SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 29
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
ARTS & CULTURE
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Admitted class of 2026 students attend in-person ADOCH
Ukrainian artists respond to war with Russia
Attendees discuss campus life, interact with students, explore Providence
Ukrainian American artists discuss their work and impact of Russian invasion
BY JACK TAJMAJER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
BY IRENE CHOU & RYAN SMITH ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
A sea of admitted students clad in red lanyards and drawstring bags visited Brown on Friday for the Class of 2026’s first in-person admitted students’ day, also known as A Day on College Hill. A total of 280 admitted students and 889 total attendees — including parents and family — visited College Hill for ADOCH on Friday, according to Dean of Admission Logan Powell. 317 students and 1,007 overall guests are registered for the second day on April 13, while 430 admitted students and 1,349 total guests are registered for April 22. The University is also offering admitted students virtual programming online through the Bruniverse, an online platform that lets prospective
On April 2, UNESCO confirmed damage to at least 53 Ukrainian cultural sites since Russia launched its fullscale invasion of the country on Feb. 24. In a statement released six days later, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay expressed the need to protect Ukrainian culture “as a testimony of the past but also as a vector of peace for the future.” The Herald spoke with four Ukrainian and Ukrainian American artists based in the Northeast and overseas about their work and the invasion’s impact on their practices. Anna Scherbyna — a Kyiv-based multidisciplinary artist — spoke to
WILL KUBZANSKY / HERALD
Attendees were given the opportunity to ask current students about life on campus and learn about different areas of study and research.
students connect with the campus community remotely, The Herald previously reported. Check-in for the event began at 8:15 a.m. and programming ended at 5:30 p.m. Event organizers provided tours of campus, financial aid open office hours and opportunities to ask questions to Brown students. Attendees were asked to sign a
COVID-19 vaccination attestation form during registration prior to visiting and followed all University COVID-19 guidelines while on campus, The Herald previously reported. The event opened with an orientation speech given by Powell in Sayles Hall, congratulating attendees on their
SEE ADOCH PAGE 6
The Herald from Germany, having left Ukraine after the Russian invasion by crossing the Polish border. Despite her interest in contemporary art, her education in fine arts in Kyiv was classical. She recalled that “educational programs were quite strict” since they were developed during the Soviet era that promoted social attitudes of “making workers out of people.” As a contemporary artist and cultural activist, Scherbyna finds the past “interesting,” specifically Ukraine’s historical connection with Russian imperialism, since Ukrainian society has only begun to “find a way to deal with the past” in recent years, she said. Her most recent work, a multimedia installation titled “Where Did It Happen?” (2021), portrayed the destructive effects of war. Scherbyna collaborated with Austrian artist Christina Werver to address Babyn Yar, a Kyiv Holocaust site marking where Nazis murdered over 33,000
SEE ARTISTS PAGE 5
ARTS & CULTURE
‘It’s our treasure’: Badmaash premiers its annual spring show “TAAJ” marks first Badmaash spring performance in nearly three years BY ALEX NADIRASHVILI & KAITLYN TORRES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS Students, alumni and parents crowded into the Salomon Center’s DECI Auditorium Saturday night to watch the Brown Badmaash Dance Company — the University’s South Asian fusion dance team — perform their annual spring show for the first time in nearly three years.
The performance was titled “TAAJ,” meaning “crown” in Hindi, and received a standing ovation in its closing. The show opened with a group hiphop fusion performance to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars, during which troupe members came off of the stage and danced in the aisles. The two masters of ceremonies, current Herald graphics chief Aanchal Sheth ’23 and Kabir Randhawa ’23, encouraged audience members to shout, dance and sing along to the music, allowing the performers to feed on their energy. Badmaash explored multiple dance styles throughout the show, includ-
SEE DANCE PAGE 2
COURTESY OF DRAVID NAVALE
Badmaash’s performance included multiple types of dance styles, such as Bollywood, semi-classical, Raas, Mohiniyattam, garba, Desi, hip-hop and salsa.
SPORTS
Men’s, women’s T&F finish 3rd, 4th at Ocean State Invitational Victories in 400-meter races, men’s 4x400 relay cap off home meet for Bears BY NICHOLAS MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Ocean State Invitational at a windy Brown Stadium Saturday. Alongside several other New England schools, the men’s team took third place while the women’s finished fourth. “It’s still early in the season and everyone is still getting used to it, but
I think for what the meet was, it was really successful,” said sprinter Jack Kelley ’24. The Bears swept the 400-meter races, with Maddie Frey ’22 championing the women’s side and Kevin Boyce GS leading the men. Frey ran a time of 57.41 seconds, over a full second faster than the sec-
ond-place finisher. “Overall, I think my time was a good reflection of my work put in throughout the week and the week prior,” she said. The women’s team also picked up valuable points in the 400-meter hurdles, where Amy Willig ’22 finished first, setting a personal record with a time of 1:04.92, and Anjoli Mathew ’24
Sports
Commentary
Sports
U. News
Men’s crew lost the annual Stein Cup to Harvard Page 2
McGrath ’24: Anti-vax beliefs are caused by structural factors Page 4
Baseball was swept by Columbia in a weekend series Page 7
U. says an uptick in COVID-19 cases after spring break was expected Page 8
took second. On the men’s side, Sam Colton ’25 was victorious in the 3000-meter race, and Patrick McManus ’25 outlept the competition to take first place in the long jump. To close out the track portion of the
SEE TRACK PAGE 3
TODAY TOMORROW
DESIGNED BY ANGELA BAEK '24 DESIGNER
62 / 38
69 / 46
LENA HE '24 DESIGN EDITOR
2
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
SPORTS
Men’s crew defeated by Harvard in 56th Stein Cup Bears win one of five races in home opener held amid challenging weather conditions BY LINUS LAWRENCE STAFF WRITER The No. 6 men’s crew team lost four of five races against No. 5 Harvard Saturday afternoon at the Hunter S. Marston Boathouse, including the Varsity Eight, which determined the winner of the 56th Stein Cup, an annual heavyweight race with the Bears and the Crimson. Bruno’s sole victory came in the second varsity race. The Stein Cup and
fifth varsity races were also remarkably close, with the teams only separated by 4.3 and 2.4 seconds in the two races, respectively. The tight margins made for dramatic finishes as the rowers came down the final stretch. The team “showed a lot of promise,” said rower Henry Hollingsworth ’22. “We were kind of let down by a few of the results, especially in the varsity race, but the 2V race we were able to win, which we were really happy with.” The rowers had to battle through harsh weather conditions throughout the day. Strong winds delayed the start of the regatta from 1:30 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. The weather also prompted changes to the race schedule, with the Stein Cup being pushed to second
when conditions had improved. The effect of these conditions on both teams was apparent in the final times. Neither team completed a race in under 6:40, whereas in Brown’s previous match against No. 1 Yale on a course of the same length, all but one boat had times under six minutes. “You just get tired a lot more easily,” said Ben Olsen ’22, who was on the winning boat in the second varsity race. “If we can just hold our technique a little bit better in those conditions, I think we have a better chance of winning races.” “In most of the races, it came down to who handled the conditions better,” said Head Coach Paul Cooke. “In the varsity race, for example … they were
good at taking long, powerful strokes in the wind.” Despite the disappointing results, Cooke emphasized the positives he saw in the team’s performance. “Our guys really fought back well,” he said. “The stubbornness of the varsity in their race, the victory in the second varsity race and the energy of the team overall” were welcome sights, he added. The regatta also marked the Bears’ home opener for the season. By the finish line near the Narragansett Boat Club, packs of Brown fans — as well as a few Harvard supporters — lined the shore of the Seekonk River, cheering as the boats approached. Some Bears fans even brought posters for specific players.
“It was great to see so many people on the shore,” Cooke said. To “have … Brown students cheering for Brown students, that was awesome.” The energy of the crowd helped motivate the team, according to Olsen. In “a lot of races, you come into the last 500 meters where they put the fans, and you don’t really hear anything,” he said following the regatta. “But today out there, it was a lot of fun. You could just see everybody cheering (and) they sort of get you through the line.” Following the regatta against Harvard, the men’s crew team will face off against Northeastern University on Saturday, with their next home matchup coming April 23 against Dartmouth.
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
The rowers had to battle through harsh weather conditions throughout the day, with strong winds delaying the start of the regatta from 1:30 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.
DANCE FROM PAGE 1 ing Bollywood, semi-classical, Raas, Mohiniyattam, garba, Desi hip-hop, merengue and salsa. Each dance was accompanied by its own set of vibrant outfits and multi-colored lighting displays. Neil Shah ’25, one of Badmaash’s dancers, was particularly fond of the South Indian dance style of the “PVDosas” performance — described in the program as a combination of “retro, goofy Madhavan moves (and) the latest kuthu choreography” — because it was “full of energy. … There was no holding back,” he said. To give its performers time to change and take a break between danc-
es, Sheth and Randhawa engaged the audience in a game of dance charades and challenged audience members to repeat “Kachcha Papad Pakka Papad” — a Hindi tongue twister — as many times as they could. Sheth also performed her spoken-word poem “How to Say No.” “TAAJ” featured collaborations with numerous other student organizations including Abhinaya, the South Asian classical dance team, and DAEBAK, the University’s K-Pop dance association. Badmaash also teamed up with Brown/RISD’s Mezcla, a Latinx dance troupe, for a performance titled “Mezmaash,” which was interwoven with comedic parody scenes of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twi-
light” series. Brown Barsaat, the University’s South Asian a capella group, also made an appearance singing mash-ups of Hindi and English songs. “We really wanted to make a push to involve as many groups as possible,” said Aryan Patidar ’22, one of Badmaash’s captains. While it was sometimes difficult to coordinate, “we wanted to increase our audience, friends and the people we worked with.” Because of the pandemic, this show was Badmaash’s first performance since 2019 and has been in the works for the last three years, according to Patidar. This semester “we started getting
all of the pieces — the prep-work, staging, lighting — together. (After spring break), we hit the ground running,” Shah said. “It’s a new experience for three years of Badmaash. We’re discovering all of it together.” Patidar explained that taaj was chosen as the theme of this year’s show not only for its color palette but also for “the seniors and captains that haven’t done (a performance) in so long. It’s our treasure.” Audience members enjoyed the performances and interacted with the show by cheering on the dancers. Like many others, Suraj Anand ’24 and Lella Wirth ’25 came to the show to support their friends in the performance. Wirth particularly enjoyed the
show’s traditional South Asian production and costumes. “It was really good,” Anand said, and a “fantastic performance.” “I think everyone in the audience could feel how passionate and happy the performers were on stage,” said Lulu Bi ’24, another audience member. While the group’s schedule was hectic before the show, members will be able to rest for the time being. Patidar said the group will soon begin preparations for competitions over the next year. “It’s so stressful in the weeks leading up to (the performance) — you get mad and frustrated,” Patidar said. “But when it all comes together, it’s all one family. It’s a different feeling.”
STAY UP-TO-DATE. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK.COM/BROWNDAILYHERALD
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
3
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
The Ocean State Invitational, held at Brown Stadium on Saturday, featured several other schools from around New England. The Bears swept the 400-meter races, with Maddie Frey ’22 championing the women’s side and Kevin Boyce GS leading the men.
TRACK FROM PAGE 1 meet, the Bears, represented by Tyler Nevala ’25, Kelley, Boyce and Pearson Brooks ’25 sprinted to victory in the 4x400 meter relay, with Boyce giving the Bears the lead on the third leg and Brooks closing it out as anchor. The quartet finished with a time of 3:22.83, though Kelley said that the race times were not particularly meaningful because of unusually strong winds. “The 400s weren’t that
fast and we knew they weren’t going to be that fast,” he said. “It was about getting reps, getting comfortable on the outdoor track after running indoor the past few months and figuring out strategy.” “With those expectations, I think we ran really well,” Kelley added. The fact that the invitational was held at home gave it a special meaning for the teams. “Home meets are super important for athletes because it’s a chance for them to compete in front
of their friends and roommates,” said Assistant Coach Hannah Chappell-Dick. “That’s a really valuable experience.” Kelley agreed, saying, “it was super special to host. … It was great to have everyone there and to have friends from school come and cheer us on.” The meet came a week after the Bears competed at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Virginia, where the women’s and men’s team finished fifth and first, respectively. Chappell-Dick said the meet gave
the team energy because it was the “first big, outdoor meet” after the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to COVID-19 and the cutting and subsequent reinstatement of the men’s team in 2020 as part of the Excellence in Brown Athletics Initiative. “That was so important from a morale standpoint,” Chappell-Dick said of the Williamsburg meet. Both squads will next travel to Storrs, Conn. for the UConn Invitational April 15-16, before sending racers the
following weekend to the LSU Alumni Gold at Louisiana State University and the Mark Young Invitational at Yale. “Traveling and getting to see bigger competition — especially as we’re coming up to the Ivy League championships — is always a good thing,” Frey said. Of this weekend’s meet, Frey added, “this was a good mid-season meet for people to start improving and … refine their focuses for more important meets coming up.”
4
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
McGrath ’24: Anti-vaxxers aren’t uninformed; they’re misinformed “So yes, I am furious at the unvaccinated, and I am not ashamed of disclosing that,” wrote Charles M. Blow in a December New York Times op-ed. “I am no longer trying to understand them or educate them.” While one columnist certainly can’t speak for the masses, you don’t have to scroll long on social media to see people express similar
by 21.6%. COVID-19 misinformation has become almost as ubiquitous as the virus itself — and likewise, it’s taken a serious toll on public health. When we reduce vaccine hesitancy to the alleged laziness or selfishness of anti-vaxxers, we neglect the broader systemic issues that are fueling these decisions. Ironically, anti-vaxxers
change and COVID-19 misinformation are both such potent forces on the right, Democrats have been quick to brand themselves the de facto party of “science” — and are maybe just as quick to accuse anyone who disagrees with them of being fundamentally anti-science themselves. While I can certainly relate to this impulse, simply telling people to “follow the science”
in terms of quantity. When data is misrepresented, we need reliable institutions to provide clarifying counter-narratives. However, deferring to experts — or even identifying them — has become increasingly difficult given the internet’s lack of gatekeepers. And it probably doesn’t help that actual scientific conclusions are almost always less
frustrations. From the New York Times op-ed pages all the way to particularly vicious subreddits, there seems to be a growing consensus in mainstream liberal discourse: Patience for anti-vaxxers is wearing thin. In 2019, the World Health Organization listed “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the top 10 biggest threats to public health — right alongside “air pollution and climate change” and “Ebola and other high-threat pathogens.” But unlike with vaccine hesitancy, we don’t normally chalk up the problems of Ebola or antimicrobial resistance to a widespread lack of personal responsibility. If the last two years have taught us anything about public health, it’s that individual actions alone are often insufficient fixes for systemic problems. When millions of Americans are delaying or even foregoing critical medical care in response to pervasive disinformation, we can’t simply write off vaccine hesitancy as a mere crisis of individual morality — it’s a product of our damaged information infrastructure. A June 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that unvaccinated adults refused the shot primarily because of concerns over potential side effects, general mistrust in government and fears that the vaccine might be unsafe. And while these certainly aren’t the only reasons that someone might skip or delay vaccination, at least according to this list, most anti-vaxxers seem to be more driven by fear than outright disregard for others. Researchers have found a direct link between exposure to misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. In a National Institutes of Health study, 73% of survey respondents had encountered vaccine misinformation within the past six months alone. Those exposed to just one misinformation theme had a 10.9% lower vaccination rate than those who did not, and after exposure to six or more themes, the rate fell
themselves often make similar appeals to personal responsibility. The anti-vax movement has frustratingly co-opted the phrase “my body
doesn’t actually address the realities of conspiratorial thinking. Even if they disagree with the scientific es-
flashy and more nuanced than most pop science headlines would like to suggest. While caution is an asset when it comes to producing reliable scientific data, online conspiracy theorists (and, even more importantly, Fox News pundits) aren’t held to this same ethical standard. University of Michigan researchers identified institutional mistrust as a core driver of growing vaccine hesitancy. And conspiracy theorists thrive on this growing political wariness. It allows them to pit their followers against an imaginary “outsider,” whether it be the medical establishment, the government or, yes, glib liberals. So when we meet anti-vaxxers with contempt rather than empathy, we’re amplifying the very same messages that they’re getting already: Doctors, politicians and proud pro-vaxxers don’t care about you or the truth. If we actually want to convince anti-vaxxers, we can’t simply yell them into submission. Particularly for the immunocompromised and healthcare workers, frustration at anti-vaxxers is beyond understandable. Everyone has the right to not affiliate with anti-vaxxers for personal health reasons, and certainly no one is obligated to dedicate themselves to convincing vaccine holdouts. But when we talk about our collective social commitments, we can’t simply leave the anti-vaxxers behind. If we have a collective responsibility to get vaccinated, then we likewise have a collective responsibility to anti-vaxxers themselves.
“When we reduce vaccine hesitancy to the alleged laziness or selfishness of anti-vaxxers, we neglect the broader systemic issues that are fueling these decisions.”
my choice” to argue against vaccine mandates. And to essentially respond with “your funeral, your choice,” while satisfying, probably isn’t the most productive rebuttal. Both arguments unhelpfully reduce immunizations to a matter of personal risk rather than social responsibility. When we talk about conspiracy theories, it’s tempting to patronize, or even pathologize, the other side. But while there are, of course, the more outlandish conspiracy theories — Bill Gates is injecting us all with microchips or the vaccine alters your DNA — they’re definitely not the most common. Most conspiracy theorists don’t wear tin foil hats, and they definitely don’t think of themselves as conspiracy theorists. In fact, some of the most ideological vaccine skeptics actively pride themselves on “doing their own research.” While this popular refrain might seem innocuous, the “just asking questions” dog whistle can allow some pretty nefarious conspiratorial thinking to slip into the mainstream discourse. Given that climate
tablishment, most conspiracy theorists aren’t actually “anti-science,” at least not according to their own standards. In fact, they’d probably allege that they’re just looking at all of the science. The unbiased science. The science that the government doesn’t want you to see. There’s a difference between being misinformed and uninformed. And if anything, vaccine skeptics are over-saturated with vaccine-related information, even if much of it is wrong or misrepresented. News doesn’t even need to be fake to be disastrously misleading. Prominent anti-vax influencers are also known to cherry-pick extreme, adverse reactions from the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or argue that vaccines don’t work at all simply because breakthrough infections are so common. While these misconstrued facts and anecdotes can certainly lead people to some pseudoscientific conclusions, the truth is that most anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists know a lot more about vaccines than the bulk of us — not in terms of quality of information, but
CA L E N DA R
Sarah McGrath ’24 can be reached at sarah_v_mcgrath@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.
COVID -19 AT BROWN MARCH 31 TO APRIL 6
APRIL S
3
M
4
Tu
5
W
6
Confirmed Positives
Th
7
F
108
S
1
2
8
9
Students in On-Campus, Designated Off-Campus Isolation Housing
25* MARCH 24 TO 30 Confirmed Positives
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
37
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Students in On-Campus, Designated Off-Campus Isolation Housing
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
3* *APPROXIMATE
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
ARTISTS FROM PAGE 1 Ukrainian Jews. The historical site is one of the 53 cultural sites damaged by Russian attacks. The project superimposes modern and archival images to interrogate the “potentiality of inhumane actors,” Scherbyna said. Reflecting on her political engagement, she added that “art is always political because it changes positions in space.” In a video piece called “Untitled” (2013-2014), Scherbyna — who lived in Kyiv during the Euromaidan protests, which ousted Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly government during late 2013 and early 2014 — filmed herself walking through the crowd, muttering “Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Heroes,” a chant that became popular during the Ukrainian War of Independence. Scherbyna recently rewatched the piece as she prepared it for a contemporary exhibition. She recalled difficulties finding her voice “there because the rhetoric became so nationalistic.” Thinking about the phrase “Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Heroes,” Scherbyna added, “the heroes are the victims. … Now this slogan is not so bad for me.” Pavlo Grazhdanskij, a New Yorkbased artist from Kharkiv, wrote in an email to The Herald that art involves “creating a space for dialogue.” “I was living in Russia for a year already, and I watched (Euromaidan) through the screen in St. Petersburg,” Grazhdanskij wrote. “There is no freedom of speech in Russia, art is no exception,” he added, noting that his “work as an artist is to identify contradictions and change the attitude toward phenomena in the visual space.” Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, “this war has only strengthened the (Ukrainian) national identity and truly rallied people,” Grazhdanskij wrote, adding that a Ukrainian identity “includes representatives of various nations, as well as Russian-speaking people” and that “what unites them is the idea of a free country, the ability to be yourself at home.” This sense of national pride is also shared by some Ukrainian American artists. Lesia Sochor, a Maine-based Ukrainian American artist, paid homage to her cultural heritage with a series of paintings depicting pysanky — hand-painted eggs which are a part of an ancient Ukrainian spring tradition. The pysanka “ensures good health, abundance, fertility, protection,” said
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS Sochor, who grew up decorating the eggs with her mother and continues the tradition with her children. Dedicating a decade to exploring the egg’s historical symbology, Sochor sought to interpret the egg’s “allegorical magic” as a historical object with contemporary significance. The purpose of her artwork ranges from cultural expression to a “political vent,” Sochor said. Sochor’s three-piece painting series, “Babushka” — part of her current installation at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Mass. — was created in response first to Euromaidan, then to the Russian invasion. The third and most recent piece, “Freedom,” created in response to the invasion, depicts a white babushka as “a symbol of peace.” Within the blank, faceless oval, Sochor wrote “freedom” in the Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet. Born to parents who fled Ukraine during World War II, Sochor recalled that she was always told there is a “definite separation” between being Ukrainian and Russian. “Even though there are similarities,” Sochor said, “the distinctions are profound.” The two nations each have their own alphabet, language and cultural traditions, she added. Sochor decided to incorporate the pysanka into her paintings — eventually completing the series, “Pysanka: Symbol of Renewal,” which was re-staged at the Museum of Russian Icons after the invasion began. This creative expression helped create a “huge connection to my roots, my ancestors,” Sochor said. Ilona Sochynsky, another Ukrainian American artist and a RISD alum, also highlighted the importance of her Ukrainian cultural heritage. “As a first-generation Ukrainian American, I treasure my Ukrainian cultural heritage, but I also very much identify as an American, having absorbed this culture as well,” Sochynsky wrote in an email to The Herald. Her recent exhibition “Etudes, Fugues, and Impromptus” (2021) at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City chronicles a career-long journey from hyperrealism into abstraction. She emphasized the importance of institutions like the Ukrainian Institute of America, adding that they have succeeded in “sharing Ukrainian culture and heritage” in the United States. “I am grateful that they are alive and well and that I have been invited to participate in their art programs,”
5
COURTESY OF ILONA SOCHYNSKY
Fugue 17, 2017. Oil on wood. 30 in. diameter she added. Other than emphasizing the importance of their Ukrainian identity in their work, artists who spoke to The Herald also touched upon the influence of oligarchs in the art sphere. In 2020, the PinchukArtCentre — a contemporary art institute in Kyiv founded by Ukrainian oligarch Victor Pinchuk — nominated Scherbyna and Grazhdanskij for its prize. Scherbyna said that Ukrainian oligarchs have “influence on the gov-
ernment and state.” And Grazhdanskij — who withdrew from the competition in response to Pinchuk’s dismissal of 30 guides and mediators after they formed a trade union — said the “large number of artists who remained silent … who participated in Pinchuk’s awards and exhibitions, who received awards and media attention and did not say even a word” reflects the influence of oligarchs. Artists who spoke to The Herald also discussed how the invasion has
complicated national identity. Because Scherbyna also engages with feminist optics and feminism, she stressed the need to maintain “solidarity with Russian feminists” despite the disruptions caused by the war, though she emphasized that she understands the frustrations of Ukrainians about the Russian people. Thinking about the future of Ukraine, Grazhdankij pondered: “What will be the space for public dialogue in post-war Ukraine?”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
6
ADOCH FROM PAGE 1 achievements and discussing the University’s values. Powell remarked that it was “much better” to greet the admitted students in person this year. This was the first time since 2019 that ADOCH featured in-person activities. “It’s highly confidential,” he said to small cheers, “you’re actually the best class we’ve ever had.” Provost Richard Locke P’18 proceeded to discuss academics and life at Brown, highlighting the Open Curriculum, academic experimentation and student research. Attendees were then able to ask Locke questions before attending a panel where current students discussed campus life. Christina Barbell, an admitted student, said she chose to visit the University because she wanted “to experience what it’s like (on campus)” and meet
her future classmates. “I would say that everyone I’ve met has been super nice,” she said. Events throughout the day gave attendees the opportunity to ask current Brown students about life on campus, learn about different areas of study and research, engage with various student organizations and meet other admitted students through events like “speed-friending.” Visitors also sampled various local food trucks at a festival hosted by the University on Brown Street. Student volunteers and various faculty could be found around campus to guide admitted students and their guests, as well as answer questions or reflect on their time at Brown. Stella Ng ’23 said she decided to volunteer at ADOCH because she remembered her positive experiences as an admitted student on campus and wanted “to pay it forward” by sharing
her experiences on campus. Gaayatri Godbole ’25, also a student volunteer, added that “a lot of the upperclassmen were super excited to welcome (the Class of 2025) to Brown” and that she thought it would “be fun to do the same” for the Class of 2026. Rebecca Blumenthal ’25 said she was “glad” she volunteered. “I thought I’d just be standing around,” she said. “But I had four … twenty-minute conversation(s) with parents who are so proud of their kids.” Katherine Butts ’26, who was accepted early decision, said that ADOCH exceeded her expectations. “I did think it was gonna be a lot of awkward small talk,” she explained, but “conversations have been so much more natural.” Salina-Mari Mentor said that her experience “definitely solidified” her confidence in committing to Brown and that “it was good to get the nat-
SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
132nd Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Ben Glickman Managing Editors Benjamin Pollard Caelyn Pender Senior Editors Katie Chen Gaya Gupta Jack Walker post-magazine Editor-in-Chief Kyoko Leaman Sections Arts & Culture Editors Rebecca Carcieri Irene Chou Laura David Metro Editors Brendan Gardner Oliver Kneen Liza Mullett Katy Pickens Sameer Sinha
University News Editors Corey Gelb-Bicknell Will Kubzansky Caleb Lazar Alex Nadirashvili Shilpa Sajja Kaitlyn Torres Science & Research Editors Kathleen Meininger Gabriella Vulakh Senior Science & Tech Editor Claire Liu Sports Editor Peter Swope Commentary Editorial Page Editor Johnny Ren Opinions Editors Augustus Bayard Bliss Han Jaehyun Hong Jackson McGough Matt Walsh
Multimedia Photo Chiefs Danielle Emerson Victoria Yin Photo Editors Elsa Choi-Hausman Roslyn Coriz Julia Grossman Dana Richie
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.
Business Office Manager Chelsey Barton-Keenes
Design Chief Raphael Li
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.
Digital News Graphics Chief Aanchal Sheth
Social Media Chief Alejandro Ingkavet
Production Copy Desk Chief Lily Lustig
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.
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 oped, 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.
Director of Technology Jed Fox
Podcasts Producer Da-Young Kim
walk around campus outside of the panels to see what an average day is like. “It just seems like everybody’s day is different and busy in its own way,” Mentor noted. But Milo Kron, an admitted student, said that while he enjoyed the day, he had hoped to experience campus more organically: “I would have liked to be able to walk around a little bit more,” he said. Kron noted that he would have also liked to see inside some of the dorms, while Idris had hoped to engage with more general, candid Q&A student panels. Asked what they would tell the next round of attendees about ADOCH, multiple admitted students emphasized that attendees should not feel nervous. “Don’t be worried about it,” Idris noted, “everyone’s in the same boat.”
Design Editors Julia Grossman Lena He Neil Mehta Anna Ryu Brandon Wu
Illustrations Chief Loki Olin
Podcasts Chief Livi Burdette
ural vibe.” Jaysily Martinez-Rivera said she “really wanted to see the campus in person” as well as the local restaurants and historic properties. She added that asking students questions helped her get an idea of “what the vibe is” before she decides which institution to attend. “The vibe,” she added, “is here.” Sedi Idris, another admitted student, noted that she “was nervous at the beginning” of the day but that “it was really fun” because “it was super lowkey.” Four admitted students interviewed by The Herald said that the speed-friending event was their favorite part of the day. Idris and Martinez-Rivera also noted that they had never seen campus in-person before, and that visiting helped them get a better sense of the University. Mentor added that she enjoyed being able to
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
General Managers Alexandra Cerda Sophie Silverman
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.
Sales Directors Joe Belfield Amit Levi
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.
Finance Director Andrew Willwerth
Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
@the_herald
facebook.com/browndailyherald
@browndailyherald
youtube.com/browndailyherald
88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com
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.
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
7
SPORTS
Baseball suffers series sweep against Columbia Bears drop to 2-7 in Ivy League play after giving up 36 runs to Lions over three games BY GABRIELLA SARTORI SENIOR STAFF WRITER The baseball team (6-17, 2-7 Ivy League) hosted Columbia (14-13, 7-2) in a threegame series sweep. The Bears were unable to secure a win as they struggled to respond to late-inning surges from the heavy bats of the Lions. A big six-run rally in the ninth inning of game one helped propel Columbia to a doubleheader sweep on Saturday afternoon, allowing the Lions to take the first game of the weekend by a final score of 108. During game two, Columbia scored nine runs over the final three innings to pull away for a 15-5 win. Sunday’s series finale followed suit, with the Lions using a six-run rally in the late innings to come from behind and stun Brown after Bruno held the lead for the majority of the game. Despite the weekend’s underwhelming showing, Head Coach Grant Achilles believes the team has room for improvement and that there is much more the Bears have to offer as they continue league play. “Our work is important and is reflected on the production on the field,” said Achilles. “When we play like we are capable of, then we’re a good team. We just haven’t put together a complete game on a consistent basis.” Columbia 10, Brown 8 In the first game of the series, Brown fell to Columbia after the Lions jumped ahead in the top of the second inning. The Lions plated three runs on three hits, including a two-run infield single up the middle. Bobby Olsen ’23 started on the mound and pitched six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. The Bears responded in the bottom of the second inning with a single from second baseman Reece Rappoli ’24 and a walk from third baseman Charles Crawford
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Brown will play its final non-league game of the season on Tuesday, April 12 when the team takes on the University of Rhode Island at 3:45 p.m. ’24. Jacob Burley ’23 was able to load the bases after drawing a four-pitch walk, setting up a Gunner Boree ’25 grand slam that put Brown in front 4-3. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bears were able to capitalize on a single and a defensive error from the Lions to get two men on base. First baseman Ryan Marra ’23 jumped on the first pitch of his at-bat to send the ball over the leftfield fence for a three-run home run to push the Bears ahead 7-3. Columbia got one run back following a leadoff double and ground ball in the top of the seventh, cutting the deficit to 7-4. Boree answered back with another home run of his own in the bottom of the seventh, making it an 8-4 ballgame and earning Boree his first career multi-home run game. Down to their final three outs in the ninth inning, the Lions erupted for six runs on six hits, with a pair of doubles and a triple helping to produce five of the runs. After Columbia’s ninth-inning outburst, Brown was unable to push a
run home of its own, falling to the Lions by a score of 10-8. Columbia 15, Brown 5 For the second straight game, the Lions jumped in front of the Bears with three quick runs in the first inning off three hits, including a two-run home run. Brown was able to earn a point thanks to the efforts of Jackson Hipp ’22, who drew a walk with the bases loaded. Columbia’s dominance continued as they added two more runs on three hits in the top of the second, capitalizing off a Brown error to increase their lead to 5-1. The Bears remained in the game and earned a run back in the bottom of the second when center fielder Derian Morphew ’23 hit his second home run of the season. “I made some adjustments last week that (Achilles) helped me with,” Morphew said. “I have had better eyesight at the plate and it definitely paid off this week. I think as we keep making
adjustments as a team then it’ll be a good overall series ahead.” The Bears continued to carry their momentum into the bottom of the fifth when Ray Sass ’23 led the inning off with a single, followed by a Crawford double off the bottom of the wall in center field to score Sass from first to make it 5-3. Both teams then traded runs in the sixth inning, with Columbia plating an unearned run with a twoout single and Brown adding one on a ground ball, making it 6-4 after six. The Lions once again put pressure on the Bears in the late innings, plating nine runs over the final three frames, including six in the eighth inning to help pull away to the 15-5 final. Brown did get one run back in the bottom of the ninth with a last-chance effort off a leadoff double by Marra and an RBI single from Sass, but Bruno’s deficit was too large to overcome. Columbia 11, Brown 6 Columbia completed the series
sweep after a late inning comeback on Sunday. Before the Lions could rally back and secure the win, starter Zach Fogell ’22 dominated on the mound for the Bears, tying his career high of six strikeouts over six innings, allowing only four hits and one earned run. Fogell’s only run was an early solo home run that helped Columbia jump ahead in the top of the first. Brown responded right away in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run by Marra to tie the game. The Bears took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with the help of some two-out magic. A Marra single brought Nathan Brasher ’25 home and a Crawford single scored two more runs, extending Bruno’s lead to 4-1. However, it wasn’t long before Columbia started yet another comeback with a leadoff double and two-out triple off the Brown bullpen in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to 4-2. For the third straight game, Columbia used a six-run inning to take the lead late, this time off six hits, including a three-run home run, to storm back and take an 8-4 lead in the eighth. The Lions added three more in the ninth on a double and another two-run homer. Brown got two runs back, one in the eighth and one in the ninth innings. Boree hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth and Jared Johnson ’25 launched his first career home run to right field while pinch-hitting for Brasher, who went out due to injury in the ninth, but Bruno was unable to mount a comeback. The Bears fell to the Lions 11-6, unable to steal the series finale. “When watching (Olsen) and Tobey (McDonough ’23) yesterday, I had a plan today to execute the off-speed off the fastball and it worked,” said Fogell. “We gotta turn it around from this point. We are way better than the record shows and everyone on this team knows it. We just gotta play like it and stop letting things get carried away.” Brown will play its final non-league game of the season on Tuesday, April 12 when the team takes on University of Rhode Island at 3:45 p.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
8
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
Uptick in COVID-19 cases after break was expected, U. says University planning for “normal” fall 2022 semester with inperson instruction BY HALEY SANDLOW SENIOR STAFF WRITER From March 31 to April 6, 87 students and 21 employees reported positive COVID-19 test results, an increase of 55 student cases and 10 employee cases from the prior week, according to an April 8 Today@Brown announcement from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06. The uptick in positive COVID-19 cases was “expected,” Carey told The Herald. The University has repeatedly seen an increase in cases when students return to campus after breaks, he added. Students traveling over spring break were required to test on the first and third day after returning to campus, The Herald previously reported. “We’ve mostly found it encouraging that people are doing what we asked them to do, because when they test positive and isolate they reduce the risk of transmission,” Carey said. Carey reiterated that people who are testing positive for COVID-19 continue to present mild symptoms and that there have been no “patterns, outbreaks or transmission clusters.” Current patterns of COVID-19 spread on campus do not indicate that additional restrictions are necessary, he added.
LEON JIANG / HERALD
According to the announcement from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, 25 students are currently in isolation in designated on-campus or off-campus isolation housing. Twenty-five students are currently in isolation in designated on-campus or off-campus isolation housing, according to the announcement. There have been approximately 160 beds designated as isolation housing this semester, with three floors of the Courtyard by Marriott Providence Downtown and three on-campus locations set aside for students who test positive, according to University Spokesperson Brian Clark. Campus Life and Health Services “said that there has been some gradual
ramp down in the number of rooms available since the end of last semester,” Clark said. Positive COVID-19 cases in Rhode Island have also increased slightly from previous weeks, with the Rhode Island Department of Health reporting 133 new cases per 100,000 people during the week of April 2, compared to 115 the week before. In response to the Omicron subvariant BA.2, now the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the United States
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University is relying primarily on guidance and information from the state and the CDC, Carey said. BA.2 “is highly transmissible and people should continue to exercise caution and follow best public health practices, but it’s not so prevalent or widespread that it would change anything that we’re doing on campus,” Carey said. With pre-registration for classes
next semester beginning on April 19, Carey said the University is planning for a “normal semester.” There may be classes offered online for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, but students “should not have concerns about in-person or not in-person” classes when making decisions about pre-registration, he added. “Expect a semester like this one and hopefully with even less transmission than we’ve had this semester,” Carey said.
Jazzmen Lee-Johnson, Not Never More (2022)
Inheritance How Communities Are Responding to Controversial Artwork
APRIL 27 TO 30, 2022 | BROWN UNIVERSITY Online and In Person | Free and Open to the Public Inheritance brings together activists, curators, educators, tribal leaders, artists, historians, heritage workers, and policy makers to explore the range of strategies that institutions and communities are using to respond to problematic representations of race, Indigenous lifeways and history in public art and architecture. This 4-day symposium, organized by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, includes a mix of online and in-person events and opportunities.
Registration required | go.brown.edu/inheritance
John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities & Cultural Heritage
@publichumans