Friday, September 24th, 2021

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE XVIII

UNIVERSITY NEWS

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Afro-Latinx Alliance honors Skunk sightings spark cautious curiosity Hispanic Heritage Month Students plan potlucks, social activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month BY KASHIF ANSARI STAFF WRITER In the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month, Carlos Tejada ’22 and the Afro-Latinx Alliance have been reflecting on what it means to be an Afro-Latinx student at Brown University and the month’s significance for the community. National Hispanic Heritage Month falls between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 and celebrates the achievements, contributions and various cultures of Hispanic Americans in the United States. Additionally, there are numerous independence days of Latin American countries during the month. Countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate it on Sept. 15, Mexico on the 16th and Chile on the 18th. ALA was founded by two Afro-Puerto Rican graduates of the class of 2020 who “noticed on campus that there wasn’t a space for both Black and Latinx students to be in one space,” said

Tejada, who is co-president of the Afro-Latinx Alliance. The club was intended honor and celebrate Latin American students with African descendent roots who do not solely fit into either demographic, according to Tejada. ALA aims to assist Afro-Latinx students by connecting them with resources on campus while also fostering a community of peers, Tejada said. It is a place for students to “to debrief and decompress outside of academics,” he added. As part of their effort to build community, ALA runs events during Hispanic Heritage Month that celebrate the wide range of backgrounds and nationalities present in the club, explained Tejada. Potlucks and celebrations for the different Latin American independence days are among the events planned for Hispanic Heritage Month, he added. ALA also plans to collaborate with other organizations at Brown, such as Latinas at Brown, and plan activities that engage with the local Providence community. One of their current outreach initiatives focuses on getting hispanophones,

SEE HERITAGE PAGE 6

Community members cite increased encounters with striped intruders BY JACK WALKER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR As students settle into the rhythm of the first fully in-person semester in nearly two years, an unlikely population has also joined them in their return to Brown’s campus: Mephitis mephitis, or the striped skunk. Since the start of the semester, skunk sightings have spiked on College Hill, and hastily-taken photographs of encounters have circulated across social media, including pictures

METRO

LOKI OLIN / HERALD

of a skunk who wandered into Sharpe Refectory uninvited which was posted on the Instagram account @brownumemes. While skunk encounters are not new to Brown’s campus — The Herald previously reported on them in 2007, 2011 and 2013 — some students report that the sightings have been far more frequent this semester, with many saying they had never seen one on campus before this fall. When discussing close encounters with Brown’s newest and furriest residents in interviews with The Herald, students expressed curiosity and amusement — along with a certain charmed empathy. This semester, Logan Bauman ’23.5 has been “having encounters with skunks almost daily” but did not

realize “that their prevalence was so widespread that it’s getting media attention,” he noted in an email to The Herald. “Almost every night when I go to my dorm in Diman, I have to put my head down, walk briskly and try to keep from making any possibly menacing sounds or movements,” Bauman explained. “Being a city boy from Los Angeles, the sightings have been thrilling enough to me to become one of the big themes of my semester so far.” Alison Kim ’23 noted that she saw a skunk “three feet away” from her when passing Ruth J. Simmons Quad, “just staring” at her. “It was not scared of me at all,” she said.

SEE SKUNK PAGE 6

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. prof Friedman runs for state senate Dean Gail Cohee to retire

after 20 years at University

Friedman champions afterschool programs, anti-discrimiation legislation

Students, colleagues reflect on Cohee’s impact, legacy, leadership

BY ASHLEY GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY STELLA OLKEN-HUNT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Hilary Levey Friedman, visiting assistant professor of education, is taking her advocacy experience and academic knowledge to a new stage as she runs for State Senate District 3. As a sociologist and a mother, Friedman champions after-school programs, education and equality. Friedman said her approach to policy is rooted in anti-discrimation and pro-equity.“When I think about issues like housing, like education, like public safety and gun violence prevention, I see those as systemic and all interconnected,” she said.“We can try to deal with them separately, but really they’re all linked, so that’s how I approach legislation and think about representing this district.” As the president of the R.I. chapter of the National Organization for Women from 2018 to 2021, Friedman was involved in legislative advocacy on anti-discrimination policies, like the Fair Pay Act, which requires that women and people of color are paid the same amount

as men. This exposure allowed her to form many relationships with individuals in state government, she said. To her, running for state senator was a natural way to impact policy from another angle.

“It became the logical next step for me to think, ‘Okay, I’ve been advocating from this side. How do I think about being a champion

Sports

Metro

Commentary

After a scoreless first half, M. Soccer gave up three goals to PC to lose the game. Page 2

After criticism of appointee to police community relations major, position is redesigned. Page 4

Kharel: The United States should focus its efforts on global vaccine distribution. Page 6

COURTESY OF HILARY LEVEY FRIEDMAN

Friedman has received endorsements from organizations such as AFLCIO and the Service Employees International Union.

SEE FRIEDMAN PAGE 4

After years of leading, teaching, listening and advising, Dean Gail Cohee is set to retire from her position of as director of the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender come December. “When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, Gail was the first person that I went to,” said Lydia DeFusto ’22, librarian at the Sarah Doyle Center. “Just knowing that she was there and rooting for me made everything easier. ... She’s been that person for so many other students in so many different hard times.” “She’s one of those people who really makes you feel like she’s truly not just hearing your words but ... absorbing what you’re saying, and that’s ... kind of rare,” DeFusto added.

“It seemed like the right time,” said Cohee, who is also planning on leaving her dean and teaching positions. “COVID was hard. It was like a year and a half equal to five years, and it feels like it’s time for somebody else to direct the center.” Reflecting on her start: Cohee’s path and beginnings at Sarah Doyle Cohee first came to the University in September 2001. Prior to Brown, she received a PhD in English and a PhD minor in Women’s Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, and she taught British literature in Kansas and upstate New York. “Then I was sort of between things,” Cohee said. “I was tenured at my job in Kansas but had moved to upstate New York for personal reasons. I was on leave from that job, and I started teaching at Siena College, outside Albany, New York.” One day, “a friend of a friend sent me this job ad for Sarah Doyle, so I applied,” Cohee said. At the time, Cohee

SEE COHEE PAGE 2

TODAY

TOMORROW

73 / 63

73 / 59

2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

SPORTS

Men’s soccer falls to Providence College Friars after strong first half Friars take game with 3-0 lead, Bears’ third straight loss despite defensive effort BY RYAN HANDEL SPORTS EDITOR The men’s soccer team went toe-totoe with Providence College (5-1-1, No. 24 in NCAA rankings) at Stevenson-Pincince Field Wednesday night, keeping the Friars off the board in a defensive first half. But after allowing the Friars to knock in a set piece goal in the 51st minute, it was all Providence, and the Bears (2-4) lost their third straight game by a score of 3-0. Both teams played conservatively in the first half, sticking to their formations and not allowing many dangerous counterattacks. Threatening chances to score were few and far between for each side, as Providence generated the only two shots on goal for either team in the half. The first of those shots was a crossing shot by the Friars’ Gevork Diarbian, which was comfortably covered up by Brown goalkeeper Max Waldau ’22. The second shot on goal in the half was launched by Simon Triantafilou, but a deflection by the Bears’ defense slowed the pace of the ball and made it easy

for Waldau to save. Providence’s best chance to score before the break came when Friar Brendan McSorley fired a powerful shot that clanged off the left goalpost, but the Brown defense held firm once again. While Bruno struggled to put together any serious attacks in the half, multiple steals by midfielder and captain Derek Waleffe ’22 and Waldau’s strong performance in goal slowed the Friars down enough to keep the score 0-0 at halftime. “As a whole, we played well in the first half,” Head Coach Patrick Laughlin said. “I thought we did a good job with the ball, good possession, I thought we defended well, I thought we were organized, I thought we very much were sticking to the plan. And it was working.” But Brown’s stout first half defense was nowhere to be found after break. Just six minutes into the second half, Providence’s Luis Garcia hit a corner kick into the middle of Brown’s penalty box, leading to a scrum for the ball as it fell to the turf. The Friars’ Ramzi Qawasmy came out on top, poking the ball into the net for a 1-0 Providence lead. “A silly goal like that to happen, we just got upset for a minute, and then we stopped, we just panicked,” said defender and Brown men’s soccer captain Will Crain ’22. “We thought we had to get a goal, so we had to go for it and that

resulted in worse defending.” Waleffe emphasized that the Bears should not have felt down after falling behind. “In the first half it could have been anyone’s game. Even in the second half, 1-0, off a corner kick, it’s not like they scored a wonder goal, they scored a corner kick,” he said. Midfielder Kyle Gee ’25 had an opportunity to even the scoreline, bursting between two Providence defenders for a potential breakaway. But Gee could not immediately corral the pass intended for him, and the ball was stolen back by the two defenders, ending the threat. Another chance for Bruno to tie the game came with 18 minutes left, as two defenders fell down in Providence’s penalty box but the referee declined to call a penalty kick. Crain attributed the Bears’ difficulty in breaking through the Providence defense to the Friars’ formation. The Friars play “three centerbacks, five (midfielders), so out wide they have it pretty covered, and then in the middle it’s kind of hard to get to,” he said. As Brown’s offense was just beginning to show promise, the wind was taken out of its sails when Providence’s Thomas Tulgar fired a screamer into the top left corner of Brown’s goal. Providence went on to dominate the deflated Bears for the remainder of the game. Just two minutes later, a Friars shot

like I have to change in response to what students are doing and students are thinking and certainly what I know. So in that way, I think I’ve gotten much more sure of myself in terms of the work here.” Cohee has particularly enjoyed working with both student and staff colleagues. “It’s been a really fun place to work, and a place that really couldn’t have had better conversations and intellectual discussions,”

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Dean Gail Cohee has been at the University since September 2001, when started her tenure as Director of the Sarah Doyle center.

COHEE FROM PAGE 1 was unsure if this was what she wanted her next career move to be, but she had been “doing feminist work for a long time ... and teaching for a while,” Cohee explained. Apart from a love for teaching and a desire for role to have an academic component, Cohee had always been interested in women and gender studies. “I’m the first daughter in a family. I have two older brothers, so I was always conscious of gender in all kinds of ways,” Cohee said. When she arrived at college in the ’70s, she was excited to see a resurgence in the visibility of women’s rights activism. “Women activists were becoming more visible again, coming out of the various movements of the 1950s and 1960s.” When Cohee arrived as director of the Sarah Doyle Center, she found herself entering an office of boxes and packing tape, three weeks before a move to a new building. “The old Sarah Doyle was already packed up by the time I got there, so I didn’t know what was in the boxes,” Cohee said. According to Cohee, there was a lot of sadness around the move. Many alums took the move incredibly hard given the previous building’s history

and location relative to Pembroke, the historical women’s campus. The old building was demolished and eventually replaced by Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences. Over the next 20 years, Cohee remembers milestone moments — some of the changes that the center helped implement and the ways in which she herself changed during her tenure as director. The founding of the LGBTQ Center stands out to Cohee as a “landmark moment.” So, too, does activism around sexual assault on campus. “I mark time at Brown through student activism,” Cohee said. “Over the years, the different activism about sexual assault has stood out to me.” Another moment that stands out to Cohee is the transformation of the Sarah Doyle Center library from “an organic library to one that actually has an arrangement to it,” she joked. Cohee has also witnessed changes to the composition of the staff and its diversity. “The student staff is much more diverse than it was when I first got here, and ... I think we’ve rewritten our mission statement and our vision statement over the years” to really concentrate “on what intersectionality means.” As for Cohee herself, “I think I change all the time,” she said. “I feel

Cohee’s impact at Sarah Doyle and beyond While Cohee noted her enjoyment working with everyone in the center, those interviewed by The Herald emphasized that the feeling was mutual. When she thinks of Cohee, “a certain warmth of energy” comes to mind, said Claritza Maldonado GS, graduate student coordinator at Sarah Doyle. That warmth is exuded “when you’re passing each other about to say hello or (during) the small talk that happens before the Zoom meeting gets started.” She is also “a powerhouse,” Maldonado said. “It’s clear that, although this might be the end of a position here, the work that she does and is doing is ongoing.” Cohee is “a blend of funny” with “a little edginess in there, but also very kind,” said Aida Manduley ’11, one of Cohee’s former students. “I would describe her as an open hearted, laid-back, clear-eyed feminist,” said Sara Matthiesen MA’11 PhD’16, former grad student coordinator. Many agreed that Cohee worked extensively to support students and make the center feel like a safe space. Cohee “recognizes we all live complex lives,” said Felicia Salinas-Moniz, senior assistant director of the Sarah Doyle Center. “For me, as a staff person who has a child, ... she was really supportive.” Cohee often shows her support through “talking and listening,” Maldonado said. “It seems so simple but it’s clear that she wants to take the input

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Though they started strong, the Bears failed to produce the defense necessary for the second half, costing them the game. clanged off the crossbar, but McSorley controlled the rebound and sent it past Waldau for a 3-0 Providence lead. The Friars maintained their offensive pressure until the final whistle despite their commanding lead, nearly tacking on a fourth goal as they combined for two shots in the 89th minute, one of which hit the crossbar. While Waleffe was encouraged by his team’s first half performance, he was frustrated by the Bears’ second half struggles. “That’s a top 25 team. We played toe-to-toe with them for 45 minutes,” he said. “We just have to figure out how to do it for 90. We know we’re good enough.” Waleffe said that the Bears need to

improve on their “lack of toughness” in order to beat top teams like Providence. “We believe for 45 (minutes). And for some reason the second 45 we don’t believe. We’ve got to figure out how to believe for 90.” Bruno will conclude its non-conference schedule at Siena College Saturday before taking on Columbia in its Ivy League opener Oct. 2. “The next game is the game that matters the most to us,” Laughlin said. “We have to be ready to play the next game and we have to make sure we come with the same type of intensity and energy that we came with tonight.”

of students and the larger community, ... not only in terms of programming towards more just and equitable futures but for ... us as individuals that carry many identities and experiences beyond being students.” During their time as a student, Manduley found that Cohee demonstrated “a good blend of encouraging people to dream big and push themselves further while also not being judgmental around that process.” Many took solace in the safe space that Cohee fostered. “She managed to make the Sarah Doyle a refuge for people who felt unwelcome or unsafe or just not valued (in) other places on campus,” Matthiesen said. “She created such a comfortable space for us to kind of thrive — a home away from home,” said Brandy Monk-Payton PhD’16, former graduate student coordinator. Cohee has a tendency to “just stop at the bottom of the stairs and sit on the stairs and have a conversation,” Salinas-Moniz said. “She’s very much a fixture of the building, of the center, and her presence is always going to be felt because this is the home she’s built for many of us.” Beyond her work at the Sarah Doyle Center, Cohee cultivated a positive learning environment in the classroom. During Manduley’s first week as a student in Cohee’s first-year seminar “Bodies out of Bounds,” there was a mistake with the syllabus and students were assigned a difficult Judith Butler piece. Manduley found Cohee’s response incredibly indicative of her character and the classroom environment she cultivated. “She was able to be humorous and human with these kinds of issues and let us get to a place where we were able to grapple with the material later on with depth and care,” Manduley said. Cohee has also helped students “look at the world through the lens of gender,” which “has been one of the most profound things I’ve learned work-

ing under her because you can always have gendered analysis in anything,” Salinas-Moniz said. “She’s helped us grow as stronger, critical feminist thinkers, and I will always be indebted to her for that.” Monk-Payton noted that Cohee is “very dedicated” to supporting graduate students. She champions “how women of color differentially are impacted in academia” and gives “time and resources and space for us to have these conversations about everything from microaggressions” to self care, Monk-Payton added. Manduley noted that Cohee gave students “a model for what it means to be a queer person in academia and to know and be able to see people like us, even if we weren’t the same letter of the LGBTQIA acronym.” Whether it’s supporting students, listening and talking, focusing on intersectionality or fostering a warm and safe environment, most agree Cohee left an impact on the Sarah Doyle Center. “I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I didn’t have Sarah Doyle,” said Amy Chin MA’16 PhD’20, former graduate student coordinator, “and Sarah Doyle wouldn’t be what it is without Gail.” While Cohee will no longer be teaching at Brown after her retirement, she may continue to teach at the Rhode Island School of Design and will come back to chat with Sara Doyle Center members, she said. “I don’t know if I can ever truly thank her adequately for everything that she did over the course of my time at Brown and all of the ways that she supported me and my work,” Matthiesen said. “It is not a hyperbole to say I made it through a PhD program because of people like her, and her being at the top of the list.”

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

3

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Jeff Shesol ’91 discusses new book on space race, Cold War

Brown alum talks ‘Mercury Rising,’ Friendship 7 space mission

BY JACK WALKER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR In a Thursday evening conversation at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Jeff Shesol ’91 discussed his new book, “Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War,” which discusses the space race and its ties to the Cold War in relation to U.S. history. The conversation was facilitated by Jim Head PhD’69, professor of geological sciences, and Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute and professor of China studies and political science. Shesol’s book documents John Glenn’s Feb. 20, 1962, mission to orbit the planet aboard Friendship 7 and “recreates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon,” according to an event description posted on the Watson Institute’s website. According to the description, Shesol’s book also references “new archival sources, personal interviews and previously unpublished notes by

Glenn himself.” Much of Shesol’s career path was influenced by his educational foundations at the University, he said. While attending Brown, Shesol concentrated in history, later going on to study the subject further at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. In the discussion, Shesol noted that “each time (he has) sat down to write a book,” the advice from a thesis writing class at Brown taught by Jack Thomas, former professor of American history, replays in his head, asking him the “historical question that (his) thesis is trying to answer.” Previously, Shesol penned two New York Times Notable Books of the Year, “Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court” and “Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade.” He also has worked as a speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, as a contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post and The New Yorker News Desk and as a founding partner of West Wing Writers, a speechwriting and strategy firm. With regard to this most recent book, Shesol acknowledged that the topic is already widely discussed. “On a certain level, it’s obvious. This is an incredibly exciting story, the space race. It doesn’t need any help from me to make it exciting,” he said. But for Shesol, the cause of the unparalleled cultural recognition of

Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, had long been lost on him, as Glenn was neither the first American in space nor the first person to orbit the earth. This central guiding question of why the Friendship 7 evoked such a deep political and historical relevance was at the heart of Shesol’s writing process for his new book, and led him to investigate more deeply the influences of the Cold War on the space race and the way it was culturally interpreted in the United States. It became clear to Shesol in his research that the Cold War and the space race were actually “parts of the same story,” with the space race serving as “an integral part of the Cold War struggle” in a global cultural context. Head agreed with Shesol’s emphasis on the cultural influence of the Cold War on the space race, saying that the Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of Sputnik 1 increased the United States’ interest in space exploration in response to Soviet advances in the field. Especially given other financial concerns in the same time period, Shesol and Head agreed that the extent of financial investment in space exploration could not have been justified on the basis of science only, making the cultural and historical subtext of these developments with regards to the Cold War all the more important in understanding how they came to be and why they made such an impact on the American public.

JACK WALKER/ HERALD

American historian Jeff Shesol (left) and U. Professor Jim Head (right) shared their perspectives on the space race during Thursday’s event. Kseniia Dolgopolova ’25, who attended the event, said that this was the first time she had heard a discussion surrounding a history book and found it “very informative but at the same time engaging.” Since Shesol brings an in-depth historical perspective on the space race and Head has a scientific background with NASA during the same era as Glenn, she added, “it was very interesting to get the two perspectives.” “Sometimes they were different, sometimes they were similar, but both of them could tell unique stories,” Dolgopolova added. While, at the time, Glenn’s accomplishment of orbiting the planet was “totally inspirational” for the American people, Shesol noted the

cultural visibility of space exploration has waned in recent decades. Today in particular, Shesol noted that polarization within the United States makes it far more difficult for the nation to rally together around a common goal in the same way it did with the space race. Still, Shesol noted, the legacy of American exploration, research and investment in outer space lives on, laying the groundwork that later astronauts will eventually walk on.

SPORTS

Miya Grant-Clavijo ’25 adds offensive threat to women’s soccer team Clavijo scores two goals for reigning Ivy League champs in 3-1 victory over Northeastern

such a rewarding experience. During my time abroad, I learned how to deal with nerves and pressure and, in turn, gained a lot of confidence. I believe that competing at that level has facilitated my transition into collegiate sports, and it has helped me to feel confident playing with large and excited crowds. I am so grateful that I got to experience it all.

BY GABRIELLA SARTORI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Miya Grant-Clavijo ’25 posted the first multi-goal game of her collegiate career against Northeastern University Sept. 19 to close out the non-conference portion of the women’s soccer team’s schedule. After a grueling three-game road trip, Brown faced off against the Huskies in a very physical contest on the Bears’ home turf, with each team receiving a yellow card in the second half of the game. From the beginning of the game, the Bears were led by the dominance of Grant-Clavijo. She gave the Bears the early lead by scoring two unanswered goals against the Huskies’ defense and even had a close opportunity to complete her hat trick. Grant-Clavijo had already proven herself to be an integral part of the reigning Ivy League champions’ success so far, even before the Northeastern matchup. She has seen minutes in every game for Bruno this season, starting off with 13 in Brown’s first contest against Hofstra University and increasing her role to 65 minutes against the Huskies. Due to her impressive performances this weekend and throughout non-conference play, Grant-Clavijo has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: What does it feel like knowing you have so much of an impact as a first-year? Grant-Clavijo: It feels really good

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Miya Grant-Clavijo ’25 proved to be an integral part of the Brown women’s soccer team in a strong game against Northeastern. The athlete has been playing soccer since age three. to be a part of something that I know I’ve had a direct impact on, especially as a freshman. I am competing with a handful of really talented players who have all had an impact on the growth and success of the team. Everyone pushes me to become a better player, and I feel that over the course of the season, I have improved my game and have become someone that the team can rely on. When did you first start playing soccer? I started playing soccer when I was three years old. My dad grew up loving the game and wanted to share that passion with his kids. When I first started playing, I was quite uninterested, but I’ve since grown out of that. Now that I’m playing at the collegiate level, I couldn’t be happier.

You have had a breakthrough season so far, increasing your playing time from 13 minutes in game one to 65 against Northeastern. What changes have you made that helped lead you to this jump? The biggest change was the work I did off the field. I spent a lot more time analyzing my games and studying other teams. I started a soccer journal where I would write reflections after every practice and game. From the very start, I told myself that it’s what I do with my time on the field that counts, not the amount of time I have on the field. I’ve done my best to stick with the saying, and be that “fresh set of legs” off the bench. I like being that player who steps on the field and keeps the team’s energy up, and I hope to keep bringing that same

excitement and energy throughout the Ivy League season. What helps you focus before a game? Any pregame rituals? Going into each game, the most important thing is my mentality. I always have a focused mindset and confidence to do well. I am constantly setting goals for myself so I can focus my mind on what I want to achieve. In terms of pregame rituals, I normally listen to music and visualize myself in the game. I always tie my hair low and I love using Tiger Balm. In addition to playing for Brown, you have experience competing for Canada’s U17 national soccer team. What was it like competing internationally? Competing internationally was

What has been your favorite part of the brand new facility? Overall, I really like the (Center for Lacrosse and Soccer). The lockers are nice and there’s a beautiful view of the field from the third floor. However, I would say that my favorite part of the new facility is the Athletic Training Suite. It’s located right beside the lockers and the field which makes it easy to move from room to room. The ice tubs have saved my legs countless times in the last few weeks, and there is also access to equipment. What is your mentality with the Ivy League season fast approaching and having to defend the championship title? I am very excited and ready for the upcoming Ivy League season. I remember watching Brown play in 2019, and all I could think of was how bad I wanted to be on that winning team. Two years later, here I am. We’re going into our first (Ivy League) game this Saturday, and I couldn’t be more pumped to take on Dartmouth. I have a lot of confidence in the team, and I believe that we will have a strong and successful start to our Ivy League season.

4

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

METRO

Prov. Police Dept.’s new community relations major generates backlash City Council moves to redesign position, job description as civilian role BY INJY EL-DIB CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Providence City Council moved to reclas-

On Sept. 3, Elorza named Michael Ste-

were at least three Black officers who applied

phens, Providence recreational director

for that position,” Wilson said. “All three of

and long-time basketball referee, as his ap-

them are highly skilled, highly knowledge-

pointee. But appointing a civilian as a police

able law enforcement officers. And you’re

major incited controversy when “talking

telling me you’re going to look over those

specifically about the justice reform and

qualified people to pick somebody who has

the future of policing after George Floyd,”

no experience? That’s mind-boggling to say

said Charles P. Wilson, Rhode Island College

the least.”

police lieutenant and the chairman of the

Others believe Stephens’ skills gained on

National Association of Black Law Enforce-

the basketball court as a referee, as well as his

ment Officers.

long-standing history of strong community

sify the Community Relations and Diversion

The fifth major position in the PPD was

building and relations, qualify him for the

Services Major position to a civilian role

seen by many as an attempt to have a “Black

position. Reggie Greenwood, a fellow referee

following criticism of Mayor Jorge Elorza’s

major” position or an opportunity for Black

and longtime friend of Stephens, said that

pick for the position on Sept. 16.

law enforcement officers to rise through the

Stephens “knows how to attack the task

The original position called for a fifth

ranks. “The institution of policing, as it is

and get it done, so I think that he’s a good

major in the Providence Police Department

commonly practiced in the United States of

candidate for this position.”

with a budget designed to accommodate

America, is inherently biased against people

Some do not believe the position’s title

needs and responsibilities that included di-

of color and low-income (people), and it was

matters, but instead emphasized the need

20 to 30 applicants, from which it chose

seeking to eliminate funding for the current-

verting calls better suited to special services

designed to be that way. That is the founda-

to provide a community relations role in

seven finalists including five police officers

ly selected position and reestablish it as a

like mental health care providers, supervising

tion upon which every police department in

one way or another. “If Michael Stephens

and two civilians. Then it voted to emerge

strictly civilian position, as well as creating

trainee recruitment, training and selection

this country is based,” Wilson said. “You still

can provide that (community-building)

with four “vote-getters,” three police officers

a separate, formal police-rated position, I

and strengthening ties with the community,

have no Black law enforcement voice in the

function, regardless of title, I will be happy

and Stephens. These names, along with the

believe that to be the correct, proper and

as per the original job posting. The role of

command structure of the Providence Police

with that,” said Jim Vincent, president of the

voting order, were passed on to Elorza, who

only direction for this issue to go,” Wilson

major is typically reserved for those who have

Department. In the last 30 years, there have

Providence branch of the NAACP. He added

made the final selection.

wrote in an email to The Herald in response

graduated from a law enforcement academy.

only been two Black majors.”

that he doesn’t think the person who runs

Since Stephens’ appointment, there have

to these new developments. “Should he be so

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Mayor Jorge Elorza appointed Michael Stephens as the new Providence Police Community Relations Major.

The original requirements, which have

City Council President John Igliozzi said

the diversion program must be an agent or

been changes to the job description, title and

inclined, Mr. Stephens should be welcomed

since been amended, required applicants

that “unfortunately the mayor made a uni-

a police officer, just that such a position is

budget for the role as per the City Council’s

to apply for the new civilian position, one for

to have at least 10 years of experience as

lateral decision to appoint the recreational

necessary.

decision. “It’s no longer going to be a police

which he appears to be qualified.”

a police officer and a bachelor’s degree in

director as a police officer, which of course is

Vincent was part of the selection com-

major position; it’s going to be a civilian

The need still remains for a diversion

criminal justice or adjacent fields.

totally counterintuitive to what we’re trying

mittee that recommended candidates to

administrative position,” Igliozzi said. “The

services commander. Wilson described from

to do.”

Elorza. “We as a selection committee were

person will not be running, organizing or

the point of view of a police officer that “we

creation of the Community Relations and

In a Jan. 28 press release announcing the

Wilson echoed this sentiment. “The

given resumes of both police officers and

giving commands to a police academy. You

are not trained properly to handle mental

Diversion Services Major, Elorza stated that

person they have selected (for) this current

civilians. So, we felt that there was a model

need to leave that to the qualified individual.”

health issues. We are not trained properly to

the position would “uplift the voices of our

position is absolutely, no questions asked,

out there where there were civilians that held

This change in position title for the original

handle situations that deal with emotional

community to the highest levels of leadership

no arguments taken, not qualified to hold

major positions and were making a difference

major role was accompanied by a decrease

distress. So, it makes more sense to have

within the Providence Police Department.”

the position,” he said. Wilson pointed to

in terms of diversion services,” Vincent said.

in allocated funds for the role, in addition

people alongside a law enforcement officer

The move was “part of (the) city’s efforts

Stephens’ lack of police experience as reason

“I trust the commissioner. I trust the chief”

to creating a separate “police manager posi-

... who (are) trained in that area.”

to advance long-term community policing

for why he cannot hold a position in which

to provide the committee with a qualified

tion” to uplift Black voices, he added.

Stephens and Elorza did not respond to re-

strategies,” according to the press release.

he is giving orders to police officers. “There

applicant pool. The committee was given

“Considering that the city council is now

FRIEDMAN FROM PAGE 1

executive director of the Providence After School Alliance, was a guest speaker in Friedman’s course EDUC 0410G: “The Afterschool Hours.” Salmons said she was impressed by Friedman’s dedication and commitment to advocating for state funding for after school programs, and that she frequently saw Friedman testifying at the Rhode Island State House in support of after-school programming. “The thing that excites me about her is that she understands policy, and she’s a big thinker … and is going to be a strong champion for state funding (of) after-school (programs),” Salmons said. “She gets ... that the economy and social justice are really rooted in meaningful, deep, enriching educational experience(s).” Friedman’s dedication to creating better after-school programs also inspired students

who took her course on the subject. Noah Rosenfeld ’24 took Friedman’s first-year seminar during the summer. Having grown up with dyslexia, Rosenfeld values the after-school support he received from parents and teachers. He recognized that other students may not have these opportunities, which drove him to learn more about how after-school time is spent for kids with learning disabilities. After receiving a lot of support from Friedman, Rosenfeld began working for her campaign through high traffic canvassing and volunteer recruitment. “The after-school hours, and education in general, represent everything,” Rosenfeld said.“It’s the silver bullet of society, and I can’t imagine a better state senator than someone who has research experience and real-world experience with those issues.” In addition to her focus on these pro-

grams, Friedman is dedicated to anti-discrimination and pro-equity and equality initiatives. Continuing this mission from her time as president of RI NOW, Friedman will also focus on issues such as gun safety, reproductive healthcare and climate change. According to R.I. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Crowley, Friedman’s platform and experience would help them move forward with their goal of having a net-zero emission economy by 2050. “Her breadth of knowledge of the issues that matter to working people … would serve the district well,” Crowley said.“Hilary’s experience as an activist working with organized labor on successful campaigns is what set(s) her apart from the rest of the field.” The RI NOW PAC also wrote in a press release endorsing Friedman that she will work effectively to “advance reproductive freedom

for pieces of legislation from the other side?’” Friedman said. Her platform focuses on after-school programs, caregiving, education, public safety and social justice. She is endorsed by the R.I. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization, the Service Employees International Union, Providence Fire Fighters, the RI Coalition Against Gun Violence, RI NOW and the Armenian National Committee of R.I. In addition, Moms Demand Action has labeled her a Gun Sense candidate, indicating that she is dedicated to preventing gun violence. After-school programming is an especially important point of Friedman’s platform. She taught a first-year seminar and has written a book on the topic. Hillary Salmons, founder and previous

CA L E N DA R

quests for comments.

... promote economic justice ... end violence against women ... secure LGBTQ rights and ... end racism.” Charles Bakst ’66, who was a longtime political columnist for the Providence Journal and a District 3 resident, acknowledged that the district is the wealthiest in the state. But he said he has seen a tradition of senators and representatives who genuinely care about issues that transcend those of the district’s alone. With this in mind, Bakst said he supports Friedman as a candidate because he believes she will continue that tradition. “She’s demonstrated through her work now that she cares about some of these broader issues,” Bakst said. “It’s very important to have legislators representing us who have a much wider view of the world, as opposed to going up there and just saying ‘Well, what can I get for my district?’”

COVID -19 AT BROWN LAST 7 DAYS*

SEPTEMBER S

5

M

6

Tu

7

Completed Tests

People Tested

W

Th

F

S

16,259

11,729

1

2

3

4

Confirmed Positives

Positivity Rates

22

0.1 %

8

9

10

11 SINCE AUGUST 24, 2020*

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Completed Tests

People Tested

508,105

17,848

Total Cases

Prevalence

848

4.8 %

*AS OF SEP 23.

post-

SEPT 24 — VOL 28 — ISSUE 1

FEATURE

See Full Issue: ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH

NARRATIVE

Wheels Turning, Gears Grinding taking life by the handlebars by Marin Warshay In the past two years, various breakthroughs around the world have pushed the limits of scientific discovery. An mRNA vaccine was FDA-approved for the first time. Worldwide quarantines have made philanthropists out of bored remote workers. Public health officials, healthcare workers, and first

Changing My Seasons

a reflection on cyclical selfsabotage by Ellyse Givens illustrated by Lucid Clairvoyant content warning: self-harm and eating disorders

We were out of band-aids. Shit. The carpet. Blood. I need hydrogen peroxide. Where did I put it? I’m vertical now, hobbling across the hallway, on the ball of my left foot and the heel of my right. The carpet’s going to be stained. One spot, two, three, four, I count. Where’s the hydrogen peroxide? A flash through the window of fall—not real fall, but San Diego fall. Muted olive leaves. Paper pumpkins pasted on front doors. My skin feels cold. I fold a length of toilet paper, twisting it until it’s taut like a rope in my fingertips. I perch my foot on the edge of my bathroom counter, a surgical table now, a sterile field, the rope wrapped around my big toe, tied tight. Now I can walk faster. Hydrogen peroxide. Laundry room. I enlist my tiptoes to reach it, my rope

turning from white to red. I look down. Red enlarged. Rope weakened. Hydrogen peroxide. Collateral damage always comes first. *** I never intended for it to happen, it just always seemed to. I don’t remember looking away from the smudged autumn skies and digging my fingers into the cuticles of my toes, peeling the corner of my toenail down further and further until I saw blood, foraging the terrain of my feet in search of unfastened skin, nail, scab, anything to amputate, to peel. All I remember is the awakening, the way pain pulled me from the chasm every time. The way it made me feel alive. My therapist once referred to my skin picking as a “powerful expression,” and I like that, because it’s true. Inflicting pain upon myself, I do feel powerful. I have control over an entire narrative, a beginning and ending, an epic story of achievement. In the cafeteria of my high school freshman year, I couldn’t control the cold shoulders of 15-year-old girls, the ones that formed tight circles, closed me out, caused me pain. Fingers piercing my cuticles, I controlled the pain I felt. I’ve come to understand my behavior as seasons. The fall—the urge to shed, to transform—comes multiple times a year for me. San Diego was never one for metamorphosis, clinging to its summertime intensities even upon October’s arrival. Some leaves fell, but nothing changed. I didn’t understand that...

“I could go up after class to the professor and go full bestie. Like ‘Hey girl, what are you doing after this?’”

responders have been excruciatingly overworked, showing what it means to be a true humanitarian hero. Dr. Albert Bourla, a Greek-American Jew born to two Holocaust survivors, is the CEO of the most significant biopharmaceutical company of the 21st century. But most significantly of all, I, Marin Warshay, proved that it is indeed possible to forget how to ride a bike...

ARTS & CULTURE

Everything but Country

abandoning the pursuit of “cool” by Kyoko Leaman I grew up believing in the kind of love they sing about in old country ballads. The pop music that blared from passing car windows and other kids’ iPhones seemed plastic and false, laden with metaphors I didn’t understand. The country music that lived in my dad’s garage felt true, genuine. I couldn’t imagine hitting the city with Kesha and her friends, but I already dreamed of a love that was “deeper than the holler, stronger than the river, higher than the pine trees growing tall upon the hill”. Maybe it was because I really was a country girl: the mile-long driveway, the stretching view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, roosters calling in the morning. Imagery of bright lights and sleepless cities didn’t look anything like the world around me, but a dirt road was synonymous with home—the long trek we took in the snow when the driveway was all ice, those early-July strolls down the mountain to pick raspberries...

LIFESTYLE “Gonna wanna throw ass like a shot put.”

Best Parts of Being In Person Again

1. Learning how tall people are irl 2. No Zoom-induced eye strain 3. Leaving your room more than like once a day 4. Seeing hot people on your way to class 5. Falling asleep at the library instead of your bed

post–

Want to be involved? Email: olivia_howe@brown.edu!

6. No lag during conversations 7. Putting on ur little outfits and taking ur little walks to class <3 8. Breakout rooms no longer exist 9. Bumping into your professor at Mister Sister 10. Social gatherings of only five people or less ;(

Brown: The (Forcibly) New Era by Elliana Reynolds On March 15, Brown students woke up to an eviction notice. Since our maskless days prior to March 2020, campus changes at Brown have brought novel attitudes in the student body and dynamically altered university culture and atmosphere as a whole. Gone are the days of Blueno and using Flex Points in the Blue Room, but is it all goodbyes? Let’s take a closer look at all the notable differences we’ve spotted around Brown, and hopefully find we have much to welcome... September 24, 2021

5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

6

SKUNK FROM PAGE 1 “I didn’t even know skunks were a problem at Brown. I didn’t even know skunks were really a problem anywhere!,” Kim added. Before this fall, Kim “never had an encounter with a skunk.” “I used to see them a lot around Providence … not really on campus,” said Adelaide Stuart Jenkins ’23. While eating dinner with a friend on the Main Green, Stuart Jenkins saw a skunk “galloping toward (her) ... definitely on a mission,” she noted. “But then it took a look at us and veered off the other way so we were safe. We didn’t feel very threatened, but I was just sort of surprised by the boldness of this skunk.” According to Jeanne Loewenstein, academic program manager at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, skunk sightings on campus were equally prominent during the summer semester this year. Loewenstein, who works at the Urban Environmental Lab, said that a family of four baby skunks spent the summer nights sleeping in the lab’s compost box and, in the daytime, could be seen romping around the lab’s community garden, munching on the plants. “Most people thought they were pretty cute, especially when they’re babies,” she said, though some community members were worried that they might unintentionally scare a skunk while in the garden and get sprayed in response.

HERITAGE FROM PAGE 1

At one point, Loewenstein even had to rescue one of the baby skunks after it fell into a UEL well, lifting the animal out of the well. After the extended stay in the well, the skunk was too dehydrated to spray. Loewenstein recommended that students avoid coming as close as she did to any skunks on campus, since she only proceeded to touch it given that it was clearly incapacitated. While the skunks that had been living in the UEL are now gone, Loewenstein noted the critters are still abundant elsewhere on campus. “I think they’re too smart to get caught, because they’re still around,” Loewenstein said. “So, I don’t think trapping’s going to do anything.” “I think it’s just because they’ve had so much time to themselves with not a lot of people on campus, and now they just think that they own the place,” Stuart Jenkins said. “Honestly, I just think it’s kind of funny, but hopefully it doesn’t get any more serious than that.” “I didn’t really have a problem with (the skunks), so I didn’t report (them) to anyone,” said Jack Stein ’24, who has seen multiple skunks outside of his dorm, Buxton, this semester. “The way I see it, I feel like we’re kind of encroaching on their space in the first place. I just kind of avoided (them) and tried not to stress out too much.” But the presence of skunks on College Hill is not new, and neither

COURTESY OF THE AFRO-LATINX ALLIANCE

or Spanish speaking students, out into the Providence community, said Nellely Lopez ’24, secretary of the Afro-Latinx

Alliance. Hispanophones within the club serve as translators and volunteer in nearby organizations for the local Latinx diaspora, Lopez added.

is it entirely different from the rest of Providence. Corey Wood ’24 explained in an email to The Herald that, when arriving at the University in fall 2019, his family rented a car at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport to drive to campus. The next morning, they woke up and found “some sort of excrement” on the car’s floor, but overlooked it until later that day when they found the culprit: a skunk who had snuck in the car and wandered under the gas pedal while his whole family was inside the vehicle. Wood’s father had accidentally stepped on the skunk when pressing the accelerator, but his family was “quite relieved” that the skunk did not spray inside the car in response, he noted. “Skunks are very suburban and urban animals. They’re one of the few animals ... that do well around people, because they’re very optimistic,” Scott Ruhren, senior director of conservation at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, said. “For example, skunks will eat garbage if it’s accessible (and) pet food if it’s left outside. So, they’re very attracted to people.” Ruhren suggested that increased trash across campus from move-in for the fall semester and, more notably, the Sept. 13 switch to takeout-only dining have likely attracted more skunks to campus. College Hill is “probably going to see more possums and raccoon sightings, too,” he added.

“I think that Brown has to deal with the issue of all the food that’s around, with the ban of indoor dining,” Kim added. “I know I saw a skunk before they did the ban, but still, obviously that doesn’t help the situation with all those boxes of food in the dumpsters.” Brown recently announced it would reopen in-person dining beginning Sept. 24, with Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy, noting in an interview with The Herald Wednesday that increased trash and food waste caused by takeout-only dining methods was one impetus for the transition back to in-person options. In terms of diminishing the presence of skunks on Brown’s campus, Ruhren noted that, aside from minimizing publicly-available food and trash, there were few humane methods for removal. According to Ruhren, the primary form of removing skunks is through extermination, adding that he doesn’t “think nowadays anyone does trap and relocation; you can imagine how messy that is, to trap skunks alive.” Some students were emphatic that they did not want to see the University exterminate the skunks who call its campus, and its trash, home. “If they start to really be a lot more prevalent, I think a University response would be in order,” Stuart Jenkins said. “But I wouldn’t advocate for an extermination tactic ... yet or, like, at all.”

Stein also emphasized that he does not want to see the skunks harmed, advocating for the skunks to be relocated “as a last resort” if they become an issue for the campus community and opposing any sort of extermination of the skunks. Representatives from the Department of Facilities did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Ruhren noted that, aside from their ability to spray, skunks do not pose a very significant threat to community members. “Most wild animals do have the chance of carrying rabies, but I don’t think the rates are very high in the Providence-Cranston urban area of Rhode Island,” he noted. To those on campus for the fall semester, Ruhren emphasized one piece of advice: Give skunks their space. “You don’t want to scare them, because they’re scared of us. They’re going to run away, but if they’re cornered they’re going to defend themselves,” he said. “If you see a skunk, you want to back away. You don’t want to scare them.”

One of the differentiating factors between ALA and other student organizations on campus is ALA’s emphasis on celebrating “the diversity within the Latinx community,” Lopez said. Tejada attested to ALA’s commitment to cultivating a sense of community, adding that the club’s primary focus is to ensure they “create a solid foundation of community for our students, especially first-year students” who may be anxious about entering a new environment. “The people in the club are probably some of my closest friends and truly my support system here at Brown,” Lopez added. “It is like a little piece of home with me.” Tierra Peguero ’24, a club member, said that she hopes first-years find a

welcoming and validating environment in ALA. “We want them to know that when they are stepping foot on this campus, our club is the space for them to immediately be a part of,” she added. To her, ALA is a “family” that shares language and culture, somewhere she can “walk in and just know that you have a connection with the people there,” she said. “The energy there is just so unmatched.” ALA has grown significantly since its inception, starting with five people compared to its current 20 to 25 members. Peguero hopes to see even more growth in the future as the club sustains its efforts to attract as many students from Afro-Latinx backgrounds as possible.

With his sights set on the future, Tejada told The Herald that he would love to see ALA get more funding and a promotion to a Category III organization status from its current standing at Category I. “Afro-Latinx students come from so many different countries, so if we had the funding, we would be able to celebrate those specific countries’ independence days or holidays or specific events … that is where I would see it in the future.” Whether through potluck events or professional workshops, the core of ALA is ultimately family, Tejada said. “The students, they have a lot of enthusiasm,” he said. “It really warms my heart to see that they seem comfortable within this space.”

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Editorial Leadership Editor-in-Chief Kayla Guo Managing Editors Henry Dawson Li Goldstein Senior Editors Kate Ok Kamran King Emily Teng Emilija Sagaityte Editorial Page Editor Johnny Ren

Metro Editors Ben Glickman Ben Pollard Julia Grossman Katie Chen Liza Mullett Victoria Yin News Editors Caroline Nash Caelyn Pender Gaya Gupta Jack Borris Livia Gimenes Jack walker Science & Research Editors Rahma Ibrahim Claire Liu

post-magazine Editor-in-Chief Olivia Howe Sections Arts & Culture Editors Irene Chou Nicholas Michael

Sports Editor Ryan Handel Commentary Opinions Editors

Augustus Bayard Jaehyun Hong Matt Walsh Clara Gutman-Argemí Johnny Ren Multimedia/Production Design Editors Anya Semizhova Keelin Lyons Lena He Raphael Li Head Photo Editors Areez Khan Nicole Kim Copy Desk Chief Catherine Healy Assistant Copy Desk Chief Lily Lustig Illustrations Head Loki Olin

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

Graphics Editor Usha Bhalla Podcast Ben Glickman Corey Gelb-Bicknell Olivia Burdette Business General Managers Michael Wang Noah Colón Office Manager Chelsey Barton-Keenes Directors Sales: Annika Sigfstead Finance: Andrew Willwerth Digital Director of Technology Jed Fox

@the_herald

facebook.com/browndailyherald

@browndailyherald

youtube.com/browndailyherald

88 Benevolent St., Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com

Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds are typically between 750 and 1000 words, though we will consider submissions between 500 and 1200 words. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words. While letters to the editor respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, op-eds usually prompt new discussions on campus or frame new arguments about current discourse. All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media), and they must be exclusive to The Herald. Submissions must include no more than two individual authors. If there are more than two original authors, The Herald can acknowledge the authors in a statement at the end of the letter or op-ed, but the byline can only include up to two names. The Herald will not publish submissions authored by groups. The Herald does not publish anonymous submissions. If you feel your circumstances prevent you from submitting an op-ed or letter with your name, please email herald@browndailyherald.com to explain your situation. You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com and letters to letters@browndailyherald. com. When you email your submission, please include (1) your full name, (2) an evening or mobile phone number in case your submission is chosen for publication and (3) any affiliation with Brown University or any institution or organization relevant to the content of your submission. Please send in submissions at least 24 hours in advance of your desired publication date. The Herald only publishes submissions while it is in print. The Herald reserves the right to edit all submissions. If your piece is considered for publication, an editor will contact you to discuss potential changes to your submission. Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion. The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 one semester daily. Copyright 2021 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

McGough ’23: Make elections matter again JACKSON MCGOUGH STAFF COLUMNIST

Every two years, Americans gather at the polls to refresh the nation’s leaders. This biannual pace is perfectly normal to us, but it is astonishingly quick to our international peers. The parliaments of the United Kingdom, France and Canada default to five-year terms, while only two countries worldwide, Argentina and Micronesia, share our two-year legislative turnovers. In thirty years, most nations will elect six or so classes of leaders. America will elect at least fifteen. With only two years of guaranteed stability, legislators rush through policies that are hardly given the chance to mature before they are mangled by the successive administration, ultimately calling into question the efficacy of the elections that brought about those policies in the first place. American elections are so quick that they are reduced to knee-jerk judgements of the masses that are regularly regretted later. This rapid turnover of the political class savages any attempt to build the institutional continuity that running a nation requires, but theoretically ensures that leaders reflect public opinion of the moment. Rapid elections have their benefits, and they are not something we can do away with, given their enshrinement in the Constitution and the collective consciousness. We can, however, combat politicians’ propensity to weaponize archaic institutions such as recalls, filibuster, gerrymandering and the Electoral College that are making elections less meaningful. Furthermore, we ought to defeat the rising tide of political violence, which breeds apathy and mistrust in all of our institutions — especially in voting. Won or lost, elections need to matter in America again. Americans just witnessed a shameful effort by unscrupulous partisans to further undercut the legitimacy of regular elections: the California recall. Despite

winning in 2018 by the largest Democratic margin ever in his state and defending his party’s legislative majorities less than a year ago, Governor Gavin Newsom just faced a ridiculous (and ridiculously expensive) attempt on his political career, primarily over his handling of the pandemic. Just 12% of Californians held the state hostage for the better part of the year, only for Newsom to increase his record margin from four years ago. California having the option to recall supports the dangerous notion that lost elections can just be undone, incentivizing dissenters to channel their energies into these hopeless efforts. In California alone, 55 recalls have been started, only one of which resulted in the deposition of the sitting governor (and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger). In this hyperpartisan era, these attempts can be expected to escalate until there is not a waking moment in America without a concerted effort to upend a duly-elected governing party. As it is, governors only get four years to set their vision, and forcing them to spend their terms on the campaign trail distracts them from serious legislative efforts. Besides expensive recalls, extremist attempts to overturnelections reflect a growing lack of respect for a fundamental American institution. When partisans view elections as reversible, theyare inclined to invalidate those they have lost. Recalls are tamer manifestations of this sentiment. Less tempered are the riots, rebellions and insurrections of the last decade. The deterioriation of institutions has had grave consequences for past republics, and the undermining of American elections could lead to a similar decline in our country. The Roman example is most pertinent, as America’s founders drew from the Roman Republic to build our institutions, and historians often compare these two great hegemons. In the final years of their republic, the Roman citizenry notoriously faced escalating political violence that encouraged many to avoid politics entirely, breeding a political apathy that tyrants leveraged to tear down institutions with impu-

nity. Support for political violence in America is on the rise as well, depressing turnout and discouraging political engagement. Without healthy civic norms and cohorts of citizens willing to fill elected positions with their votes, our democracy will shrivel and be susceptible to the threats of dictatorship and tyranny. The foundations of our democracy need shoring up, and the first step is to reassert the sacredness of regular elections. Provisions like recalls must be eliminated, and rhetorical attempts to delegitimize elections must be vigorously countered by political leaders. When a former president goes on a shadow campaign to be reinstated, we must regard it as a grave threat to our electoral process, just as when the same thing happens in a foreign nation. Talk of supporting a coup must be met with the appropriate legal response: Donald Trump, and any unelecteds in cahoots with him, should be banned from holding public office. To adequately revitalize respect for electoral institutions, we cannot only focus on regulating the behavior of politicians but must also entice the public to participate with massive voting reforms. Local and state elections should be lined up with the federal cycle, minimizing the chance that voters miss oddyear elections and thereby re-engaging them with all levels of government. Paired with generous voting rights protections, small tax write-offs for registering and visiting the polls should be offered, and universal access to mail ballots should be made the norm in every state. Most importantly, to bring voters back into the fold, we must reform our institutions so that elections actually effect change. As a prominent senator once said, elections ideally have consequences, so regulations inhibiting majorities like the filibuster and set court sizes should be tossed out. These much-maligned rules can be dealt with, but there are also structural afflictions in America that keep voters from making change. Thanks to gerrymandering, more representatives than ever are safe in their seats, a fact that would otherwise be improbable when consider-

7

ing how low Congress’s approval rating is. Legislative districts should be drawn to promote competitiveness, so that when voters change their minds, Congress does as well. Another consideration in the fight to ensure that elections matter is the quagmire of the Senate. More than ever, states are safe for their incumbents, but it can hardly be said that state lines are substantially gerrymandered. For the Senate, perhaps we should turn to proportional representation to combat this, augmenting the voice of rural voters far from large, politically dominant cities in their senate delegations. The final front in the battle against archaic institutions is the Electoral College. Less important than the potential for the Electoral College to favor one party or another is how it incentivizes national political parties to ignore the vast majority of states. The winnertake-all nature of the Electoral College prevents candidates from campaigning in safe states, resulting in a system where as few as four states can be considered politically preeminent in presidental elections. This leaves 46 states without vocal advocates in campaigns and rests the nation’s political whims on incredibly narrow constituencies. America’s political foundations are being shaken as voters lose faith in the power of the election to effect change, evidenced by increasingly high-stakes antidemocratic reprisals and recent destabilizing violence. Our political system is failing to reflect public sentiment in its current form — the form must be changed, or we will lose everything that makes it democratic. Today, in the wake of the California recall and decreasing faith in democracy, we must understand why we are losing confidence in our institutions and rebuild them before it is too late. Recognizing and remedying the diminishing value of elections is crucial to this mission. Jackson McGough ’23 can be reached at jackson_ mcgough@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com

Kharel: America must globalize vaccine distribution RAMU KHAREL, MD, MPH OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags well into its second year, I see an opportunity for America to regain our status as a global leader. It’s high time that we stop domestic vaccine waste and shift our vaccination efforts to where they are needed most. Though recent promises to increase global vaccination distribution point in the right direction, a big question remains: Why are we allowing waste of these life-saving vaccines daily and why has our global response been so delayed? This past spring, I returned to Kathmandu, Nepal, to work as an emergency medicine researcher as part of a global health project. It was my first time back in Nepal in four years and my first time as a practicing emergency medicine doctor. Despite being in the midst of the pandemic, my excitement for returning to my country of birth was immeasurable. While I had no illusions that the trip would be easy — after all, I had come to study how the rudimentary health system was (or wasn’t) coping with a global pandemic — I never expected that I would be in the global epicenter of the Delta-variant-fueled second wave. Within a month of my arrival, Nepal had become one of the world’s leaders in COVID cases per capita and viral transmission rates. While the world was focused on India, I watched firsthand as Nepal’s health system collapsed in a matter of days. For months, even the largest private hospitals in the country were constantly running out of oxygen. Every single ICU bed and ventilator in the country was in use, with dozens of people clamoring for every spot that became available when a patient recovered or, as happened too frequently, died. And this was in urban areas with decent infrastructure: those best equipped to manage a surge. In rural areas lacking any advanced medical facilities, people who could not find a way out of their villages were left to die alone. Across the country, a black market quickly developed for es-

sential equipment like oxygen cylinders, PPE and even common painkillers like paracetamol. As a researcher, I wasn’t allowed to practice medicine in Nepal. Despite this fact, my phone rang almost continually, at all hours of the day and night, for weeks. Relatives, friends of friends and people who had somehow found my number called in utter desperation, begging for help finding an ICU bed,

ply didn’t want it, end of story. In the beginning, I tried to change people’s minds, as I felt that this was my duty as a care provider. I knew that every person I was successful at convincing could be a life saved. But as the months and the hundreds of conversations passed, I could only count my successes on one hand. Eventually, I just gave up. Speaking with my colleagues, who have had

“When resources are limited, they must be applied to the most lifethreatening situations first. It’s time that we begin to triage our COVID

an oxygen cylinder or even just an ambulance to take a loved one to find help. Even politicians at the highest levels of Nepal’s government couldn’t find beds for their own relatives. While my fellow Nepalis suffocated, I felt entirely helpless. Even if I could practice medicine, there was nothing I could do but watch. The resources simply didn’t exist. A few months later, I was in America and back to my regular medical practice. I immediately fell back into a busy routine in the E.R., strangely relieved to be seeing the usual plethora of car accidents, chest pain and back pain. But as the shifts passed in my extremely well-appointed community hospital, I couldn’t shake what I had witnessed in Nepal. As a habit, I started asking my patients that I met if they had been vaccinated. Many patients had received the jab, but an alarming number hadn’t. When asked why, some offered concerns about vaccine safety, a lack of information or the fact that they’ve been fine without it as rationales. But as the time passed, more people refused to provide even that level of explanation. They sim-

similar experiences, I realized that this was part of a larger trend — a growing sense of mistrust in government. And then I remembered Nepal. I remembered a 33-year-old Nepali mother from a rural area who was fighting for her life with an advanced case of COVID. Her family was fortunate enough to gather enough of the resources required to transport her to a nearby city in the hopes of finding an ICU bed and a ventilator to save her life. Together, they pooled their resources and spent hours on the phone calling politicians, relatives and anyone who might have an idea of how to help. Ultimately, they ran out of time. The young woman died simply because she couldn’t access the basic medical care she deserved. Meanwhile, millions of vaccines await unwilling arms in the United States. While American exceptionalism may have taken some blows in recent months, it certainly still rings true when it comes to the COVID vaccine. The United States successfully designed and manufactured the most effective COVID vaccines on the planet, and has done an amazing job of dis-

tributing these miraculous vaccines to our entire population for free. We’ve made significant commitments to donating our vaccine supply globally, as well. Despite this fact, America’s vaccination efforts remain deeply flawed. As of early September, more than 15 million vaccine doses had been wasted for want of willing recipients. This is something that people in Nepal could only dream of. On average, low-income countries like Nepal show vaccine acceptance rates of over 80%, the holy grail of herd immunity. In emergency medicine, we are taught early on about the concept of triage: When resources are limited, they must be applied to the most life-threatening situations first. It’s time that we begin to triage our COVID response on a global level. By moving our efforts away from shaming the Americans who have chosen not to get vaccinated and instead find areas with dense populations and willing recipients, we will end this pandemic sooner and save more lives. Instead, we remained confined to our own borders, failing to recognize all the suffering going on beyond them. There is no ethical or economic justification for letting doses go to waste. By prioritizing vaccinations for people who don’t have access to robust medical care, we will amplify the impact of those vaccines saving even more lives per shot. As of September 23rd, only 20% of people in Nepal were fully vaccinated against COVID ­— despite the fact that the country has a strong system to distribute vaccines to even the most remote villages, as proven by successful campaigns against polio, measles and rubella. The only thing that is stopping Nepal from saving lives and slowing the spread of COVID is access to vaccines. And Nepal is just one example. It is time that we truly embodied the reality that we are all in this together and adopt a zero-tolerance policy for wasted vaccine doses. Dr. Ramu Kharel is a Global Emergency Medicine Fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brown University. He is also the founder of the grassroots non-profit organization HAPSA Nepal.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

8

METRO

District 3 State Senate vacancy candidates discuss platforms at forum Ahead of democratic primary, candidates discuss climate, COVID, public schools BY KATY PICKENS SENIOR STAFF WRITER The five Democratic candidates competing for the District 3 State Senate vacancy met and outlined their agendas in a virtual forum hosted by the four neighborhood associations that comprise the district Thursday evening. In anticipation of the Oct. 5 primary, roughly 250 constituents had the chance to hear from the candidates, who addressed issues such as public schools, American Rescue Plan funding allocation and Providence’s housing crisis. Dan McGowan, columnist for the Boston Globe, moderated the event. Sen. Gayle Goldin, D-Providence, resigned from her seat representing most of Providence’s East Side last August to join the Biden administration as a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau. Five Democrats and one Republican have been campaigning to represent District 3, and the winning candidate will serve out the remaining 14 months of Goldin’s term.

Hilary Levey Friedman, visiting assistant professor of education for the University and former president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women, spoke extensively about climate, women’s rights and considering families in pol-

and civil rights experience which he gained through his organizing and time in the State General Assembly, The Herald previously reported. “I know where the bathrooms are” in the state assembly building, Rickman said, emphasizing his familiarity with state and

icy changes. As someone with young kids and aging parents, she said, “just having that perspective is extremely important and we don’t always have (it) represented in our legislature.” Candidate Bret Jacob described his experiences with homelessness, attending public school and his career as director of research and development for Mayor Jorge Elorza. “I know what it’s like to know what happens when a system fails, and I also know what it’s like to live through a system that works,” Jacob said. Public school teacher Geena Pham is running on a progressive agenda that emphasizes climate justice, public education improvements and taxes for the wealthy, The Herald previously reported. “I was inspired to run for office by my students,” Pham said, who were fearful about how climate change would impact their futures. If elected, Pham would be the first Asian American to serve in the Rhode Island General Assembly. Former State Representative Ray Rickman is running on his legislative

local government. He said that while he is progressive, he was not in support of defunding the police because “I’m not one of those progressives who latches onto slogans and then throws them around.” Sam Zurier, former City Council member, described himself as a “pragmatic progressive,” supporting market-based climate solutions, improving schools and investing federal funding from emergency COVID-19 relief back into the city. Each of the five candidates supported a vaccine mandate for the state but discussed different visions for what they would do with funding from the American Rescue Plan. Zurier said that as state senator, he would funnel that money towards affordable housing, a sentiment echoed by Pham, who added emphasis on green housing and fixing lead pipes in Providence. Levey Friedman agreed: “Housing is a true crisis.” Jacob emphasized investing in low-income communities of color, where COVID-19 hit the hardest, as well as combating systemic issues facing

KATY PICKENS / HERALD

Roughly 250 constituents attended the virtual forum where five Democratic candidates discussed their agendas. the state. “We have the opportunity to end homelessness in Rhode Island with these ARP funds,” Jacobs said. Rickman said he would build an Olympic swimming pool in the city, so lower-income residents could have an accessible means of exercise, as well as direct funding toward working class needs. All of the candidates underscored the importance of protecting reproductive healthcare and women’s right to choose, and all were receptive to the idea of potentially using a portion of the long-contested and currently vacant Superman Building for affordable housing and community use.

Unopposed Republican candidate Alex Cannon, a senior robotics process automation engineer at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, also spoke for a few minutes to constituents at the start of the forum, saying that the five Democratic candidates would describe agendas “with not very much variability.” He briefly explained that he was against defunding the police and supported small government. Following the Democratic primary for the third district state senate seat, the winner will face off against Cannon in the special election on Nov. 2.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Tufekci and Jha discuss failures of COVID-19 response in virtual talk Doctor, sociologist critque institutional response, attitudes of scientific community WILL KUBZANSKY SENIOR STAFF WRITER Dr. Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist who emerged as one of academia’s most prominent voices during the COVID-19 pandemic, joined Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the University’s School of Public Health, in a virtual conversation Wednesday afternoon. The two come from differing academic backgrounds: Jha is a physician and public health scholar by training, while Tufekci is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill focused on technology, society and “systems thinking,” the connection of multiple academic disciplines. But both have played predominant roles in explaining COVID-19 to the public, with Jha bouncing from one news network to another and Tufekci penning influential op-eds and articles in the New York Times and the Atlantic. Both have also been constant presences on Twitter, sharing insights on vaccines, masks and aerosol transmission, sometimes even conversing with each other online. Their differing perspectives, combined with their shared experience explaining the pandemic, were a key subject of Wednesday’s event. The two discussed the failures of communication that have plagued public health institutions, the “dogma” that scientists refused to give up and why interdisciplinary scholars may have had a better angle on COVID-19 all along. Tufekci’s advantage began in early 2020, Jha said — when she was among the first academics to seriously gauge

EMILY TENG / HERALD

Dean Ashish Jha and Dr. Zeynep Tufekci held a virtual conversation on failures of the COVID-19 response. the severity of what was ahead, along with being among the first advocates for mask-wearing. Her knowledge of authoritarian systems and study of near-misses like SARS helped her contextualize the severity of COVID-19 early on, Tufekci said. While “not an anxious person by nature,” the sequence of events — reports of an unknown pneumonia in China, evidence of human-to-human transmission, the shutdown of the Hubei province and evidence of asymptomatic transmission — convinced her that a pandemic was coming. She then lived through an “out-ofbody” experience for a month: filling her prescriptions, stockpiling masks and warning the public, only for her words to fall upon deaf ears. In February, she wrote an article for Scientific American laying out her predictions and linking to a list of precautions that people could take, including mask-wearing — an article that she hoped would convince her academic friends to cancel conferences they had planned for April. The scientific community, she said, pushed back hard, especially on the notions that asymptomatic civilians should wear masks. “I remembered thinking, what am I missing?” Tufekci said on Wednesday, adding that the reasons listed for not wearing masks at the time were “bunk.”

“I thought, any moment (now), some big name is going to write an op-ed telling us to come to our senses.” The CDC and other health authorities confirmed Tufekci’s intuition when they called upon Americans to wear masks during everyday activities months later. Her knack for correct predictions and intuitions, Jha said, comes from her unique lens on public health. “This was … about connecting dots from deeply disparate fields, from understanding authoritarians to understanding information flow, systems thinking about near-misses and preventing catastrophic events,” he said. Academia, he added, “disincentivizes … dot-connecting,” instead encouraging experts to stay siloed in one corner of research. An interdisciplinary model of research works particularly well in pandemics, which Tufekci called a “society-wide question.” But Tufekci and Jha emphasized the difference between the idea of an “armchair epidemiologist” — someone who only relies on outside expertise to, for example, model out the pandemic’s course — and scholars who break from their expertise while putting in work to expand their horizons. The work for Tufekci meant reading 100 academic papers for an article she wrote about aerosol transmission of COVID-19.

“This lane-swerving works to the degree that you’re willing to put in the legwork,” Tufekci said. “I check it with people. I have tons of conversations to say, what am I missing?” At one point, Tufekci said, she offered what equated to a ransom on her own articles, offering money to anyone who could disprove her arguments. “I don’t want the finance guy who has never read an infectious disease paper to come lecture,” she added. “But I don’t want anyone who didn’t get the right PhD to be shut out.” Gatekeeping qualified outsiders and elevating scientific dogma above the scientific method, Jha and Tufekci said, has limited sensible policy choices about issue like virus transmission. “The science of how this virus spreads has been extremely clear,” Jha said, explaining that while airborne spread appears to be a key driver of transmission, “droplets and surfaces” still dominate much of the conversation. “There’s no other framework that can explain the world (pandemic),” Tufekci added, noting with dismay that the World Health Organization still won’t use the word “airborne.” The same deference to existing science, she said, likely cost hundreds of thousands of lives during the vaccine rollout. Had countries delayed the sec-

ond dose of COVID-19 vaccines, she said, there would have been enough supply that the entire global population over 50 could have accessed a first dose, saving lives and potentially even preventing the proliferation of the Delta variant. Jha agreed, adding that when he and others called for implementing the first dose model, used by Canada and a number of other countries, they were called “anti-science.” Part of this, the pair agreed, had to do with a genuine anti-science movement proliferating in the United States and globally, charged by the political right. That threat to science, Tufekci said, likely led others to feel the need to defend science. But science, Jha noted, “does not care if you go to bat for it.” The pandemic, the pair agreed, also represented a significant failure of communication on behalf of the government — leaving people like them to fill the gaps. In an ideal world, Tufekci said, a trusted figure would speak to the press twice a week, covering every conceivable base and synthesizing the news. And institutions, they said, have also floundered, such as state and federal agencies issuing confusing guidelines on booster shots and failing to consider the most pressing needs first — such as whether or not Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients need a booster. “They’re not geared for public health; they’re geared for medical stuff,” Tufekci said. “It’s kind of crazy to me that there’s no authority that says, ‘what are we doing here?’” The pandemic, Jha said, is a public health and societal crisis, but institutions have responded to it as a medical crisis. “This was a stress test for a lot of our institutions,” Tufekci said. “And our institutions are not fine.”