THE BROWN DAILY
City Council passes resolution calling for virtual court hearings
Women’s volleyball sweeps Harvard, Dartmouth
7
Meet Professor Peter Howitt, Brown’s third Nobel laureate SCIENCE & RESEARCH
9
Murray ’29: I walked across Rhode Island — and you should too
Filmmaker Ken Burns screens, discusses upcoming docuseries OPINIONS
SEE MURRAY PAGE 12
Paxson, politics and partying: The Herald’s Fall 2025 Poll
The Herald polled 1,300 students on issues at Brown and beyond
BY KATE BUTTS & CIARA MEYER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
as the trump administration’s efforts to overhaul higher education put brown under a national spotlight, the Herald polled 1,392 undergraduates on topics ranging from political censorship to their approval of campus institutions.
Students were polled between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 — one week before President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 rejected the trump administration’s Oct. 1 invitation to sign a compact offering brown federal funding benefits in exchange for adopting various policies favored by the White House.
Here are five key takeaways from the Herald’s fall 2025 poll. access and explore all the data on the Herald’s interactive dashboard.
Paxson’s approval rating hits a five-year high roughly one-third of poll respondents
reported that they approve or strongly approve of Paxson, marking her highest approval rating since spring 2020. Still, about one-quarter of students indicated that they disapprove or strongly disapprove of Paxson. Over 40% said they neither approve nor disapprove of Paxson.
First- and second-year students, as well as male and politically moderate students, were the most likely to approve of Paxson. conservative students, which comprised around 6% of poll respondents, were the most likely to report disapproval with over 40% saying they strongly disapprove of the University president.
Paxson’s approval rating took a notable
Second Brown police union issues vote of no confidence in chief,
The union represents campus police officers, security officers and building guards
BY SOPHIA WOTMAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
the brown University Security Patrolperson’s association issued a vote of no confidence in brown University Police chief rodney chatman and deputy chief John Vinson, the union announced in a Wednesday press release. this follows an aug. 27 unanimous vote of no confidence by the brown University Police Sergeants Union announced last month, the Herald previously reported. the vote, finalized Oct. 17, “reflects deep concern among the membership regarding the direction and leadership of the department of Public Safety,” the statement reads.
deputy chief
according to the statement, the current dPS administration has prioritized establishing new administrative positions while decreasing the number of officers assigned to field operations. this change, the union says, has “directly contributed to an all-time low in morale and has strained the department’s ability to effectively serve the brown University community.”
the statement also cites a “climate of fear and possibility of retaliation” in the department, while also noting that many officers have technology failures in the field. Largely left unresolved, these challenges “have led to high turnover and burnout among officers,” the release reads.
University Spokesperson brian clark wrote in an email to the Herald that the “dPS works on a
hit in spring 2024, amid calls for the University to divest from companies affiliated with israel, falling from 32% in spring 2023 to just 17% a year later with a disapproval rating of nearly 60%. Paxson’s approval among students peaked in fall 2017, coming after her support for two new admissions policies backed by student activists. Paxson’s average approval rating since fall 2012 sits at 39.3%.
Athletes, first-years and conservative students reported higher levels of school spirit
When asked to rate their level of school spirit for brown sports on a scale from “1”
to “5” — with “5” representing the highest level of school spirit — only 6% of students ranked their enthusiasm at a “5.”
Nearly 40% of respondents rated their school spirit for sports at one of the lowest two levels, compared to 31% of students who ranked their school spirit at one of the highest two levels.
First-years were more likely to rate their school spirit at a “5,” and seniors were the most likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “1.”
Student-athletes were more than twice as likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “4” relative to non-athletes, and almost five
U. to launch campus climate survey, fulfilling agreement with federal govt. UNIVERSITY
Survey will be sent to students next week, will inform future of diversity, inclusion at Brown
BY ZARINA HAMILTON SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Next week, brown will launch a campus climate survey for students to inform how the University will move forward with diversity and inclusion efforts, President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 announced early Monday morning. the University will share the anonymous, aggregated survey results with the federal government, as required by the July 30 agreement to restore federal funding.
“We want your voices to be central to the University’s future plans,” Paxson wrote. “completing the survey is an important way to demonstrate a commitment to continuing the work of building
a better brown.”
brown has previously administered campus climate surveys measuring faculty, staff and student sentiment, the Herald previously reported.
“While we have conducted climate surveys at multiple points over the last decade, the voluntary resolution agreements we signed with the federal government in 2024 and 2025 introduced federal reporting requirements for the first time,” University Spokesperson brian clark wrote in an email to the Herald.
as part of the July agreement, this fall’s survey will ask whether students feel safe reporting acts of antisemitism on campus and whether they believe brown has adequately responded to “reports of alleged antisemitism.” the deal also requires
The Quiet Green on Oct. 14. The Herald polled 1,392 undergraduates between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Gwyneth Paltrow P’28 hints at new Marvel movie appearance in Family Weekend keynote
The actress and CEO also discussed reinvention and learning
BY ALICE XIE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
a cademy award-winning actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow P’28 sat down with President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 on Saturday evening for a sold-out Family Weekend keynote that touched on career lessons and hinted that she may appear in another Marvel movie.
Paltrow, whose breakout roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and “emma” put her on the map, is also the founder and ceO of the lifestyle brand Goop.
Paxson, welcoming Paltrow onstage, described the actress as “one of the most recognizable and respected artists of her generation.”
Paltrow’s opening remarks centered on her experience as the parent of a brown student. For her and her son Moses Martin ’28, brown “kept rising to the top of the list” during his college search due to students’ reputation of “reimagining the status quo” — something she has aimed to do throughout her career.
the actress said that brown alums, including her sister-in-law taryn Simon ’97, consistently possess “a bit of punk rock in their thinking.”
ACADEMICS
as a parent of two college students, Paltrow explained her approach to reframing the “empty nest” analogy into one of empowerment: rather than leaving a gap, an empty nest ushers in a “free bird” phase of life, she said.
For some parents in the audience, it was easy to relate to Paltrow’s admission that she is “finding it difficult” to have an empty home for the first time.
“She’s such a celebrity and icon, but i found her really relatable and thoughtful, and i appreciated how she was able to convey that,” Nancy Pandhi P’28 said.
as the conversation shifted to Paltrow’s career as founder and ceO of lifestyle, clothing and wellness brand Goop, the entrepreneur emphasized the utility of reinvention.
For Paltrow, college represents an “incredible opportunity to reinvent yourself.”
Having left the University of california, Santa barba before leaving to pursue acting, Paltrow’s own reinvention came with founding her own company.
“at the time, it was very rare and very odd, and people didn’t understand what i was doing,” Paltrow said. “i had to force people to consider me in a different way.” in the conversation, Paltrow also noted her desire to always be “in a state of learning.” touching on the process of launching Goop, Paltrow described learning how to balance “instinct and product,” or deciding
how to create products while navigating what consumers want versus the kinds of products she wants to put out.
“We kind of let society dictate to us who we’re supposed to be, and that we have to follow a certain path,” she added. “i’ve always gotten an incredible amount of energy from questioning that.”
Over time, Paltrow said her perspective on success has shifted to be the “health of the relationships” in her life, she added.
Paltrow also hinted at future projects during the question-and-answer portion of the event.
“i might be in another Marvel movie,” Paltrow said. the actress previously appeared as Pepper Potts in the “iron Man” movies and the “avengers” series.
“i loved that she was so open and willing to answer questions, and she did so beautifully. i just loved listening to her,” said Kathy Wisthoff, a grandparent of a brown student and event attendee.
“i feel like i learned so much, whether it’s getting through the criticism that she mentioned and being in the public eye for so long or just transitioning your life throughout different phases,” said talib reddick ’26, president of the Undergraduate council of Students.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 19, 2025.
FREN 1410T connects Brown students to Providence refugee community
Course blends cultural immersion with community engagement
BY DONNA ZHANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER
in 2018, chair of the department of French and Francophone Studies Virginia Krause launched FreN 1410t: “L’expérience des réfugiés: déplacements, migrations” in response to the politicization of refugees in the U.S. “i just felt so helpless,” she said. eight years later, the course is as popular as ever.
designed for students who have advanced proficiency in French, the course partners with Women’s refugee care, a Providence-based organization founded by clement Shabani and aline binyungu, both French-speaking refugees from the democratic republic of the congo.
“adapting to a new country, in a new continent, has many obstacles, particularly with the english language,” Shabani said in an interview conducted in French and translated by the Herald. the goal of the organization is to “facilitate and help the integration of other refugees,” according to Shabani.
the organization launched in 2016, two years after Shabani and binyungu — who are married — arrived in rhode island. each semester, students in FreN1410t work in small groups for different Wrc programs, ranging from tutoring children to leading women’s empowerment workshops. Some students distribute fresh fish, produce and other essential staples to the Providence community on Saturday mornings brown students “really bring our organization to life,” Shabani said. He added that the volunteers “come with many talents” and fresh ideas to expand the
Food distribution outside Women's Refugee Care on Saturday. Each semester, students in the course work in small groups for different WRC programs, ranging from tutoring children to leading women’s empowerment workshops.
organization’s activities. this fall, 26 students have enrolled in the course, surpassing its capacity by six.
“i let nearly all the students who wanted to join the course in,” Krause said. “i didn’t feel that i could shut them out, given the political context.”
Max cairo ’27 chose the course because he wanted to advance his French studies in real-life contexts. “the community engagement aspect really drew me in,” he said.
cairo is a member of the youth workshop project, which mentors middle and high school students at the Wrc cairo sees the workshop as “a way to be a mentor for these kids that may not have that support system at home.”
cate Gutowski ’27 found the class
to be both rewarding and eye-opening. through the course, she’s explored “areas of Providence that i would not otherwise go,” she said, given the Wrc’s location off college Hill. as a part of the tutoring project, Gutowski visits a fourth-grade student’s home each week. t he “parents don’t speak english, so they can’t really help out with homework,” she said. “i felt like i was providing the support for them to really reinforce things they are learning in school.”
back in the classroom, brown students study literature and first-hand accounts of migration. Meetings are filled with discussion on the international right of asylum, in particular how the status of being a
refugee is different from other migrants.
“the focus of the class is how France interprets” the right to asylum, Gutowski said. “the French have a more open idea” compared to the United States.
but the course has faced challenges in scheduling, as the rhythm of the academic calendar is not consistently conducive for community partnerships.
“each semester, there’s this flurry of activity” at the Wrc, Krause said. “then at the end of the semester, it ends abruptly.
For the students it’s normal, but for Wrc, it’s very sudden.”
b ut Shabani noted that some students continue volunteering even after the course has ended. if students “can extend their time with our clients at Wrc
for a few more months, that would make us happy,” he added. apart from navigating these challenges, Krause is working on campaigning and developing a new initiative with the Wrc: creating a pipeline of employment for members of the refugee community at brown.
Krause looks forward to continuing to build reciprocity between brown and the Wrc through this budding project. Shabani shares her vision, noting that involving a few members of the Wrc at brown will strengthen the organization.
Gwyneth Paltrow, known for her role in “Iron Man,” gave a keynote speech during Brown’s Family Weekend on Saturday. Her opening remarks centered on her experience as the parent of a Brown student.
the University to ask questions about social media harassment on campus.
according to Paxson, the survey will also ask questions about other forms of discrimination on campus such as “islamophobia, racism and transphobia, among other critical issues.”
your honest answers are the only way we can understand and confront these problems head-on as a community,” Paxson wrote.
Within 45 days of the survey’s conclusion, the University will share the results with the Offices for civil rights in the U.S. department of Health and Human Services and the department of education. brown will also provide its analysis of the results, as well as “any appropriate action(s) brown intends to take to improve the campus climate,” the agreement states.
after the federal government approves of brown’s proposed actions, the University has 50 days to send “documentation sufficient to show its implementation of any action, including a description of each action and how it was implemented,” according to the agreement.
in the spring, Paxson plans to release results to the broader community.
this fall, the survey exclusively seeks student respondents to “help brown understand the experiences and perspectives of the student body and inform how we can improve, what we should build on and how we can best move forward on matters important to our community,” clark wrote. a similar survey of faculty and staff will be conducted in the spring, according to Paxson. the results of this survey will help the ad Hoc committee on diversity and inclusion at brown — a group of faculty, staff and students that was created last month — draft a new action plan for diversity and inclusion at the University over the next 10 years.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 20, 2025.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Brown is opposing a bill seeking to restrict foreign donations
University received $185 million in foreign contributions over five years
BY ROMA SHAH SENIOR STAFF WRITER
brown has received over $185 million in reported foreign gifts and contracts over the past five years, according to data released by the department of education. the deterrent act, introduced in congress for the first time in 2023, would bring foreign gifts under stricter scrutiny by the federal government — a move brown is opposing. citing national security concerns, the deterrent act proposes to lower the minimum mandatory reporting threshold for foreign contributions received by higher education institutions to $50,000 from its current $250,000. in March, the bill was passed by the House. it has yet to be brought to a vote in the Senate.
Section 117 of the Higher education act of 1965 mandates universities report all foreign contracts and gifts they receive above $250,000 “aggregated from a single source over a year,” according to Martin Scholtz, deputy vice president for research at brown.
the new version of the bill would also require colleges to disclose all gifts and contracts of any dollar amount received from “countries of concern” — potentially including china, russia, iran and North Korea — and receive annual approval from the U.S. Secretary of education to work with such countries.
the University has been consistently lobbying around the deterrent act since 2023, according to public filings reviewed by the Herald.
While brown supports compliance measures that promote transparency, “the deterrent act would impose duplicative requirements” that would not “strengthen research security or transparency, but
instead divert resources from effective safeguards and international collaboration,” University Spokesperson brian clark wrote in an email to the Herald.
Mandatory disclosures would “add administrative burden” to brown’s operations, Scholtz said.
Foreign funding received through contracts allows the University “to collaborate internationally on research activities and other engagements, in compliance with U.S. regulations,” clark wrote.
Of the $185 million accumulated over the past half decade, about $146 million was in gifts. the remaining $39 million was in contracts, including those that began before 2020 but ended within the past five years.
donors from england and china provided the highest amount of foreign gifts to brown, with $55 million and $22 million in contributions, respectively.
“We’re fortunate to have alumni, donors and other brown community mem-
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Gifts from foreign donors are used to support initiatives from “student scholarships and professorships to academic programs, high-impact research, educational initiatives, athletics and campus life priorities,” he added.
both the american council on education and the american association of Universities — higher education organizations of which brown is a member — have addressed letters to House leadership in opposition to the deterrent act. the proposed bill is “unhelpful to advancing the national and research security interests of the United States,” the aaU wrote in their letter, calling the expanded reporting requirements “excessive” and “counterproductive.”
For the ace, the bill contains “problematic provisions” that would significantly expand the authority of the department of education.
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The University has consistently been lobbying against the Deterrent Act since 2023, according to public filings reviewed by The Herald.
UNIVERSITY HALL
IMMIGRATION
City Council passes resolution calling for virtual court hearings after detainments
Municipal and Probate courts will accommodate virtual hearing requests
BY ANNIKA SINGH METRO EDITOR
Last thursday, Providence city council unanimously passed a resolution directing two city courts — the Providence Municipal court and Probate court — to accommodate requests for remote hearings “when feasible and consistent with due process protections.” the resolution also urged the rhode island Judiciary to do the same for courts statewide.
the resolution comes after growing reports of detainments by U.S. immigration and customs enforcement agents near courthouses nationwide. On Sept. 25, an individual was detained outside of the rhode island Superior court on college Hill, the Herald previously reported.
Starting Nov. 1, the Municipal and Probate courts will take requests for virtual hearing accommodations.
“residents must be able to attend court appointments without fear,” said council President rachel Miller during the city council meeting presiding over the resolution.
Since July, the rhode island deportation defense coalition has circulated a petition calling on the city and state to offer virtual hearings, trials and conferences at all courts “to protect people from ice.” the defense coalition is composed of the Olneyville Neighborhood association, the Party for Socialism and Liberation r i. and
the alliance to Mobilize Our resistance. as of Monday evening, the petition has garnered over 1,900 signatures in support of its demands. the resolution was created in part due to this petition, according to a city council press release.
the d efense Line, which is run by aMOr , has noticed an increase in detainments while patrolling outside local courthouses, according to defense Line organizer caroline cordts ’28.
“court hearings are public record, so
(ice) can see where and when certain people are going to be,” said etta robb ’26, another organizer with the defense Line. in May, the department of Homeland Security wrote that arresting immigrants without permanent legal status in courthouses is “safer for law enforcement” because the individuals “have gone through security and been verified as unarmed.”
celia Peña ’28, a student leader for brown dream team, said courthouse detentions often take place even when peo-
ple without permanent legal status attend hearings unrelated to their immigration status. the dream team is a student group that supports undocumented students, students with undocumented relatives, deferred action for childhood arrivals recipients and others.
Virtual hearings, she said, would allow the judicial system to “actually operate effectively,” since individuals wouldn’t have to worry about their immigration status when exercising their right to due process.
Moka & Co. to open on Angell Street this November
BY GIA SHIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Moka & co., a cafe specializing in yemeni coffee, is set to open its first rhode island location at 190 angell St. this November, taking over the storefront previously occupied by cookie company Feed the cheeks.
Moka & co. operates more than 15 cafes across the country and primarily serves
ethically sourced coffee from yemen. the new college Hill shop will serve the company’s signature drinks such as chai, fruit refreshers and mufawar — a spiced coffee made with cardamom. Feed the cheeks’s cookies and soft serve will also be offered alongside Moka’s menu.
“ t his isn’t a shutdown,” Feed the cheeks wrote in a September instagram post. “it’s a step forward, a collaboration with another brand we admire and a chance to keep our presence alive in Providence while we grow.”
Founded in Providence during the pandemic, Feed the cheeks offers cookies and
beverages and opened its angell Street location in december 2022. in July, the company closed its Wayland Square shop to focus on a new Garden city center location in cranston. its angell Street storefront has remained closed since early fall.
donald Walker, Moka & co.’s chief brand officer, said the expansion to college Hill reflects both the company’s student-centered brand and its mission to share yemen’s often-overlooked coffee heritage. the company views itself as an “ambassador of coffee heritage,” Walker said, noting that yemen was one of the first regions to cultivate coffee as a beverage.
Peña emphasized that virtual court hearings would also benefit anyone who needs remote accommodations for court.
alexandra Kriss, the assistant state court administrator for the r i. Supreme court, wrote that during the cOVid-19 pandemic, “some courts within the unified judiciary offered remote hearings, while others maintained in-person calendars with appropriate precautions.”
Kriss added that some types of hearings — including those regarding child support in Family court — are primarily held virtually, but requests for virtual hearings are within the discretion of the presiding judges.
anthony Vega, press secretary for the city of Providence, wrote that city Hall only oversees Housing court, “which already provides for a remote option for attendees who cannot appear in person.” city Hall is separate from the city council, which oversees the Municipal and Probate courts.
the unanimous vote passing the resolution was “a show of people power,” the PSL wrote in an Oct. 17 instagram post. the post referenced the petition, as well as individuals who gave testimony in favor of virtual hearings at prior city council meetings.
but the organization says progress must still be made. “city laws make a difference, but they can’t change fundamental injustices in the system,” the statement continued.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 20, 2025.
“What we do with Moka & co. contributes to uplifting communities and families — farmers that have owned these coffee plantations for generations,” he added. everything is naturally organic because they don’t really have the technology or equipment to harvest.”
Walker said most of Moka & co.’s cafes stay open until midnight, offering late-night spaces for students to gather. the angell Street location will feature the same communal atmosphere that the company has brought to its other college-town locations in Michigan and New york. these branches have hosted events in partnership with nearby universities — something Moka & co. hopes to continue in Providence, Walker said.
“Moka & co. is all about togetherness and creating places where people can come together and create memories,” Walker said. “We stand by our products, but i think what people really care about most is having a safe place, a third space to come to … whether that’s to meet up with friends or to do a little bit of work or studying.”
With the Nelson center for entrepreneurship just around the corner, Moka & co. also foresees collaborations with student entrepreneurs. “We like to build spaces that open up opportunities for events, … entrepreneurship and creativity,” Walker said.
Students expressed excitement about the new spot, especially its late hours and cultural roots.
aadil Khan ’27 said he thinks there’s a lack of third spaces for community members to gather. “being from Pakistan as well, it’s also important in our culture,” he
said, explaining that people will hang out at cafes at night instead of heading to events.
For Khan, the cafe’s opening is especially meaningful given the current global climate. “i have an affinity toward supporting arab-run businesses, and i would for sure see myself going there,” he said. tanvin araen ’28 said yemeni cafes hold cultural significance, especially during ramadan. “after iftar, which is when we break the fast, (people) would normally go to these yemeni cafes to hang out and talk,” araen said. “bringing that to thayer … is an awesome thing.” but araen said he’ll also miss the familiarity of Feed the cheeks. to him, the store had a “really good environment” and always smelled “like warm cookies and bakeries.”
Other students said they’re simply excited to have a new spot nearby.
“i’ve never had yemeni coffee before, so (it’s) very intriguing,” said Sadie May ’26. “We could definitely use more coffee shops” near thayer Street, she added, pointing to the thayer Street Starbucks’s sudden closure last month.
“i fell in love with yemeni coffee when i visited Socotra (a yemeni island) with my family years ago,” wrote ashton Higgins ’26 in a message to the Herald. “i live in the building Moka is moving into, and i can’t wait to have a taste of yemeni coffee again, right outside my front door.”
Moka & co. has not yet announced an exact opening date, but Walker hopes they will start serving students in November. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 22, 2025.
Providence City Hall last November. In the City Council meeting presiding over the resolution, Council President Rachel Miller said that “residents must be able to attend court appointments without fear.”
New cafe will keep Feed the Cheeks’s cookies on the menu
Donald Walker, Moka & Co.’s chief brand officer, said the expansion to College Hill reflects both the company’s student-centered brand and its mission to share Yemen’s often-overlooked coffee heritage.
LOCAL POLITICS
City Council Ward 2 candidates debate policy issues at Brown forum
Brown Votes’s forum included questions from moderators, audience
BY ROSE ROBERTSON & LEV KOTLER-BERKOWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER & SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Wednesday, brown Votes hosted a forum for the upcoming Providence city council Ward 2 special election. the five candidates in the election — including axel brito ’26, the sole republican candidate — discussed a range of topics, including housing, affordability, education and climate policy.
Over 100 people attended the forum, which was strictly nonpartisan, brown Votes civic engagement Fellow Percy Unger ’26 told the Herald. candidates gave 90-second opening statements before answering a series of questions. the forum — the first one in the race, according to candidate Jill davidson ’89 — included questions from both moderators and the audience.
Here’s what candidates had to say on six key policy points.
Providence’s housing crisis candidates were divided on using rent stabilization to solve the city’s housing crisis. davidson and brito expressed measured support, while candidates Jeff Levy and dave caldwell came out in strong opposition. candidate Matt Mcdermott, a pollster and political strategist, said the topic required more debate.
it would be very difficult to find any public policy that has been as thoroughly discredited as rent control,” said caldwell, pointing to Mayor brett Smiley’s similar stance. caldwell has served as a member of the Providence city Plan commission for the past two years and runs his own business, caldwell & Johnson custom builders.
“i think the way to address (housing affordability) is to build, build, build as much as we can,” said Levy, an attorney with Levy
& blackman LLP who has also served as a volunteer lawyer with the american civil Liberties Union of rhode island.
in an interview with the Herald after the forum, audience member Jesse Mathis ’27 noted that davidson “seemed like she had a very good grasp on what kind of institutions and what kind of organizations are already doing housing justice work here in rhode island.” davidson works with an environmental nonprofit and serves as a board member at multiple educational institutions.
When asked about addressing homelessness, davidson and brito emphasized the need for increased social welfare services, while Levy, Mcdermott and caldwell stressed the need for more housing.
“We need housing stock at every level built. We all agree to that, except, perhaps, the republican candidate,” said caldwell. He highlighted the 21 properties brown plans to redevelop as potential sites for more housing.
PILOT and Brown’s role in the greater community
Multiple candidates called attention to the Payment in Lieu of taxes agreement signed in October 2023 between brown, other local universities and the city of Providence — a memorandum that stipulates brown make voluntary payments to the city to account for the fact that the University does not pay property taxes to Providence as a nonprofit educational institution.
davidson, Levy and Mcdermott all said brown should contribute more to the local community.
brito went a step further, calling brown “a parasitic leech to this community” that “should definitely be paying more taxes.”
“i attend this school not willingly,” he added. “they gave me a scholarship. i don’t really care about the school.”
University Spokesperson brian clark wrote in an email to the Herald that the PiLOt agreements placed brown and other higher education institutions in Providence “among the nation’s most generous voluntary financial contributors to the city
in which they operate.”
A hope for local control over Providence public schools all five candidates expressed concern about the Providence Public School district’s poor performance.
Mcdermott referenced an op-ed he published in the Providence e ye last month, outlining his plans for the PPSd in the piece, he wrote that the city “must codify a governance structure that makes responsibilities clear, fully funds our schools and ties those dollars to student outcomes.”
Levy said Providence must “focus on hiring a really great superintendent who has a bold vision and is looking toward innovation,” in addition to formulating a new governance plan.
davidson, who is a PPSd parent, underlined the cooperation and public investment that it will take to reform public schools.
“We have 20,000 kids who attend the Providence public schools,” davidson said in an interview with the Herald after the forum. “We can’t prepare for a theoretical future. … We have to make sure that schools are great now.”
Climate policy and transportation in his opening statement, caldwell summarized his campaign as “housing first and climate always.” both caldwell and davidson have been endorsed by climate action r i
“i’m known for building environmentally sustainable construction and decarbonization,” caldwell said. He highlighted a campaign by the audubon Society of rhode island — of which he is the president — to achieve net-zero emissions in its facilities by 2030.
d avidson touted her work at the Woonasquatucket river Watershed council, which she said has made a “tremendous difference.” the strategies implemented by the environmental nonprofit, she said, could also apply to Ward 2.
Mcdermott noted that transit infrastructure is responsible for nearly 40% of
the state’s carbon emissions and voiced support for “more walkable (and) bikeable communities.”
all five candidates pledged not to accept donations from the fossil fuel industry. the industry, Levy joked, does not “seem to (be making) a big play for city council right now,” prompting laughter from audience members.
Support for Smiley’s re-election campaign
Next year’s mayoral election will likely pit Smiley against rhode island State rep. david Morales MPa’19 (d-Providence), alongside other potential challengers.
Mcdermott voiced his support for Smiley, crediting the mayor with creating “fiscal stability in this city for the first time in a generation.”
caldwell also said he would support Smiley, remarking that the current mayor’s administration is “on the right track” and has fulfilled promises to fix “what was ailing Providence.”
Levy and davidson said that with the race nearly a year away, they both want to learn more about the candidates. brito said he would support Morales.
Smiley “has been a scourge to the city, he has not improved public education (and) he led the disastrous PiLOt program,” brito said.
Smiley’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration and immigration policy in his opening statement, Levy took aim at the trump administration. “We have to acknowledge the fact that the country is in crisis,” he said, pointing to how “critical services to vulnerable residents” have suffered funding cuts during trump’s second term. Levy’s frustration with the federal government motivated him to run, he said. each candidate affirmed their support for an amendment, which is currently moving through city council, that would strengthen restrictions on Providence Police department cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
brito, noting that he is the son of immigrant parents, said immigrants “come here and help run our state,” adding that “we need to protect them” and “improve their working conditions.”
davidson called the amendment “an important way that we can push back against the aggression of the trump administration.”
caldwell said he would support the amendment, adding that he thinks the PPd “does an excellent job.” Mcdermott questioned caldwell’s sincerity, noting that the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police recently endorsed caldwell. the FOP is opposed to the ordinance, Mcdermott claimed.
the White House, U.S. immigration and customs enforcement and the FOP did not respond to requests for comment.
RISD students reimagine local food bank in design competition
RISD collaborated with the Marketplace, a food bank in Woonsocket
BY AMBREEN SIDHU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
this past September, rhode island School of design interior architecture students competed to redesign the Marketplace, a food bank in Woonsocket facing a lack of space. the food bank now plans to incorporate the teams’ designs into a future renovation. Operated by connecting for children and Families — a member agency under the rhode island community Food bank — the Marketplace offers a variety of services for over 250 families per week.
but at the Marketplace, the ccF has faced a lack of space and storage. Much of the food bank’s current space is allocated for confidential meetings with families and other support services, according to ccF executive director erin Spaulding. With any changes, the organization hoped to maintain “a warm, welcoming space for families,” Spaulding said.
throughout the competition, riSd students hoped to support that goal by creating
designs that addressed the space shortage while maintaining a lively environment for families.
the redesign project took place as part of the interior architecture department’s
charette, a competition in which teams of undergraduate and graduate students compete to redesign a particular space. this year’s charette focused on the Marketplace in hopes of increasing student
involvement in community work, according to elizabeth debs, an interior architecture critic at riSd
Photo of plans for the marketplace with an architecture model in front of them.
the next steps for the Marketplace involve raising funds for project implementation and drawing up the final plan in January 2026.
“design work can really support another organization’s impact,” debs said. “designers can play an important role in the world, and maybe in some unexpected areas.”
Jen tomassini, chief operating officer of the rhode island community Food bank, emphasized the renovation’s focus on maintaining the dignity of families who use the food pantry.
the ccF is “not just a place to hand out food to ‘needy’ people,” she said. the organization “understands at a very basic level that it’s one community.”
the winning design “focused on maximizing every space available,” said Gerald Sastra, a first-year graduate student at riSd who was on the winning team. “We also tried to add to the function of the space” by designing areas like “community kitchens.”
the process of coming up with the design spanned an intense few days.
“We had four days basically to not only figure out our solution, but to materialize it and find the best way to display it visually,” said Keren dial ’27, a brown-riSd dual degree student on the winning team. “We had a really big ideation phase where we were just bouncing ideas off of each other, and then at a certain point, we were like, ‘alright, we’re going to commit to this. this feels good.’”
the project’s team-based format fostered a diverse, collaborative environment. “there’s this lovely hish-hosh of people,” dial said. “i think everybody adds a really unique perspective.” the Marketplace will now raise funds for project implementation and finalize design plans in January 2026, Spaulding said. the final design would incorporate the different ideas suggested by all the competing teams.
“it was really nice to see the community organizers’ reactions to our solutions” and “see how much joy it brought them and the potential impact there could be because of this thing we did in four days,” dial said.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 21, 2025.
The redesign project was part of the RISD Interior Architecture Department’s Charette, a four-day competition where eight teams of undergraduate and graduate students compete to redesign a
HOratiO HaMiLtON / HeraLd
The five candidates running in the election discussed a range of topics, including housing, affordability, education and the climate. Left to right: David Caldwell, Jill Davidson, Jeff Levy, Matt McDermott, Axel Brito ’26.
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
Football riddled by turnovers in 40-21 defeat against Princeton
After their Family Weekend loss, the Bears drop to 0-2 in Ivy League play
BY SAJIV MEHTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
in front of a packed Family Weekend crowd at brown Stadium, the football team (3-2, 0-2 ivy) was handed a 40-21 loss by Princeton (3-2, 2-0) on Saturday. the tigers scored 23 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to pull firmly ahead of the bears.
after two consecutive wins against instate opponents University of rhode island and bryant, brown was riding a wave of momentum as they headed into their second ivy League game of the season. their second adversary, the tigers, loomed large in their path, having dispatched bruno in eight of the last 10 seasons.
“ i ’m really proud of the stretch of football that we’ve played leading into today,” Head coach James Perry ’00 said in a post-game press conference. “there were some moments where we played well, but we did not execute at a typical brown level.”
as the opening whistle blew at richard Gouse Field, numerous families and alums peered down from the bleachers, eager to see a suspense-filled contest. For the first quarter and a half at least, that’s exactly what they got.
Princeton’s offense took the field first, and on the very first play, Princeton quarterback Kai colón pushed the ball 19 yards upfield. Over the next 10 plays, the tigers marched 63 yards to set up a first-and-goal situation.
With only 3 yards to give, brown’s defense pushed back. after allowing the tigers to advance the length of the field, the bears held them out of the end zone for three straight plays, but finally succumbed on the fourth down.
From an empty backfield, colón threw
a tall, 1-on-1 ball to the left side of the end zone, where Princeton receiver Jackson Green snatched it out of the sky, giving the tigers the first lead of the game.
bruno’s offense looked sharp early as quarterback James Murphy ’27 fired off three straight completions to get brown across their own 30-yard line. but on fourth down, Malcolm Flynn ’28 sent a high-arcing punt the tigers’ way.
bouncing off the turf, the ball careened forward, ricocheting off an unsuspecting Princeton return man. Without missing a beat, Stefano Montella ’27 seized the ball, breathing new life into bruno’s drive.
running back Matt childs ’28 took hold of the golden opportunity. breaking several tackles from orange-and-white defenders, the 2024 ivy League rookie of the year outran his opponents 27 yards to the goal line to tie the game.
after Princeton went 3-and-out, the bears had a chance to claim the lead. instead, they handed the opportunity right back. Princeton defensive back Nasir Hill tipped a bullet by Murphy into the waiting hands of linebacker Jalen Jones, who returned the ball up to the brown 21-yard line.
Facing a shortened field, brown’s defense refused to let Princeton reach the red zone, and after 3 unsuccessful plays, the tigers had to settle for a 37-yard field goal. back on the field, the bears looked to rebound from the interception. the drive started with a bang, after childs scrambled for 15 yards off a screen pass and Murphy connected with Levi Linowes ’27 for 14 yards more, pushing brown into Princeton’s territory.
as the end zones switched for the second quarter, though, it seemed that the Princeton defense switched its mentality as well. the tigers slowed bruno’s rapid progress to a crawl, and at the 36-yard line, Princeton forced a fourth-and-five situation. but with the possession on the line, Murphy found Linowes again for a first down. Just 6 plays later, the bears, now at Princeton’s 1-yard line, faced another
dangerous fourth down.
With the crowd on their feet, brown pushed through once more. r unning back Qwentin brown ’26 walked a direct snap into the end zone, and a successful point-after took the score to 14-10, putting bruno in the lead for the first time in the game.
Preserving the advantage, brown’s defense delivered on the next possession. Four plays into the drive, colón launched a deep ball toward the end zone into a man-on-man situation, but colón’s receiver tripped in an effort to catch the ball.
Meanwhile, brown cornerback Kalyl Lindsey ’27 remained sure-footed. catapulting himself into the air, Lindsey stretched his frame to its limits to corral the ball before it could fall to the turf. the thrilling play sent the Family Weekend crowd into a state of rapture.
Up to this point, the supporters had been treated to a heavyweight title fight, with brown and Princeton trading blows. but from here on out, the match turned decidedly one-sided.
bruno began to trip up. a false start by left tackle charlie Pietrosante ’27 led to a disappointingly short punt by Flynn. Next, the defensive unit allowed an effortless 5-play touchdown drive, capped by a 20yard catch by speedy Princeton receiver Josh robinson. the tigers reclaimed the lead, 17-14.
after the bears turned the ball over on fourth down, Princeton scored a field goal with less than 20 seconds left in the half. the disappointed bears entered the locker room down by 6.
“We knew (Princeton was) a very good football team, and they played like it,” Perry said. “today, we didn’t play our best. bottom line, we’ve got some good players who were making some plays, but not enough, and it just (didn’t) let up.”
When the bears emerged from the break, they launched a promising first drive, but when Murphy aimed for the end zone, he fired an errant pass straight into the
arms of a tiger defensive back. though the brown defense stuffed Princeton’s offense on the subsequent drive, the special teams unit committed another costly error.
a low punt bounded toward return man Najih rahman ’27, who couldn’t read the bounces and muffed the punt. as it ricocheted away, eager tigers pounced upon the ball, marking bruno’s second turnover in the half’s first 4 minutes.
Princeton’s offense deftly mixed passing and running plays down to the brown 1-yard line, where backup quarterback asher Weiner punched it in on a designed run. the drive’s final two plays –– a 25-yard dash and a 12-yard touchdown rumble ––displayed the ease with which Princeton was carving up the bears.
though brown scored on their next drive, it did little to raise the bears’ spirits. even after childs recorded his second rushing touchdown of the contest, Princeton’s lead still sat at 12.
brown’s defense, resolved to put up a fight, created one more opportunity for
their offensive unit, demanding a punt from Princeton. but the final nail awaited Murphy as his wayward lob from the bears’ 5-yard line was easily snagged by Princeton’s Hill –– marking another Murphy interception.
reflecting on Murphy’s pick-riddled day, Perry said, “James is a mature kid who’s played some really good football this year ... but we got to solve that problem.” addressing the turnovers will “be a point of emphasis” moving forward, Perry added. in just two plays, the tigers struck once more, taking the tally to 40-21, where it finished.
bruno will look to bounce back when they take on cornell (1-4, 0-2) in ithaca this Saturday.
Perry called the matchup against the big red an “an unbelievable opportunity,” noting that the bears haven’t gone on a true overnight away trip so far this season.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 19, 2025.
SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
Women’s volleyball sweeps Harvard, Dartmouth over Family Weekend
Ivy League record improves to 5-2 following Friday, Saturday games
BY ABIGAIL DONOVAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
in front of Family Weekend crowds, the women’s volleyball team (10-6, 5-2 ivy) demolished ivy League competitors Harvard (3-12, 2-5 ivy) and dartmouth (5-12, 2-5 ivy) without dropping a set. On Friday night, the team went 3-0 against the crimson during the team’s pink-out game, which they replicated in a decisive sweep over the big Green on Saturday evening.
Heading into the weekend, the bears boasted an impressive 8-2 record over the past 10 matchups against Harvard, which they brought to 9-1 on Friday night when they added another victory by sweeping the crimson 25-15, 25-20 and 25-12.
“it’s our first weekend at home, and so we knew that we were gonna have to adjust a little bit to a new environment,”
Head coach taylor Virtue told the Herald. but this didn’t appear to be much of a challenge.
the bears jumped out to a 10-5 lead to open the first set, led by impressive service performances, including aces by Mariia Sidorova ’26 and Sophia Wolfson ’28. after the crimson narrowed the margin to reach 14-12, brown fired back with a stunning 9-0 streak, which brought them within 2 points of the set at 23-12. Following a last-minute effort from the crimson that landed them
3 more points, ally Panzloff ’27 secured the set with a pinpoint spike to the left corner. to start the second set, Jessie Golden ’26 fired a serve that shot past Harvard defenders and clipped the left line, tallying her 10th ace of the season. but as the period continued, neither team managed to get a foothold, trading points to stay neck-and-neck at 18-16.
Following an attack error by Harvard, Julia Kakkis ’28 assisted on consecutive kills by Sidorova and Wolfson to pull ahead 21-16. despite late efforts by the crimson, a block at the right side of the net by Kakkis and Wolfson sent the ball sharply to the floor, closing the set 25-20 for the bears. the final set began evenly, but responding to a 3-point crimson streak, the bears began to pull away at 8-7. buoyed by a lethal
9-1 streak, brown claimed a comfortable 17-8 lead. bruno continued their dominance through the rest of the set, and Panzloff ended the match for the bears with a spike to the center of the court that the crimson couldn’t handle.
Wolfson, who was named ivy League Player of the Week for the second time this season, led the team with 12 kills over the course of the match, which she credited to the support of her teammates.
“the only thing that i try to do all the time is just put my best foot forward,” Wolfson told the Herald. “i really can’t do anything without this team and their support. and them cheering me on just makes me want to do even better.”
although the bears won on Friday, Virtue said that the team made “defensive”
Women’s soccer draws 2-2 at Harvard
Brown stands at fourth in Ivy League, dashing chances of No. 1 spot
BY MILES MONROE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Saturday night, the women’s soccer team (8-2-4, 2-1-2 ivy) tied ivy League leader Harvard (5-4-3, 3-1-1 ivy) 2-2 following a heated matchup in cambridge. entering the weekend, brown had the chance to claim the No. 1 spot in the ivy League, but following the draw, they fell to fourth.
the fourth spot in ivy League standings is a pivotal position for the postseason as only four teams advance to the ivy tournament. With only two games left in the regular season, the bears look to retain their conference ranking as they take on third-place Princeton (4-5-3, 3-2) and sixthplace cornell (5-5-4, 2-3).
though the crimson had the homefield advantage, bruno walked into cambridge with the intensity and swagger characteristic of 16-time ivy League champions.
“i’m proud of the way the team showed up today,” Head coach Kia McNeill said via brown athletics. “i thought we competed hard and, for the most part, were on the front foot throughout the game.”
the star-studded bruno offense, led by 2024 First team all-ivy midfielder Joy Okonye ’27 and team leader in goals Naya cardoza ’26, peppered the crimson defense with a flurry of attacks. eight minutes in, bruno almost netted the first tally of the game when a heroic run by ayla Sahin ’28 on the right alley led her past two Harvard defenders and culminated in a shot off the post.
despite the unlucky bounce, brown continued to apply the pressure — just
over 20 minutes later, the bears notched their first goal. the tally came off of a corner kick 30 minutes into the match when a beautifully lofted ball by audrey Lam ’27 found the head of cardoza in front of the net to make it 1-0 brown. this marks cardoza’s seventh goal of the year, which leads the ivy League.
“Our team played hard and aggressively,” angelina Vargas ’27 wrote in an email to the Herald. “Harvard had a tough time moving the ball with our intense pressure.”
bruno’s offense remained steadfast from there, continuing to hound the crimson for a whopping total of 6 shots on goal just in the first half. On the other half of the field, bruno’s strong backline — anchored by experienced goalie bella Schopp ’26 — left a strong impression. the crimson was only allowed 4 total shots and 2 saves in the first half.
When the second half began, the crimson showed a reignited fire that took brown off-guard. Less than three minutes into the half, Harvard attacker anna rayhill crossed into brown’s box. Shaking defenders, she faked a shot to the right and cut back to her left before smoothly finishing in the bottom left corner to tie it 1-1.
“at this point in the season, it’s really a game of inches,” coach McNeill wrote.
“it comes down to finishing your chances and minimizing mistakes.
but brown quickly regained its footing and started to hammer on the attack.
Just 13 minutes later, the bears launched perhaps their most impressive goal of the season.
Streaking down the right side of the field, Vargas found herself under pressure. With a defender glued to her hip as she rounded toward the box, Vargas let one loose from what seemed like a mile away.
Spectators and players couldn’t help but
and “decision-making” errors that they wanted to improve going into Saturday’s match.
and that feedback seemed to click. against dartmouth, “our communication was great,” Virtue said. “We were really disciplined on defense.”
On Saturday, the bears returned to the Pizzitola Sports center with an even more dominant sweep, defeating dartmouth 25-16, 25-13 and 25-11.
after trading points to reach 4-4 in the opening set, dartmouth failed to block a powerful spike from Sidorova, allowing the bears to pull ahead. Over the next few points, brown blew the lead wide open, stampeding away with an impressive 11-4 run. Only minutes later, up 22-16, a kill by Wolfson and consecutive attack errors by the big Green sealed the set for brown.
to start the second set, Wolfson and elizabeth Sessa ’28 executed a block that sent the ball past the arms of a diving dartmouth defender. continuing the first set’s fiery momentum, the bears launched an attack that would bring the score to 10-2 following an ace by Sidorova. though the big Green put up 11 points, the bears held their lead, advancing to 21-13. after 2 attack errors by dartmouth, Sarah Shaw ’29 pushed brown to set point with a well-placed spike that landed just inside the left line. With her eyes on a win in the set, eve McLaury ’28 delivered a deep serve that left dartmouth’s defenders helpless, clinching the set 25-13. the third set began with a tense battle
over the first point, as both teams delivered impressive digs, trading the ball upand-over the net a remarkable 10 times. Sidorova secured the nail-biter for the bears with a spike that sailed over dartmouth’s block.
brown remained dominant throughout the set, pulling ahead to a 22-6 lead, which included four aces: one each by Wolfson and Golden, and two consecutive aces by Sidorova. back-to-back kills by Fisayo afonja ’28 and Wolfson advanced the lead to 24-9.
the big Green fended off two match points, but facing a third, afonja delivered a powerful spike that deflected off a dartmouth defender’s hands and out of bounds, closing the match and brown’s double-sweep weekend.
“We said that we were gonna play like a championship team, and that’s exactly what we did,” Wolfson said. “First weekend at home, it’s just a really good way to get a sweep, two games in a row. We loved it.”
“We did a good job at trying to be scrappy on defense and getting a lot of touches on the block,” Golden told the Herald. “Having that scrappy mentality is super helpful, and we’ll be able to beat yale with that.”
the bears will face yale on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Pizzitola Sports center.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 20, 2025.
cOUrteSy OF HarVard atHLeticS Via brOWN atHLeticS
drives the ball up the field. Her 31st-minute goal gives her an Ivy League-leading seven goals.
watch in awe as the rocket sailed over the entirety of Harvard’s defense, slotting beautifully into the left-side netting to put brown up 2-1.
“When i got the ball, i knew that this was a shot i could make,” Vargas wrote. “after the goal, i was just happy to be surrounded by my teammates and celebrate with the girls who put 110% every day to help our team succeed.”
With time winding down, bruno fought to maintain their lead. but Harvard, facing defeat, fought harder. in the 74th minute, that effort turned into points. From the sideline in front of brown’s bench, the crimson’s Jasmine Leshnick aired a free kick all the way from midfield toward the bruno goal.
Schopp watched as it sailed over the heads of the Harvard attackers, waiting for one of them to go for a header. but they never did, and Schopp was unprepared for the ball to soar straight into the back of the net to tie the game at 2 all.
in the final 15 minutes of the game, neither team secured another goal, and the game ended 2-2. bruno had a clear advantage in shots taken, towering over Harvard 17-7 with 9 shots on goal. but to the crimson’s credit, their defense was elite, with netminder rhiannon Stewart making 7 saves on Saturday.
“We gave up an unfortunate goal that let them back in, and from there it was clear Harvard was content with the tie while we were still pushing for the win,”
coach McNeill wrote. “in the end, it was just too little, too late.”
bruno will most likely need to beat both Princeton and cornell in the team’s final games in order to make the ivy tournament.
“Our mindset is to take one game at a time,” Vargas wrote. “We have control of our own destiny, and we know that when we play together and for each other, we are hard to beat.”
brown will face cornell at 1 p.m. in ithaca this Saturday and Princeton at home the following week for the team’s final two regular season games.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 21, 2025.
Naya Cardoza ’26
FALL POLL
POLL FROM PAGE 1
times more likely to rate their enthusiasm at a “5.” Overall, nearly 75% of student-athletes rated their school spirit as a “4” or “5.”
Last semester’s poll found that 24% of students have never attended a brown athletics match, whereas 4% attend an event at least once per week.
Over 60% of students are optimistic about their job prospects post-graduation despite labor market woes, mass layoffs and economic uncertainty, the poll suggests that brown students maintain a positive outlook about their plans after graduation. Nearly two-thirds of respondents were optimistic that they will find a job in their chosen field immediately after graduating.
Seniors were slightly more likely to report an extreme — either very optimistic or very pessimistic — whereas younger students were most likely to report they were “somewhat optimistic.”
While some students pursuing computer science degrees have expressed concerns about artificial intelligence and club leaders have noted that first-year students are eager to start building their resumes, only 4% of students reported feeling “very pessimistic” about entering the labor market.
these numbers have remained consistent with poll results from fall 2017, when the Herald asked students a similar question. almost three-quarters of students said they were very or somewhat confident in landing a job in their chosen field, and just 4% said they were very concerned.
Legacy and student-athlete respondents are disproportionately white, compared to their peers
Just under half of total poll respondents identified as white, but over 60% of student-athletes and 73% of undergraduates whose parents attended brown said they were white.
this is consistent with the Herald’s spring 2023 poll and mirrors demographics at other elite universities: about 70% of legacy students at Harvard are white.
Following the Supreme court’s 2023 decision restricting the use of race in college admissions, Paxson appointed an ad Hoc committee on admissions Policies to review brown’s use of early decision and legacy preference policies. in a February 2024
continual basis to provide staff the training and resources required to protect safety on campus, including when there are threats to members of our community.”
“brown dPS is deeply committed to protecting the safety of students, faculty, staff and campus visitors,” clark added. “that commitment extends to each of the officers, staff members and leaders who carry out the department’s mission every day.”
the union claims that while the University administration has been notified of the “deteriorating work climate,” it has failed to adequately address officers’
concerns.
University administrators have “robust and open lines of communication with union leaders at brown and routinely work to address issues, priorities and concerns,” clark wrote. “We encourage staff to report any concerns, and we take all reports seriously.”
the brown University Security Patrolperson’s association represents 39 campus police officers, security officers and building guards, according to John rossi, a national representative for the union. the brown University Police Sergeants Union, which issued the first vote of no confidence, represents 10 sergeants within the dPS’s team of more than 90 staff members, University
Spokesperson brian clark told the Herald last month.
in the last year, officers of the dPS have alleged instances of harassment based on their gender and sexual orientation, the Herald previously reported. Officers alleged that dPS employees responded with inadequate safety protocols to bomb and shooting threats, raising safety concerns about themselves and the brown community.
chatman and Vinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 22, 2025.
political views in a social setting, and more than one-quarter reported having felt uncomfortable expressing their political views in the classroom.
at brown, students who identify as conservative are far more likely to have felt uncomfortable sharing their perspectives with others. Seventy-two percent said they have felt uncomfortable expressing their views in a social setting, and 58% said they have felt uncomfortable doing so in the classroom.
Less than than 40% of students who identify as “very liberal or progressive” have also felt uncomfortable sharing their political views socially, while 26% have felt uncomfortable voicing their perspectives in the classroom.
report, the committee declined to make a recommendation on whether the University should continue preferencing applicants with familial connections to brown. and in 2020, brown faced criticism for proposing to reclassify the men’s track and field team from varsity to club status. critics noted how the men’s track and field team consisted of more black student-athletes compared to other varsity teams that were not facing cuts.
More than two-thirds of conservative students have felt uncomfortable expressing their political opinions in social settings around 40% of poll respondents noted having felt uncomfortable expressing their
among students, reported discomfort sharing political opinions with others has increased compared to a decade ago. according to data from the Herald’s spring 2015 poll, just 23% of students responded that they felt uncomfortable expressing their political views at brown, with around 70% saying they felt somewhat or very comfortable.
Editors’ Note: The Herald’s semesterly poll was conducted between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8, 2025. All responses were analyzed and weighted by class year using R Version 4.4.1. Polls were conducted at three locations around campus: Wriston Quadrangle, Sciences Quadrangle and outside the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. The poll was analyzed by Ciara Meyer, Kate Butts, Caleb Ellenberg, Manav Musunuru, Kenna Lee, Jasper Perlis, Shreya Karthik, Emma Phan, Emily Feil and May Fujita. It received 1,392 responses.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 22, 2025.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Meet Peter Howitt, Brown’s third Nobel laureate
BY ELIZABETH ROSENBAUM STAFF WRITER
When he was a high schooler working parttime for a wool merchant in Ontario, canada, Peter Howitt was enthralled by watching the prices of wool rise and fall on a small teletype machine. His supervisor explained the concepts of supply and demand, telling him, “if you really want to understand this, you have to go study economics,” Howitt recalled during a press conference last week.
Over 60 years after that fateful conversation with his supervisor, Howitt, a professor emeritus of economics at brown, was awarded the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in economic Sciences last Monday.
“at first i thought it was somebody’s practical joke. i really didn’t believe it,” Howitt said in an interview with the Herald. “it didn’t take long for them to persuade me that this was for real. and i’ve kind of been in shock ever since.”
Howitt’s research, which he conducted alongside co-laureate Philipe aghion, a French microeconomist, explores the relationship between technological innovation and the economy. at the center of his work lies the concept of “creative destruction,” which Howitt described as the “big conflict between new technologies and old technologies.” as Howitt explains it, while new inventions can bring some benefits, they also have the potential to generate losses for existing technologies. “For a lot of people, that’s a form of creative destruction,” Howitt said. When we “create new ideas and new innovations, new technologies, we destroy the value of old ones.”
this theory on the process of economic
growth was first described by Joseph Schumpeter, an influential austrian economist in the early 20th century.
Working alongside aghion in the ’80s, Howitt mathematically modeled how the turbulent cycle of innovation eventually stabilizes and improves economies.
Howitt met aghion at the Massachusetts institute of technology in the 1980s.
“every vehicle needs an accelerator and a brake, and he was mostly the accelerator,”
Howitt said. “i was mostly the brake. We just clicked.”
but publishing their research was no walk in the park. the first iteration of their landmark paper, “a Model of Growth through creative destruction,” was produced in 1987 but was not published until 1992 when it was released in “econometrica.”
“it took a long time to persuade these journal editors that it was worth taking seriously,” Howitt said. “Since then, it’s been cited almost 20,000 times.”
Howitt credits brown with providing a community that was pivotal for his own development and successful career.
colleagues and students were “really critical for my own professional development, and really just added to the enjoyment and the success of my whole academic voyage,” he said.
david Weil ’82, a professor of economics at brown, wrote in an email to the Herald that Howitt is “unfailingly polite” and possesses “sheer enthusiasm” for his work.
“Sitting next to him in a seminar and listening to him carefully dissect a presentation in order to uncover its inner workings was
serves as a professor of political economy at brown.
“He was a true mentor, patient with my onboarding and often naive questions, and he discussed openly the potential pitfalls of the approach taken,” Michalopoulos wrote in an email to the Herald. “in a nutshell, an exemplary scholar.”
but Howitt’s impact has extended beyond brown’s community. another one of Howitt’s former graduate students, Quamrul ashraf Phd’09, is now a professor for distinguished teaching and research of economics at Williams college.
“While the world is rightly celebrating his pathbreaking work with Philippe aghion on Schumpeterian growth theory, what is equally remarkable is the breadth of his intellectual influence,” ashraf wrote in an email to the Herald. “in my experience, he remains one of the clearest examples of how intellectual rigor and kindness can be complements rather than substitutes.”
While Howitt was very “generous with his time,” ashraf remembered one occasion where teaching came second.
both a delight and an education,” Weil wrote.
Weil also noted the tremendous impact that Howitt has had on the economics department at brown, cementing the University’s standing as “a center of cutting-edge research on the topic of growth — a status it has maintained even after his retirement,” he wrote.
Howitt joined brown’s faculty in 2000 after teaching at the University of Western Ontario and the Ohio State University. He earned his Ph.d. from Northwestern University in 1973 after attending McGill University for his bachelor’s degree. at brown, Howitt taught macroeconomics courses, even after his retirement in 2013.
Howitt is “a true intellectual giant,” said Stelios Michalopoulos Phd’08, one of Howitt’s former graduate students who now
“When it came to preserving his golf outings with his wife Pat,” Howitt “guarded (these) with equal commitment,” ashraf wrote. “that small but telling fact also speaks volumes about his devotion to his personal and family life.”
after a lifetime in economics, Howitt told the Herald he has thoroughly enjoyed his “intellectual journey” in academia.
“if you find an academic subject that really fascinates you, and you find that you enjoy the process of trying to figure out how to solve some of these intellectual problems,” Howitt said, you should just “go for it.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 20, 2025.
Howitt is a professor emeritus of economics at Brown
Peter Howitt, a professor emeritus of economics at Brown, received the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday.
Dear Readers,
This October, and this semester in particular, I’m learning to pace myself. I’m trying to grow out of the habit of outrunning my old self, and that begins with letting all feelings pass. I can’t help but drag and then tumble over my own feet, staring at the fall foliage that eventually drifts down, or place my hands over my mouth to simply pause—at first, the sickly sweet smell of caramel, and then the paralyzing sight of the new apple pie ice cream from Kow Kow. Yet, with slowing down comes the great responsibility of confrontation. I’m (actively) relearning to love time alone, spending most of my chilly weekday mornings at Coffee Exchange, warmer evenings on an East Bay Bike Path run, and the coldest nights laughing with friends over a game of Guess Who?
In this issue of post-, our writers are also uniquely playing with time. In Narrative, Mar revisits childhood memories accompanied by a magical fairy, while Vanessa seizes the busyness of a whirlwind day. In one Lifestyle article, Ina gives us cool dishes to cook up in the Ratty. In the other, we have our first managing editors’ piece of the semester (!!), commencing the spooky season. In Feature, AnnaLise dives
into the pacing of long runs and beyond, while Audrey moves through memories with her family. In A&C, Ozzy reflects on Fleetwood Mac’s live “The Chain” performance, while Johan dissects various aspects of Azealia Banks’s social media presence. In this week’s post-pourri, Selena’s comic highlights the pull between studying and still making time to be creative. Finally, check out Lily’s crossword on celebrities!
As I leave October admiring all of the various writing and art pieces that call post- home this week, I’m inspired to begin recognizing the small changes in myself as positive. There’s something really special about learning to make time for ourselves and our loved ones, in whatever way we know best. As the fall season comes into full force, I hope you find solace by reading each piece—truly the best way to pass the time.
“My kids will be dressed like a fucking nun.”
“Sorry I have to read Bible tonight.”
1. Toothpaste 2. Señorita Awesome
3. Everything nice
Pumpkin Spice
4. Everything But The Bagel seasoning
5. The 4th state of matter, plasma
6. Sheet metal 7. Microplastics
8. The society in which we live
9. Your GCal
10. Like, a latte maybe. Sorry. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“I must tell you that I am from Hawai‘i, but I am not Hawaiian. I don’t know how it feels to have the land taken from me. I don’t know how it feels to fight for it back. All I know is that, although this land was never mine, it is the one that raised me. It is the only thing I want to write about. I’m turning my memory into mythology for you.”
— Emily Tom, “home is a place revisited”
“There are dances that open their arms, reaching out towards the audience until every single droopy-eyed father in the crowd is tapping his foot along to the rhythm—and there are dances that hug in on themselves and whisper some terrible sadness that brings a tear to the most stoic eye.”
— Mack Ford, “a tangle of movement” 10.18.23 5
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Manhardt ’26: How Brown’s many advisory committees amount
to administrative gaslighting
When most undergraduate students think of brown, we think of our professors, the Main Green, dining halls and, of course, our fellow brunonians. it’s rarer that we concern ourselves with the politics of the faculty, with whom we typically interact through class or research. but brown harbors an expansive hierarchical network of administrators and deans, beyond the academic faculty we are exposed to, who govern the University’s decisions from their positions across a plethora of committees.
the brown corporation is a governing body led by President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 and “a group of appointed and elected volunteers,” per the corporation’s website. it holds an immense power to shape the future of the University in nearly every regard, from selecting the University president to approving faculty appointments and salaries. the corporation effectively sits atop brown’s food chain.
there are over 20 committees composed of faculty, administrators and sometimes students which
report, through a trail of deans, to the president of the corporation — Paxson. the committees lead initiatives concerned with everything from academic priorities to commencement.
this appears fairly democratic: everyone — from faculty to student to administrator — seems to have a say in what is going on at brown. the University claims to have “a commitment to openness and diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences,” but does the work of these committees ever translate into action?
the reality is, the majority of these committees act as a cloak for the corporation to shield itself from accountability, creating the guise of open dialogue. yes, there are committees made up of different members of the University — but their recommendations all lead to the same individuals who have the final say. effectively, they are bands of brown community members who offer merely recommendations, and have no actual control over the decisions that are made.
The reality is, the majority of these committees act as a cloak for the Corporation to shield itself from accountability, creating the guise of open dialogue. “ “
the deeper issue is the illusion of democracy created by these committees. during clashes between the corporation and students or faculty, brown’s dialogue-based bureaucratic process is pinned on these committees. the faculty’s lack of power is often justified in this way, preventing campus issues from ever being appropriately addressed.
Only a week ago, professors of humanities graduate programs expressed confusion regarding admissions freezes on their programs, saying their input was either not solicited or misconstrued in the process of determining these changes. administrators, on the other hand, stated that the “decisions followed a deliberative process led by our academic Priorities committee, which includes elected faculty members and senior academic administrators.” Whether you think these Phd programs are important or not, it’s disheartening that brown’s faculty felt left in the dark.
i am not saying that Paxson should go through with every recommendation or that the facul-
ty should be given unlimited control. but without transparency and serious consideration of their input from the president of the University, these committees will always remain a veil for a small group of unyielding leaders. times are only going to become tougher for brown. With the trump administration looking to undermine higher education, the idea of our own administration doing the same with our faculty is concerning. Now more than ever, brown must truly make an effort to extend genuine opportunities for input from its community. committees should not all be merely advisory — brown’s governance needs to shift to allow for faculty to be more than pawns in the administration’s game.
Batisse Manhardt ’26 can be reached at batisse_manhardt@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Murray ’29: I walked across Rhode Island — and you should too
arriving back on campus after spending time away never fails to bring a smile to my face. but i have never been happier to see college Hill than when i finally caught sight of brown after nine straight hours of walking.
the fourth annual Walk across rhode island started at 7 a.m. on the border between connecticut and rhode island. i was joined by 180 other students from brown, the Massachusetts institute of technology and other New england schools — all of whom had willingly chosen to spend an entire day of their long weekend walking. as my poor californian self shivered in the gusts of wind — pleasant weather, i would later learn — the 30 miles ahead of me suddenly felt very long indeed.
Now that my blisters have had time to heal, and i’ve blacked out miles 15 to 20, my successful walk across brown’s home state has inspired me to rally more walkers to the cause. as students in the smallest state in america and therefore the easiest to walk across, we have a rare opportunity during our four years at brown to traverse all of rhode island. i say you should take it — and here’s why.
Miles one to five: You can take in the beauty of nature!
Our journey began after taking our group photo at the trailhead that feeds from connecticut into rhode island. What followed was five miles of a picturesque trail through the woods. Here, i felt completely assured in both my walking prowess and my decision to participate. the colors of autumn surrounded our herd of still-determined students. Spirits were high, the sky was clear and the miles passed quickly. there is no better way to experience New england fall than by immersing yourself in its nature.
Miles five to 10: It’s a chance to get some fresh air. While college Hill has plenty of charm, the lush-
ness of the rhode island woods felt like a refreshing change after weeks spent mostly in classrooms and lecture halls. even though i couldn’t actively feel my cortisol levels dropping, after settling into a rhythm, the academic stresses of brown suddenly felt far away — both physically and mentally. Switching from analytical classroom thinking to the mindful, mechanical act of placing one foot in front of the
state’s biggest city. by mile 15, though, my feet began to ache, the conversations dried up and the once distant storm clouds were suddenly right over us. this may not sound very enticing, but i assure you — it got better.
Miles 15 to 20: … Honestly, i have nothing good to say here. Just
As students in the smallest state in America and therefore the easiest to walk across, we have a rare opportunity during our four years at Brown to traverse all of Rhode Island. I say you should take it — and here’s why.
other was revitalizing, and something every brown student needs to experience once in a while.
Miles 10 to 15: You can learn more about your state. as it turns out, walking across a state will give you a true feet-on-the-ground perspective of it. if you’ve ever been curious about what rhode island looks like beyond Providence, you should consider participating in this growing tradition. by mile 10, we’d left the forest trails behind and were now walking along the shoulders of small rural roads with houses scattered on either side. it was fascinating to see how rural a region can be even when situated just 20 minutes outside of the
know that we kept walking and eventually made it to lunch.
Miles 20 to 25: It’s a great opportunity to make new friends.
thankfully, lunch was rejuvenating. but as we left the city of Hope and began to trek toward Providence, the rain started in earnest. Luckily, i had a trash bag to cover myself. Unluckily, i was now wearing a trash bag while walking down the side of a highway.
despite the fact that my shoes were getting soggier by the minute, nothing brings people together quite like shared misery and a dying phone battery.
the conversations i had during those rain-soaked miles were sincere and memorable. if you’d like to test a current friendship or forge new ones, a ninehour walk is a great place to start.
Miles 25-30: It teaches resilience. the final stretch unfolded in increasing darkness and despondency. but when the distance on Google Maps finally ticked down — from two miles, to one and a half, to less than one — our spirits were suddenly revived!
despite being fully drenched, cold and tired, i felt stronger in the last few steps of the walk than i did in the first. With each step, i proved that i could accomplish exactly what i had set out to do 29.99 miles before. the challenges that arose during the trek only made me walk faster, a true test of my resilience.
Mile 30: The end. You accomplished something difficult!
Welcome to Massachusetts! Oh, how happy i was to see that big green sign. Finally, the walk was complete. Now, two weeks later, the less-than-perfect memories have faded. but what i will remember is an expedition that challenged what i thought i was capable of, expanded my understanding of rhode island and ultimately gave me insane bragging rights. From my perspective, that’s exactly the kind of memory college students should be making. Next year, i would love to see the entire brown community walk across rhode island. So start stretching and mentally preparing yourself — and i’ll see you on the trail.
Clara Murray ’29 can be reached at clara_murray@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
Canfield ’28: David Caldwell is best positioned to represent Providence
Ward 2
i have always held a special place in my heart for local politics. Often not as partisan and certainly not as flashy as leaders in Washington, d c., local politicians fulfill the true core of democratic government — public service. city government, at its best, ensures your neighborhoods stay clean, your kids receive a strong education and your city infrastructure remains in good health. While not glamorous, these services are vital to the success of our cities. yet, very few eligible voters actually elect their local government officials. in previous Providence city council elections for college Hill’s district — Ward 2 — voter turnout was about 50%. brown students make up a considerable portion of potential voters and should consider contributing to the political success of their new home in the upcoming primary for the city council’s Ward 2 special election on Nov. 4 and the subsequent special election on dec. 2.
if you do choose to vote in the election, you must decide between four democrats — david caldwell, Jill davidson, Jeff Levy and Mathew Mcdermott — and one republican — axel brito ’26. While many of the candidates share similarities in their proposed policies, one stands out as the most practical and experienced: david caldwell.
Most of the candidates hold similar views on key issues. they all wish to see improvements in local public schools and support regaining local control from the state government over the Providence Public School district. Most candidates have also expressed concern over neighborhood safety, out-of-
Regardless
shape infrastructure and the threat that President trump poses to Providence.
but perhaps the most important topic of debate, and the one in which the candidates most differ, is housing affordability. earlier this year, Providence was ranked dead last in all of america for rent affordability. as many brunonians can attest, finding off-campus housing is a nightmare as the market has become more expensive and competitive, while property taxes have shot up. When asked if they would support using rent control to tackle this issue, most of the candidates deflected the question without taking a definitive stance.
the only candidates to offer a clear position on rent control were caldwell and brito. caldwell does not support rent control, explaining that it “may lower the cost for some tenants in rent-controlled units, but it also decreases housing construction and raises costs in housing not covered by rent control.” On the other hand, brito, the only republican candidate, shockingly favors rent control — a policy famously linked to progressive voices like Zohran Mamdani and Sen. bernie Sanders. despite their appeal, rent freezes have been shown to decrease longterm affordability, harm surrounding neighborhoods and lower new housing construction. the practice has even been correlated to a rise in gentrification. there’s a reason economists on both sides of the aisle are wary of rent control.
the only candidate i advise against voting for is brito. as a 21-year-old brown student, brito lacks the experience necessary to adequately address the
of who you support, I ask those who are eligible to vote to fulfill your civic duty — show up to the polls on election day.
needs of Providence constituents. beyond his age, his campaign is lackluster. He is the only candidate without a campaign website and is running as a republican in a district that has elected democratic council members for the last 39 years. brito also supports Providence asking brown for more funding after the University has pledged to pay $175 million to the city over the next 20 years. at a time when our funding is being challenged by the federal government, brito wants to request even more from his school.
Otherwise, the remaining candidates are equipped to tackle voters’ concerns. that being said, each one has their own background that should be considered. Mcdermott works in political organizing, Levy is an attorney who worked to protect the integrity of our elections and davidson has spent much of her career advocating for improvements in Providence’s schools. their past professional experiences would certainly prepare each of them to lead as council members, but another candidate’s resume stands out for being particularly positioned to tackle Providence’s affordability crisis.
For the last two years, caldwell has served on the Providence city Plan commission, working on
urban development and growth for the city. in this position, he helped to draft the latest version of the Providence comprehensive Plan, which outlines important steps to create more affordable housing. Further, he is the vice-chair of HousingWorksri’s advisory board — roger Williams University’s policy organization on housing affordability. He also has a lifetime of experience building homes through his family-owned business, caldwell & Johnson custom builders. brunonians concerned about the threat of climate change will also be excited to learn that caldwell is the current president of the audubon Society of rhode island, the oldest environmental organization in the state. regardless of who you support, i ask those who are eligible to vote to fulfill your civic duty — show up to the polls on election day. if you care about Providence, do the bare minimum and contribute to the future of this great city.
Ethan Canfield ’28 can be reached at ethan_canfield@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Editorial:
In
a time of uncertainty,
Brown’s Nobel Prize and MacArthur Grant should motivate University researchers
While research funding is under political scrutiny, the world needs reminding of what scholarship can achieve. brown received two such reminders this month with the announcements that Professor emeritus of economics Peter Howitt won a Nobel Memorial Prize in economic Sciences and Professor of international Security and anthropology ieva Jusionyte was named a Macarthur Fellow, commonly known as the “Macarthur Genius Grant.” these accomplishments affirm that rigorous, imaginative inquiry still matters despite the political static that tries to drown it out. this moment should serve as a guiding light for University researchers.
Washington’s rhetoric has framed universities as partisan, scientists as elitist and academic inquiry as detached from american life. Scholarship has become an unavoidably political activity. the result is a climate in which researchers — particularly those early in their careers — might question whether their work will continue to be funded, let alone appreciated by the public. but Howitt and Jusionyte’s recent recognition shows that excellent engagement with complex problems still finds its audience, even if that recognition comes decades later.
Howitt and one of his co-laureates Philippe
aghion, a professor of economics at the college de France, iNSead and the London School of economics, helped develop the Schumpeterian model of growth — a theory explaining how innovation drives long-term economic expansion. it’s a model that redefined how economists think about technological change, productivity and inequality.
The prizes reaffirm a fundamental truth: Knowledge matters, and so does the courage to pursue it when it is most discouraged. “ “
Howitt’s work is inconvenient for the status quo — after all, his model implies that growth depends on creative destruction, or replacing the old with the new. this is exactly the kind of thinking that can reshape policy debates and redefine our world as we know it.
Jusionyte’s work documenting the lives of migrants and border communities, reflects a different strength. Her research demonstrates that border security and violence exacerbates crises. While her scholarship doesn’t fit neatly into one discipline or align with the political preferences of those in power, it embodies the social responsibility that research at its best can carry. inquiry can thrive outside institutional conventions and still make a profound public impact. Most importantly, Jusionyte’s work withstands the storm of border politics and demonstrates how academic research is a critical catalyst for civic dialogue.
Howitt and Jusionyte represent the twin purposes of academic research: to explain the world and to humanize it. their recognition this year should remind researchers at brown — especially those navigating reduced grants, political interference and public doubt — that discovery and empathy are not partisan acts. they are acts of persistence.
research rarely earns immediate validation. but Howitt’s Nobel and Jusionyte’s Macarthur show us that society still depends on people willing to push past the current moment’s cynicism. the prizes reaffirm a fundamental truth: Knowledge matters, and so does the courage to pursue it when it is most discouraged. in an era when brown researchers might feel under siege, let this be a moment of hope and motivation.
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.
ARTS & CULTURE
EVENT Filmmaker Ken Burns screens, discusses upcoming docuseries
The event featured clips from “The American Revolution”
BY ANN GRAY GOLPIRA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Friday, cinephiles, historians and Family Weekend attendees alike gathered for “an evening with Ken burns,” in the Salomon center. in partnership with brown 2026 — a campus-wide initiative celebrating the 250th anniversary of american independence — the event featured an exclusive screening of burns’s upcoming documentary series. after the screening, burns sat down with President christina Paxton P’19 P’Md’20 for a conversation about filmmaking, U.S. history and the origins — and future — of democracy. burns, who initially gained praise for his 1990 miniseries “the civil War,” has since won more than a dozen emmy awards for his work. He began the discussion by highlighting the importance of the Public broadcasting Service — where his new series will air — in the wake of the federal government’s elimination of public broadcasting funds.
the first half of the event presented a screening of several short clips from burns’s “the american revolution,” set to premiere Nov. 16. the clips spanned the series’s six episodes.
the first clip highlighted burns’s dynamic storytelling style, featuring several moments from the series’s first episode. through a combination of interviews, archival shots and stunning cinematic footage, the clip set the tone for the series. the screening pro-
gressed by showing various segments of the second episode, including scenes depicting the battle of bunker Hill and the drafting of the declaration of independence. the remaining clips covered events and topics ranging from the harsh winter conditions of Valley Forge, to George Washington’s leadership and the battle of yorktown. after the partial screening, Paxson led a question-and-answer portion with burns
featuring prewritten questions from University faculty. answering a question about his research process for the film, burns told audience members that “every day was a revelation” and the project was a product of “a decade’s worth of following the scholarship, following the trails.”
though creators knew the series would ultimately be cut down to a total of 12 hours, burns said they recorded around 40 times the
final footage, or close to 480 hours. Later, when asked whether he thought the american revolution was about democracy, burns promptly answered “no.” When elaborating, he claimed that the revolution was “essentially arguments over property” — specifically between white, property-owning men — and that democracy, while being a consequence of the revolution, was “not the intention.”
burns said there are many complexities in america’s origin story, and emphasized the time it took for liberty “for all” to be achieved.
Still, he noted that the american revolution remains a source of hope, claiming that “to believe in the american revolution is to believe in possibility.”
Several event attendees praised burns’s comments and his description of the documentary-making process.
Linford Fisher, an associate professor of history, told the Herald it was “a delight to hear in person the thoughtfulness, the carefulness and the wide consideration of the full span of revolutionary history that went into this film.”
Other attendees, like anjie Wang GS, a graduate student in history, emphasized the series’s impressive cinematography and archival research. Wang added how burns’s ability to include both archival footage and depictions of various scenes of the revolutionary War “was a really good way of incorporating contemporary scenes and historical narratives.”
Having grown up watching burns’s documentaries, history graduate student Sam bisno GS said that “just to see Ken in the flesh was pretty amazing.”
“He’s clearly put in an immense amount of research and done his best to capture … every angle and every voice, including those that are often left out of the story,” bisno added. “i can’t wait to watch the full documentary.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 19, 2025.
Azadeh Ghotbi ’91 looks to spark dialogue with new exhibit at Watson School
The exhibition will be on display in the Stephen Robert ’62 Hall until Dec. 15
BY NORA ROWE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Sept. 24, art at Watson unveiled their most recent installation: “in the Name of FreƎdOM” by azadeh Ghotbi ’91. the installation will be on display until dec. 15 in Stephen robert ’62 Hall.
“in the Name of FreƎdOM” was created over a decade and is the product of Ghotbi’s lifelong interest in freedom.
i’m obsessed with freedom,” she said in an interview with the Herald. the installation features a series of physical pieces that spell the word “freedom,” with interlocking e’s stylized to look like bars to symbolize “all the people who are not free.” the work also contains a series of stop
signs spelling out the word “StOP” in various languages with collaged photos from freedom movements around the world. Ghotbi described the piece as being “like a scream” and a call from every culture for peace. the work also draws from Ghotbi’s own name, azadeh — which means “free-spirited” in Persian — and her personal heritage.
Ghotbi emigrated from iran at the age of nine during the iranian revolution and went on to study international relations at brown.
Ghotbi said she has always been interested in international policy because she is
“a product of multiculturalism.”
Her experiences at brown — both in international relations and the art program — have also been influential in her life and work.
Ghotbi recalled attending an art history lecture at brown that covered the political influence of Jackson Pollock’s paintings. She emerged from the class “feeling elated.” Ghotbi credits this moment as the beginning of her journey as an artist: She went straight to buy art supplies after class.
“Weaves of Freedom,” the next work in the exhibit and a product of Ghotbi’s studies, is an ode to women’s acts of civil disobedience and an indelible thirst for freedom.
it’s a statement about “the multiplicity of the iranian women’s movement,” said Jo-anne Hart, exhibit curator and Ghotbi’s former professor. the piece is a woven collage of iranian women who Ghotbi said were an “extraordinary lesson in bravery.”
Hart called the installation a continuation of the Watson School of international and Public affairs’s commitment to presenting thought-provoking art that shares perspectives from around the world. “i’m so grateful that Watson has included art as an expression, and an invitation and a way to compel people to think about complex issues,” Hart said.
the third work in the installation, “interwoven,” is related to struggles for freedom in a place where Ghotbi herself has never lived — the Palestinian territories and israel. it is a woven collage piece containing images of Palestinians and israelis, calling urgently for each group’s right “to live, to peace, to take care of their children,” Ghotbi said.
Ghotbi said she “can’t think of a better place in the world” for her art to be shown
than the Watson School. She described brown students as the next soldiers in a never-ending battle for freedom, both on and off campus.
“i’m hoping to trigger dialogue between students, and between students and professors,” she added.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 21, 2025.
Ken Burns speaks at the event on Friday. In partnership with Brown 2026, the event featured six excerpts from Burns's upcoming docuseries entitled “The American Revolution.”
daNNy LÊ / HeraLd
“Weaves of Resistance" is a photographic artwork and a statement about “the multiplicity of the Iranian women’s movement,” according to the exhibit curator.
daNNy LÊ / HeraLd
A series of stop signs spelling out the words “STOP” in various languages with collaged photos from freedom movements around the world. daNNy LÊ / H
ARTS & CULTURE
REVIEW
‘Him’ disappoints but receives more backlash than warranted
The film may underwhelm viewers expecting another “Get Out”
BY MILLIE BARTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
released in cinemas last month, “Him” has garnered attention from audiences across the globe, in large part due to Jordan Peele’s producer credit. directed by the lesser-known Justin tipping, the film — an offensive drama that explores the boundaries of what it means to be a true athlete — has suffered a butchering at the hands of critics and general audiences alike.
While audience members likely brought overinflated expectations to this movie, it’s not hard to see where the ruthless criticism stems from.
the story follows young football quarterback cameron cade (tyriq Withers), who is destined for greatness before a brutal attack that has the potential to end his career. With retirement looming, cameron hastily accepts a seemingly miraculous offer from his football hero, isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), to train at his remote and technologically advanced facility.
at first, isaiah’s determination, charisma and devoted staff seem like they’re exactly what cameron needs to work his way back
REVIEW
to the field. but, as the training intensifies, isaiah pushes the boundaries of morality more and more, forcing cameron into a space where seeking athletic success means exceeding all limits, no matter the cost.
cameron’s descent into horrors of isaiah’s design culminates in a final fight where predictably, cameron prevails over the face of evil. this bloodbath at the film’s conclusion leaves an entirely unpalatable taste in the mouth.
it is not just the finale that warrants the film’s savage reviews. While the acting is acceptable, there is not enough time for audiences to connect with the protagonist
before he is thrown into the training facility, resulting in little emotional investment when he begins to suffer both mentally and physically.
additionally, the emphasis on cameron’s family as his guiding focus and moral compass would be a beautiful sentiment, if there was any attempt to get the audience to care for them. His mother (indira Wilson) and cousin (Guapdad 4000) have very limited screen time despite the weight they have on cameron’s motivations, and their moments with cameron convey very little about the characters themselves or their relationships.
the supposed plot twist that occurs in the final act — which reveals the secrets behind the origins of cameron’s athletic abilities — falls flat. audiences have little chance to see the involvement cameron’s coaches and mentors had in his traumatic upbringing before they are revealed as perpetrators, making the grandiosity of said reveal feel somewhat random. in spite of these flaws, it is unfair to say the film has nothing to offer. Not nearly enough has been said about the film’s phenomenal visuals. cinematographer Kira Kelly forces audiences into cameron’s horrific world of professional sport. She conveys his
psychological breakdown through intense imagery and camera work, notably including visceral shots of the body and occasionally switching to X-ray vision when it is physically impacted.
tipping’s portrayal of the pain and sacrifice that comes with reaching athletic stardom provides a powerful commentary on the consequences of idolizing players: it results in their commodification and something close to body torture. to an athlete who has experienced the hardships of forced participation or even just the mental and physical pressure, the film generates a morbid familiarity. to a viewer with little knowledge on the matter, it serves as a wakeup call to the darker side of the sports industry.
While the centering of Peele’s influence in the film helped it gain traction during its promotion, it ultimately did a disservice to tipping, removing him from his own creation and casting undue expectations on the movie. When audience members go to the theaters expecting another brilliant Peele horror and are instead met with half-baked character development, the disappointment blinds them to any virtues the film does have to offer, like its profound vision and messaging.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 19, 2025.
‘I’m Only F**king Myself’ fuses incendiary production with vulnerability
British singer-songwriter’s third studio album is honest and revelatory
BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
the 21st century has birthed a strange world — one in which apps like tiktok have the ability to change the trajectory of an artist’s career. For Lola young, that life-altering moment occurred in November 2024, when influencer Jake Shane posted a tiktok set to her track “Messy.” the song, featured in young’s 2024 album “this Wasn’t Meant For you anyway,” quickly shot to the top of the billboard pop airplay chart and turned young into a bonafide superstar.
On Sept. 19, young returned with her third album “i’m Only F**king Myself,” complete with all the lyrical and sonic elements that made “Messy” a hit. i n around 45 minutes, young dives deep into the turmoil of toxic relationships, drug use and self-sabotage. the album doesn’t posture — instead, young luxuriates in the havoc of clever hooks and immersive soundscapes.
On the opening track, “how long will it take to walk a mile? (interlude),” a young narrator introduces the record with an innocence that is soon complicated by the difficult subject matter young takes on. the album’s concluding track, “ur an absolute c word (interlude),” features a brief spoken word poem credited to tia Shek, a spoken-word artist and friend of young. young’s interjection at the end juxtaposes softness with vulgarity. across “i’m Only F**king Myself,” young dances on the knife’s edge of tenderness and bitterness.
the song’s lead single “One thing” was released on May 16 and also became a tiktok sensation. While not the most sonically or lyrically expansive track on the record, “One thing” has the “it-factor” that “Messy” had. young’s powerful vocals, as well as the song’s lively and retro production, enhance
the track’s provocative lyrics. “d£aler” is another notable single from the record. released on July 25, the song explores leaving behind a difficult life and a love gone sour. young subverts the expectations of traditional breakup songs and presents an unusual suspect for her longing — her drug dealer. She sings, “i wanna get away, far from here / Pack my bags and tell my dealer i’ll miss him.” the song’s gritty sound works well with young’s raw vocals.
“F**K eVeryONe” is a hedonistic anthem with crashing percussion and subtle voice distortion. While the song’s crass subject matter may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it embodies one compelling spectrum of the record: young’s willingness to delve deep into female sexuality and turn the taboo into a celebration of freedom. While sexual liberation has always been an object of criticism in the media, young’s lyricism imbues it with a humanity that is incredibly refreshing.
in “Penny Out of Nothing,” young acknowledges her own role in the turbulence of a toxic relationship. Lyrics like “don’t you dare walk away / i’m not done lying to your face” highlight the almost hyperbolic nature of the track. the song brings drama to the album with high-stakes lyricism and a rousing soundscape. Flutters of electric screeching in the song’s production add a sense of dissonance — young knows that her behavior is wrong, yet she can’t seem to stop. “why do i feel better when i hurt you?” is similarly reflective. the song’s subdued sound accompanies young’s contemplations on her behavior: “Why do i feel better when i hurt you? / always try to put you in the worst mood.”
“Walk all Over you” is strangely lighthearted, even though young laments the shortcomings of an unthinking partner. Singing “and do you know the difference between me and you? / Well, you loved me for your ego, i loved you for you,” young
breaks through her image as a fearless rock star and emerges vulnerable and sensitive. this is the beauty of “i’m Only F**king Myself” — in the midst of coarseness, there is a sincerity that keeps listeners hooked. the shining points of the record are the tracks where young combines this vulnerability with typical pop-rock elements.
“SPiderS” is dark and moody, spotlighting young’s powerful vocals. She flexes her talents in an explosive chorus that features belting and crashing drums. the song imagines intimacy in the act of a partner killing spiders in a bedroom — it is a haunting song that sees young at her best.
“Post Sex clarity” is another standout on the album. the song’s sensual sound plays along to young’s unguarded lyrics, which culminate in an infectious hook: “When i’m lyin’ in bed, got post-sex clarity / i still love you, and i don’t know why / ‘cause every other man didn’t mean a God damn to me / When i finish, it’s not the end
of you and i.”
How is it possible that young can sing about untethered sex on “F**K eVeryONe,” but also wish for more than just a hookup on “Post Sex clarity”? the magic lies in young’s willingness to be brutally honest and sit in the uncomfortable on “i’m Only F**king Myself.” the album doesn’t convey a clear-cut message: instead, young pushes listeners to sit with the complications of love, sex and youth. She proudly vacillates in her perspectives, emotions and behaviors in a raw and purely human body of work.
“who f**king cares?” masters the balancing act between these contradictions. Stripped down and featuring a single acoustic guitar, the song sees young angry, self-critical and prideful. the sonic chaos of the preceding songs meets a violent end in this track, during which young’s beautiful lyrics and evocative voice dominate.
“Sad SOb StOry :)” and “caN We iGNOre it? :(“ appear as a pair on the record. the former explores the bittersweet experience of leaving behind a difficult relationship, while the latter rejects self-reflection as young seeks to forget her problems “even for just one day.”
While “i’m Only F**king Myself” is a strong addition to young’s discography, it has its weak points. “Not Like that anymore” has some questionable lyrical choices — “i like a dopamine hit more than a fat kid loves cake” — and isn’t particularly memorable.
Listeners who only know young from tiktok clips sell her terribly short. “i’m Only F**king Myself” is scandalous, relatable and deeply sensitive. young brings with her an acute awareness of what lies beneath the surface of parties, drugs and sex — this is at the heart of what makes her such a compelling storyteller and performer.
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Photo by Erin X. Smithers