Thursday, February 6, 2020

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 12

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

METRO

Gov. calls for renewable energy to fuel electricity by 2030 Executive order leaves climate change activists skeptical of plan’s attainability

In an ambitious and controversial

change in a way that’s real or impactful … all you can do is harm your economy and not improve your climate unless the entire nation joins in,” during the Globe’s Legislative Kickoff Panel Jan. 15, The Herald previously reported.

Raimondo directly addressed this criticism in her announcement of the executive order: “That could not be more wrong.”

The executive order “is potentially

but instructs the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources to develop an “economic and energy market analysis” by the end of this year.

The order also comes just months after Raimondo came under fire from climate activists for allegedly receiving around $500,000 in campaign donations from executives in the fossil fuel industry, The Herald previously reported.

that’s $3 billion that we’re not spending elsewhere, and then that money can circulate in the economy, creating jobs to produce the electricity from solar and wind,” he added.

In 2017, Raimondo’s office announced an environmental goal to “increase the state’s clean energy tenfold by the end of 2020,” wrote Robert Beadle, communications manager of the Rhode Island Office of Energy

move, Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order Jan. 17 to meet 100 percent of the state’s electricity demand with renewable energy by 2030.

This action came just two days after R.I. Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello (D-Cranston) told the Boston Globe that “there’s nothing Rhode Island can do to address climate

a very big deal. It’s one of the most ambitious in the country, maybe the most ambitious, but it’s also really just an order for a plan,” commented J. Timmons Roberts, professor of environmental studies and professor of environment and society and sociology at the University. The order does not establish any policy measures,

The R.I. electricity sector depends on fossil fuel energy imported from outside of the Ocean State, according to Roberts. In total, Rhode Island spends about $3 billion annually on importing fossil fuel energy. Roberts suggested these funds could be redirected toward renewable energy. “If we produce (renewable energy) here,

Resources, in an email to The Herald. As of the third quarter of 2019, Rhode Island had increased its renewable energy output from about 100 megawatts to 809 megawatts, with over half of the energy sourced from offshore wind.

Since Raimondo’s executive order is not law, it is technically unenforceable — and some believe it could easily get thrown out or rolled back, according to Kaya Salem ’18, speaking as policy coordinator at Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Even if the order does succeed, Salem believes it falls short in light of the imminence of the climate crisis. “This executive order does not nearly go far enough, and moreover, it sets a narrative that the governor is taking action on climate change,” Salem said. In fact, the executive order “does nothing of the sort and simply sets another, somewhat meaningless goal,” she said.

BY COREY GELB-BICKNELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SUMMER ZHANG / HERALD

UNIVERSITY NEWS

SEE ENERGY PAGE 2

METRO

Raimondo endorses Bloomberg for president Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg visits Providence for campaign event

BY AUBREY LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Gov. Gina Raimondo announced her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg at his campaign event Wednesday morning, making her the first governor in the country to do so.

“I think Mike can win. He has the track record, the resources, the energy,” Raimondo, who will also act as Bloomberg’s campaign co-chair, told The Herald. While she acknowledged that it will be more difficult for the former mayor of New York City to win having entered the race late, “He’s the best candidate in the race and he’s the best candidate to beat Donald Trump.”

Supporting Bloomberg’s presidential bid was “an easy call,” Raimondo,

SEE BLOOMBERG PAGE 4

ARTS & CULTURE

BMP screens alum’s new show ‘Briarpatch’ GSC elects new Vice Creator, Executive President of Advocacy Producer Andy

BY JACK WALKER SENIOR STAFF WRITER Entering the new semester, the Graduate Student Council elected a new vice president of advocacy and discussed programming to improve access to mental health support for graduate students.

At its first monthly meeting of the year, the GSC elected Malcolm Thompson GS as vice president of advocacy after he ran unopposed.

This position plays a central role in voicing the perspectives of various graduate student communities to the GSC general body and maintaining relationships between the GSC and other advocacy groups, according to the GSC Constitution.

The GSC Executive Board discussed initiatives and upcoming programming focused on providing graduate students with resources for student well-being and financial awareness. These discussions included efforts to develop a position at Counseling and Psychological Services focused on graduate students, similar to the position that already exists for Alpert Medical School students.

A mental health week and events offering mental health support specifically for students of color were also discussed at the meeting. Kathryn Thompson GS, GSC president, said “It’s really hard being a grad student when you are taxed mentally and physically on a daily basis,” explaining the executive board’s increased focus on graduate students’ mental health.

Thompson reiterated her hope that these efforts would “push (graduate student mental health) in the face of administration” and show that the

SEE GSC PAGE 3

Greenwald ’99 comments on TV series

BY CLAIRE LIU STAFF WRITER

Brown Motion Pictures hosted an advance screening Tuesday night of “Briarpatch,” a new television series created by “The Watch” podcast host and screenwriter Andy Greenwald ’99.

The show, which premieres on USA Network tonight, is an adaptation of the book by the same title. It tells the story of investigator Allegra Dill, played

by Rosario Dawson, who returns to her hometown to solve the mystery of her sister’s murder.

The first episode opens with the detonation of a planted bomb — an explosion that kills Dill’s sister and sets the scene for the rest of the story. As Dill searches for answers surrounding her sister’s death, audience members are introduced to an intriguing cast of characters: the town’s richest man who

A&C

Metro

Commentary

“tiny” archaeology exhibit explores the massive potential miniatures can have Page 2

CAPP re-opens their food pantry in Elmwood after being closed for half a year Page 3

Mackey ’59: Commemorating Gorton ’52 for work toward gender equality in U. sports Page 7

ROSLYN CORIZ / HERALD

Students watched an advanced screening of USA Network’s “Briarpatch” Tuesday, ahead of the show’s premiere today. holds ties to a classified agency, her sister’s secret fiancee and Dill’s boss, who is also her lover. A skillful lie-detector, Dill quickly discovers covered-up evidence that complicates the case. The episode concludes with the explosion of another planted bomb, which nearly kills Dill. The viewers are left with a visibly shaken heroine, and the killer still on the loose.

“Briarpatch” is Greenwald’s first TV

Read Join

Board planning student-focused programming for new semester

series after a long career as a television critic. His adaptation of Ross Thomas’ 1984 novel changes the protagonist from a man to a woman because a male investigator in a crime story is an “overused trope,” Greenwald wrote in an email to The Herald.

“I wanted to tell a story that was very much about today — about one

SEE BRIARPATCH PAGE 3

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

ARTS & CULTURE

‘tiny’ exhibition meditates on might of miniature ARCH 0303’s exhibit employs miniatures to communicate personal, historical narratives

BY NICHOLAS MICHAEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER From Lego figurines to silver spoons of varying sizes, “tiny,” open until April 13, showcases works that reveal the emotional, cultural and historical capacities of smallness.

The “tiny” exhibit, currently on display in Rhode Island Hall, examines the ways in which small things can communicate a story of nuance and complexity, said Felipe Rojas Silva, the U. archaeology professor whose class ARCH 0303: “tiny: Miniature Might and Meaning” worked on the exhibit in collaboration with the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World.

Though Rojas has taught classes on monumentality — architectural largeness — in the past, he “thought it would be interesting to have a counterpart that focused on very small things,” he explained. The exhibit is the culmination of the course, showcasing shadowboxes containing miniatures curated by each student.

Upon entering the exhibit, one is struck by hanging pamphlets which contain essays from students reflecting on their personal works. Rojas expressed his gratitude for his students’ willingness to be vulnerable in both their exhibition works and essays, and he hopes visitors will take time to read the pamphlets. “There are both dreams and nightmares in those little boxes,”

ENERGY FROM PAGE 1 The Green Energy Consumers Alliance also contends that the state should be focusing efforts on transitioning to renewable energy in other sectors, including transportation and heating, since electricity only accounts for 26 percent of total state emissions.

Roberts believes that this newest executive order is a response to pressure placed on Raimondo by the Sunrise Movement, a political coalition of young people committed to ending the climate crisis. “The Sunrise Movement has been right up in her face … so this was her effort to do something bold,” he said.

But members of the Sunrise Movement were not won over by this newest policy measure. “I would say it is pretty disingenuous of her to make this statement and release this executive

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

The “tiny” exhibit showcases work from the Fall 2019 Archaeology class “tiny: Miniature Might and Meaning.” he said. hana ’23 engaged with miniature, At the opening of the exhibit, a 2016 3D-printed replicas of Neolithic clay film by artist Nina Katchadourian ’89, figurines to communicate a powerful “The Recarcassing Ceremony,” was “sensorial” experience, according to her screened. Though it is no longer being essay. Wardhana’s study of the Greek shown at the exhibit, the film “demon- artifacts expands upon that of Professor strates how bodies — including minia- of Archaeology Yannis Hamilakis, who ture Playmobil or Lego figurines — can specializes in the archaeology of the contain or reproduce other worlds, souls prehistoric Aegean. “The function of and mythologies at various scales,” said the objects is still relatively ambiguous, James Warren, a student at the Rhode but my display wants to look for clues in Island School of Design, in his pamphlet their materiality to unravel their historreflection. ical functions,” Wardhana explained of Much like Katchadourian does in her motivations for the project. her filmic revival of her childhood rit“The objects I dealt with condensed uals, ARCH 0303 students trace multi- all of the properties like color, texture, farious histories and treat them with form and three-dimensionality into care through their shadowboxes. In these very small things, and I was one project, archaeology concentrator interested in how digital technology Paige Daniela Banks ’20 recreated the can be used by archaeologists to acminiature Lego sheep that she used to centuate all the histories imbedded make in her childhood, according to in this material,” she added. So, at the her essay. “Being a little kid surrounded exhibition’s opening, Wardhana built by dozens of tiny sheep made me feel a hologram display that “was able to powerful and proud; I had created so rotate the object so that you could see many tiny things,” she said. all of the textural details without the In another project, Katrina Ward- need for touch.”

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

Each shadow box along the gallery wall in Rhode Island Hall contains miniatures collected, curated or created by students in the course.

Rojas emphasized that he constructed the course syllabus around themes that could be studied across the cultures of antiquity and modernity. “I’m interested in cross-cultural comparison, so the class was organized thematically rather than chronologically or regionally,” Rojas said. He explained the course as being guided by “the capacity of very small things and community to help people to materialize power.”

The political and cultural implications of tininess were a focus of the course. Students studied miniatures as modes of resistance, particularly in creating spaces for marginalized com-

munities to imagine their own stories, histories and futures, Rojas said.

The subtleties conveyed through the tiny objects were appreciated by visitors to the exhibit. “One of my favorite things about the exhibit is that, because the objects are small, they invite the viewer to get close and look at them,” said Jessica Porter, perations and events coordinator for the Joukowsky Institute. Much like Wardhana hoped, Porter reflected that she “was able to see all kinds of details and appreciate the materials the objects were made of and the effort put into creating them.”

order with a lot of fanfare,” said Nina Wolff Landau ’20, a co-coordinator of the Brown and Rhode Island School of Design branch of Sunrise.

Members of Sunrise Providence expressed more enthusiasm about the executive order. “Initially we were excited because this means that our collective voice … successfully pushed her to see how serious this issue is,” said Mycala McKay, an organizer of Sunrise Providence. But instead of seeing the order as an accomplishment, Mckay said she sees it as a “jumping-off point” for Sunrise. “This is a chance for us to continue to apply pressure,” she added.

“We can’t allow this to stop the momentum we’ve created.”

Though reactions to the order remain mixed, Roberts maintains the order has potential. “It’s a big deal. It especially could be a big deal if we push hard. If we keep pushing.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

BRIARPATCH FROM PAGE 1

METRO

Pantry re-opens in downtown Providence Local social service group CAPP reopens Elmwood location after half-year hiatus HENRY DAWSON METRO EDITOR An elderly woman, wrapped in layers of knitwear, pulls a duffel across the floor of the food pantry. She has trouble bending her knees, so an employee kneels to help fill the bag with corn flakes, pistachios, canned chickpeas, a black plastic bag filled with potatoes, onions and carrots.

The Community Action Partnership of Providence re-opened its food pantry Wednesday morning, six months after it closed operations at the Elmwood Community Center due to health and safety concerns, according to Executive Director Rilwan Feyisitan, Jr. CAPP, one of the largest social-service groups in the city, offers hunger relief in the form of a food pantry that served 29,280 pounds of food between June and July of last year. It also provides social programs such as senior meals and activities, financial planning, job search assistance and heating subsidies.

The new home of CAPP’s food pantry — the Algonquin House — is an imposing, four-story brick building. Owned by the Rhode Island Indian Council, the property spans a block in Elmwood, Providence. Algonquin House is also home to the branch office of RI Works, a state program that provides cash assistance to eligible low-income families.

“We are very, very excited” for the opening, said Deputy Director of CAPP Norma Gonzalez, “because we see that there is a great need in this community.” Although CAPP directed Elmwood clients to other food pantries during the closure, most were too far for clients to reach, so some went without assistance, Gonzalez said. “The need … for opening this food pantry here has been greater every day,” she emphasized, adding that the pantry has seen an increase in requests for food.

CAPP is an organization that strives

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HENRY DAWSON / HERALD

Community Action Partnership of Providence’s food pantry returns after closing earlier this year due to health and safety concerns. for “self-sufficiency” in its clients, Feyisitan said. “Very often we are trying to move them from needing immediate (food) assistance … to our job training (and) development programs.” Many people who enter the pantry “come in crisis,” unable to feed their families, Feyisitan added.

The location change will lead to an increase in CAPP clients due to the high number of “displaced and out-of-place folks” near the Algonquin House, he continued.

In addition to providing food items, CAPP runs programs for senior citizens, offering nutrition classes, trips to the park and the theater, cookouts and social time for those that live alone.

Brenda Pacheco, a Providence resident who attended the pantry’s opening, was a client of the CAPP pantry at the ECC. She receives heating assistance from CAPP as well as food for herself and her two sons, Adrian and Wayne.

Although she works part-time, she struggles to make ends meet, especially since the Elmwood pantry closed down.

Even with two children, one of whom has Asperger’s syndrome, Pacheco does not qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and said the logistical barriers of distance and her working hours have prevented her from accessing other food banks. “I don’t think doors should ever be shut on anybody,” she said, “especially if they’re in need of food.”

Tanya Freeman, a volunteer and client at CAPP, enjoys that the pantry is “client choice,” meaning that visitors pick their food rather than being given a

pre-filled box. The choice element also extends to the meals offered as part of the senior program: “There’s a salad, a hot meal (and) you can get a sandwich.”

After learning about the trips to the park for senior citizens, Freeman said she can’t wait to go.

Lourdez Sanchez is a 64-year-old Providence resident who lives a few blocks down from the pantry’s new location. She is currently unemployed and applied for SNAP benefits the day before CAPP opened. Wednesday was her first time at the CAPP pantry. Before, as she lacked access to a bus pass or other means of transportation, she would walk to a pantry at a nearby church.

“The city should support the pantries so that they can help residents more. We should unify, get together … and talk to the city.”

In the future, Feyisitan is worried about potential federal restrictions on SNAP eligibility proposed by the Trump administration. “We work with a lot of folks that are currently going to be displaced (from SNAP benefits). There are a lot of changes that we are watching and are really concerned” about, she said, adding that the displacement will “exacerbate the issues of feeding folks that are in need.”

Despite challenges, Feyisitan and CAPP remain hopeful. For many clients in crisis turning to CAPP — rationing food, going hungry to feed their kids or going without medications — the food basket provided at the pantry can be a lifeline, said Feyisitan.

“Folks leave realizing they’re not alone.”

woman’s emotional journey, about the lies we tell ourselves and the surreal and shocking things that lurk around every corner,” he wrote.“I don’t believe in darkness for darkness’ sake — dramas need to have comedy in them to better mirror life, which is oftentimes just as odd, hilarious and surreal as it is heavy and tragic.”

Close-up shots of flies, rotten food and escaped zoo animals are interspersed among scenes of Dill’s tense conversations with other characters. Ted Catlin ’20, who attended the screening, described the show’s combination of suspense and stranger elements as “‘Pulp Fiction’ meets ‘Life of Pi.’” At Brown, Greenwald was a member of Out of Bounds, a student sketch comedy group whose alums include

John Krasinski ’01. Aside from honing his comedic chops at midnight in Keeney Quad with the group, Greenwald also met his future wife and Gina Hirsch ’99, the editor of “Briarpatch.”

“My time at Brown taught me to read widely, think critically and, above all else, try and have fun with whatever it was I was working on,” Greenwald wrote.

Zach Even ’20, a managing director for BMP, reached out to Greenwald to arrange an advance screening after hearing him talk about the upcoming series on “The Watch,” a TV and pop culture commentary podcast.

“I really enjoyed (the episode).

It’s a very fun show; one thing that (Greenwald) talks about a lot is that he wants to make something that people enjoy watching and doesn’t feel like a chore,” Even said. “I’m curious to see more.”

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GSC FROM PAGE 1 executive board is “taking (graduate student mental health) seriously.”

The general body voted to approve several budget changes as well, including increased funding for conferences and projects, committee meetings and advocacy for master’s and international students.

The GSC also plans to further invest in its speaker series, which allows graduate students with relevant research to present at the Med School, bridging the gap between largely separated graduate and medical student populations.

Other GSC-led initiatives include tax workshops and discussions on health insurance. The executive board hopes that creating these programs will establish a precedent and lead to their renewal in future semesters, Thompson said. The GSC also discussed student-driven, professional development workshops specifically for master’s students, new events to help build the community of international graduate students and mini-lectures led by graduate students.

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

The Graduate Student Council met for the first time this semester to elect a new vice president of advocacy. They also discussed improving access to mental health support for graduate students, and voted to approve several budget changes.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

AUBREY LI / HERALD

Gov. Gina Raimondo, a long-time political ally of democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, praised his entrepreneurial success at a downtown Providence campaign event.

BLOOMBERG FROM PAGE 1 the former chair of the Democratic Governors Association, told the crowd gathered at the Wexford Innovation Center in downtown Providence. “He’s a uniter, not a divider; he’s a pragmatist, not a partisan; and he brings calm, confident, steady leadership, not hysteria,” she said.

Raimondo, a long-term political ally of Bloomberg, praised his entrepreneurial success and his leadership following the Sept. 11 attacks, while also applauding his political mentorship.

“He has made me a better governor,” she added.

The pair hope to collaborate on interstate policies to address climate change, gun control and the opioid epidemic, Bloomberg said.

“I’m gonna bring this country back together, and … start putting the ‘united’ back (in) the United States of America,” Bloomberg said in his speech

following Raimondo’s introduction. “I believe we need less talk, less partisanship, less division, less tweeting; in fact, what about no tweeting from the Oval Office ever again?”

Bloomberg described his policy platform as including strengthening gun control and weakening of the National Rifle Association, converting national energy to green sources, expanding access to affordable healthcare, increasing job opportunities, reforming the immigration system and protecting women’s rights. Bloomberg gave further examples of his past achievements: raising teachers’ salaries and graduation rates, increasing access to health insurance coverage, closing power plants and reducing gun violence.

“Basically, you can say I am the unTrump,” he said.

But Bloomberg’s speech did not proceed without interruption: Several protesters raised their voices at

times throughout the speech only to be drowned out by the crowd of supporters and escorted out.

Chris Sarli ’22, who attended the campaign event, said that he believes Bloomberg to be a competent candidate, despite a few policies Sarli disagrees with, such as Bloomberg’s prior support of stop-and-frisk.

Aurise Carden, a retired teacher from Rhode Island and an advocate of Moms Demand Action, supports Bloomberg for his gun control policy and what she described as his quality of being “a rational, moral leader.”

Rick Simone, the president of a Rhode Island-based marketing agency, said that he is still unsure about who he wanted to support. “The Iowa caucus scared the hell out of me,” he said. “I’m surprised it is so disorganized.”

Bloomberg ended his speech reminiscing about a past victory over Donald Trump and praising political leadership within Rhode Island.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

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Robotics Talk 12:00 P.M. Watson Center for Information Technology

Looking for “Life as We Don’t Know It” 4:00 P.M. MacMillan Hall

How to Find and Fund an Internship 6:00 P.M. CareerLab

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Register Your Personal Property 11:00 A.M. Orwig Music Building

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Education First Information Session 12:00 P.M. CareerLab

Reading: Poet Jacqueline Wang 5:30 P.M. McCormack Family Theater

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Film Screening: Tampopo 6:30 P.M. Friedman Hall

PW Presents: The Hanging Girl 8:00 P.M. 7 Young Orchard Avenue

Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

“Small things can communicate a story of nuance and complexity.”

—Felipe Rojas Silva SEE TINY PAGE 2

E G G - CEL L EN CE CR O S SWO R D

JESSE BERMUDEZ-DEANE / HERALD

Different yolks for different folks — make your way to The Ratty early enough to get your daily serving of protein in the form of an omelette customized to your preferences.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

C O R R E CT I O N A previous version of the Feb. 5 article, “Brown UCS approves new Students for Trump group,” stated that as a Category I group, Students for Trump at Brown would not receive direct funding from UCS. In fact, as a Category I group, Students for Trump at Brown would not receive direct funding from UFB. The Herald regrets the error.

A previous version of the Feb. 5 article, “Faculty vote to extend first-year orientation,” stated that Dean Bess Marcus finished her term this fall. In fact, Dean Bess Marcus will finish her term June 30. The Herald regrets the error.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Honoring the Legacy of Arlene Gorton ’52: Brown’s Opportunity

BY PETER MACKIE ’59 OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Today, few people on campus know of Arlene Gorton ’52, a Brown athletic administrator who recently passed away. Anyone who participates in athletics at any level, however, is a beneficiary of Arlene’s inclusive philosophy that athletics are for everyone.

Arlene Gorton graduated from Pembroke College (the women’s division of Brown) in 1952, and she returned to College Hill in 1961 as director of physical education and a professor in the physical education department at Pembroke. At the time, drawing on a slim $2,000 athletic budget, Arlene ran seven club-varsity sports teams. Over the next four decades, Arlene skillfully navigated a series of dramatic events: the challenges of the turbulent 1960s, the Brown-Pembroke merger, the passing of Title IX legislation and the beginning of formal Ivy play for women in the late ’70s — not to mention the contentious battle over women’s sports between the NCAA and the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) in the ’80s.

As the lone voice for women in a male-dominated athletics department, she steered a steady course through these watershed mo-

ments, guided by her wisdom, tenacity and especially her patience. Arlene’s door was always open to students who came to her for mentoring or with ideas about new programs. During the 1970s, women’s varsity teams in tennis, ice hockey, crew, lacrosse, track and several others took flight under her supportive guidance. She

ics was visionary and transformational. Arlene became a national figure and was recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators as their Division I Administrator of the Year in 1998. Upon her retirement in the same year, Arlene was described by sportswriter Bill Reynolds ’68 as “a constant

“Anyone who participates in athletics at any level is a beneficiary of Arlene’s inclusive philosophy that athletics are for everyone.”

also developed support structures that enabled women athletes at all levels to find their voices and to focus on the pure joy of competition.

Finally, Arlene embraced her role as Professor.

Through teaching courses such as Sports in American Society, which is still offered today (AMST 1600D), she inspired students to examine athletics through a scholarly lens.

In short, Arlene Gorton’s work in athlet-

who was the conscience of Brown Athletics.”

Arlene Gorton has been recognized at Brown through several awards, and she was inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame. What is missing, however, is recognition that publicly honors both her and her enduring contributions to women’s sports and the University.

Currently there are no athletic fields at Brown which are named for a woman — a glar-

ing oversight. Existing fields are named in connection with a major gift or on an honorary basis. The most recent naming, which occurred in 2015, added recognition of retired women’s soccer and softball coach Phil Pincince to Stevenson Field. Ironically, it was Arlene Gorton who hired Pincince to coach in 1977.

Arlene Gorton both played and coached softball at Pembroke, and she elevated the sport to varsity status in 1975; it is only fitting that the softball field, which was completed in 2016, be named the Arlene E. Gorton ’52 Softball Field in her honor. Generations of Brown women would support and cheer such a decision, and future student-athletes would learn of Arlene’s commitment to women’s sports.

Next month, family and friends will gather in Manning Chapel to celebrate Arlene’s life and pay tribute to her extraordinary accomplishments. When we do so, it would be comforting to know that Brown will take the high road and name the softball field in Arlene Gorton’s honor.

Peter Mackie ’59 is a University sports archivist. He can be reached at peter_mackie@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

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8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Computing, Information Services solicits UCS feedback on BrownU app App features include event information, dining menus, laundry machine availability

BY JACK BORRIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER Staff from Computing and Information Services presented on the recently launched BrownU mobile application and solicited student feedback at the Undergraduate Council of Students’ general body meeting Wednesday evening.

CIS Director of Digital Innovation and Ecosystems Delphine Lucks and Customer Experience Specialist Charissa Prentice were joined at the meeting

by Stephanie Obodda, assistant director of IT communications and training, over video conference. They discussed possible improvements and expansions to the app to be incorporated in its upcoming redesign.

BrownU, available for iOS and Android, was launched prior to orientation in August, The Herald previously reported. The app has “on-the-go information for the Brown University community including campus events, dining menus and laundry machine availability,” according to its description in the Apple App Store.

Obodda highlighted the app’s emphasis on features that she believes students would use every day. “We wanted to whittle down the ideas to what we felt would really resonate with students,” she said.

Rather than building the app from the ground up, CIS used an existing app platform and adapted it for specific features relevant to Brown students, Lucks said, adding that the department had about six weeks to create the application.

Obodda said that the University plans to redevelop the app “in-house” later this year, taking into account faculty, staff and student feedback obtained in-person and through in-app surveys. “Those little micro features of

DANIELLE EMERSON/ HERALD

BrownU, the official app for information related to the University community, including dining menus and campus maps, has been built to have features specifically relevant to students. Both staff from CIS and students from UCS met to discuss the app’s future development. the app are the things we really want to hear” about, she said.

UCS members brought up several functionality issues they had experienced with the app, with several pointing to the laundry machine availability, shuttle tracking and dining menu features as primary causes of concern.

Obodda responded by detailing the difficulties of integrating the app programming with the existing online interfaces that track these services. She told the general body that making the integration process between these services smoother is a continued priority

for the development team.

CIS has also investigated the possibility of installing occupancy sensors around campus to allow the app to display crowding levels for spaces such as dining halls and the mailroom, Obodda said.

Lucks said that the app is intended to easily accommodate functionality changes in response to future events or initiatives that may occur on campus.

She highlighted the app’s “persona” element, which tailors the interface to a specific student or campus visitor’s most relevant functions. Currently there are both undergraduate and

graduate student “personas,” as well as ones for attendees of temporary events such as conferences.

Lucks talked about the development team’s desire to continually adapt the application for wider groups on campus.

“We didn’t think initially that graduate students would be interested in the app, but it turns out they were in need of an app as well, so it’s really been a learning experience,” she said.

Chair of Student Wellness Shivani Nishar ’20 suggested that the app include more information about the accessibility of various spaces on campus, such as restrooms.

Chief of Staff Melissa Lee ’20 asked about the possible inclusion of future UCS initiatives in the app. She suggested the Council’s airport shuttles program as an example of information that students would benefit from having access to on their phones.

UCS also discussed the election process for committee positions currently occupied by seniors, a new career mentorship program to connect Council alums with current UCS members and plans to continue the airport shuttle program during University breaks using recently obtained funding.