeney Cough”
— it’s called a number of names, but they all signal one thing: Illness is in the air.
About 35% of all college students in the United States were reported to be diagnosed with a cold or other respiratory illness in the past year. On College Hill, as the leaves change color and a chill creeps into the air, the wave of sickness among students seemingly mirrors these national statistics.
work one weekend, and I was just in bed all day.”
Onyeka Ikpe ’29 said his sickness spread to his teammates despite his initial efforts to isolate himself from others. An athlete on the men’s track & field team, Ikpe said he missed practice for a week due to symptoms including a cough, sinus congestion and fatigue.
“Some of my teammates got sick, some of my friends that live in Keeney got sick as well,” Ikpe said.
But with students sharing cases of illnesses spreading, what is behind the mysterious “Keeney Cough?”
Adam Pallant, clinical director of Student Health Services, said that while he has yet to see this particular virus make its way onto campus this semester, the term “Keeney Cough” has historically been used
ENVIRONMENT
Pallant added that parainfluenza has no connection to influenza. He described parainfluenza as the “classic RSV,” which is indicative of symptoms like a “progressive hacking, mostly night-time cough,” laryngitis or wheezing when breathing. Parainfluenza typically appears in “large waves every fall,” and Pallant predicts it will surge again in the com-
“It’s not dangerous or harmful,
but it is wildly annoying,” he said. “It does last quite a long time, and that’s just the nature of the biology of that germ.”
The wave of illnesses that students may be witnessing are likely other viral and bac terial illnesses, Pallant said. He emphasized the importance of realizing that there is “no such thing as the common cold,” as there are hundreds of strains and sub-strains that can mutate and spread every year.
“It’s not at all atypical in a university to have several strains and sub-strains circu lating around all at once,” Pallant said. “You can get one, and a week later get another one, and it’s not the cold coming back.”
The increase in sickness at the start of every semester is not unusual, said Amanda Jamieson, an associate professor of molec ular microbiology and immunology.
“People are coming from all over the country and all over the world, and they bring some sub-strains or some variations of different infections that people haven’t seen before,” she said. “Then, you put everyone into these pretty close living quarters and that can easily spread respiratory infections.”
Jamieson added that infection can also spread via “high-touch areas,” as often-touched surfaces like door handles can be subjected to the presence of bacteria. In her college microbiology course, Jamieson recalls running an experiment where she swabbed different surfaces around her campus to measure the presence of bacteria.
“What was truly disgusting was the handle of the soup ladle in the cafeteria, because everyone was touching it and it was warm and it grew all sorts of bacteria,” she
reduce the likelihood of getting sick, but he also cautions against students compul sively worrying about contracting illness.
and living, going to classes, being with friends, having dinner with people and being extraordinarily cautious,” Pal lant said.
such as quality sleep, exercise and nutrition are important to maintain physical and mental well-being. But, he also warned against falling into the myth trap that these habits can necessarily speed up recovery from an immunological standpoint.
less prone to get these common illnesses,” he added. Ultimately, Pallant said he shares these recommendations to challenge the belief that getting sick is an individual’s fault, and to clarify the role that Student Health
tors like “fatigue, exhaustion and tempera ture” on contracting illnesses is “subtle.”
“Certainly you will feel worse if you’re exhausted, but I’m not aware of any truly good scientific studies that say if you do or don’t take vitamins, you truly are more or
but not harmful. If you are worried, speak to us or see us, and we’ll help to clarify if there’s something to worry about.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 6, 2025.
Researchers propose new model for herbivore diets in Yellowstone National Park
Model complicates previous notions about diets of large mammals
BY ALICE XIE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
For most, animal dung may appear unassuming.
But Bethan Littleford-Colquhoun, a molecular ecologist at the University of Bath, couldn’t disagree more. Rather, she views animal dung as “an incredible resource for understanding wildlife.”
This year, Littleford-Colquhoun joined researchers from Yellowstone National Park and Brown’s Genomic Opportunities Lab on a study that found that large herbivores in Yellowstone, like bison, follow a wider diet than previously thought. As part of their research, the team analyzed fecal samples from a variety of animal species.
The Genomic Opportunities Lab is headed by Tyler Kartzinel, an associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology.
The paper, first authored by Hannah Hoff GS, utilized dietary DNA metabarcoding — a DNA sequencing technique that identifies species within a sample — and GPS tracking. The study also used a machine-learning algorithm to compare the diets of five large herbivore species in Yellowstone: pronghorns, bighorn sheep, mule deers, elks and bison.
“The problem that this study addresses is a classic ecological paradox: How do Yellowstone’s abundant herds of large herbivore species divvy up the available
plant resources without starving each other out?” Hoff said.
As part of their project, researchers from Yellowstone National Park and Brown’s Genomic Opportunities Lab analyzed fecal samples from a variety of animal species.
The traditional model used to answer this question, Hoff explained, has relied on the division of species into “grazers” — who primarily eat grass — and “browsers” — who eat little to no grass. But the research performed by Hoff and her team complicated the grazer-browser continuum by identifying three statistically different diet clusters.
The first cluster includes animals that
eat graminoids — grass-like plants — and forbs, which are flowering plants. The second cluster consists of animals that eat forbs and deciduous shrubs, which are leaf-shedding plants. Finally, the third cluster encompasses animals that eat gymnosperms, which are woody, non-flowering plants like conifers.
“One of the long-standing rules in ecology is that no two species can stably coexist if they compete for exactly the same resources on equal terms,” Kartzinel wrote in an email to The Herald.
These results, Hoff said, challenge “us to consider the roles of other factors, like spatial separation, seasonal migration and eating different plant parts, that allow (the
mammals) to inhabit the same landscape.”
The new clusters of herbivores also raise questions about how mammals’ diets change seasonally, Littleford-Colquhoun wrote in an email to The Herald.
“Our findings suggest that dietary variety is the norm, not the exception, and that instead of asking, ‘Do bison eat grass?’ a better question might just be, ‘Are they eating grass right now?’” Hoff said.
The researchers took two major steps to gather data during their fieldwork at Yellowstone. The first was collecting fecal samples — which required waiting for GPS-collared animals to defecate.
“Once the animal moves out of the area, we rush out to grab the sample and
bring it back to the lab,” Hoff said.
The second step involved investigating plants at Yellowstone that were collected on-site and from herbarium specimens. The data then undergoes DNA barcoding, which identifies all different DNA sequences in a given sample using laboratory and computational techniques, Hoff said.
“Once we have a library of unique DNA barcodes for each plant species, we can compare these barcodes to the DNA found in the animal dung,” Hoff explained. “This allows us to determine exactly which plant species the animals have been eating.”
Combining DNA barcoding with machine learning allowed the researchers to “‘see’ the invisible,” Kartzinel wrote, “in the sense that we could know where animals were going and what they were eating, even when it was impossible for us to watch them directly.”
The findings of this project could have far-reaching effects, including the reimagining of wildlife management principles “as animal communities … respond to changing seasons or climates,” Littleford-Colquhoun wrote.
“I hope it helps ecologists — and really any scientist who relies on simplifying categorizations in their work — remember to check their assumptions and keep an open mind when it comes to considering alternative possibilities,” Kartzinel wrote.
These findings are not only important in the context of Yellowstone, but also in the broader field of ecology and wildlife biology, potentially improving the fidelity of ecological models, said Littleford-Colquhoun.
“This is much bigger than Yellowstone,” Hoff said.
ASHLEY CHOI / HERALD
KAITLYN STANTON / HERALD
Students, activists organize pro-Palestine rallies two years in to Israel-Hamas war
Two separate protests drew crowds of more than 100 activists each
BY ZARINA HAMILTON & IAN RITTER SENIOR STAFF WRITERS
On Tuesday, several local and student activist organizations gathered for two pro-Palestine rallies on the two-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war.
At 12:30 p.m., over 100 community members and student protesters from Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson and Wales University rallied at the Providence Pedestrian Bridge. The event was organized by a coalition of activist groups, including Brown Divest Coalition, RISD Students for Justice in Palestine and the Revolutionary Student Union of Providence.
“We’re standing out here — united not as JWU students or Brown or RISD students, but as the youth of Rhode Island, the youth of Providence,” said an RSU organizer, who only identified themself as Maria in their public speech.
One organizer from RISD SJP, who did not provide their name when speaking to the crowd, claimed that weapons used by the Israeli military were funded by “corporate relationships and investment, like that between RISD and Textron.”
Textron subsidiaries Bell and Beechcraft manufacture aircrafts used by the Israeli Air Force, The Herald previously reported. In January, the RISD Board of Trustees struck down a divestment proposal that took aim at RISD’s investments in companies affiliated with Israel.
RISD did not respond to a request for comment.
In a speech, Anthony Tinaro, a Providence College graduate and speaker rep-
resenting RSU, shared his experience participating in a protest at the Warren Alpert Medical School last year.
He criticized President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and the Brown Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, for rejecting a resolution last October to divest from companies with ties to Israel. Following the vote against divestment, students protested outside Warren Alpert, where the Corporation’s next meeting was held.
Tinaro described the protest as “one of the best days” of his life.
Photo of a protestor holding a Palestinian flag in the air, with other protestors to their left and behind them.
Max Robinson
At 12:30 p.m., over 100 protesters, including activists from Brown, Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson and Wales University, joined with community members
at the Pedestrian Bridge
Later on Tuesday, over 150 Providence community members gathered for another pro-Palestinian rally at the R.I. State House. Attendees included members of local activism groups, such as the R.I. chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the BDC, Rhode Island College Students for Justice in Palestine and the R.I. chapter of Jewish Voices for Peace, according to Maya Lehrer MA’23, a PSL organizer.
“We’re here today to mark two years of resistance to what has been a brutal genocide against the people of Gaza,” Lehrer said in an interview with The Herald.
Lehrer specifically criticized the United States’s financial and military support of Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, and claimed U.S. lawmakers failed to accurately represent their constituents by voting to continue arms sales to Israel.
Erik Andrade, one of the speakers at the event, also criticized elected officials and encouraged Providence locals to get involved in community organizing.
“We don’t have the luxury to sit back and be quiet,” Andrade said. “There is no other option but disruption.”
Protesters gathered “not just in remembrance and reflection, but with recommitment to our duty to stand in unwavering solidarity with Palestine,” wrote BDC member Etta Robb ’26 in a statement to The Herald.
In a speech at the State House, one BDC member — who only identified themself as Ash — criticized the University’s treatment of student activists. Ash argued that students engaged in activism have seen “unbridled repression” from the University in the form of suspensions and arrests.
Ash also denounced Paxson, arguing
that “she’s taking a stand on the wrong side of history by refusing to divest from one of this century’s greatest atrocities.”
The University did not respond to a request for comment.
During the rally, one pro-Israel counter-protester — who refused to give his name to The Herald — attempted to block the speakers and disrupt the protest. He continuously walked up and down the State House steps while recording videos, and as protesters surrounded him, terse comments were exchanged.
“If you want peace, you don’t start by slaughtering 1,000 people,” he said to one protester. “I’m here to spread love.”
Nimer Eid — who participated in the protest but did not identify with any group — was held back several times from taking violent action against the counter-protester. During these incidents, Eid yelled “death to Israel, death to the (Israel Defense Forces).”
Robb wrote that while the counter-protester “agitated” pro-Palestinian protesters, “the crowd remained resolutely focused on the stories that we know matter the most and need to be heard.”
Counter-protests are “a part of organizing and action,” Lehrer said, adding that they had prepared possible responses to the situation beforehand. “Our goal is always to make sure that we are creating a space for people who want to stand on the side of justice and liberation.”
Denesse Guzman, a RIC graduate, said she hopes “to continue to see these protests.”
“I hope more and more people start to wake up and start seeing what’s going on, and hopefully we can all band together,” she added.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 8, 2025.
Hillel hosts vigil honoring victims, hostages of Oct. 7 attacks
Community members reflected on two years of conflict and uncertainty
BY AVANI GHOSH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
On Tuesday night, about 40 students and community members gathered on the Main Green for a vigil marking the twoyear anniversary since Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023. The vigil, organized by Brown-RISD Hillel, honored the hundreds of people killed and taken
hostage during the assault.
During the attacks, Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 people and took over 250 people hostage. In the ensuing war, the Israeli death toll has risen to 2,000, including Israeli soldiers, and the number of Palestinian deaths sits at 67,000.
According to Israeli estimates, about 20 hostages are still alive. Israel continues to demand the return of the bodies of 28 other hostages.
“It’s been a time of fragmentation,”
Rabbi Josh Bolton said in a speech at the vigil. “It’s been a time of pain.”
In an email to The Herald, Bolton
wrote, “We are praying for the immediate return of the hostages and for an enduring and just peace in our sacred homeland.”
“I am deeply inspired by the many students who shaped this day of commemoration,” he added.
The event included an arrangement of large milk cartons with posters displaying the faces of missing hostages — which Bolton said was a nod to how milk cartons have historically been used to advertise missing persons.
“For nearly two years, we have carried their faces in our hearts,” said Elihay Skital ’28 in a speech at the event. “Every day, we pray for their return, for the day we can finally say they are home.”
Skital stressed the need for a “lasting” and “real” peace where “we can all live in security.” He also called for “no more wars, no more terror, no more loss.”
Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing between Israel and Hamas, both of whom appear to be moving closer to an agreement.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, Skital said there has been a heightened sense of fear among Jewish students, highlighting what he sees as a communal struggle against antisemitism.
“Antisemitism today is not only the person shouting slurs or drawing swastikas. It is also the quiet fear that breaks in all of us,” he said. “It is the power dynamics that make you second-guess
whether to do a project about Israel, to wear your Star of David necklace or to speak up when others misrepresent your story, your country, your background.”
At the same time, Bolton believes that “the environment on campus has improved for all students,” he told The Herald. Some students attributed this improvement to the development of a close-knit Jewish community through a shared experience of mourning.
In his speech at the vigil, Bolton reflected on the life of a family member who was killed during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Yael Reisman, an Israel fellow at Hillel, said in her speech at the event that “everyone knows someone” who was af-
fected by the Oct. 7 attacks. She explained that this shared experience means Jewish community members “are not alone” in grappling with the conflict.
Skital also emphasized the importance of communal resilience against antisemitism. The Jewish community “will not be afraid,” he said. “We stand united.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove the word “incident” when describing the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. The change was made to more accurately reflect the nature of the events.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 8,
JAKE PARKER / HERALD
During the rally, one pro-Israel counter-protester — who refused to give his name to The Herald — attempted to block the speakers and disrupt the protest.
VIGIL
2025.
MAX ROBINSON / HERALD
“It’s been a time of fragmentation ... it’s been a time of pain,” Rabbi Mendel Laufer, director at the Chabad of College Hill, said in a speech at the vigil.
MAX ROBINSON / HERALD
The event, hosted by Brown-RISD Hillel, featured a display of large milk cartons across from Sayles Hall with missing people posters on them.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
STUDENT LIFE
Ballet, pageants, ministry school: How five RUE students found their way to Brown
RUE program is designed for students at least six years out of high school
BY LIZAURA GOMEZ CABRERA STAFF WRITER
For many, the path to a college degree is linear — from high school straight to college move-in. But for the students in Brown’s Resumed Undergraduate Education program, the journey is anything but traditional. Established over 50 years ago, Brown’s RUE program is designed for applicants who have been out of high school for at least six years.
This year, eight new students joined the program, which enrolls just 33 students across all class years, according to Avery Danage, the transfer and resumed undergraduate program advisor at Brown.
Before coming to Brown, Irene Choi ’27, a RUE student studying applied math-economics, spent two years in ministry school and held various jobs before becoming a marketing manager in the Southern California wine industry.
“I graduated high school in 2018, and I had really big questions about life and faith that I felt like traditional academia couldn’t satisfy for me at that time,” Choi said.
Choi originally wanted to return to college after ministry school, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her plans. Looking back, she believes her journey before Brown allowed her to “come back to school with more of my why.”
But the transition was not easy. Choi remembers attending her first class at Brown and feeling extremely nervous.
“I hadn’t been in a classroom environment in so long,” Choi recalled. “I think I felt some level of overwhelming gratitude, but I also felt slightly out of place.”
Since RUE students are exempt from Brown’s two-year on-campus housing requirement, many students, like Choi, choose to live off-campus when they first arrive on College Hill. Without a residential hall network that first-year students usually benefit from, she had to be intentional about making friends.
“I didn’t have meals to meet up with people (for) or people on my floor,” she said.
Finding connection within the RUE
LABOR
community was difficult, too. The experiences of each RUE student are “so unique and so individual” that it becomes difficult to relate to one another at times, Choi said.
But Choi eventually found a loving community. Now, most of her friends are traditional undergraduate students. “People here are kind, warm and curious,” she said. “I think it’s beautiful to be in such a sweet environment.”
“There’s just not another school that I would rather be at,” Choi added.
Like Choi, Blaine Maye ’27 came to Brown with years of professional experience. A RUE student studying international and public affairs and economics, Maye grew up in a town of 300 people in Oklahoma before pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, where he worked with notable figures like Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton.
Maye initially planned to play golf in college. He was the first athlete in his school’s history to sign a Division I golf scholarship, but a talent showcase on the radio piqued his interest. Although Maye had never taken a drama class before that moment, he ended up winning the showcase. All of sudden, managers were reaching out to sign.
“I gave up my golf scholarship, and I decided that at 19 I would move to Los Angeles,” Maye said.
Maye spent the next seven years of his life building a career in Hollywood.
Wanting a “new challenge” outside the world of acting — he started taking classes at Santa Monica College. “I fell in love with education, fell in love with the learning process and decided that I was going to start applying to schools,” Maye said.
His curiosity blossomed at Brown. “The community is so diverse and intellectually stimulating,” Maye said. “They’ve also helped me change and morph my preferences into things that I really didn’t imagine I would be into or ever really thought of before.”
Merissa Underwood ’29, a RUE student concentrating in modern culture and media, also found her path to Brown after being in the public eye. Underwood moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and activism before competing in Miss USA 2020.
She also worked as a production coordinator at a boutique media agency before landing a job in film production at Paramount Pictures. Although she took part-time classes at another university, Underwood remembers leaving feeling “unfulfilled and unchallenged.”
Underwood’s professional experience inspired her focus in feminist theory within modern culture and media. “That was all shaped by my time in the entertainment industry, modeling and pageants,” said Underwood. “I definitely would not be here by any means if I had not done what I did for the last decade.”
After graduating, Underwood hopes to publish a book about women’s representation in media.
Elaine Rand ’29, another RUE student, spent years on the ballet stage before arriving at Brown. She graduated high school early to dance professionally, holding company positions in Indianapolis, Washington state and St. Louis. During this time, Rand never thought about attending a four-year college full time. “I was like, ‘That ship has sailed. I’m too old. I’m in my 20s.’”
Rand heard of Brown’s RUE program through her girlfriend, Rachel Harrison ’27, who is also a RUE student. Rand remembers sitting in on her classes and realizing, “I wanted to go here too.”
Rand emphasized that Brown’s curriculum has given her a sense of agency that is refreshing. “Ballet as an industry can be very strict,” Rand said. “I feel like I’m breaking free from the mold.”
After arriving at Brown, Rand said her “social circle just expanded from 25 people who all do the same thing for a living to thousands and thousands of undergrads from a variety of backgrounds.”
After graduating from Brown, Rand hopes to teach and break into the publishing industry.
Amy Oung ’28 P’26 also stumbled upon Brown’s RUE program through a loved one — her daughter. Oung recalled seeing an ad about returning to school and her daughter, Michelle Oung ’26, telling her about Brown’s
program for non-traditional students.
Amy Oung paused her education to work as a nail technician for financial reasons. She ended up representing manufacturers and brands across the country, becoming not only a technician but a licensed instructor. But when COVID-19 hit, she realized her profession was in danger and ultimately decided to return to school.
At Brown, Oung intends to concentrate in business economics and literary arts because she aspires to tell a story about her roots, helping immigrant communities start businesses with limited resources.
When reflecting on her adjustment process, Oung noted the intellectual curiosity and engagement she has encountered on College Hill. “It’s refreshing but also can be very daunting,” Oung said.
Oung admits that her age often takes classmates by surprise.
“Whenever I have to introduce myself, everyone’s always shocked, like, ‘Why is there a 40-something enrolled in the classroom?’” Oung said.
“Once I say, ‘resumed undergrad,’ they do have an understanding,” she added. “I’m a little different. But it doesn’t take long. I think 30 seconds later, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, Amy is part of the class.’”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 5, 2025.
Postdoc labor organization ratifies first contract after 16 months of negotiations
Contract raised salaries of most postdoctoral researchers by 3.25%
BY EMILY FEIL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
After 16 months of negotiations, the Brown Postdoc Labor Organization ratified its first contract with the University on Wednesday, receiving 98% of voting member support.
The contract stipulates a raise of at least 3.25% for all postdocs, a $3,000 onboarding stipend for postdocs arriving after the contract ratification, an additional 14 days of total paid time off and opportunities for reimbursement in the process of obtaining or renewing visas. The contract will be in effect until June 30, 2029.
“This agreement was the result of productive negotiations between the University and BPLO,” Provost Francis Doyle wrote in a Thursday announcement. “We appreciate the BPLO lead-
ers and members for their commitment to reaching a comprehensive agreement that provides clarity, stability and support for all members in the collective bargaining unit.”
Negotiations began in May of 2024, four months after Brown’s postdocs won voluntary union recognition from the University. At the bargaining table, BPLO made concessions on key issues like childcare subsidies, health care benefits and their initial goals for salary increases, according to BPLO Bargaining Chair Caroline Keroack, a postdoctoral research associate.
“Our main priority was to get financial support for international postdocs and to have the University establish a fund to reimburse costs related to visa applications and visa renewals,” Keroack said. “If they were willing to do that, we were willing to concede on several other items.”
“I think there was a genuine desire on both sides of the table to have some-
thing done, particularly in employment and higher education, where there are real threats,” said Michael Ziegler GS, director of RIFT-AFT Local 6516, which encompasses BPLO.
The union also secured salary raises for postdocs, which places their salaries above National Institutes of Health recommended minimums that the University previously agreed to in a June 2024 deal. In addition to the immediate 3.25% raise, postdocs will also receive an annual 2.75% raise beginning July 1, 2026 and continuing through the duration of the contract.
A federal mediator joined negotiations in August, which made “things move along quickly because she really helped facilitate getting things passed back and forth in a timely fashion,” Keroack said.
Despite the concessions on childcare subsidies, Keroack said that the union plans to push for more support for postdocs with children in the future.
“We found it really disappointing that the University was completely unwilling to support postdoc parents,” she said. “I think that a really good emphasis for organizing in the future is focusing on getting benefits for parents.”
In an email to The Herald, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote that “one of many significant considerations” for Brown’s bargaining team was “equity” across contracts between other groups of University employees.
“During any contract negotiation — especially with a bargaining unit as complex as postdocs, which encompasses employees with a range of responsibilities, titles and funding sources — a wide variety of topics are discussed, debated and ultimately settled on,” Clark wrote.
The contract also includes a $40,000 annual Emergency Support Fund, which is “intended for those who have exhausted all other financial resources, including available loans and Brown’s Employee Assistance Program,” according to the agreement.
“We would really encourage postdoc parents to apply for that if they’re in dire straits, because you never know what they will accept as an emergency, and you could get some financial assistance,” Keroack said.
Keroack noted that the current political climate may have influenced the negotiation process and affected the final compensation and benefits deal.
“We all understand what the University has gone through in terms of government funding,” Keroack said. In April, amid negotiations with the BPLO, the Trump administration froze $510 million of the University’s federal funding. After Brown struck a deal with the White House, its funding was restored.
“Hopefully in the future, it will be a little easier to bargain over some of these financial things,” Keroack added.
COURTESY OF MERISSA UNDERWOOD
This year, eight new students joined Brown’s Resumed Undergraduate Education, which enrolls just 33 students across all class years.
ANNA LUECHT, HORATIO HAMILTON, SELINA KAO AND JAKE PARKER / HERALD