Commentary
The Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment has proposed a commercial overhaul of Morley Field Park, located in the Woodlawn neigh borhood of Pawtucket, according to Pawtucket 5th District Representative Clovis Gregor. City officials, who first introduced the idea in May 2021, are looking to sell the 5-acre site to private developer JK Equities LLC, which would turn it into a parking lot and distribution center, Gregor said.
Despite the recent improvement in the state, the virus is killing thousands of people at the national level. “If you
look at the country-level trends, there are about 80,000 new cases and an other 500 people dying every single day,” said Amy Nunn, professor of behavioral and social sciences in the School of Public Health and professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Med ical School. “The mortality rate has gone down, but it is not insignificant.”
land Department of Health consultant medical director and associate profes sor of medicine at the University. “We are relatively back to normal. At this stage in the game, it’s about being vigilant and “Infectionsobservant.”areatalow level, which is a great thing,” he added. “We are in a good place with Omicron and COVID in general, but some of the variants are still in circulation.”
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RI continues facing COVID-19, monkeypox
Rhode Island public health officials are continuing the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as a new threat of monkeypox emerges. Officials who spoke with The Herald expressed opti mism about Rhode Island’s COVID-19 infection rates and shared preventative tips for monkeypox.
Women’s soccer defeats Providence College to
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the University nearly $4 million for costs incurred in its response to the COVID-19 pandem ic — namely expenses from its testing services — through FEMA’s Public As sistance Program, according to an Aug. 29 news release.
“I am cautiously optimistic about the direction we are going in with COVID,” said Phillip Chan, Rhode Is
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those who did not select housing in the April lottery. Several upperclass men elected to move off campus after receiving their placements.
Lu explained that while the second housing lottery was similar to the first,
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‘The Pope at War’ Page 5
The CDC recommends that people
should have spent probably studying or justDuerelaxing.”tocomplications with its ini tial process, ResLife opened a second housing lottery and an additional as signment process over the summer for
“I think this is something that we’re going to have to grapple with on a regular basis,” she added. “The population has COVID fatigue. No one really wants to talk about it anymore, and this is making things difficult.”
Students discuss housing after challenges last spring
Residents protest Morley Field Park redevelopment
Michael Lu ’25 described the initial housing lottery experience as stressful and frustrating.
Since the start of the pandemic, over 420,000 people in Rhode Island have been infected with COVID, and there have been nearly 3,700 deaths.
U. alum presents TOMORROW
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The number of daily cases in Rhode Island peaked in January this year, when the daily average number of cases in the state reached over 5,000, according to the New York Times. After a brief surge in May, the number of reported cases has been on a steady decline. An average of 220 cases per day were recorded in Rhode Island last week — a 10% drop relative to infection rates two weeks ago.
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ResLife did not release spreadsheets of available dorms prior to the process, so students could not plan to select specific rooms.
BY MICHAEL SEOANE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
80% of the 165 sophomores received housing assignments before the end of June, while the rest received their housing by Aug. 2.
In recent weeks, the city’s plans have sparked community-wide back lash among residents, council mem bers and political candidates in the area.“I found (the plan) to be pretty in sulting,” Gregor said. “It’s simply not acceptable.”MorleyField Park, first estab lished in 1970, currently stands as
She said that Woodlawn is home to many people of color and many households live at or below the pov erty rate. She added that Woodlawn has many multi-family units lacking substantial backyards or greenspace.
Grant to help University cover relatedtesting,COVID-19pandemic-costs
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Proposed commercial overhaul of park sparks backlash, preservation efforts by locals
University continues to provide KN95 masks, test kits to students
COVID-19
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The $3,961,745 of funding will cover the cost of 76,861 COVID-19 tests ad ministered by the University between
Roots 2Empower is a Rhode Island nonprofit that invests in agriculture and green industries to empower marginalized communities.
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Sophomores, juniors largely content with outcomes despite hectic process FEMA awards U. nearly $4 million in grant funding
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After a shortage in rooms listed on the Office of Residential Life’s student housing portal left some members of the class of 2025 without room as signments, many ended the spring 2022 semester uncertain of where they would live in the fall. The Herald spoke with seven students about their expe riences with the housing process and where they wound up.
As a Pawtucket resident who is fa miliar with the affected area, Battle expressed her growing disappoint ment in city officials, pointing out the severe detriments the new facility would have on already disenfran chisedAccordingpopulations.toBattle, the parking lot would generate a heat island, spaces in cities that have higher temperatures than surrounding areas. “That alone is environmental racism in my opinion,” sheBattlesaid. also expressed concerns for the physical and mental well-being
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the largest recreational greenspace in Woodlawn, a neighborhood with a working-class population, said Tarshire Battle, founder and exec utive director of Roots 2Empower.
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Peng ’26: Despite promise, most modern gift economies fail
“The first moment when the re ports started coming in of how quickly housing was going out, we were really angry because we had spent so much time looking at Brown Bear Dens, look ing at the spreadsheets,” he said. “Like hours and hours every day that we
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Watson panel discusses professor’s new book
After the first housing lottery, ResLife reopened the application for students to move off campus. Aaliyah Battle ’24 applied to move off campus after receiving her hous ing assignment: a suite in Graduate Center separate from the rest of her housing group. She said after receiv ing approval she was informed she would have to formally accept the
Jada Wooten ’24 and Lauren Grif fiths ’24 — who organized a pro test last spring pushing for changes within ResLife after the first lot tery failed — said that one of their goals for this coming year is to push for more student involvement in ResLife.After the protest, “we were able to meet with people at ResLife,” Griffiths said. “We had a pretty constructive meeting about different ideas that studentsResLifehad.”“admitted to a lot of the shortcomings that they had last year, especially with the understaffing of the department and the way the hous ing lottery went,” said Drake, who also attended the meeting. “It was nice to have that meeting, but we didn’t get a lot of concrete plans going forward.”
After the $4 million reimbursement, the University has received approximately $34 million to cover COVID-19 related costs through January 2022. The most recent funding will cover the cost of testing, masks and other pandemic-related expenses from last year.
“We (were) already in the spring semester,” Battle said. “We’re like months late to the process. We had to tour, talk to landlords, look up plac es, tour them again and then decide on where we’re going to stay within a week.” Battle did go through with the process and felt satisfied with her find.
As a result of that meeting, Woo ten was later offered a position over the summer to work on a search com mittee within ResLife. She said that the committee was primarily con cerned with operations within ResLife including expanding the size of the department.“Wehave received feedback from students about their experiences with the housing selection processes last spring and have been developing plans that incorporate that feedback for the next round of selection pro cesses,” Ice said. “We will be seeking additional feedback from students on our changes for key improvements and then sharing more information in the coming weeks.”
ditures, Clark wrote. This most recent grant brings the total funding Brown has received for costs incurred be tween the onset of the pandemic and January 2022 to approximately $34 million.
“Sending 500 20-year-olds out into College Hill to sign the first lease of their lives in a week is just bound to be a disaster,” said Ethan Drake ’24, who also ended up obtaining off cam pus housing after the initial lottery.
“FEMA funding has played an in strumental role in offsetting a portion of the significant costs incurred by higher education institutions through out the pandemic,” Clark wrote. “At Brown, these expenditures were es sential in protecting the health and safety of the community and enabling the University to continue to provide a world-class education despite the challenges of COVID-19.”
Despite the outcome of the initial lottery, some students told The Her ald that they found ResLife’s support and the later lottery helpful and were satisfied with the outcome of their housing.Lureceived a large single in He geman Hall following the second lot tery. “It’s quiet housing, so it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for,” Lu said about his current room. “But it’s really nice, and all around, I have no complaints.”LikeLu,Zoe Siegel ’25 ended up pleased with her room assignment after the second housing lottery. She and her friends were assigned doubles in a suite. The other three rooms in her suite belong to people she did not know beforehand, but Siegel said it did not worry her.
Heal, Ben
’25 didn’t receive housing through the first or second lottery. In an email to The Herald, Brenda Ice, senior as sociate dean and senior director of residential life, said that 165 sopho mores were unable to select housing after the second lottery.
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides supplemental financial sup port to communities after disasters, according to Daniel Laurich, public assistance branch chief for FEMA Re gion 1, which covers New England. Or ganizations eligible for reimbursement typically include states, Indigenous groups, territories and local govern ments, or a private nonprofit, which range from hospitals to schools, col leges and “FEMAuniversities.ispleasedto be able to as sist Brown University with these costs,” FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich wrote in the news release. “Providing resources for our institu tions of higher education to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to their
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COVID-19 testing, personal protec tive equipment and “emergency funds to allow students to study remotely,” he added.Including funding to the Univer sity, FEMA has awarded Rhode Island
said. “I think it takes some courage to open yourself up to criticism.”
2 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS HOUSING FROM PAGE 1 FEMA FROM PAGE 1
decision within a week.
success, and our success as a nation.”
almost $544 million in grants for pan demic-related expenses, according to the news Brownrelease.hassubmitted several ap plications for FEMA reimbursement on eligible pandemic-related expen
Brown’s pandemic-related expens es exceeded $55 million in fiscal year 2021 and nearly reached $25 million in fiscal year 2022, Clark wrote. FEMA funding has been allocated toward
October 2021 and January 2022, ac cording to the news release. The Uni versity requested FEMA funding to cover these expenses in July, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
Ward received an email from ResLife that said that the second lottery had not gone as planned, but that she would be assigned housing by July. “I was very surprised because I was expecting housing,” Ward said. “But I still felt confident that I was going to get housing. I also felt that they would most likely be very recep tive to any requests I had since it was an unusual situation.”
After learning that she would not receive housing through the second ary lottery, Ward said ResLife coordi nated a meeting with a representative to discuss the situation with her. “I really liked that, because I’m sure some people were frustrated,” Ward
Lu and Siegel both expressed sympathy toward their peers who received housing late into the first lottery, as they received the leftover housing — for example, Perkins Hall.
“It just didn’t really sit right with me,” SiegelUnlikesaid.Siegel and Lu, Ava Ward
“Over the remainder of the spring semester and throughout the summer, residential life staff gathered housing preference information from (stu dents without housing assignments) via forms, emails and conversations,” Ice wrote. They “then made individ ual assignments that endeavored to match the students’ stated preferenc es for roommates and room configu rations with the available housing.”
According to Ice, 80% of the 165 sophomores received housing assign ments before the end of June, while the rest received their placements by Aug. 2.
According to Policastro, the city has “proposed purchasing a total of 9.49 acres of undeveloped land along the Seekonk river” adjacent to Max Read Field to serve as the replacement.
plans to develop a larger replacement recreation facility are underway.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 3THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS PROTEST FROM PAGE 1
COURTESY OF CLOVIS GREGOR
were taken at Morley Field which found the presence of … lead and gas and oil-related byprod ucts at levels above residential and industrial direct exposure criteria,” he wrote. “Once we were made aware of these results, we immediately … limited public access to Morley Field.”
Hunter also stated that this “unfor tunate reality” has rendered the space unsuitable for recreational usage.
Rhode Islanders from all walks of life came to show their support for the preservation efforts, even if they were not native to the Woodlawn area, Stewart added. “We were all there as concerned people — people who lived in Pawtucket, but also people who lived right over the border. People in Providence could relate to the struggle.”Throughout the rally, Battle re
One of the event’s organizers, Jen nifer Stewart, teaches at the Moses Brown School and is the Democratic nominee for the Rhode Island House of Representatives District 59 seat.
But some members of the commu nity believe this solution is not enough.
“It doesn’t do anything for the community as far as green space. (The new location is) in another dis trict, it’s about a mile or so away” from Morley Field, Gregor said. “It
In response to the recent back lash, city officials have said to The Herald and in public meetings that Woodlawn residents will still have access to significant green space, as
“SoilField.samples
“This is a win-win,” Hunter wrote. “Pawtucket will boost economic devel opment with the creation of 450 new jobs while receiving a new public park and green space.”
Protestors rallied to preserve and revitalize the green space on Satur day, Sept. 3 outside of Morley Field.
Hunter wrote that while he looks forward to continuing his work along side Gregor to settle the ongoing con flict, he maintains his support for moving forward with the city’s plans.
called residents sharing personal stories and childhood experiences in Morley“WhenField.you have actual residents at the rally and (are) giving voice to their concerns and talking about their issues, it’s more powerful,” Battle said.
“We had an excellent turnout. … It felt energetic (and) optimistic,” Stew art said. “We possess the power to do something. … It was really gratifying.”
In a letter addressed to the Paw tucket City Council, Bianca Policastro, director of planning and redevelop ment for Pawtucket, wrote that be cause Morley Field was established under a Federal National Park Ser vice’s grant, the city is mandated by law to create a substitute public recre ational space of equal or greater area if they decide to sell the current land.
CLASS OF 2026, HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED!
of residents if the park turns into a parkingChristopherfacility.Hunter, a spokesperson for Pawtucket, wrote in an email to The Herald that he understands why residents are upset. But he wrote that redevelopment is necessary given the neglected and dangerous state of Mor ley
There’s nothing more beautiful than Brown on a crisp fall day ... except for maybe Wickenden Pub on a beautiful Wednesday evening. Or maybe Ego on a Thursday night. Or that sweaty frat basement where you met the love of your life on Friday at midnight. At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we are beholden with you.
Morley Field Park currently stands as the largest recreational greenspace for Woodlawn residents. The replacement green space would be along the Seekonk River. “It does nothing to mitigate the loss of green space or heat zoning,” said Pawtucket 5th District Representative Clovis Gregor.
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does nothing to mitigate the loss of green space or heat zoning.”
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TODAY’S
Monkeypox
The Bears dominated play from start to finish, recording 17 shots to the Friars’ three and six efforts on target compared to just one from Providence.
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Heathen: Race and Religion in American History 4 to 5:30 p.m. 85 Waterman Street
“We dropped (Calhoun) in as a defensive mid just to help us play make a little more and keep the game
ahead of us,” McNeil said. “I thought she did a really good job of being a pivot player, allowing us to switch the point of attack (and) allowing us to keep possession of the ball, and I think that … opened up the seams for our forwards and our midfielders to exploit
“A Night of Knowing Nothing” Film Screening 6 p.m. 280 Brook Street
Theweek.Bears will now look ahead to a heavyweight battle with Big 12 pow erhouse Oklahoma State University (6-1-1), whom Brown defeated 2-1 last season in the programs’ first-ev er meeting.“We’reexcited. We know that we can play with teams like this and we think we are a team like them,” Allen said.
“Marking Time: Art in the Ages of Mass Incarceration” Reception 7 to 9 p.m List Art Center
students, according to the email.
“Brown has had enough resources to develop its own surveillance and testing facilities, which have been great,” Nunn said. “I really admire the way the University has handled things. You have to be humble about it because things can change in the blink of an eye.”
Monkeypox has spread interna
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“For the general public, the risk is low,” Chan said. “The one group that we’ve seen disproportionately impacted are gay and bisexual men. Members of the LGBTQ+ community should think about getting vaccinated.”
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Seelenfreund provided the differ ence on the scoreboard, netting a wellplaced breakaway effort and a dazzling free kick to make her goal tally five in the last four games and seven over the entire season.
to Raphino, who brought it down while fighting off a pair of defenders. Raphi no then sent a perfectly weighted pass behind the defense and into the path of a streaking Seelenfreund. Taking a couple more touches, Seelenfreund placed a shot with enough pace to pass through the goalkeeper’s fingers into the side netting.
McNeil also highlighted the role of midfielder Evelyn Calhoon ’24 in establishing midfield dominance with the new formation.
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Two goals from striker bring Crosstown Cup back to College Hill on University’s birthday
The victory returned the Crosstown Cup to Brown after the Friars secured a 2-1 victory with second-half goals in last season’s matchup. It also returned the Bears to the win column after they lost 3-2 to No. 22 Ohio State University and tied Northeastern University 1-1 last
The University has also made free KN95 masks and test kits available to
“I was proud to see the state come together during COVID, and to see the universities come together as well,” Chan said. “I think we’re very lucky to be in the state of Rhode Island.”
SPORTS
Just seven minutes later, Allen, playing on the opposite side of Max well, won her own tackle, driving up the wing, before finding Seelenfre und just entering the attacking third. Seelenfreund drove with pace toward the penalty box, forcing a Providence defender to push her from behind, set ting up a free kick ten yards outside the box and even with the middle of the Withgoal. both Allen and Seelenfre und standing behind the ball, it was
Monkeypox spreads through close, skin-to-skin contact or contact with respiratory secretions or contaminat ed surfaces. The disease has dispro portionately affected members of the LGBTQ+ community, said Chan and Nunn, although people of all demo graphics who have been in close con tact with someone with monkeypox can contract the virus. In August, Governor Dan McKee announced that RIDOH
“That’s what I have encouraged my patients to do,” he added.
Providence.”Inthesecond half, Providence gained a larger footing in the game, upping their press on the Bruno de fense and midfield. Two hard fouls on Raphino marked a more aggressive half for the Friars, but still it was Brown with the better of the chances. In the 76th minute, midfielder Lucinda An derson ’24 effectively killed the game. Defender Jessica Hinton ’24 sent a free kick from near the halfway line into the box, where the ball bobbled around until Anderson volleyed a lobbed shot into the corner of the net, for the first goal of her college career.
VIRUS FROM PAGE 1
would expand its efforts to vaccinate Rhode Islanders, opening vaccine eli gibility from just those who have been exposed to also include Rhode Island men who identify as gay, bisexual, queer or who have sex with men or transgender indivudals and who have had multiple or anonymous sex part ners in the last 30 days.
Seelenfreund ’23 shines as women’s soccer defeats Providence College
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Midfielder Zoe Maxwell ’23, who was playing on the right flank, came inside and won the ball back before it dropped to Sheyenne Allen ’23.
The University announced that it would “report monkeypox cases only when there is a public health rationale for doing so,” according to Estes’ and Britto’s email. Contact tracing will be donePeopleanonymously.exposed to monkeypox should contact a medical provider right
“That was a major focus,” said mid fielder Sheyenne Allen ’23. “We talked about doing that in our pregame film and we wanted to win the ball (in the midfield), play wide and exploit their weaknesses.”Thetactics provided dividends in just the first few minutes, when the Friars were unable to complete more than a couple of passes in a row in a crowded midfield. Seelenfreund’s in terception on a Providence goal kick opened an opportunity for forward Miya Grant-Clavijo ’25, who picked up the ball and dribbled into the box before being tackled near the goal line. The narrow defensive posture also led to the Bears’ first goal. Midfielder Zoe Maxwell ’23, who was playing on the right flank, came inside and won the ball back before it dropped to Al len’s feet. Allen then sent a long ball
away, as getting a vaccine within four days of exposure significantly cuts the chances of someone developing the disease, Chan and Nunn said. The University recommends that eligible individuals take the preventive vaccine, and that people who have been exposed to the virus contact Health Services to schedule an appointment.
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The Bears played with five midfield ers in a 3-5-2 formation throughout the game. The wide players often pinched in defensively — a tactical decision that allowed them to congest the center of the field and prevented the Friars from playing through and causing turnovers for Seelenfreund and forward Brittany Raphino ’23 to capitalize on.
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The University required that all stu dents and staff receive an approved COVID-19 vaccine and booster, and for students to test 24-36 hours be fore coming back for the fall semester, according to an email from Vice Pres ident for Campus Life Eric Estes and Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness Vanessa Britto MSc’96.
“We actually lined up that (free kick situation) yesterday in practice in a very similar position,” Seelenfreund said. “I’ve been working on free kicks a lot.”The match marked Seelenfreund’s fourth straight game with a goal. Her season tally has almost reached the eight goals she scored the entirety of last season. “Ava has been unbeliev able,” said Head Coach Kia McNeil.
Seelenfreund that took it, unleashing a majestic curler that the Providence goalkeeper helplessly watched nestle into the top right corner of the net.
ages 12 and up get a COVID booster shot at least two months after receiving their last vaccine. 48% of Rhode Island ers have been boosted as of Aug. 31.
BY NICHOLAS MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
CALENDAR
tionally in recent months. The first case of monkeypox outside West and Central Africa, where it is endemic, was recorded in the United Kingdom in May, but there have now been over 23,000 reported cases in the U.S.
On the back of two goals from Seelenfreund, the No. 25 women’s soc cer team (5-1-1) defeated Providence College (2-5-1) 3-0 Thursday to claim the Crosstown Cup, given to the winner of the annual matchup between the intracity foes.
4 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
At a game where the first 200 people in attendance received a cupcake to commemorate the University’s 258th birthday, it was forward Ava Seelenfre und ’23 that gave the Bruno fans the biggest reason to celebrate.
Madigan continued the panel by addressing criticisms of Kertzer’s book, remarking that “there is a kind of hos tile and adversarial and sometimes even venomous quality to the writings of (his)Incritics.”response to criticisms that the book offered “no new findings,” Madi gan characterized the complaints as “work(s) of denial” if not acts of “bad faith … deployed to conceal uncomfort able truths and to hide an extra-histor ical agenda,” he said.
opened in Kertzer,2020.whotraveled to Italy in ear ly March 2020, was delayed in accessing the archives due to early COVID-19 lockdowns in the country announced just days after his arrival.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 5THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
Professor David Kertzer ’69 used newly uncovered archives in writing process
NEIL MEHTA / HERALD
The research of David Kertzer ’69 was delayed because of early COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy announced days after his arrival to the country.
BY NEIL MEHTA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Best-selling author discusses book on Pope Pius XII’s role in World War II
In his introductory remarks, Kertzer discussed the background of his book and his attempts to access the Vatican’s archives.“There’s been a great controversy over the silence over the wartime Pope Pius XII and his actions and inactions during World War II, and the fact that he never spoke out against the ongoing attempts to exterminate the Jews of Europe,” Kertzer said, adding that there was “a lot of pressure on the Vatican to open their archives” before they were
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Kertzer “discovered that about five weeks after Pius XII became pope ... Hitler sent his personal secret envoy to enter secret negotiations” with him. Those negotiations remained secret for 80 years until discovered in the archives.Based on the newly uncovered archives, Kertzer wrote the narra tive-driven book, which earned praise from the panelists for its prose and relevance as well as Kertzer’s depth of knowledge.Steward-Steinberg praised the book, saying that it is “not just about secrets
Kertzer closed the discussion by underscoring the controversy sur rounding his book, noting that around a week after the Italian version of the text was published, the Vatican daily newspaper dedicated a full-page spread to denouncing the book.
But in June 2020, one of Kertzer’s colleagues based in Rome was able to access and digitize over 8,000 pages of the archives and send them to him, he said.The archives were filled with then-unknown stories about Pius XII’s controversial relationships with World War II-era Axis leaders. For example,
New York Times best-selling author and Brown Professor David Kertzer ’69 discussed his book about the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II and his sometimes controversial rela tionship with Hitler and Mussolini at a Thursday evening panel hosted by the Watson Institute for International and PublicKertzer,Affairs.aprofessor of social science, anthropology and Italian studies, used newly opened Vatican archives for the book,“The Pope at War: The Secret His tory of Pius XII, Mussolini and Hitler.”
that get revealed” but is also “incredibly wellLuzattowritten.”also highlighted Kertzer’s historical expertise and precision, de scribing his background knowledge as his “competitive advantage.”
At the event, Kertzer discussed his book with University of Connecticut Chair in Modern Italian History Sergio Luzzatto, Harvard Professor of Eccle siastical History Kevin Madigan P’19 and Brown Chair of Italian Studies Su zanne Steward-Steinberg P’19. The discussion was moderated by Edward Steinfield P’23, director of the Watson Institute.While Pius XII had been charac terized as both the “Jews’ Pope” and “Hitler’s Pope” by different scholars, Kertzer’s criticism of Pius XII creat
During the reception following the discussion, panelists continued to praise “The Pope at War.”
“This is a really interesting book,” Steward-Steinberg told The Herald. “The story is really well written, and it’s compelling.”
Steinfield said to The Herald that Kertzer’s work is “exceptional scholar ship” that discusses “issues that are … relevant today. This is exactly the kind of program we always love to hold.”
ed “the definitive book on the issue,” Luzatto said.
COURTESY OF HBO/WARNERMEDIA “House of the Dragon” follows the house Targaryen and has the same aesthetic as its predecessor, “Game of Thrones,” but brings a fresh cast and set of writers.
What viewers can (and should) ex pect is for “House of the Dragon” to be a satisfying watch. The show’s first episode shocks with visceral scenes of Viserys’ wife Aemma Arryn’s (Sian Brooke) death and Daemon’s failure in one-on-one combat. But it’s the kind of discomfort that makes audiences admire, rather than rebuke, the fran chise — which walks the fine boundary between tasteful and overindulgent gore and violence.
one final twist, things just didn’t line up. Unfortunately, completely rewriting the end of a finished series is not really an option in television — though some fans had hoped “Game of Thrones” would be the first to try. As a show, the legacy of “Game of Thrones” will forever be marred by a poorly executed ending. As a franchise, however, there is still room for redemption. Fan loyalty is strong, and the general popularity of the original series still hasn’t worn off. By starting fresh with a new show, “House of the Dragon” presents the opportunity for the brand to make amends with its fanbase. If the series is executed well, “Game of Thrones”
Over three years after the severely sub optimal finale of “Game of Thrones,” the battle for the seven kingdoms has returned to HBO — with a completely different timeline and cast. Some names are familiar — Targaryen, for instance, is the show’s central house — while others have been added to bring new blood into the mix. Set exactly 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen, one of the main characters of the original, the much-anticipated prequel to “Game of Thrones” follows the Targaryen line, tracing the beginnings of their eventual loss of the Iron Throne.
know the ultimate fate of the seven kingdoms.Hopefully, this means that there will be guardrails in place to prevent the production team from making a mess of any grand finales. Though “Game of Thrones” had a stellar seven (or, if you were being generous, seven-and-ahalf) season run, much of that success was tarnished with a rushed and lack luster series ending. Fans and critics alike were thoroughly disappointed. The actions Daenerys took in those last few episodes made little sense when weighed against her character develop ment throughout the show. While the writers may have been trying to pull off
The stakes are set high, considering the success of the first seven seasons of “Game of Thrones.” It is hard to see “House of the Dragon” ever matching the complexity and volatility of its predecessor — but it’s certainly worth a shot. The worst may have already happened to the “Game of Thrones” franchise, so a solid prequel may be greeted with open arms. A real shot at redemption isn’t out of the ques tion yet.
her descendant, fan-favorite Daenerys. They are of similar height, build and have the same silvery hair; both seem most comfortable sitting atop a drag on; and both are hungry for power. But despite the similarities between the two shows’ main characters, they are not carbon copies of each other.
‘House of the Dragon’ brings redemption for ‘Game of Thrones’ ending
may be able to earn back some of the respect it lost in that final season. If it is executed stunningly, perhaps it may provide closure for fans still dis appointed by the final fate of Westeros.
The key Targaryens of “House of the Dragon” are Viserys (Paddy Con sidine), Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Daemon (Matt Smith). The show opens with Viserys as the ruler of Westeros, a king growing weary of the throne after the tragic loss of his wife and unborn child. And the death of his only son has forced him to name a new heir, lest he leave the kingdom in the hands of his younger brother, Daemon. Daemon’s rashness, arrogance and affinity for bloodshed ultimately lead Viserys to choose his daughter, Rhaenyra, as heir instead.Longtime “Game of Thrones” view ers will likely see in Rhaenyra echoes of
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In this sense, the show definitely feels like “Game of Thrones.” There are similarities in the show’s sparse script and preference for action over dialogue. Though the unexpected plot twists so characteristic of “Game of Thrones” haven’t appeared yet, viewers can only expect that they soon will. And, after all, the series is a prequel — fans already
Similarly, “House of the Dragon” is not merely a repeat of its predecessor. While the set, family trees and intro music of the new series are all famil iar callbacks to the old, the shows are ultimately distinct. There is no overlap in casting or writers (unless you are counting George R.R. Martin, author of the book series that inspired “Game of Thrones”). Jon Snow is merely a distant future, and the North so far seems ir relevant. In other words, this is not the age of the Starks and the Lannisters.
BY RYA VALLABHANENI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ARTS & CULTURE
Franchise prequel has similar aura to predecessor, with various differences
Compared to the market economy in which people build a relationship based on the items traded, the gift economy focuses on building a relationship between the people trading. In fact, repaying a gift, immediately or with some thing of exactly equal value, may be read as ending the social relationship. Rather than ac cumulating material wealth, participants in a gift economy grow richer through obtaining social capital. The affluent give away what they don’t need to increase their status. As people take care of other members in their community, the community will take care of them.
Peng ’26: Why most gift economies fail
Burning Man is an illustration of the gift economy, a system of exchange in which goods are not sold, but rather given without an explic it precondition. Participants trade supplies and expertise not as a means to obtain wealth, but instead to collaboratively transform Black Rock City into a “temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reli ance.” While advocates of this system preach benefits such as increased interconnectedness, I would argue that aimlessly establishing gift economies could actually backfire in large, dif fuse communities.
This idea works, in theory.
lands, where communities are governed by strict honor codes and a social norm of reci procity. There, neighbors can keep each oth er accountable. Givers are happy to give, and people on the receiving end are comfortable with returning the favor.
a coincidence that most modern gift economies fail. While healthy gift economies can theoretically produce a more collaborative society, their nature to place absolute faith in the community means they can be easily ex ploited. Additionally, it can be discouraging to givers if free riders keep taking advantage of their kindness and others fail to participate in the concept’s focus on reciprocity. For more gift economies to succeed and remain successful, all members of the community must be committed to continuing the cycle of giving.
in the Trobriand Islands. There, tribesmen liv ing on the islands took dangerous canoe jour neys across miles of ocean to participate in the kula, a ceremonial exchange of shell necklaces and arm bracelets. These items were received as friendship tokens and carried with them an obligation to continue the exchange. Through circling these ceremonial mementos, tribes men were able to gain social credit and cement
Christina Peng ’26 can be reached at christi na_peng@brown.edu. Please send respons es to this opinion to letters@browndaily herald.com and other op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
“While healthy gift economies can theoretically produce a more collaborative society, their nature to place absolute faith in the community means they can be easily exploited.”
While gift economy advocates have made various attempts to put this altruistic model into practice, most of these experiments have ended in failure. In 2010, Panera’s founder Ron Shaich opened the first Panera Cares Communi ty Cafe in St. Louis, Missouri. Patrons were giv en the option to “pay what they can” for their meal, with recommended donation options for each menu item. Customers who could not af ford to pay were given the opportunity to vol unteer at the store as payment. Initially, this
price — despite having the means to comfort ably afford them in full — and the restaurant chain grew wary of these incidents. According to Yelp reviews for the Boston location, securi ty guards regularly “roamed around the lobby glaring at customers” and managers accused patrons of lying about when they last paid for a meal, warning them to not “abuse the sys tem.” Unlike in a true gift economy, partici pants were morally shamed for not paying the full, recommended price. Despite other posi tive reviews that praised Panera’s generosity, the restaurants soon ran out of money to cov er operating costs. On Feb. 15, 2019, Panera Cares closed its last location, ending this de cade-longPanera’sexperiment.experiment revealed one main, underlying issue: Gift economies are not sus tainable on a large scale as there is no guar antee of continued reciprocity. Since a large community is so diffuse, it would be difficult to police against free riders, people who ben efit from the system without giving back to continue the cycle. It would seem that gift economies work when they are applied on a smaller scale, such as in the Trobriand Is
bonds between families and clans.
model proved to be a success: Shaich said that, “20% would leave more than the suggested do nation, 60% would leave the suggested amount and 20% would leave less.” Pretty soon, Shaich had opened five Panera Cares locations in the UnitedHowever,States.this innovative idea soon began to cause problems for Panera Cares. Some pa trons repeatedly ordered meals at a reduced
The gift economy reflects an optimistic per spective in which the more you give, the richer you become. Within this system, gifts are given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards: offering water to a thirsty trav eler, donating food to a homeless shelter and sending holiday cookies to your neighbor for Christmas. In these examples, the giver is not necessarily expecting something in return — the gifts themselves are unconditional. Instead, the recipients are expected to voluntarily pay it forward. In other words, they are obligated to return the favor based on a social norm of reci procity. That traveler could show up next week with free souvenirs, underprivileged kids from the shelter could mail back thank-you postcards and your neighbor could help babysit your dog while you are on vacation. The unwritten rules for how and when to repay these gifts vary be tween cultures, and they may be returned in manyTheforms.gifteconomy is not a novel concept. Its first studies came from anthropologists Bro nislaw Malionwski and Marcel Mauss who re corded the “imponderabilia of everyday life”
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 7THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY
On Aug. 28, the Burning Man Festival re turned to its home in Black Rock City af ter the event had moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. In northwestern Ne vada, artists gathered to craft creative piec es and build sculptures based on an annual theme. It’s a week-long, communal space that operates on the tenets of radical inclusion and self-reliance. Commerce is strictly for bidden throughout the week, so participants must share resources and work together. Starting with only 20 members in 1986, the Burning Man Festival has grown to support nearly 80,000 attendees in 2022.
Think back to the Burning Man Festival. While its growing popularity has attracted some of the most talented artisans and craftsmen around the world, it has also attracted free rid ers who attend the festival without an intent to contribute. Recently, an influx of celebrities and tech executives such as Heidi Klum, Katy Per ry and Paris Hilton have flocked to Black Rock City, towing luxurious campsites and private chefs into the desert. These well-heeled travel ers have uneased the Burning Man communi ty by building extravagant turnkey camps and lavishly partying on “Billionaires’ row.” With tens of thousands of participants in a space where each person is given the ability to free ly self-express, it became undeniably difficult for the Burning Man team to manage. Unsur prisingly, the festival soon lost its free-spirited, counter-culture touch and devolved into a cap italist corporate retreat for Silicon Valley tech elites. Rather than participating in the com munity-building project of Burning Man, these ultra-wealthy individuals placed equipment in other camps and refused to engage with other campers.Itisnot
“This is an echo of history and, even though this happened in the past, our perception of it is (either) murky or clear,” she Lee-Johnsonsaid. then gave a presen tation on the exhibition. Neumann introduced Lee-Johnson and said that the exhibition was “ a celebration of (her) work” that invites onlookers to “dig in and dig Lee-Johnsondeep.”tookto the podium to discuss her inspiration for the prints.
& CULTURE
Jazzmen Lee-Johnson MA’15 layers silk prints over wallpaper after student concern
Lluvia Richmond ’22 said that they came to see the exhibition after they had a class where Lee-Johnson came
to interact with the exhibition and the history of the wallpaper.
JNBC Director Dietrich Neumann said in an interview with The Herald that Marisa Angell Brown, former JNBC assistant director, invited Lee-Johnson to create a response to the wallpaper after students expressed concerns about its content.Lee-Johnson said she was inspired to use silk prints because it would allow viewers to see her piece while still making the wallpaper itself vis ible.Lee-Johnson said that she want ed the prints to have the aesthetic of quilting to highlight the importance of the art form to many communities. Lee-Johnson also invited viewers to touch both the wallpaper and the prints
the audience to clap along with her hip hop performance. After the perfor mance she gestured to the portraits of white subjects on the walls of the room and began to speak about her time as a student in the JNBC.
New exhibition remixes ‘problematic’ wallpaper on campus
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 8THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
ARTS
BY KAITLYN TORRES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
as a guest Autumnlecturer.Tilley ’26 said that she came to the exhibition because it is required for a class she is taking. She noted that she appreciated the oppor tunity to see an art installation process and explore the exhibit as a recycling of history and art.
KAITLYN TORRES / HERALD
She said that the wallpaper depicts five motifs, all romanticized versions of the UnitedOneStates.motif she discussed showed a view of New York from New Jersey and featured an image from Edward William Clay’s “Life in Philadelphia,” which depicts African Americans “try ing to assimilate … (and) trying to be fancy in a derogatory way,” Lee-John sonLee-Johnsonsaid. said that her method ology for creating art is rooted in music, rhythm, dance and hip hop. She invited
“I come into this space and I see no one who looks like me and see this wall paper that features Indigenous people and Black peoples … in this misrepre sented way,” she said.
Fitt Artist-in-Residence Jazzmen Lee-Johnson MA ’15 spoke Thursday evening about her recent exhibition, “Not Ever More,” at a talk hosted by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heri tage. Lee-Johnson’s work is “informed by a yearning to understand how our current circumstance is tethered to the trauma of the past,” according to her“Notwebsite.Ever More,” presented at the Nightingale-Brown House, was created to cover a wallpaper featured in the building, Lee-Johnson said. The wall paper was created in the 19th century by a French artist and is problematic in its depiction of Black and Indigenous peoples, she explained.
The next Conversations at the JNBC event will be next Thursday and will host Joseph Chazan, a Rhode Island arts patron, illustrator Erminio Pin que and Lenny Schwartz, a writer and playwright.
Jazzmen Lee-Johnson MA’15 was inspired to use silk prints because it would allow visitors to view her response to the wallpaper while still making the wallpaper itself visible.
