Monday, April 16, 2018

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 49

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Bears close out 2018 season at USAG Nationals Thirty U.

students, alums chosen for grants

Team places fourth at event, several gymnasts earn First Team USAG All-America honors

By TESS DEMEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

National Science Foundation Fellowships support graduate research in scientific fields

A season-best performance on balance beam and career-high scores from multiple gymnasts elevated the gymnastics team’s final competition of the season, as it finished fourth in the second preliminary session at the 2018 USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships Friday.

The Bears notched their second-highest team score of the season, a 193.825, but host Texas Woman’s University and Cornell claimed the top two spots to advance to finals.

By JONATHAN DOUGLAS SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

GYMNASTICS Bruno sent three competitors to individual event finals. Regan Butchness ’18 finished seventh on beam with a 9.725 while Emma Hansen ’21 and cocaptain Claire Ryan ’18 placed ninth and fourth on the uneven bars with scores of 9.750 and 9.800, respectively. All three gymnasts earned First Team USAG

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Co-captain Claire Ryan ’18 capped off her collegiate gymnastics career with a fourth-place finish on the uneven bars. Ryan recorded a career-high 9.850 on the event during the preliminary session Friday.

All-America honors, and Julia Green ’19 received Second Team honors on vault.

Brown also garnered recognition for

academic achievements as 11 gymnasts were named USAG Scholar-Athletes.

“We knew that our goal all season was

Film discusses Rosa Parks House Public exhibition of Rosa Parks house canceled after U. withdraws support citing outside dispute

By CELIA HACK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A documentary screened as part of the first annual Rhode Island Black Film Festival yesterday sparked conversation about the reconstruction of a house in which Rosa Parks once lived that is currently located in Providence. The film, entitled “A White House” and directed

by Fabia Mendoza, was a personal artistic endeavor led by Fabia Mendoza’s husband Ryan Mendoza.

The house featured in the film belonged to Parks’ brother and first caught the attention of Ryan Mendoza in 2016 in Detroit. After he deconstructed the house and rebuilt it in Berlin to save it from demolition, the University offered to bring the house to Providence in February 2018 to feature the life and times of Rosa Parks at the WaterFire Arts Center. But upon the house’s arrival in March, the University canceled its support by citing the house as an object of an outside dispute, The Herald previously reported.

“Upon cancellation of the exhibition,

INSIDE

After proposing projects on topics ranging from particle physics to the mechanisms of chewing in animals, 30 University students and alums have been selected as winners of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship. The 2,000 overall winners were selected from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants, according to a press release from the NSF. This year marks the third consecutive year that at least 30 University affiliates have won the fellowship. “I think » See NSF, page 2

we had a contractual obligation to the artist and to WaterFire to disassemble and remove the house from the current space, return it to the artist’s care or arrange for shipping at Brown’s expense to any location in the U.S. or Germany as determined by the artist,” wrote Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald.

“We agreed to provide funding at a level aligned with that commitment and at this point, we have no remaining obligations related to the house.”

Without financial support, the house cannot be displayed to the public in a full exhibition, said Barnaby Evans, director of the WaterFire Arts Center.

“My question now is I really want to see this house,” said an attendee, Christine Rosa. “I want to see it now. I live here in Providence, I pay my taxes and I think it’s my right to see it. Why can’t I see the house now, please?”

In response, Evans offered to show Rosa the exhibit, but it remains unopen to the public, Evans said.

Since the University has rescinded its financial support for displaying the house, the WaterFire Arts Center is now constrained by “a big gap in funding” if they decide to go forward with the exhibition, Evans said.

“There’s no lights on it, there’s no installation,” he added. “We don’t have

personnel to open the museum.”

The post-film discussion also featured stories from audience members about a weekend when Rosa Parks came to Providence in 1984. This time alloted for questions evolved into a conversation about race, inequality and need in Providence.

“It’s the first black (film) festival in Rhode Island, so we’re really a part of history,” said audience member Noe Staley. “It’s important for black filmmakers to share their talents and voice their opinions.”

Festival founder Ann Clanton said she intended for discussion about social and racial issues to take place at her screenings. She also is proud to feature underrepresented artists — a decision appreciated by the audience members present at the event.

Though Fabia Mendoza is not black, she said she is grateful that her film was screened at RIBFF.“I’m not black, obviously, and I was just at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, but this means much more to me,” she said. “Because my movie was screened in several places, and I also see segregation in the audience a lot, and I would like to have a reaction from people who feel strongly about this thing.”

to make it to Nationals, and we were there to go big and have fun,” said Erin Howell » See GYMNASTICS, page 4

Providence seeks proposals for automated public transit

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Although automated vehicles could disrupt the transportation workforce, they may provide safer transportation than human-controlled vehicles.

Automated vehicles to connect Providence, Woonasquatucket River Corridor

By DYLAN MAJSIAK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In a new pilot program, Providence

plans to use automated vehicle technology to fill gaps in the city’s public transportation. The program — The Transportation Innovation Partnership — looks to connect downtown Providence to the Woonasquatucket River Corridor. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will begin the search for vendors later » See VEHICLE, page 3

WEATHER

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

SPORTS Baseball team drops three-game home series to Columbia, moves to seventh place in Ivy League

SPORTS Men’s lacrosse team falls to No. 6 Yale 27-15, still have shot at 2018 Ivy League Tournament

COMMENTARY Thomas ’21: Invited speakers should stimulate productive discussions on our disagreements

COMMENTARY Stapleford ’21: U. should make spring break dining accessible by following peer institutions

PAGE 4

BACK

PAGE 7

PAGE 7

TODAY

TOMORROW

58 / 42

53 / 36

NEWS

PAGE 2 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

For the last three years, at least 30 affiliates of the University have won the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship, which includes a research stipend of $34,000.

» NSF, from page 1 it’s becoming increasingly evident that Brown is a place where outstanding training and programming (exist) at both the graduate and undergraduate levels,” wrote Dean of the Graduate School Andrew Campbell in an email to The Herald.

Among this year’s winners was Jenna Wurster GS, a doctoral candidate in the pathobiology program. Wurster proposed a research project focusing on how both vegan and non-vegan foods impact the kimchi microbiome, the microorganisms in one’s body. She was inspired by a similar study that she co-authored on the impacts of kimchi. That study, led by Michelle Zabat ’18 on an Undergraduate

Teaching and Research Award, was recently published in the Food Microbiology journal. Eventually, Wurster hopes that the research will be used to produce food with a better shelf life.

As part of their application, candidates were required to submit a personal statement. Several of the University’s awardees discussed the importance of mentorship in their work and giving back to the greater community. Wurster highlighted the importance of communicating science outside of the scientific field. Researchers have to “avoid the trap of locking ourselves in the lab and not talking to anyone,” she said.

J.J. Lomax GS, a student in the ecology and evolutionary biology department, also focused on the role of giving

back to others. While an undergraduate at the University of South Florida, Lomax was inspired by a professor to take up research. Now as a graduate student, Lomax mentors high school students at the Paul Cuffee School in Providence, hoping to motivate students while they study the sciences.

Lomax proposed a project focusing on chewing for non-mammalian animals. Typically, research on chewing focuses on mammals because they are most similar to humans, Lomax said.

But he hopes to broaden the horizons of the field by expanding his research to other types of animals. Most people “don’t understand how much work goes into taking a bite out of an apple,” Lomax said. He will study the muscles, teeth

forms and neural control involved in chewing with the fellowship money.

Researchers were awarded a $34,000 stipend for three years, as well as tuition support for up to $12,000 per year.

Evan Coleman ’18, one of this year’s winners, said that the money will enable him to focus on his research as a graduate student in physics at Stanford University in the fall, rather than devote his attention to typical graduate student tasks such as working as a teaching assistant or residential advisor. He hopes to eventually implement his fellowship project, which works to develop new machine learning techniques for detecting signals from the Large Hadron Collider, a massive particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland.

Justin Dong GS, a doctoral candidate in the applied mathematics department, said that the fellowship will give him “the freedom to choose (his) own path,” unimpaired by financial and work commitments. Dong plans to start his project on the compression of large data sets this summer.

The University’s success with the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is the latest example of Brown’s track record with awards that “represent hallmarks of distinction and excellence,” Campbell wrote.

Students have received a high number of honors such as the Fulbright award and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study in recent years, he added.

5th-year MPA • Gain skill in data analytics and computer science • Ten-day global policy experience abroad • Individualized career services support and consultancy placement • Accelerated summer-fall-spring schedule APPLY BY MAY 1 — MPA ’19 BEGINS THIS JUNE !

GRE and application fee waived for Brown seniors All accepted students considered for merit aid

MASTER OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

l

WATSON.BROWN.EDU/MPA

l

WATSONMPA@BROWN.EDU

NEWS

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» VEHICLE, from page 1 this spring, said Chief Public Affairs Officer at Rhode Island Department of Transportation Charles St. Martin.

The autonomous vehicle is a new self-driving technology employed by over 45 cities around the world, according to a report by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute.

Municipalities have introduced the technology as a safer, more efficient alternative to human drivers. Cambridge, Massachusetts. unanimously voted to begin autonomous vehicle testing in early April — joining the list of cities utilizing various applications of the technology, which range from automated taxis to trains.

The RIDOT hopes that implementing a pilot program will help the city “plan properly for the future,” Martin said. The Woonasquatucket River Corridor will serve as the RIDOT’s place of testing because there is not currently a transit service that links the Olneyville and Valley neighborhoods. The two neighborhoods were once a manufacturing hot spot in the 18th century and have since become a “flourishing Arts and Innovation district,” according the program’s proposal.

The plan to use AV technology in Providence progressed at RIDOT’s international mini summit last April, which brought together experts from across the world to discuss the application of AV in their respective countries. The Transportation Innovation Partnership then organized an exposition with groups ranging from consultants to mobility firms in September 2017 to continue the conversation.

“When you’re planning your work ten years out, not only do you have to look at today’s technologies and what’s available to us now, … but you also have to look at what is coming down the line that will have a significant impact on how we operate and how we do work” said RIDOT Program Development Assistant Director Christos Xenophontos, adding that AV could have some productivity benefits but its impact still remains a “large unknown.”

Xenophontos said he anticipates that the AV pilot program could “disrupt (the) existing workforce,” but also “create a lot of opportunities for new employment.”

Professor of Computer Science Michael Littman said he is shocked by how supportive the government has been to AV technology, adding that he initially expected the AV industry to have to “jump through regulatory

hoops.”

“If (AV technology) really works, it will save lives,” Littman said. “These machines don’t get bored. They don’t get distracted. They don’t have to check their email.”

Although safety is a motivating factor in the move toward automated vehicles, there are still safety concerns with the current AV technology, Littman said. Recently, an Uber driver with a automated car struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona, and a driver was killed when his Tesla crashed into a highway barrier in California while in auto-driving mode.

Professor of Economics Matthew Turner said AV technology will “increase the capacity of the road network” and transform “the way that people use their cars.” If AV becomes more widespread and reduces the cost of travel, we should expect more driving “up to the point that roads are congested,” he added.

The TRIP initiative, according to Xenophontos, is looking more toward a “transit-oriented solution” that will complement the already existing RIPTA system.

The request for proposal process is expected to begin later this spring and will allow industries to propose their own creative solutions, Martin said.

“We took extreme pains to write the (request for proposal) in a way that is open to encourage as much competition as possible because we want to encourage vendors that could have an innovative solution that we might not have necessarily thought of to come forward and propose it,” Xenophontos said.

RIDOT plans to begin implementing ideas chosen from vendors’ applications as early as this fall, Martin said.

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018 • PAGE 3

SPORTS

PAGE 4 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Brown swept by Columbia in three-game homestand Baseball moves to seventh place in conference standings, have three Ivy League series remaining

Lomuscio ’21 notched the other RBI on a groundout to shortstop in the seventh inning.

On the mound, Bruno had to dig deep into its bullpen and featured six pitchers in nine innings. The Bears gave up ten hits and six errors.

By ALEX SMOLAR SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The baseball team was swept by Columbia at home this weekend and lost its first game Friday 8-2 before falling in both games of a doubleheader 5-4 and 2-0 Saturday. After the weekend’s contests, the Bears (7-18, 3-9 Ivy) move to seventh place in the Ivy League standings with just three conference series remaining in the season.

BASEBALL

“Obviously we would have liked to have won at least one, much less take the series,” said Head Coach Grant Achilles. “(Columbia is) playing good baseball right now and we didn’t execute enough to beat them. (It’s) a tough weekend to walk away from, but I’m still proud of our guys and how they competed.”

Brown 2, Columbia 8 In the series opener, the Bears were outmatched by the Lions (12-20, 8-4) from the opening pitch. Although Brown recorded eight hits — including three from catcher Parke Phillips ’20 and an RBI from shortstop Willy Homza ’19 — the team could not score FALL 2018 BDH Advert .pdf enough runs to keep up with Columbia’s explosive offense. Right fielder Joe

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

Brown 4, Columbia 5 To open Saturday’s doubleheader, the Bears jumped out to an early lead over the Lions but faded in the final innings. In the bottom of the fifth frame, Brown threatened when Homza, first baseman Hunter Carey ’18 and second baseman Rich Ciufo ’20 loaded the bases. Phillips then reached first base on an error by the Lions shortstop to send Homza and Carey across home plate.

Soon after, the Bears again jammed the bases with a single, and center fielder Sam Grigo ’18 launched a two-RBI double to right field and brought Phillips and Ciufo home. The Bears’ clutch hitting in the inning extended their lead to 4-1.

“We were getting blanked before (the fifth inning), so obviously it’s good to help the team break through, break that seal and jump out in front,” Grigo said. “The rest of the day was a combination of their pitchers doing a really good job, a little bit of unluck for us, and then the wind. It was a tough combination this weekend, but their pitchers did a really good job.”

In the top of the seventh, Colum4/13/18 9:57 AM bia lit up for three critical runs to tie the game. The Bears were unable to

respond, and the teams entered the ninth inning tied at four. But with one out in the top of the ninth, Chandler Bengston reached third base to put the Bears in a jam, before Julian Bury bunted to bring Bengston home and give the Lions a crucial late lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Bears struck out twice and could not get on base to finish the loss.

Brown 0, Columbia 2 In the series finale, both teams’ defenses came out of the dugouts ready to play, and each put up strong early performances on the mound. Starting pitcher Garett Delano ’20 set the tone for the Bears and allowed only four hits over seven innings with five strikeouts.

Delano also notched Bruno’s first hit of the game with a single in the bottom of the fourth.

“I felt pretty good, but it doesn’t really matter,” Delano said. “We lost. We got swept. So we have to come back on Tuesday on our midweek and next weekend and play hard.”

Brown loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth with two outs but could not bring any runners home to continue the defensive duel. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions earned a critical single that plated the first run of the day from either team and put the Bears at a deficit.

Columbia carried its one-run lead into the ninth, as Bruno only managed to record three hits in the first eight innings. In the top of the ninth, the Lions

ANTH | Film and Anthropology: Identity and Images of Indian Societies | L. Fruzzetti | TTh 1-2:20p CLAS | Goddesses and Women Gurus in South Asian Religious Traditions | D. Buchta | TTh 2:30-3:50p COST | Love and War in India | S. Reddy | TTh 9-10:20a COST | Karma, Rebirth and Liberation: Life and Death in SA Religions | F. Moore-Gerety | TTh 1-2:20p COST | Meditation and the Brain | Lindahl/Britton | S01 M 3-5:30p | L01 M 2-2:50p COST | Science, Religion, and the Search for Happiness in Traditional Asian Thought | H. Roth S01 T 6:40-9p | L01 MW 9-9:50a COST | Music and Medittation | S. Reddy | TBD ECON | Development and the International Economy | B. Steinberg | TTh 9-10:20a ECON | Health Hunger, and the Household in Developing Countries | A. Foster | W 3-5:30pm ECON | Economic Development I | B. Steinberg | MW 10:30-11:50a GNSS | Pembroke Research Sem in Femonsit Theory: Cultures of Pacifism | W 10-12:30pm | L. Gandhi HMAN | Art History from the South: Circulations, Simulations, Transfigurations | V. Zamindar | W 1-3:30p HMAN | Religion and Internationalism | Lewis/Berman | Th 12-2:30p HIST | Gandhi's India: South Asian Before 1947 | V. Zamindar | TTh 9-10:20a POLS | Introduction to Modern South Asia | T 10:30-11:50a RELS | Food, Religion and Politics in South Asia | F. Moore-Gerety | T 4-6:30p RELS | Islam | S. Bashir | MWF 11-11:50a RELS | Buddhist Thought, Practice, and Society | J. Protass | MWF 10-10:50a RELS | Buddhist Poetry | M 3-5:30pm | J. Protass SANS | Sanskrit epic Narrative | D Buchta | TBD SANS | Critical Episodes of the Mahabharata | J. Fitzgerald | TTh 10:30-11:50a SANS | Classical Sanskrit Story Literature | D. Buchta | TBD SANS | The Critical Episodes of the Mahabharata | J. Fitzgerald | TTh 10:30-11:50a SOC | Soc: Globalization and Social Conflict | P. Heller | TTh 1-2:20p Visit our site for complete course listing watson.brown.edu/southasia

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Garett Delano ’20 stands on the mound against the Lions Saturday. He pitched seven innings, allowing just four hits with five strikeouts. knocked in an insurance run to extend their lead to two and put the game out of Brown’s reach.

“We’re still in position where if we take care of our business and … we win, then that gives us a good chance to still be in competition at the Ivy League Championship Series, which has been our goal since day one,” Achilles said.

“Just taking it one game at a time, and trying to execute as best as we can — that’s really our ultimate goal for the remaining games.”

The Bears will take to the road for the rest of the month and will face Harvard in a three-game away series this weekend before visiting Siena College Tuesday, April 24.

» GYMNASTICS, from page 1

as Rose Domonoske ’21 scored a 9.800 to match her career high. Hansen and Cassidy Jung ’19 supported with scores of 9.725 and 9.775, respectively, before beam specialist Butchness posted a personalbest 9.850 in the anchor position to bring up the Bears’ record total.

After the near-flawless beam set, Brown kept the energy up on floor exercise as Kate Nelson ’21 kicked off the third event with a 9.575. Co-captain Maggie McAvoy ’18 and Anya Olson ’18 capped off their collegiate gymnastics careers with scores of 9.700 and 9.650, respectively. Green added a 9.800, and Anya Barca-Hall ’18 earned a 9.825 for her final collegiate performance.

With one rotation left, Bruno closed out its season on vault. Nelson and Gabrielle Hechtman ’19 earned twin scores of 9.575, while Anne Christman ’20 followed with a 9.450. Green led the Bears with a 9.725, and Alyssa Gardner ’21 put up a 9.675 to conclude Brown’s 2018 schedule.

“This year, we had this lightheartedness and passionate sense to the team which really worked to our advantage,” Butchness said. “We definitely started the season slow … but we ended on a very high note, and I don’t think anyone is upset. … We weren’t the caliber of the other teams to make team finals, but there were victories within our team that everyone is happy about.”

’20. “We had more than a couple people get season highs, and we had really, really great performances. It just showed that everything we worked for definitely paid off.”

The Bears opened the meet on bars where Caroline Warren ’21 posted a 9.650 in the leadoff spot. Career-high scores of 9.750 for Howell and 9.850 for Ryan looked to put Brown on track for a big finish on its first event, but mistakes in the last half of the lineup hampered Bruno’s marks. Hansen helped the Bears bounce back with a personal-best 9.875, generating some positive momentum going into the second rotation.

During the 2017 National Championships, Bruno struggled on the balance beam, managing only two hit routines and counting three sets with falls. But the Bears put the past behind them this year and nailed every routine, tallying a 48.900 on the event to tie a program record.

“People just came in and knew they had a job to do,” Butchness said. “A lot of that stems from our poor performance in the season opener. … I always reference back to that point (as) the lowest we could go. With all this work that we’ve put in and consistency that we have under our belt, watch how high we can go.”

Green earned a 9.750 at the top of the lineup, and the scores built from there

TODAY

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

a c o l d d ay o n c o l l e g e h i l l

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Cheese, Pepperoni, Caprese, BBQ Chicken Ranch Grinder JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Grilled Cheese BBQ Pulled Pork Burger

Grain Bowl Tom’s Bao Bao

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Hot and Sour Pork Stirfry, Chow Mein with Tofu, Ranger Joe’s Cookies, Magic Bars

Cider Glazed Turkey, Oven Browned Dinner Potatoes, Baked Polenta, Canja Soup

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Chicken Cutlet Sandwich, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Chicken Pesto Pasta, Eggplant Parmesan, Moroccan Beans with Raisins, African Honey Bread

sudoku

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

Prospective students got a taste of weather at Brown while visiting campus for A Day On College Hill. At the Activities Fair, they sought refuge from April snow flurries in the Meehan Auditorium’s toasty hockey rink.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

““If (AV technology) really works, it will save lives. ... These machines don’t get bored. They don’t get RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Doctrine suffix 4 Predatory cat 8 Swiss bread?

13 ABBA’s home country: Abbr.

14 Sewing cases 16 Defamatory text 17 Live __: 1985 charity concert 18 *Hangman drawing 20 Pisces follower 22 Centuries on end 23 Excessively 24 *Layered lunch 28 Cabbage 29 Resident of a city at nearly 12,000 feet 33 Chance in a game 35 “__-dokey!”

38 Overplay a part 39 Words with price or premium 40 *Actor’s prompt 42 Endearing tattoo word 43 Slowly, in scores 45 “Dumb” girl of old comics 46 Message from the boss 47 Inferior and inexpensive 49 Deduce 51 *Colleague of Wyatt Earp 56 Karate belt 59 Inside info 60 Rental agreement 61 *Feature of Fulton’s Clermont 65 Strings in Hawaii 66 École enrollee 67 Baker’s device 68 Address at a Scottish pub 69 First American Red Cross president Barton 70 Venison source 71 Effort DOWN 1 “I, Robot” author Asimov 2 Artistic ice cream blend

3 Filet mignon order 4 Not as much 5 Derby-sporting Addams 6 “Yes, mon ami” 7 Rechargeable battery 8 Shrank in fear 9 Oil-drilling equipment 10 Be up against 11 “Quo Vadis” emperor 12 Mark’s love, casually 15 Distort, as facts 19 Microwave no-no 21 Black, to Blake 25 Six-time baseball All-Star Moises 26 Like a newborn 27 Holiday entrée 30 Trampoline maneuver 31 Physics particle 32 Jules Verne captain 33 Powder on a puff 34 Sundance Film Festival state 36 Green prefix 37 Toyota subcompact

40 Compromise with the district attorney 41 Tirade 44 Chew the fat 46 For a __ pittance 48 Plains native 50 Gal’s guy 52 Trims the lawn 53 Green-bellied sap sucker 54 Schindler of “Schindler’s List”

distracted. They don’t have to check their email.

”

—Michael Littman, professor of computer science

55 Clingy, in a way 56 Oil acronym 57 Object that may be struck by the starts of the answers to starred clues 58 Thought 62 TiVo, for one 63 Wide shoe letters 64 Morn’s opposite

See VEHICLE on page 1.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

calendar

04/17/12

TODAY MARCH APRIL

S

M

T

W

Th

F

S

1

2

3

41

52

63

74

85

96

10 7

11 8

12 9

13 10

14 11

Massage Mondays 12:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Disability in a Global Frame 2:30 P.M. Smith-Buonanno, 201

The Growing Risk of Surprise in Cyberspace 3:00 P.M. 85 Waterman Street, 130

Grad Christian Fellowship Bible Study 6:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 303

TOMORROW

By Gareth Bain (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

04/17/12

15 12

16 13

17 14

18 15

19 16

20 17

21 18

22 19

23 20

24 21

25 22

26 23

27 24

28 25

29 26

30 27

28

29

30

31

Probability Seminar: Jose Blanchet 11:00 A.M. 170 Hope Street, 108

Test Anxiety: What is it and How to Manage It 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 203

Infiltration by Animal Rights Activists 12:30 P.M. South Street Landing, 538

City Biking 101 6:00 P.M. Friedman Auditorium

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Help make the First Readings program better To the Editor: I appreciated the proposals included in the April 12 editorial entitled “Reforming the First Readings program.” I have been an undergraduate representative on the First Readings committee for the past two years, and I am committed to our stated mission to “offer an intellectually rich learning experience that encourages reflection and dialogue for Brown’s diverse incoming class.” The editorial page board correctly points out that our choice of text is only one component of this learning experience; equally important are the reflection, seminar, and subsequent campus events, such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s recent visit to Brown.

The text, however, is the component that we have the most control over and can give the most thought to. Over six months, eight faculty, administrators and students carefully discuss which book to choose.

It is difficult to give similarly thorough guidance to students in other parts of the First Readings process.

Every year, between 1,500 and

2,000 people engage with the text we choose, and the sheer numbers sometimes constrain our efforts to make the First Readings experience as meaningful as it should be.

To make the overall experience as engaging and rewarding as it ought to be, while acknowledging the problems of scale, we should all pitch in. The First Readings process engages the entire community: We solicit nominations, encourage comments on our shortlist and welcome feedback throughout the process. Furthermore, my term on the committee finishes this year.

The Undergraduate Council of Students will soon open applications for appointment as one of the two undergraduate representatives on the First Readings committee. If you have thoughts on our work, I would love to see you join us! It is up to the committee to choose the book, but it is up to our community to make First Readings a meaningful learning experience.

C EY H U N F I R AT

Aliosha Bielenberg ’20 Undergraduate representative, First Readings committee

Find us online! facebook.com/browndailyherald

browndailyherald.com

@the_herald

Location: 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. www.browndailyherald.com

@browndailyherald

youtube.com/browndailyherald

Editorial Leadership

Sections

Multimedia & Production

Editor-in-Chief Elena Renken

Arts & Culture Editors Connor Sullivan Mia Pattillo

Design Editors General Managers Kyle Cui Michael Borrello Eduard Muñoz-Suñé Matilda Lynton Assistants: Julie Wang, Kelvin Yang

Metro Editors Emily Davies Bella Roberts

Photo Editors Sam Berube Anita Sheih

News Editors Anna Kramer Eduard Muñoz-Suñé Priyanka Podugu Sarah Wang

Copy Desk Chief Abby Borges

Managing Editor Kasturi Pananjady Senior Editors Julianne Center Madison Rivlin Alex Skidmore Hattie Xu Features Editor Isabel Gensler Editorial Page Editor Anuj Krishnamurthy

Science & Research Editors Jonathan Douglas Jackson Wells

POST- MAGAZINE Editor Saanya Jain

Sports Editors Alexandra Russell Nicholas Wey COMMENTARY Opinions Editors Connor Cardoso Anuj Krishnamurthy Clare Steinman

Illustrations Editor Pia Mileaf-Patel Video Editors Roland High Celia Hack

Business

Office Manager Diane Silvia Directors Sales: Shreya Raghunandan Finance: Ravi Betzig Strategy: Caroline Ziegler

Editorial contact: 401-351-3372 herald@browndailyherald.com

Advertising contact: 401-351-3372 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.

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, BlogDailyHerald 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 2018 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906.

COMMENTARY MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Deriving meaning from different perspectives QUENTIN THOMAS staff columnist In recent weeks, ideological diversity has become a major topic of discussion on campus. The Herald has certainly facilitated this larger discussion, publishing a wide range of op-eds about free speech, the SPEAK coalition and Jeb Bush’s upcoming lecture. These articles all touch on the idea of ideological diversity and the purpose of bringing speakers to campus who may not necessarily align with student opinion. In reading my peers’ thoughts, I have ultimately found myself wondering: What kind of opinions are productive and worthwhile to a scholarly community like Brown? To be clear, I’m not making an argument for or against inviting Bush to speak at Brown; this particular case has already been heavily discussed. I am, however, seeking to raise the broader question of how a scholarly community should go about identifying what kinds of opinions and debates it should host.

Ideological diversity is important, yes. And by listening to differing viewpoints, we can start to make progress.

But we must also be cognizant of what kinds of differing opinions foster productive discourse and what kinds simply run on hate and marginalize vulnerable populations. Inviting speakers to campus for the sole purpose of diversifying thought is not enough. We must

go through the more laborious task of thinking about how a different perspective may prove productive and what value can come from bringing a new view into our academic community.

As Rebecca Aman ’20 noted in an April 13 column entitled “What constitutes acceptable discourse?”, we should first consider the educational value of the speakers the University invites to campus. These speakers must have clearly defined, relevant approaches to policy, social issues and politics. And the ideas presented by those coming to campus in the name of ideological diversity need not be a perfect reflection of the University’s or student body’s values. This discord is actually produc-

thought, stimulate important conversations and provide students with opportunities to engage with the content of their speech through campus discourse.

We’ve had the privilege of hearing from amazing people this past year, and what makes these people so amazing is, in part, their ability to make audiences think critically and engage with one another on various topics. When Cornel West came to campus last month, for example, his words were powerful in their own right. But, for me, the value of his words also came from the sustained discussions of everything he said that I had with my friends in the Ivy Room that evening, and even this past week at the bookstore coffee shop. The staying

what views might not be of use on campus is more difficult. There’s a lot of gray area when it comes to trying to identify what ideas are acceptable and unacceptable. On one level, speakers ought to meet the criteria of the funds and lectures that sponsor their invitation. As a practical matter, whether or not Bush, a former governor of Florida who lacks any foreign policy experience, can carry out the purpose of the Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs is up for debate. In separate articles published in The Herald opinions section, Michael Froid ’21 argued that the decision to award Bush “a prestigious lecture” in international affairs makes little sense given his inex-

In reading my peers’ thoughts, I have ultimately found myself wondering: What kind of opinions are productive and worthwhile to a scholarly community like Brown? tive: We can derive educational value from the people we disagree with. Encountering different perspectives is a great learning opportunity, and since we live in an academic community, it is important for us to maximize opportunities to understand unfamiliar points of view and think critically. Being able to look at the world through different lenses enriches our education as students.

But what speakers can teach us is only half of the equation. We must also consider the discursive, applied value of speakers — their capacity to provoke

power of West’s talk — and how long speakers’ ideas endure in the work that we do as students — might serve as a fruitful measure for what speakers from various fields and backgrounds can be expected to contribute with their presence on campus. Students should be able to take what they’ve learned from any given talk and turn it into something meaningful for themselves.

While coming up with expectations for the kinds of voices we invite to campus and measuring the educational and discursive value of speakers might seem straightforward, to think about

perience, while Mark Liang ’19 called Froid’s criticism “partisan,” noting that “Having direct experience in the State Department or equivalent is obviously not a requisite” to give the Ogden Memorial lecture.

Qualifications aside, however, there remains the larger tension around whether or not Bush provides any substantive value to our community. While Bush might meet some of the audience’s standards for making a valuable contribution to our campus, for others, inviting him to speak is reprehensible, and his views fall outside of what they see

as useful — or even safe — for students.

In a lot of cases, it is hard to determine if a speaker’s views harm students and deserve to be excluded from campus, or if they constitute a meaningful learning opportunity that should be sought out.

The question of who should get the final say in deeming an opinion or way of thinking productive is nearly impossible to answer. But it is because this question is so difficult to answer that it is crucial that we think long and hard about the value that guest speakers — and differing views in broader forms, like the composition of faculty — provide to our community. Aman started this process, and I’ve tried to advance it here, though by no means is my set of expectations perfect. Going forward, we, as a community, must be willing to intentionally, collectively and conscientiously think about guest speakers, guest lecturers and their effect on campus discourse and our education.

Just because this task is difficult and far from clear-cut does not mean it should not be taken up. In fact, it is because it is so difficult — and so worthwhile for the University and for our education — that we must embrace this challenge.

Quentin Thomas ’21 can be reached at quentin_thomas@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Make spring break dining more accessible KRISTA STAPLEFORD staff columnist When the University established need-blind admissions policies in 2002 and then in December 2017 announced the elimination of loans from undergraduate financial aid packages, it joined many of its peer institutions in making a profound statement to the world that a student’s ability to pay should never keep them from obtaining a first-rate education. While the changes thus far are deeply consequential, there are still more reforms Brown needs to make if it truly wishes to be a place that any student, no matter their income level, can comfortably attend. A critical next step is for the University to expand access to affordable dining services for all students during spring break.

Brown Dining Services does not allow students to utilize their regular meal plan during the break, but instead requires them to purchase a separate plan, which costs $288, to eat on campus during break. Students can, however, qualify to receive the plan gratuit, through an emergency fund program for students “with exceptionally high demonstrated financial need,” according to UFunds. Unfortunately, the threshold of eligibility for this program is not public information. For the many who don’t quite fall into this category but still struggle to make ends meet — particularly when extraneous costs arise — paying for food over spring break is an unreasonable burden, particularly at a university that prides itself on being accessible.

It’s important to acknowledge that for many, spring break is perceived as an exercise in cutting loose. It’s a time when many students leave campus, and unlike winter and Thanksgiving breaks, where family is a focus, spring break is culturally associated with heading somewhere tropi-

cal or abroad, largely for the purpose of drinking too much, eating too much and forgetting entirely about the responsibilities of college.

There is a large segment of the Brown student body, though, for whom spring break is more stressful than it is sophomoric. For those students who can’t quite afford to leave campus on vacation, the added burden of being unable to use one’s regular meal plan at a dining hall that is nonetheless open during break is quite significant. A small adjustment to current University dining services policy could translate into huge stress relief for students who do find themselves in this situation.

As with any proposal involving the expansion of services for students, it’s understandable for administrators — even those who are particularly sensitive to students’ financial concerns — to be wary of the costs associated with continuing din-

al meals at $7 each to use at any time during the break. This would be a much more gracious option for the University to provide, because it allows students to selectively decide how many prepared meals they are willing to pay for each day and at a much lower cost per meal. But, if Brown were to allow students to swipe in on their regular plan, it would be following peer institutions who currently do the same and have found a way to make it cost feasible, like the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Southern California.

Furthermore, while break may accentuate the issue of food insecurity on college campuses, it is by no means the only moment each year that some students will face food insecurity. If anything, Brown’s spring break dining services just serve as a critical place for us to start considering the ways in which students at Brown could be affected by food

Paying for food over spring break is an unreasonable burden, particularly at a university that prides itself in being accessible. ing services through spring break. Luckily, programs at peer institutions provide templates for us to consider when it comes to affordability.

Currently, dining at the Ratty during spring break costs $10.66 per meal and has to be purchased within a full set of meals for the spring break week, which is incredibly cost prohibitive.

If the University does not want to go so far as to allow students to use their regular swipes during break, a more affordable feature could be a system in which students are able to purchase whatever number of meals they want for the week, at a more affordable price.

Yale introduced a similar program in 2013, which allows students to pre-purchase individu-

insecurity on a daily basis.

Nationally, according to a survey of 40,000 college students, 36 percent of respondents reported experiencing food insecurity at some point this school year. Many students reported being unable to buy a required textbook, being unable to focus in class, missing class or even dropping a class altogether as a result of being hungry. Moreover, the huge toll on one’s mental health cannot be ignored — it likely feels stressful and shameful to be unable to afford sufficient food, particularly in an environment where many students are quite privileged with the necessary resources to get by comfortably.

As an educational institution, we are compelled to acknowledge the profound effect that

food can have on one’s ability to be academically successful. As a community that holds itself to a high academic standard, we must realize our obligation to ensure every student has sufficient access to food so that they are set up with the best opportunity to reap the most of their time here.

Schools like Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created campus food banks that allow students who need a little extra food assistance to take dietary staples at any time during the school year at no cost. These banks even make a point of reaching out and advertising to students about this option during the break.

Even more comprehensively, the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides students with a list on their main food website of all available free food options around campus — including a hot dinner prepared for students to enjoy for free every Tuesday night using surplus dining hall ingredients. The introduction of even just one of these services could make a huge difference in the lives of many students in our community.

As an institution, Brown already commits itself to equality of access to a premier education. The University has stated to the world that it is devoted to making itself a place where lower income students can feasibly come for their college education.

It’s unfair, frankly, to accept students, promising each one tuition aid tailored to their specific financial needs, without also affording every single student adequate access to food for every single day of their time here. Anything less is a false promise.

Krista Stapleford ’21 can be reached at krista_stapleford@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018

Bruno struggles to contain Bulldog offense in loss Men’s lacrosse falls to first-place Yale 27-15, moves to fourth place in conference standings

By EMORY HINGORANI STAFF WRITER

The men’s lacrosse team faced off against No. 6 Yale Saturday and looked to find its third straight Ivy League win following victories over Princeton and Penn. But a powerful offensive attack from Yale (9-2, 5-0 Ivy) proved too much for Brown (5-5, 2-2), as the Bulldogs managed to put up 27 goals to the Bears’ 15.

M. LACROSSE Yale opened scoring in the first minute of play, but the Bears responded strongly. Stephen Hudak ’18 put up back-to-back goals, which George Grell ’21 followed with another tally to give Bruno a 3-1 lead with 11:04 remaining in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs followed with a goal, which Jackson Newsome ’19 answered under a minute later, setting the game at 4-2 midway through the first. But Yale dominated the rest of the quarter and scored four straight to send the Bears into the second quarter down by two.

Brown found an offensive rhythm early in the second period. Michael

Panepinto ’19 scored at the 14-minute mark, and a pair of goals from Newsome tied the game up at seven apiece.

“In the first half our offense was playing pretty well,” Hudak said. “We knew we had to get shots in on that goalie early and try to get some momentum on our shots, and I think we did that well.”

But the Bears’ offensive success was overshadowed by the Bulldogs’ offense, which went on a scoring rally late in the second quarter. Yale put away five goals before Luke McCaleb ’20 closed out scoring in the period with 50 seconds remaining, sending the game into the half 11-8 in favor of the Elis.

Yale’s offensive prowess continued in the second half. The Bulldogs won all seven faceoffs in the third quarter and took advantage, outshooting Brown 24 to 5 in the period.

The Bulldogs scored twice before Newsome responded with a goal — his fourth point of the afternoon — for the Bears, and narrowed the deficit to four.

The rest of the third was all Yale, as Bruno’s defense struggled against the Bulldogs’ solid offense, which scored six straight goals. Yale carried the rally over into the fourth quarter, and added a pair of goals early in the final frame to gain a 21-9 advantage.

But Bruno continued to fight. Newsome scored his fifth goal of the game, a career high, at the 11:53 mark. After two more goals from the Bulldogs,

the Bears answered with two goals of their own, first from Jack Kniffin ’20, followed by Riley Stewart ’21.

Yale scored twice more, setting the score at 12-25 with 3:32 left in the contest. Levi McCrady ’20 responded about fifteen seconds later with his first goal of the game.

After another pair of Bulldog goals, the Bears finished out the afternoon with two scores. Tom Hale ’21 found the back of the net, logging the first point of his college career. McCrady then scored once more, setting the game to its final score of 15-27.

The game was a tale of two halves, as Brown moved the ball well and put up points early on, but struggled to find an answer to Yale’s offense in the third and fourth quarters.

“I think the game just came down to a bunch of little plays,” said Carson Song ’19. “In the first half … we were making some of those plays, and in the second half they started making more of the little plays. Looking ahead, if we can focus on attention to detail and those little fundamentals … that’s the direction and the focus and we need to reemphasize.”

After a tough game against Yale, the Bears are looking forward to the opportunity to play crosstown rival Providence College Tuesday.

“We’ll close the book on (the Yale game) relatively quickly,” Hudak said.

“At this point in our season, we’ve got to worry about what we can control,

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Brown was overpowered by Yale’s explosive offense in the loss, but has crucial games against Cornell and Dartmouth remaining in the season. and that’s just coming out and preparing for PC … It’s nice to just be able to play another game right away and keep moving forward.”

“I think the best way to think about (the loss) is that our season is ahead of us. We’re focused on our team and the things we can do and improve on more so than anything else,” Song said. “There’s obviously things to learn from that game, but I think it’s important to move on and … prepare for

Providence on Tuesday.”

The next four games are all critical for the team, with matchups coming up against intrastate rivals Providence and Bryant and Ivy League foes Cornell and Dartmouth. The Bears face Providence College Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Stevenson-Pincince Field.

Brown also remains in contention for a spot in the 2018 Ivy League tournament, which opens May 4 at Columbia.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION NOW

Celebrating the Unspeakable Practices of Robert Coover and the International Writers Project Tuesday, 17 April

Wednesday, 18 April

Thursday, 19 April

A voice performance of selections from Robert Coover's novel, Gerald's Party – this performance will be directed by Roderick Coover and will include cameos by many of the presenters who will be taking part in the festival.

Writing 3D – Visits to the CAVE and/orYURT to see experiments by current and former Brown students in 3D digital language arts, presented

by John Cayley.

Postmodernism: What Was It? What's Next?, a panel discussion with Elisabeth Bell, Samuel Coale and Larry McCaffery

5:30 pm (doors open at 5 pm) McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street

A handful from among the countless former students whose visions grew through their being mentored by Robert Coover will present short readings: Robert Arellano, Shelley Jackson, Eurydice Kamviselli, Alexandra Kleeman and Joanna Scott. Joining this reading is Robert Coover's friend and literary colleague, Jonathan Baumbach.

7 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street

for more details visit:

infictionnow.literaryarts.xyz

10 am to noon Studio 4, Granoff Center 154 Angell Street

From Electronic Writing to Digital Language Art, presentations by Robert Arellano, John Cayley, Samantha Gorman, David Jhave Johnston, Ian Hatcher and Benjamin Moreno Ortiz.

11 am McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street

Edwidge Danticat, Siri Hustvedt and Richard Powers read from their literary work.

4:30 pm 117 MacMillan Hall 167 Thayer Street

2 pm, McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street

Paul Auster, Robert Coover and Don DeLillo read from their literary work.

Celebrating the International Writers Project, readings by noted authors Russell Banks, Ru Freeman and Marlon James.

167 Thayer Street

7:30 pm 117 MacMillan Hall

T.C. Boyle and William Kennedy read from their literary work.

International Fiction Circus Now — the festivities culminate with presenations by Mary Caponegro, Matt Derby, Rikki Ducornet, Brian Evenson, Jack Foley, Ben Marcus and a host of others juggling language and all sorts of other surprises.

7:30 pm Martinos Auditorium, Granoff Center 154 Angell Street

9:30 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street

4:30 pm Martinos Auditorium, Granoff Center 154 Angell Street

This festival was made possible by support from the Brown Arts Initiative and the Office of the Provost and is sponsored by the Department of Literary Arts