Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 82

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

U. transforms Bear’s Lair into lounge U. confirms Ratty air New multipurpose study conditioning installation space in Graduate Center opens to mixed responses from student body

After A/C success, staff, students turn to claims of understaffing during contract negotiations

By CORRINE BAI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After trekking to the south end of campus and climbing up the set of spiral stairs to the Graduate Center E Commons, students will now find the University’s newly renovated Bear’s Lair. The revamped common area has replaced “a dark, outdated recreational fitness and under-used multipurpose space” with “a vibrant ‘neighborhood’ commons,” according to the project summary obtained by The Herald.

The Bear’s Lair ­— which previously served solely as a gym — now includes a study space, a living room space, a multipurpose space and accessible restrooms. In addition, the renovated area includes a room with exercise equipment and an improved sound and lighting system, according the project summary.

Currently the University has “no plans to remove the (exercise) equipment,” from the Bear’s Lair, wrote Richard Hilton, associate director of residential life, in an email to The Herald.

Since the space’s opening, student opinion on the renovation has remained split.

Though she enjoys the “modern feel” of the space, Carmen Zheng ’19 said she still finds herself “defaulting”

By SPENCER SCHULTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

GUS REED / HERALD

Many students living near Graduate Center have expressed frustration with changes to the fitness space at the newly renovated Bear’s Lair. to the Sciences Library as a study space because the Bear’s Lair lacks computers and “a community understanding of acceptable noise levels.”

“If I were to think of ‘study space’ at Brown, there are plenty of places I would think of before I think of Bear’s Lair,” Jeremy Rhee ’20 said.

Students also expressed disappointment toward the reduced gym space in the renovated Bear’s Lair. “It’s a loss

that there is no gym space there anymore. Sometimes I like to work out late, so I would go (to Bear’s Lair) if the Nelson (were) closed,” said Anders Schreiber GS, the president of the Brown University Barbell Club.

Zhang echoed Schreiber’s sentiment and said that having to walk more than 15 minutes to the Nelson and change her schedule to cater to » See LAIR, page 3

The University announced a $3 million investment to install air conditioning throughout the Sharpe Refectory Sept. 28. After year-long efforts to secure A/C in the University’s largest dining hall, students and dining services employees are now turning their attention to claims of understaffing at the Ratty amid ongoing union contract negotiations.

A/C should be installed in the Ratty by summer 2019, said Brian Clark, director of news and editorial development, but preliminary work has already begun to revamp the building’s infrastructure.

These upgrades — which include improvements to the Ratty’s electrical system and ductwork — began in June and are expected to be completed by December. “At this point, infrastructure work will continue through December and work to begin A/C installation will proceed concurrently,” Clark said.

Along with the preparatory upgrades, the University conducted an extensive feasibility study to

determine the practicality of air conditioning implementation in the Ratty and to “develop recommendations on the best way to install A/C,” Clark said.

Due to the building’s age —the Ratty was built in 1950 — “it’s not quite a matter of plugging in an air conditioner like you would in a window unit, it’s a much more significant undertaking than that,” Clark said.

The decision to implement cooling capabilities in the Ratty comes in light of an ongoing campaign led by the Student Labor Alliance to improve conditions for dining hall workers, which began in spring 2018.

Previously, Summer@Brown resident advisors took up the cause in spring 2017, The Herald reported.

High usage of the Ratty during Summer@Brown prompted complaints by dining staff that working conditions were not safe without air conditioning, Clark said. The need to address cooling in the building in the summer has “become more pronounced” with the “significant enrollment growth” of summer programs within the last five years, he added.

While the SLA is pleased with the progress made on cooling capabilities at the Ratty, SLA member Evan Lehmann ’19 emphasized that the administration has yet to address many other pressing concerns. “It’s » See RATTY, page 2

Trump’s disapproval Former U. professor wins Genius Grant John Keene rating increases in R.I. Writer awarded $625,000 grant Statewide disapproval rating increases to 61 percent, officials predict strong midterm turnout

By HENRY DAWSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

President Trump’s disapproval rating in Rhode Island hit 61 percent this September — increasing from 46 percent at the start of his term — according to data from Morning Consult.

His approval rating suffered a smaller but significant drop from a high of 47 percent in April 2017 to 35 percent this September. The margin of error for the poll is not greater than 3 percent.

Rhode Island is historically a blue state, a trend which continued in the 2016 election. Providence led with an overwhelming turnout of 45,690 blue

METRO

INSIDE

votes, greater than the total number of red votes from the three biggest cities in the state — Providence, Warwick, and Cranston — according to the New York Times.

In Pawtucket, the fourth largest city in the state and one with a heavy democratic majority, City Councilman Albert J. Vitali Jr. “absolutely, unequivocally” anticipates more voter turnout in the coming elections. The councilman described his constituency as “not very happy” with the Trump administration, citing the Kavanaugh hearing as a touchy subject especially among women in the area. Policies that run counter to their values “would ensure they’re gonna vote Democratic,” he said.

Situated in the middle of the Republican bloc in the western part of the state, Coventry — the sixth largest town in the state — is also » See TRUMP, page 8

through MacArthur Foundation

By MELANIE PINCUS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When writer and former University professor John Keene received a call from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, he thought they were going to ask him for his opinion on other writers. Instead, they told him that he had won a MacArthur Fellowship ­— a $625,000 award to pursue his work with no strings attached. “I just didn’t believe them,” Keene said. “I’m still actually in a state of astonishment.”

The MacArthur Fellowship — often called the Genius Grant — famously keeps members of its selection committee confidential and does not accept applications for the award.

Keene was publicly named a fellow by

COURTESY OF JOHN D. AND CATHERINE T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

John Keene, a 2018 MacArthur Fellow, taught undergraduate creative writing courses as a visiting professor at the University from 2001-2002. the foundation Oct. 4, the New York Times reported.

Keene taught undergraduate creative writing courses as a visiting

professor at the University during the 2001-02 academic year. He is now the chair of the Department of African » See GRANT, page 3

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, OC TOBER 17, 2018

U. NEWS Initiative aims to address environmental issues using humanities and science

METRO Proposal for luxury apartment building downtown sparks debate, defended by developer

COMMENTARY Bosis ’19: BuDs should alter leadership model to better empower student employees

COMMENTARY Fernandez ’21: We need to be more aware of power dynamics inherent in term Latinx

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

U. creates multidisciplinary environmental initiative New environmental humanities program to host speaker series, workshops, conferences

By KAYLA GUO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Initiative for Environmental Humanities at Brown, created this fall under the Cogut Institute for the Humanities and in collaboration with the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, aims to provide a space that consolidates and fosters environmental work within the humanities.

The initiative was founded by a group of humanities professors who noticed increased interest among students in complex environmental issues. Before EHAB, the University lacked an institutional focus on environmental work in the humanities, said Assistant Professor of History and Environment and Society Brian Lander, a member of the working group that founded EHAB. “Suddenly we’re realizing that (environmental issues are) related to all different disciplines,” Lander said. “It’s a problem that needs an analysis of human societies as well as just scientific solutions, and so we’re trying to create an initiative that will bring together all the people at Brown who are interested in these issues.”

“The long-term focus is to increase the interdisciplinarity of the way people are studying the environment at Brown, and to make that more explicit,” said working group member Bathsheba Demuth, assistant professor of history and environment and society.

The initiative is housed under the Cogut Institute, but working group

TINA YANG / HERALD

members envision a growing partnership with IBES to foster interdisciplinary dialogues and a range of analytical approaches, said working group member and Assistant Professor of History Lukas Rieppel.

The initiative aims to provide undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty greater access to work taking place within the

environmental humanities at the University. These new opportunities are meant to complement those offered

by IBES in the larger discussion of environmental issues, said working group member and Professor of Political Science Sharon Krause.

Addressing environmental problems requires perspectives from both the sciences and the humanities

because these problems are rooted in human actions, Lander said.

“There are many environmental issues that are not simply problems to be solved. It’s also an issue for us to contemplate, … like how to maintain resilient hope in the face of what seems to be this inevitable environmental social catastrophe,” said working group member and Professor of Humanities

» RATTY, from page 1 important to recognize that there are other issues that the University still needs to respond to,” Lehmann said.

One such pressing concern for dining workers is the persistent understaffing at the Ratty, he said.

Since Brown Dining Services began its partnership with Bon Appetit in fall 2016, the SLA said that new responsibilities and larger menus have magnified the issue of understaffing.

A dining services employee at the Ratty, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional repercussions, said that the Ratty has never been more understaffed in her 14 years at Brown.

In the midst of contract negotiations between the dining staff union and the University, workers have made resolving understaffing their top priority, said Sammie Chomsky ’18.5, another SLA member.

Dining staff is currently pushing for more full-year positions given the increased use of the Ratty during the summer months. According to contract proposals from United Service and Allied Workers of Rhode Island — the union which represents Brown dining staff — only 60 percent of union staff works 52 weeks per year, meaning that many workers must be employed by Brown for over a decade before achieving fulltime status. USAW-RI proposed an

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

After a period of student activism and a feasibility study conducted by the University , $3 million in infrastructure renovations at the Ratty are already under way with plans to have the project completed by summer 2019. increase in the number of full-year workers to ensure that dining staff earn a more livable wage.

Benvida Monteiro is one such worker who is not employed during the summer months. “I know I still have at least 10 more years to go before I get a 12-month position. And I’ve already been working here for almost seven years,” she said.

A nine-month position makes securing employment in the summer months difficult. “A lot of workers are

not given contracts for the entire year, so they are forced to find jobs during the summer which is really hard to do because they are employed for the other nine months,” Lehmann said, “Nobody is going to hire someone for just three months.”

“There’s a lot of people sitting at home who need a job but don’t have one (over the summer) for two and a half months,” Monteiro said.

University lawyers have prohibited the SLA from partaking in

proceedings between the union and administration, even as observers.

Clark said it is University protocol to limit negotiation sessions to the “direct parties” of the agreement being discussed. “Contract negotiation sessions are limited to representatives from Brown, members of the bargaining unit and their union representatives. That is the case here and is the consistent practice at Brown for any negotiation.”

However, the SLA has been in

Mark Cladis. “Sciences are great, but it’s not clear they can deal with issues like hope and despair.”

To facilitate this collaboration of disciplines, the initiative’s website includes information about faculty members and faculty affiliates involved in the environmental humanities. In addition, the website will include information on related courses being offered at the University and future relevant events.

Through funding from the Cogut Institute and support from IBES, the initiative is offering a speaker series this year featuring Rhode Island School of Design professor Damian White, Harvard professor Joyce Chaplin and Pratt Institute professor Macarena Gómez-Barris — all of whom work in the environmental humanities.

Beyond the speaker series, the initiative’s future is not set in stone.

“The initiative is brand new. We have the aspiration that it will grow over time and it will become more than it is right now,” Krause said. “Exactly how it will grow and what form it will take institutionally, we don’t really know, and that’ll depend a lot on who gets involved and what their interests and priorities are. And we do see an important role for students in that process.”

The group anticipates adding further opportunities for engagement, including reading groups as well as workshops and conferences, she added.

“It’s great to get the word out to undergraduate and graduate students about how much … intellectual excitement there is around environmental humanities at Brown,” Krause said.

“The door is really open and we really welcome people to come share their experience, their interests and help us drive this thing forward.”

“constant contact with particular workers, including some of the union stewards,” Lehmann said. Even without a direct role in contract negotiations, the SLA still believes that they have a powerful voice in protecting the rights of workers. “There are other accountability mechanisms. We are talking to workers all the time and if we need to escalate, we will escalate,” Lehmann said.

The SLA recognizes the importance of their role in reaching an agreement on air conditioning and dining workers’ other concerns, Chomsky said. But they believe that the workers themselves deserve more of a voice in the proceedings.

“It doesn’t make any sense for students to be the final arbiters of what is a safe workplace,” Chomsky said, “When the workers have been telling the administration for decades that it’s too hot over the summer, they can’t claim that they’re a just employer and not listen to those demands.”

“The proposals we have exchanged with union representatives of course address staffing and positions. All of our contracts are posted to the web upon completion, so the details will all be publicly accessible at the end of the process,” Clark wrote in a followup email to The Herald.

The current contract between the University and the United Service and Allied Workers of Rhode Island is scheduled to end Nov. 1.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

N.Y. developer proposes constructing tallest building in Providence Hope Point Tower would be 46 stories, provide luxury apartments in downtown Providence

By COLLEEN CRONIN SNEIOR STAFF WRITER

The Superman building has some competition as an icon in the city skyline if New York developer Jason Fane receives approval to build the Hope Point Tower, a 46-story luxury apartment building proposed for downtown Providence. Since January, the City Council and numerous Providence community members have been divided on the subject, questioning the tower’s economic and societal contributions.

The proposed location for the tower was once a part of the I-195 highway, but when the highway was moved, land was made available for development. The I-195 Commission recommended that Fane move forward with the project in January, but the proposal is now in the hands of the City Council, said Peter McNally, executive director of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.

The area slated for construction is zoned for 100-foot tall buildings, but the Hope Point Tower would be close to 600 feet tall, McNally said. As a result, the Hope Point Tower would require a zoning change, which requires City Council approval, he added.

This zoning change has been a point of controversy for the tower. In July, the City Council’s Committee on Ordinances voted to deny recommending the change, the Providence Journal reported.

In addition, some residents question if there is a market for the luxury apartment complex in Providence.

A feasibility study by New Jerseybased Real Estate Solutions Group found that Fane will have to price the luxury apartments at higher than typical Providence rates to make a profit, which suggests that Fane might struggle to find tenants and get a return on his investment.

Following the findings, Fane said at a I-195 Commission hearing that “we strongly dispute its conclusions.”

Marty Saklad, broker at Samson

» LAIR, from page 1 the gym’s fixed hours “disincentivizes me from working out.”

“I wish the University would just use the money it spent on renovations on revamping the existing gym; for example, (they could) buy new equipment to replace the broken treadmills,” she added.

In an email to The Herald, University Architect Collette Creppell wrote that “the wood floor in the multipurpose classroom is a sprung floor that the students can use for physical activities such as yoga, exercise, etc.”

Other students said they welcomed the updates to the Bear’s Lair. After becoming accustomed to the accessibility and wide selection of lounges in Pembroke Campus, Sai Kurapati ’21 said the new study space is a great addition to the University’s south campus.

But Kurapati also said the Bear’s Lair did have some shortcomings. “I don’t like how there (are) no outlets.

TINA YANG / HERALD

Realty on Wickenden Street, would like to see development of the downtown Providence area and believes the desire to invest is a positive sign for the city, he wrote in an email to The Herald. But Saklad worried that there isn’t a market for more luxury housing in that area.

“Maybe we’re wrong and he’ll get a return,” McNally said, “but it’s his money.”

Dante Bellini, a spokesperson for Fane, said the argument that there is not a market for the luxury housing is “hollow” and perpetuates the false idea that “no one else has the … ability to come into the market” besides those who already own luxury apartments.

“Perhaps a better use could be found for the space,” Saklad wrote. “There are many landlords on the East Side and

downtown who may be hurt by excess development that may cannibalize instead of expanding the market.”

Professor of American Studies and Urban Studies Samuel Zipp also questioned whether downtown Providence can support multiple luxury apartments. “In general, it would be better for the city if the state kept working towards encouraging housing and business development from the ground up rather than trying to score big projects like this one,” Zipp wrote in an email to The Herald, adding that he would like to see the project push more affordable housing.

Typically, “building more housing brings prices down,” McNally said, adding that the tower could help to lower rents in the city.

Overall, McNally does not believe

the increase in residential properties itself will spur economic growth. The interest of the commission is to “develop good buildings” with mixed uses, he said. Generally, the commission would be more animated about proposals that facilitate “the creation of knowledge-based industry jobs and advance the buildout of the Innovation District,” McNally wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald.

Including affordable housing in the project is “not on the table for us” and is not right for this project, Bellini said, adding that tax revenue taken from the development would help the city.“The ripple effect (from) this will be quite extraordinary,” he said.

“In the end, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the tower is built, but I also wonder if it might never get

built even if it were approved,” Zipp wrote, describing the project as an “over-the-top scheme” and “obviously out-of-scale” with its surroundings.

“We have a silly history of falling for moon-shotty, one-size-fits-all ideas in economic development when a more human-scaled, gradual and achievable program would be much more successful — if only it could find funders and political sponsors,” Zipp wrote.

“When the Superman building was built, it was too big for the area,” Bellini said, adding that it’s still standing today.

Moving forward, Fane will hold a presentation explaining how their project promotes economic development and the City Council Committee on Ordinances will oversee a public hearing on the project Oct. 22 at City Hall.

You have to go sit against the wall to charge your computer.”

After looking for a tango class in Grad Center, Caitlin McNally ’22 said she’s been enjoying the space ever since for its open views and its acceptability of quiet conversations.

When designing the space, the University tried to emphasize flexibility and connectedness by including areas for “less formal and more formal activity,” according to the summary. The renovation also replaced solid walls with transparent glass to provide students with views of natural daylight and greenery.

The University approved renovations to the Bear’s Lair in January 2018.

The firm Lerner Ladds Bartels Architects, which worked on renovations to Morriss-Champlin Halls, designed the layout for the space from January through April. Construction lasted from late May to August when the new Bear’s Lair opened for student use.

» GRANT, from page 1

17th century to the present.Writing the book “took a long time because (some of ) the stories … were very challenging to write, and just getting the time and support to work on the collection was a challenge, too,” Keene said. “But it all came together.”

Keene also enjoys writing about people who are not usually centered in historical narratives, such as people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Representation ends up helping to shape the public discourse about who we are, what our society is like (and) what possibilities are open to people,” Keene said. “But also it shapes our interiority profoundly, and so it is absolutely crucial to have a range of representations.”

When writing, Keene said he aims to “pick the genre that’s appropriate for the work,” from poetry to fiction or hybrid text.

“No one’s writing like him,” said

Forrest Gander, a professor emeritus of literary arts and comparative literature. Keene’s writing is “intellectual, conceptual, and at the sentence level it’s thrilling, and that combination of qualities is unique,” he added.

Gander said he was thrilled when he found out about Keene’s designation as a MacArthur Fellow.

“He really deserves it,” Gander said. “Often writers that work in more than one genre and who are taking a great deal of risk with (their) work as his does … don’t get as much attention as more mainstream writers.”

Keene said his year teaching at the University “was a really formative time … I had amazing students. Brown students are brilliant and incredibly creative and they pushed me.”

University faculty encouraged Keene to be more experimental in his writing, he added. “Even though I was teaching, I was learning from my colleagues and my students.”

American and African Studies and a professor of English and African American studies at Rutgers University Newark.

Keene was “a wonderful presence among us as a writer, professor and colleague,” in his time at the University, wrote Professor of Literary Arts Carole Maso in an email to The Herald. “His rethinking of the stories we tell ourselves about race and sexuality are filled with intelligence, grace, originality and beauty,” Maso wrote.

“I can think of no better recipient of the MacArthur than John.”

In 2015, Keene published “Counternarratives,” a collection of short stories and novellas that the New York Times called “quietly acclaimed and undersung.” The book depicts re-conceptualized versions of true and fictional events which occurred throughout the Americas from the

NEWS

PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Bank of England official talks unelected powers in democracy Watson panel discusses legitimacy of unelected central banking officials, checking executive branch

By DYLAN MAJSIAK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Paul Tucker, chair of the Systemic Risk Council and former deputy governor of the Bank of England, discussed his newest book “Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State” at a talk hosted by the Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance Tuesday night. Tucker explored the implications of unelected officials such as central bankers on democracy. “British citizens couldn’t vote me out. In this country, you can’t vote out Jerome Powell,” the current chairman of the Federal Reserve, Tucker said.

Drawing on topics from Tucker’s book, panelists who joined Tucker onstage discussed unelected powers within the context of constitutional values and economic theory.

As nations begin to rely more on the decisions of unelected officials, “we’re taking risks of alienating people from our system of government,” Tucker said.

Legitimacy of these political structures is the first political question that arises because their directors are not held accountable by direct elections, Tucker said. The constitutional principles that

frame many Western nations do not provide any guidance about the allocation of power to unelected entities, he added. Political theorists such as John Locke and James Madison did not make any mention of the administrative state.

Though central bankers were not initially mentioned by these theorists, they are given significant economic and political powers, such as the ability to print currency and control inflation.

Central bankers are also tasked with regulating the banking sector through enforceable regulations and monetary policy.

“My main takeaway is how many difficult decisions central bankers have to make,” said Jan Stockbruegger GS, who attended the talk.

Tucker’s book tackles whether unelected institutional structures can be democratic and legitimate.

This democratic “puzzle” is similar to the counter-majoritarian difficulty — the concept that a small majority of unelected individuals on the Supreme Court can strike down laws passed by a Congress that was elected by millions, said panelist and Professor of Political Science Corey Brettschneider. Both central banks and the Supreme Court have a trustee relationship with the people in that they are charged with acting for the people by checking executive power.

Brettschneider referred to President Trump’s “threat gestures” over the past weeks to the Federal Reserve

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Paul Tucker spoke about how unelected actors in democracies can find legitimacy. as an example of the necessity of this politicians were instead responsible most debt is government-issued, said check. Brettschneider suggested that for interest rates, they could set them panelist Gauti Eggertsson, professor Trump’s own real estate interests may low to cause an economic boom prior of economics. play a role in his dispproval of raising to elections, Tucker said.

To maintain the legitimacy of uninterest rates, but the President cannot Central bankers are also charged checked powers, however, politicians fire the chairman of the Federal Reserve with protecting the value of currency. must work to keep unelected officials without cause.

Politicians would have the incentive in tandem with the general public, If these checks did not exist and to keep the rate on debt low, since Tucker added.

TODAY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

w i t h lo v e , f r o m c i t to yo u

menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Spicy Sausage and Galic, Assorted Mushrooms, Four Cheese and Basil, Grinders, Po’ Boys, Curry Bar JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Pasta Night, Quesadilla Station, Mac n’ Cheese Bacon Burger

Acai Smoothie Bowl, Grain Bowl, Burrito Bowl, Beef Chili

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Italian Style Meatballs, Torpedo Roll, Roasted Beats, Meat Lovers Pizza, Buttermilk Spice Cupcakes

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta, Garlic Bread, Baked Polenta, Roasted Carrots, Pumpkin Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Buffalo Wings, Zucchini Parmesan Sandwich, Curly Seasoned French Fries

Rice and Orzo Pilaf, Oven Roasted Tofu, Cannellini Bean Ragout, Apple Cake

sudoku

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

Students passing the Thomas J. Watson Sr. Center for Information Technology should keep an eye out for the heart constructed of Post-Its, plastering a human touch onto the hub of algorithms and anxiety.

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

“Representation ends up helping to shape the public discourse about who we are, what our society is like

”

(and) what possibilities are open to people.

— John Keene, 2018 MacArthur Fellow

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, April 2, 2013

See Keene on page 1.

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich

ACROSS 1 “SNL”-like show filmed in Canada 5 “Doctor Who” network 8 Rafters shoot them 14 Pre-Euro Italian coin 15 Nest egg letters 16 With 3-Down, way west for many American pioneers 17 __-Iraq War: ’80s conflict 18 Crooner Perry’s ad?

20 Self-righteous sort 21 Manicurist’s aid 22 Rage inwardly 23 Space pilot Han’s shirt?

25 Through 26 Classic racecars 27 Lighthouse light 30 Nouveau __ 33 U2 frontman’s bit of naughtiness?

36 Back in the day 37 Bedevil 39 PC monitor type 40 Cartoon possum’s corporate symbol?

42 Chilean range 44 Camera stand 45 Roman 1,051 46 Winery container 47 Japanese general Hideki’s talisman?

53 Triumphant cries 55 Disconnect 56 Explosion sound, in comics 57 Movie pooch’s picture?

59 Poetry unit 60 Church key, e.g.

61 “__ My Party”: Lesley Gore hit 62 Fairly matched 63 Great suffering 64 Easter egg dip 65 “That didn’t go well” DOWN 1 Pink ones are unwelcome— except in lingerie

2 Prefix with cumulus 3 See 16-Across 4 Self-portraitist with a bandaged ear 5 Bodybuilder’s “guns” 6 __-Seltzer 7 Desert safari beast 8 Pink-cheeked 9 Dada pioneer Jean 10 __ Gulf: Arabian waterway 11 Reason given for calling in sick 12 Rounded roof 13 Winter whiteness 19 Pizarro’s gold 24 Broad-brimmed hat 25 Chaste priestesses of ancient Rome 27 “__ appétit!”

28 Fairy tale start 29 Dozes 30 Like one who can’t put a book down 31 Composer Stravinsky

32 Ponders 33 Male sib 34 “Egad!” in an IM 35 Opposite of paleo38 Long in the tooth 41 Tommy Dorsey hit tune 43 Less clumsy 45 Sullen 47 Internet slang based on a common typo

48 Egg-shaped 49 Harbor wall 50 Eight-time All-Star Tony of the ’60s’70s Minnesota Twins 51 Sister of La Toya 52 Warning signs 53 Elemental particle 54 Arizona native 55 Twinkle-toed 58 Rev.’s message

CORRECTION An earlier version of the Oct. 16 Herald article “New orchestra director talks background, future projects” stated that the Brown University Orchestra’s first concert will take place Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. In fact, the Brown University Orchestra’s first concert will take place Oct. 20 and Oct 21. The Herald regrets the error.

C L A R I F I C AT I O N

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

A previous version of the Oct. 9 editorial, “University should buy ProJo subscriptions,” advocated that the University buy an institutional subscription to the Journal to make the Journal accessible to students, faculty and staff members. It pointed to the University’s arrangements with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, which give individual Brown community members nearly unlimited access to online content on their respective websites, as models.

In fact, the University provides access to the Journal for Brown community members through the library website, which links to the hosting sites ProQuest, which provides text-only access, and NewsBank, which provides scans of the print edition and searchable text. The editorial has been updated to replace the word institutional with individual when referring to subscriptions to eliminate ambiguity. The Herald regrets the error.

xwordeditor@aol.com

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Neurology/Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds 8:00 A.M. George Auditorium

Growth Lab Lunch-Diego Ramos 12:00 P.M. Robinson Hall

JCB Fellows’ Talk 4:00 P.M. John Carter Brown Library

Hitchhikers’ Guide to Epistasis: Galactic View 4:00 P.M. CIT 241 Swig Boardroom

TOMORROW How to Apply for Internships in Germany 12:00 P.M Kassar House

Applied Micro SeminarJohn Friedman 4:00 P.M. Mencoff Hall

Reading: Novelist Andrea Lawlor 5:30 P.M. McCormack Family Theater

French Cinema - Le Locataire 6:30 P.M. Rochambeau House

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

The agency problem in student employment BENJAMIN BOSIS op-ed contributor There has been some serious blowback, to say the least, around Brown Dining Services stemming from the extreme overworking of students in supervising and management positions. The problems are myriad: fewer new hires means more work for the rest, existing employees often put off leaving out of fear of hurting their friends still working for BuDS and the organization has no formal structure that guarantees consideration of student policy proposals — the list goes on. But the problem is not simply that pay isn’t high enough to attract more workers, or that overworked students must question whether they are really “students first.” Employers hiring recent graduates frequently look for students with experience in a setting where their decisions directly affect the future of the organization. After all, the overwhelming majority of sample resumes on CareerLAB’s website highlight relevant leadership experiences that can translate into interview and job offers. Few on-campus jobs provide that kind of experience , and as a result, time spent working is time that can’t be spent in a meaningful leadership position. That disadvantage can seriously reduce the qualifications of even the hardest-working students as they seek employment after graduation.

There are certainly valuable skills to be gained from any job on campus, whether it’s serving food, phone banking for alumni donations or manning the welcome desk. But as it stands,

SIMONE ZHAO / HERALD

these skills are more difficult to translate to a resume than those gained in non-paying, extracurricular organizations. The truth is that anyone not worried about needing money for the immediate continuation of their education has the luxury of pursuing jobs or clubs that look more impressive on their resume, while less privileged students take jobs that pay relatively well but don’t exactly stand out to potential employers.

It’s true that student employment is both an accepted form of financial assistance from the University and a valid mode of engagement on campus.

But in order for schools like Brown to really offer the same experience to all their students, they must consider how working 20 or more hours a week affects students’ on-paper qualifications.

That’s not to mention that dissatisfaction in student employment, like what has been voiced at BuDS, can largely be attributed to the lack of agency and decision-making power. Feeling helpless and even burdened by an employer can significantly damage student wellness over the course of a semester and strip students of the same feelings of empowerment and content that other leadership roles provide and that the University at large works very hard to promote.

Some on-campus groups are attempting to tackle this issue in their own ways. For example, I recently learned that The Herald itself is able to provide financial assistance for those who need it, enabling students who would otherwise have to spend their time working an on-campus job to

gain leadership experience instead. Of course, since almost no student groups have the same funding network as The Herald, the feasibility of implementing this option more widely is limited. The Computer Science Teaching Assistant program, on the other hand, is one student employer that recognizes the importance of providing the opportunity for autonomy to its members. Not only do TAs, in my personal experience, report more job satisfaction than average student workers, but the skills involved in organizing assignments — even redesigning the introductory sequence of the department — demonstrate much more depth of thought and initiative than those needed for holding disciplinary meetings with BuDS workers who show up late.

Brown, as the fourth-largest pri-

vate employer in the state of Rhode Island, has a definite ability to influence the structure of BuDS and other student employment. One potential test case is Georgetown University, whose equivalent dining organization has student positions at every level of management. By handing over decisions for some of the dining halls on everything from hiring and hours to purchasing and writing policy, the school effectively empowers students who need the work to move up the ladder just as their counterparts in extracurricular groups so often do.

BuDS may be working to improve the day-to-day working conditions and compensation for the students who keep our dining halls open, but without a significantly more studentcentric model of leadership, none of these fundamental issues will be fixed.

It is, of course, well within the rights of Dining Services as a organization to dictate its employment structure, but it is the responsibility of a socially conscious university to take steps beyond the bare minimum to empower its students and safeguard their well-being.

If anything, building a workplace of employees invested in the organization may ultimately benefit employers and employees alike.

Benjamin Bosis ’19 is a former BuDS supervisor and can be reached at benjamin_bosis@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com

The language of Latinx MARYSOL FERNANDEZ staff columnist A discussion I have been particularly interested in and that I have seen arise constantly among students and faculty at Brown is the discussion on the intricacies of language, especially in regard to its essential role in framing the way we view and interact with our circumstances. Recently, these questions about language have been reflected in the widespread and heated issue of the label of “Latinx” to refer to people living in the United States who have Latin American heritage. It is a term that has become extremely popular, especially among college students, and one that has, nevertheless, been a major point of controversy across several fields. The term Latinx and its associated discourse raise questions about identity, authority and privilege that are complicated and reliant on a vast and varying knowledge of distinct cultural realities that very few people possess. However, while the answer to exactly how we should react to a label like Latinx is uncertain, one thing becomes exceedingly clear: The language we use affects the ways certain peoples are perceived and treated. Furthermore, an active consciousness about this fact is essential in order to responsibly participate in any discussion about the implications of the language of Latinx.

Americans have always possessed a strong desire for an umbrella term for immigrants from Latin American countries. The appropriateness of a term of this nature has been under scrutiny for decades. It is not specific to the new label of Latinx, but was discussed for previously popular labels such as Latino and Hispanic. I will exclude

this discussion for the time being for two primary reasons. First, I think there exists some degree of solidarity among immigrants from different Latin American countries that might warrant this kind of term. Take the existence of the LatinAmerican Students Organization at Brown, for example. Second, I would prefer to focus instead on the more recent arguments that have emerged in specific reference to the language of Latinx.

The term Latinx appeared in the academic world to promote gender inclusivity as an alternative to the limiting “Latino” or “Latina” that imply male or female gender, respectively. This effort not only stems from good intentions, but has also sparked a productive discussion about the problems associated with heteronormativ-

while the term has become very popular, it was originally developed in the elite, academic sphere and disseminated in a top-down fashion. Such a process always entails implications about power over identity. Very few people in Latin America use this language, for they, of course, predominantly use Spanish or Portuguese. While it is not a particularly inaccessible word, it continues to be most frequently employed by highly educated youth in the United States who are not necessarily representative of what the “Latinx community” is understood to be.

It is interesting to consider the term Latinx in comparison to the ways in which Latin Americans refer to people in the United States.

The word in Spanish for person from the Unit-

I seek to suggest that we should be conscious of the power dynamics reflected in our language and how we might unknowingly perpetuate them. ity. However, Latin Americans across the United States have expressed concern over other implications the Latinx label denotes that are worth mentioning. The primary critics understand and respect the push toward inclusivity, but highlight the potentially exclusionary exercise of the term.

Opponents point out that Spanish is an inherently gendered language that provides a gender to all nouns. Changing from Latina to Latinx involves the imposition of English syntax onto a Spanish word. Furthermore, such a change is inaccessible to native Spanish speakers with little access to English, a characteristic of a significant portion of the demographic that would themselves be expected to identify as Latinx. In addition,

ed States is “estadounidense.” There is no such word in English, where a person from the United States is referred to as simply “American.”

For Latin Americans, the term “American” or “americano” encompasses all people from the Americas, including themselves. I argue that this seemingly trivial difference reflects a very serious historical legacy about the relationship between the United States and the rest of the American continents. This legacy is manifested in the fact that the United States asserts itself as the default “American,” while this position — and the claim to authority behind it — is challenged in Spanish. If we recognize this possibility, we must also recognize how the term Latinx

might reinforce this power dynamic in addition to the ways it mediates the relationship between Latin Americans living in Latin America and those living in the United States.

This relationship is extremely complicated and controversial, involving too many intricate and varying perspectives to responsibly deconstruct in this space. However, I will say that a strong argument that the imposition of not only the English tradition, but also the accompanying U.S.-centric intellectual agenda, onto the word “Latino” may serve to reflect a legacy of privileging certain Latin American voices over others. It has traditionally been the voices of upper class, highly educated and predominantly white Latin Americans who have seen the most development in their influence on U.S. discourse. It becomes important to question how emerging popular language privileges the Latinx over the Latin American.

I have personally employed the language of Latinx in my colloquial speech as well as in my previous articles for this very publication, primarily due to the fact that there exist so few alternatives when speaking or writing in English.

Furthermore, I do not make the claim that Latinx is an inherently problematic term. I only seek to suggest that we should be conscious of the power dynamics reflected in our language and how we might unknowingly perpetuate them.

Marysol Fernandez ’21 can be reached at marysol_fernandez@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald. com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018

» TRUMP, from page 1 the largest town to have presented a Republican majority in the 2016 presidential election.

Council President Glenford Shibley in Coventry, an R.I. resident since 1969, said he had not personally heard anything negative about the President. He went on to describe Rhode Island as unique, very blue and resistant to change: “I would like to think things are going to change but probably they won’t.”

In Burrillville, a Republican majority town, City Councilman John F. Pacheco III expressed a sense of political isolation: “I don’t even watch the news, I don’t pay attention to it, it doesn’t affect me out here.”

Chairman of the Burrillville Democratic Town Committee Stephen Mulcahey described possible turning points for local opinion of the President. “I think there’ve been a lot of little ones that’ve led up to the dissatisfaction. I think his war on women has been a very serious issue.”

The town of Johnston also went with the red ticket in the 2016 presidential race. When asked about how the rise in disapproval in his area and how change in public sentiment might affect the coming election, Town Councilman Robert Russo said, “I think you’re definitely gonna mobilize more people.”

Russo described issues with the way in which Trump does things. “I think that’s what’s catching up with people.

Now (voters are) saying ‘you know what, this is shocking.’”

MARLIS FLINN / HERALD