Friday, October 4th, 2024

THE BROWN DAILY HER ALD

Friday, Oct O ber 4, 2024

Corporation will vote on recommendation at October meeting

BY SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

a brown advisory committee’s recommendation on divestment from 10 companies with ties to israel will remain confidential until after the corporation votes on the matter later this month.

i n a t uesday email, President c hristina Paxson P’19 P’M d ’20 confirmed that the a dvisory c ommittee on University r esources Management,

known as ac U r M, had submitted its divestment report to her by the Sept. 30 deadline.

University officials say the report is being kept confidential to prevent the spread of misinformation about the c orporation vote and to reduce the risk of threats and hostile rhetoric directed toward ac U r M’s members.

“We know that many members of the b rown community have a strong interest in the content of ac U r M’s report,” Paxson wrote. “ c onsistent with past practice, the report will be shared later this month at the same time that the c orporation’s decision on divestment is announced.”

ac U r M’s recommendation comes after public presentations from students in support of and against divestment last month. t he committee also held two opening listening sessions for community members to ask questions and share input on the process.

Pro-divestment students are ramping up protests pressuring b rown to divest from the 10 companies with ties to i srael. On Monday, 150 students rallied outside Faunce a rch and called on ac U r M to recommend divestment.

Paxson will now submit the recommendation to the c orporation, whose members will review the report and

materials created by students for and against divestment. t hey will then vote in late October on whether to accept ac U r M’s recommendation.

ac U r M’s 11 voting members were tasked with determining if divestment would help correct a social harm issue or if b rown’s investment in one of the 10 companies contributes to a “social harm so grave that it would be inconsistent with the goals and principles of the University,” per the committee’s charge.

t he latest push for divestment began after the Oct. 7 attacks in israel

3

Brown football beats Harvard after 14 years

Negotiations for the proposed agreement began in September 2023

BY MAYA KELLY AND CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

Lifespan — soon to be brown University Health — has agreed to pay Providence $1.5 million over three years as part of a new arrangement for payment-in-lieu-oftaxes, commonly abbreviated as PiLOt the agreement still needs to be signed and will be presented to the city council on thursday.

the proposed agreement includes the largest annual contribution Lifespan has made to Providence since 2014 and begins in fiscal year 2025. after the third year, Lifespan will develop a future PiLOt agreement with the city. this would be the first formal voluntary payment agreement between Lifespan and Providence,

according to a city press release.

Negotiations for the proposed agreement began in September 2023, according to city Spokesperson Josh estrella. in exchange for the payments, Providence agreed to extend the hospital sub-district occupied by Lifespan’s rhode island Hospital and approve its construction of a road nearby. b oth requests must be approved within six months after Lifespan’s completion of the required applications and paperwork. Providence will also maintain the road once it is constructed by Lifespan. the PiLOt plan comes after last year’s PiLOt agreement between the city and four local universities — brown, Johnson and Wales, Providence college and the rhode island School of design. Like Lifespan, the universities are nonprofit institutions and do not have to pay property taxes on institutional properties. the city estimates that Lifespan would pay

Paxson presented changes during a faculty meeting last Tuesday

BY CATE LATIMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

For years in public presentations, petitions and meetings, faculty have raised concerns about a major issue: compensation.

Since 2023, a University committee has reviewed these concerns and offered recommendations on how to address issues regarding salary, retirement and pay transparency.

President c hristina Paxson P’19 P’M d ’20 released a report to faculty on tuesday about actions b rown plans to take to rework faculty compensation. She also acknowledged the concerns of faculty, many of which were compiled by the task Force for Faculty c ompensation. i n February, the compensation task

force shared preliminary recommendations to restructure faculty salary and benefits. t he committee hired a consultant who ranked b rown 11th out of 20 peer institutions for faculty compensation.

When sharing details of the new report, Paxson emphasized the importance of considering the University’s past practice when setting faculty compensation.

“We have to be competitive within our peer group,” she said, adding that compensation should “reflect the quality of their teaching, research and service,” the three factors that the University uses in the assessment of faculty performance.

She emphasized that faculty compensation should mirror cost of living changes and the University’s financial health. She also wanted to provide additional transparency about the com-

& CULTURE

Dori Walker ’24 wins Student Academy Award

Hazel Origin Coffee opens in Chen Family Hall

ELECTION 2024 WEEK IN

ELECTIONS ELECTIONS

1

Vance refuses to say Trump lost 2020 election against Biden

Governor tim Walz and Senator J.d. Vance took to the vice presidential debate stage tuesday. during the debate, Vance refused to answer a question from Walz regarding his opinion on the 2020 election.

2

Harris takes the lead over Trump in latest poll

as of September 26th, the Guardian has Kamala Harris polling at 48.2% and donald trump polling at 44.4%, with Harris leading in four key swing states, and trump leading in three.

3

Republicans file lawsuits challenging voting rules

Nearly 90 lawsuits filed by republican groups, including several filed in recent weeks, aim to challenge voting rules ahead of the November elections, according to the New york times.

ELECTIONS

RI groups organize to increase voter turnout in 2024

The groups are hoping to build on a high turnout in 2020

BY DIA NANDA STAFF WRITER

Organizations across rhode island are working to ensure all eligible voters have equal access to the ballot box.

in the run up to the election on Nov. 5, organizations in rhode island and at brown are working to increase voting participation and accessibility, hoping to build on high turnout in 2020, which had the highest voter turnout in the state since 2008. this year also marks the first presidential election since the passing of the 2022 Let rhode island Vote act, which increases access to mail-in ballots.

“We’ve seen a liberalization of access to the ballot in rhode island,” John Marion, executive director of common cause rhode island told the Herald.

common cause ri has been running the election Protection Program, which sends non-partisan volunteers to polling stations to make sure all polling places are accessible to voters. this includes looking for language and physical accessibility for voters with disabilities and providing information to voters.

but concerns remain about voting access in the weeks leading up to the general election.

during the rhode island primary elections on Sept. 10, common cause ri documented multiple instances where there was insufficient signage in Spanish, a violation of the Voting rights act.

the Voting rights act states that if greater than 5% of a subdivision speaks a language other than english, all signage must be provided in that language. in Pawtucket, 22.4% of voting age citizens are Hispanic/Latino.

in a May lawsuit, Pawtucket was sued by the department of Justice for failing

to provide adequate signs. the city then entered a consent Order with the dOJ to provide the correct signage for all local, state and federal elections.

“We sent a letter to Pawtucket and some other officials … with the aim of making sure things go well in November”, Marion said. “in the lead up to Nov. 5, we’ll be monitoring Pawtucket’s efforts to make improvements, and we’ll have volunteers out again…to make sure that language access is being provided.” at brown, organizations like brown

Votes and every Vote counts have been working to encourage voters across campus to cast their ballots.

“We’re doing a lot of work to register students, including partnering with residential life to have training with community coordinators and bruno leaders,” said John bellaire ’25, a member of brown Votes. the group has also been working with local high schoolers, setting up campaigns across campus to inform voters. everton e. Prospere ’27, President of every Vote counts at brown told the Herald “if you

don’t vote, you’re doing yourself a disservice. because no matter what, government is going to affect you, politics is going to affect you”.

brown Votes and every Vote counts both referenced the 30 days voter registration deadline which commonly restricts college students. in rhode island, for every election other than Presidential elections, voters must register to vote 30 days prior to the election.

“that’s a huge barrier, especially to college students who are trying to … cast their votes in rhode island, who might move here as a freshman and only have a matter of weeks before you’re registered to vote,” bellaire told the Herald. both groups also referenced how another reason many students don’t vote is they either forget or aren’t sure how to request mail-in ballots. to combat this, brown Votes has set up civic engagement Kits across campus placed in Page robinson, the Sciences Library, the John d rockefeller Jr Library and the Sharpe refectory.

“it has paper registration forms for six or seven states that require it, as well as paper mail in ballot request forms,” Josie alston ’25, a civic engagement Fellow for brown Votes told the Herald.

The stakes of the 2024 elections for international students

Immigration laws, foreign policy and climate change were top concerns

BY ELENA JIANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last month, international student Kate choi ’26 tuned into the american presidential debate.

While she had a fun time watching it with her friends, she also couldn’t ignore her concern over how candidates discussed issues that directly affected her experiences both back home and in the United States — immigration laws, foreign policy and climate change.

“So much depends on this election for the world in a way it shouldn’t — but it still does,” said one of choi’s friends, an international student from europe who was granted anonymity. in the Herald’s September first-year poll, nearly half of international respondents expressed no opinion, while 30% “somewhat disagreed” with the statement that “the US is generally heading in the right direction.” Forty-two percent of domestic students “somewhat disagreed,” nearly 30% had no opinion and 15% disagreed strongly.

For yeabfikir ayele (yeab) ’25, an international student from ethiopia, one of the main concerns surrounding this election is immigration laws.

“i think the results of the election will matter in terms of how strict (they are) with the ways people gain citizenship, or even how strict it is to come here to study with F1 visas,” she said. yeab would like to stay in the US to pursue a Phd and gain work experience before returning to her home country.

yeab also noted that while candidates’ policies matter most to her, it is hard to ignore their rhetoric at times. “it’s difficult to be branded, for example, as an alien. but that’s just the term that even the irS uses, right?” she said.

choi expressed similar concerns, citing former President donald trump’s short-lived directive during the pandemic to revoke student visas for international students on a fully-online course load.

the number one concern for a lot of international students is whether or not they can stay in the US and if they can get a job, choi, who calls

both South Korea and canada home, explained. the international student from europe also discussed the importance she places on abortion rights “as a young woman living in this country, even temporarily.” She emphasized that abortion policies could affect any person on a college campus.

Over 50% of first-year international respondents said they supported restoring federal protections for abortion as given under roe v. Wade, while nearly 80% of domestic students expressed support for abortion rights.

the european international student also identified climate policy as a key issue with global impacts. She expressed concern for the future of the Paris agreement, from which trump withdrew during his term, and Harris’s stance on fracking.

climate change “has a direct implication on us, just as human beings,” yeab said.

yeab also believes the election results will have implications for the geopolitical climate of her home country. She described the instability in ethiopia due to mounting tensions with Somalia and egypt, pointing out that american politics will always play a role because of its “perpetual history of being involved in domestic policies in other countries,” she said.

the international student from europe said that she is paying attention to the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, which she believes is at stake in this election.

all three emphasized the importance of staying informed in american politics as an international student. “i think it’s a lot about engaging people in discourse and reminding people what a privilege it is to be in a country where you have the right to vote and partake in decision-making,” she said.

yeab stressed the importance of political engagement regardless of citizenship.

“When people tell you you can’t vote … that doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t need to be educated about what’s going on. and i think there’s a lot of power that comes in having that education,” yeab said.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 25, 2024.

DIVESTMENT FROM PAGE 1

and the ensuing war in Gaza. Pro-divestment activists staged two sit-ins, as well as a hunger strike and an encampment, to pressure the University to divest from companies with ties to israel.

in an agreement reached with protestors to end their encampment last spring, Paxson committed to bringing a divestment resolution to the c orporation. She also instructed ac U r M members to provide her with “their

FROM PAGE 1

pensation process, addressing a concern raised by many faculty.

the University plans to restructure the current compensation structure, adding a “base pool” that Paxson said “is meant to be a salary increase.”

“it will reflect changes in the cost of living, and it will be a base amount that all faculty can expect to get,” she said. this will happen through a vote of the University resource committee on the division of the salary pool into three components: the base pool, merit pool and Pre pool.

Previously, the salary pool consisted only of the merit and Pre pools. the merit pool consists of performance-based pay increases, and the Pre pool involves increases associated with promotions, retention and equity. Faculty members can still expect to receive compensation from the merit or Pre pool on top of the base pool, if applicable.

the compensation task force previously recommended a one-time 5% salary increase for all faculty. but Paxson said that the University does not have the financial resources for this change.

an immediate one-time increase in compensation for all faculty is not possible,” she wrote in Wednesday’s today@ brown post regarding faculty compensation. “Not only would it deepen brown’s current budget deficit, it also would not align with brown’s goal of providing competitive compensation.”

recommendations and advice” on the protestors’ divestment proposal by Sept. 30. t he divestment proposal under acUrM’s consideration, written by the student-run b rown d ivest c oalition, is a revised version of a 2020 report from ac U r M’s predecessor that recommended b rown’s divestment from “companies that facilitate the israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.” a t the time, Paxson declined to bring this recommendation to the cor-

poration, writing in a letter that the report “did not adequately address the requirements for rigorous analysis and research” outlined in the committee’s charge.

this time, however, Paxson has committed to bringing a divestment resolution to the corporation regardless of the outcome of acUrM’s recommendation.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 1, 2024.

Paxson presented?offered another reform to the compensation structure aimed at to focus on faculty whose salary is “at risk of falling behind.” these are often “long-serving, high-performing faculty who haven’t solicited outside offers.”

to fix this, she proposed a Faculty Market adjustment Fund, which, starting this year, would “add to the base compensation of certain faculty whose compensation has fallen behind.” approximately $2.5 million is available for the Faculty Market adjustment Fund for fiscal year 26. Specific criteria for receiving this fund are to be determined by the provost and deans.

“We’re looking at being able to have a big impact on a number of faculty if it works well, and we think there are a lot of people out there who deserve this bump,” she said.

She hopes that the budget will allow this “bump” year after year., “eespecially as we recruit new faculty at competitive salaries,

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we should move brown into the top half of that distribution,” she added. the provost and dean of the faculty will also continue to research faculty compensation to help improve transparency. during this process, the dean of the faculty will work with “faculty-facing deans” to examine research faculty’s salaries, and the provost will convene a working group of department chairs to develop best practices for faculty performance evaluations. October’s faculty meeting also addressed the annual report of the academic Priorities committee, which included plans for expanding masters and professional programs, and touched on the incorporation of the humanities into the newly approved School of international and Public affairs.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 25, 2024.

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FACULTY

Nat Hardy / HeraLd

property taxes on institutional properties. the city estimates that Lifespan would pay about $32 million in taxes, according to the boston Globe.

the agreement with Lifespan “would finally ensure that every major tax-exempt institution in Providence has a formalized PiLOt agreement with the city that mean-

ingfully gives back to our community,” said Mayor brett Smiley in a press release. c are New e ngland, the state’s second largest hospital system, currently has a PiLOt agreement with the city.

i n addition to cash payments, the memorandum of understanding between the city and Lifespan details $150 million in expected “community contributions,” such as subsidized healthcare for city

residents or programs for Providence children. but there are no consequences for Lifespan if they do not meet the “community contribution” goals.

“a s the state’s largest hospital system, Lifespan needs to contribute its fair share,” c ity council President rachel Miller said in the press release. “$1.5 million is just the start, but Lifespan has much more to do to truly honor its com-

mitment to Providence taxpayers who right now foot the bill for the city services Lifespan benefits from.” t he hospital group has faced financial challenges over the past few years, according to the press release. While it made an $8 million profit in the 2023 fiscal year, it faced losses in the two previous years. the group also recently laid off 20% of its executives, t he Herald

previously reported. in renaming Lifespan to brown University Health, brown will invest $150 million into the hospital system. Lifespan did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 1, 2024.

Pawtucket developer seeks to build accessible, community-centered properties

Leslie Moore looks to support small businesses in her projects

MIKAYLA KENNEDY METRO EDITOR

Many development projects are popping up in Pawtucket, ri

a new state-of-the-art soccer stadium is six months out from opening, and planning has begun for the revitalization of the previously iconic but now mostly unused a pex building. Many housing projects are also set for construction.

a midst so many changes to the city, Leslie Moore, a developer of both c entral Falls and Pawtucket, has attempted to build affordable and community-centered projects that focus on supporting small businesses and unlikely entrepreneurs.

t he Pawtucket r edevelopment a gency launched its “ d owntown Gateway Project” in July, in the hopes of “activating the riverfront and creating public recreation spaces.” t he project “provides an opportunity to reshape Pawtucket for generations,” according to the press release.

b ut Moore, a resident of c entral Falls, told t he Herald that she is often disappointed by downtown development and its frequent result of gentrification. She described gentrification as favoring “folks with more money” and creating benefits that people “who are waiting (for change) do not get to enjoy.”

a s a developer, Moore decided to try something different: “not to do gentrification,” she said, noting the lack of vocabulary that exists to describe other types of development.

Since 2017, Moore has bought over eight properties in downtown Pawtucket and nearby c entral Falls. Uses for the properties include a mini-mall, a business center, apartment units, cafes, a performing arts space, an a frican a merican i nnovation c enter and an ice cream shop. Most of the properties are mixed-use, which Moore has done to offset costs.

a ccording to Moore, the goal of her development is “to give marginalized communit(ies) an opportunity to be in

the center of community life.”

Much of Moore’s work has attempted to turn Pawtucket’s main street, which has experienced the shuttering of many businesses, into what is known as “ t he b lack b lock c ultural d istrict.” Moore envisions the block as a hub for entertainment, food and shopping as well as a site of empowerment for black communities.

t he cultural district’s purpose centers on “honoring the many lived experiences of slavery and oppressive backgrounds commonly shared” by people in the district, according to its website.

“Still On Main” — a mini-mall on Pawtucket’s main street that features stores including a barbershop, a coffee shop, a gaming lounge and a beauty salon — rents all of its units to community members at a discounted price.

r ather than advertising the units, the mall has been expanding through word of mouth, Moore said. t he same is true of “ t he Green On Main,” an in -

door park and marketplace catered for entrepreneurs who do not have time to run their businesses full-time.

tahjeeana Hall, an 18-year-old who moved to Pawtucket after graduating high school, shared that Moore provided her with a place to stay and work after her arrival.

Hall works at both a second-hand boutique as well as a hair salon within the mall. She said she sometimes also helps with other tasks in the mall, like decorating or fixing tables.

Speaking to the community that exists within the mall, Hall described people as “very warm and welcoming.”

a roneae Washington, who owns Still On Main Pizzeria, said that the minimall provides “a jump start” for people. b efore coming to Still On Main, Washington had worked in several sandwich shops but never had his own, he added.

Like Hall, Washington described the community of businesses within the mall

as supportive.

Hall said that the community at t he Guest House — a name Moore used to describe the property that hosts “people who have had to start over” — is also very welcoming. “ t here’s a lot of good people around here,” Hall added. t he House provides housing at a discounted rent to its tenants.

Moore said that she felt the house’s c entral Falls location was fitting, given the city’s historic place as a starting place for many immigrants.

i n addition to t he Guest House, Moore has developed eight apartments that are expected to open within the next four months, as well as 28 other apartments that are set to open within the year.

Moore shared that growing costs have increased the estimated rents for these apartments. to bring down these prices, she said she has worked to find “creative solutions,” including building smaller units and potentially having

short-term rentals or hostels.

Like Providence, Pawtucket has also suffered from increasing housing prices as a result of the limited housing stock in r hode i sland. “We need housing. We need options that work for the regular business owner, just a typical person who’s got a job,” Moore said.

Moore shared that she has set an internal timeline of January 2026 as a completion date for all development projects. She stressed that the deadline was necessary to demonstrate to the community that she is intent on making timely change.

“ i f our plan is so big that it takes too long, we’re going to change our plan because it’s that important that people have hope, see progress and know that change is possible,” Moore said.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 3, 2024.

Leslie Moore, a developer of both Central Falls and Pawtucket, has attempted to build affordable and community-centered projects that focus on supporting small businesses and unlikely entrepreneurs.

BUSINESSES

Hazel Origin Coffee opens in Chen Family Hall after a year of anticipation

The cafe opened its College Hill location on Saturday

BY MAYA KELLY, TOM LI, AND AVANI GHOSH METRO SENIOR STAFF WRITER & EDITOR

Groggy early morning classes are about to get a little less grim, as students can now turn to Hazel Origin coffee — college Hill’s newest cafe on the edge of South campus. the family-owned coffee spot opened on brook Street this Saturday, on the ground floor of chen Family Hall. the grand-opening marks Hazel Origin’s second location in rhode island. its first location opened in Pawtucket last October.

the new cafe boasts specialty coffee, artisan pastries and fresh food items made in-house. With its indoor and outdoor seating arrangements and bright ambience, the coffee shop has been highly anticipated by b runonians ever since the University announced its upcoming arrival last year.

that excitement was palpable, as dozens of students and community members flocked to the small cafe on opening day.

While on campus during her summer Utra , Salena Zhu ’27 noticed the ongoing construction underneath chen Family Hall, and followed Hazel Origin’s instagram account to ensure she was notified when it opened. after Zhu had lunch with isabelle boun ’27 at the Sharpe refectory, the duo decided to pay Hazel Origin a visit due to its close proximity to campus and the cafe’s free coffee bag promotion.

“Location-wise, it’s super convenient,” boun said. Unlike Zhu, boun had “no idea” the cafe was opening until Zhu told her at lunch.

Zhu’s first impressions were positive. She described the coffee shop as “cute” and “pretty unique compared to other college Hill coffee shops.

While boun felt the prices at Hazel Origin were “on the higher side,” she added that the location might make it a good study spot for those lucky enough to snag a seat in the limited space.

co-owner dulce Lopez originally hoped to open the Providence location in april, the Herald previously reported. Lopez and

her husband Olvin first entered conversations with the University in december 2022, when the brook Street residence Halls were still under construction. as early as the first conversation, it was clear to us that (the Lopezes have) a deep dedication to the craftsmanship of coffee,” said John Luipold, the University’s vice president of business affairs, auxiliary Services and real estate, in an august 2023 press release. “the wholehearted approach they take to everything about their business will create an exceptional coffee experience for college Hill students and residents.”

the couple immigrated from Honduras to the United States in 2022 after several years of experience in the coffee industry. Many of Hazel Origin’s coffee beverages utilize beans sourced from various central and Latin american growers.

in March, Lopez expressed a desire to hire the University’s students for parttime positions at the cafe. at that point, the cafe was in its final stages of assembly, decoration and inspection.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 29, 2024.

Washington Bridge demolition paused due to government’s lawsuit

Lawsuit alleges negligent construction or inspections of the bridge

BY SANAI RASHID SENIOR STAFF WRITER

r hode island has paused demolition of the i -195 Washington b ridge since Sept. 17 in an attempt to preserve evidence for a lawsuit against companies that worked on the bridge before its closure, according to a joint statement from Governor d an McKee and a ttorney General Peter Neronha.

t he engineers for rid O t, in cooperation with the state’s legal team, have reached the point in the demolition of the Washington b ridge where work must be paused to preserve evidence for the legal case,” the statement reads. While the announcement gave no timeline for when demolition would resume, it expressed the goal of eventually continuing “demolition as swiftly as possible while ensuring important evidence is preserved.”

i n March, rid O t announced that the westbound side of the bridge, which had already been partially shut down since last d ecember due to structural

Demolition has been paused on the I-195

concerns, would now be demolished and rebuilt entirely.

a fter only two companies submitted bids to replace the section by rid O t ’s March 2025 deadline, the state awarded a $45.8 million contract to the Warwick-based a etna b ridge c o., which began tearing down the westbound section of the bridge in late august.

t he company is one of the 13 defen -

dants in the lawsuit that the state alleges was responsible “for the near-miss catastrophic closure of the bridge,” according to a press release from Governor McKee and Neronha’s offices.

t he other defendants in the lawsuit are also companies that worked on the bridge in some capacity for the state, whether through providing design feedback, routine inspections or constructing

parts of the bridge.

in the lawsuit, the State alleges that the defendants “all knew or should have known the engineering features of the bridge,” and therefore should have flagged the bridge’s worsening structural issues that led to its eventual closure.

a ccording to the lawsuit, five engineering companies inspected the bridge between 2015 and its closure in d ecember 2023.

aecOM, an infrastructure consulting company, is highlighted in the complaint, since the analysis aec OM was hired to conduct beginning in 2013 served as a foundation that was used to solicit from contractors for future rehabilitation.

When aecOM provided ridOt with its final technical evaluation in 2015, the state claims that the firm “failed to identify, analyze or recommend improvements” to “critical elements of the bridge’s structural safety and integrity.”

For roger Williams University School of Law Professor Michael yelnosky, the responsible parties behind the bridge’s failure are still unclear. t he “lawsuit may help bring that to light,” he wrote in an email to t he Herald, adding that the defendants have “every incentive to prove they were not responsible and

that someone else was, including another defendant or a state employee.” but yelnosky also highlighted the limitations of lawsuits. “ i f public officials were responsible, law won’t get them out of office,” he wrote. “ you need the political process for that.”

e ngineers for both rid O t and the litigation team have agreed that “contractors can continue preparatory work for further demolition on the Washington b ridge” while the lawsuit goes on, c harles St. Martin, rid O t ’s chief of Public a ffairs, wrote in an email to t he Herald.

t he state’s initial goal was to complete the bridge’s reconstruction between spring and summer of 2026.

b ut now with the ongoing lawsuit, Governor McKee has not commented on an updated timeline on when the bridge may be completed.

Martin added that rid O t and the legal team’s engineers are in the process of “finalizing the procedures for evidence preservation which will help determine when full demolition resumes.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 30, 2024.

Wayland Square Diner announces sudden closure after 67 years of operation

The closure is one of many in Wayland Square since May

BY AVANI GHOSH AND MEGAN CHAN METRO EDITOR & SENIOR STAFF WRITER

‘At A Loss For Words’: Brown football beats Harvard for the first time in 14 years

BY LYDELL DYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Fourteen years of history rested on the shoulders of the bears (2–0, 1–0 ivy) as the last thirty nail-biting seconds of a rollercoaster game wound to a close. twenty-seven yards away was the endzone — and for the first time since 2010, a victory against the Harvard crimson (1–1, 0–1 ivy) was in sight. down by five points with less than a minute to go, bruno unleashed a final offensive flurry.

With the crowd on their feet and time winding down, the bears took to the air. in the end, the fifth-year duo of quarterback

the barrel of defeat. On the other end of the field, the Harvard crimson had set up for a game-clinching thirty-yard field goal. With a chip shot being all that separated Harvard from their thirteenth-straight victory, the crowd bated their breath in fear. but this was a home game, and today, providence was in the bears’ favor. When the snap came, it came high, soaring over the holder’s head. With lightning-quick speed, Nick Hudson ’26 scooped the ball up and flew down the field as the crowd was sent into a frenzy. When he was finally brought down at the 27-yard line, he had already done what ten years of bears before him could not: he sunk a dagger into the heart of Harvard’s confidence.

“Once we got the ball back, i think everybody knew we were scoring,” Mahoney said. When Hudson recovered the ball, “it was a massive injection of energy for us.” “Something we have is resiliency,” Will-

Mahoney ’24.5 proved too difficult for the crimson to contain. beating his defender down the sideline, Mahoney stretched his arms into the air and came down clutching victory. Pulling in a 27-yard touchdown strike, Mahoney claimed the first bruno lead of the day, and cemented the 31–28 point comeback win.

“i’m at a loss for words,” Willcox said in a post-game interview. “the way the game played out was awesome. i’m just happy we got the win. We deserved that. We worked hard this week.”

What makes the ending all the more remarkable is that only thirty seconds prior to the touchdown, the bears were staring down

cox added. “i’m happy the way we played and fought to the very end. it ain’t over ‘til there’s three zeros on that clock.” and when the clock finally did show zeros, there were few people left in the stands to witness it: an avalanche of white flooded the field as students and fans surged to celebrate the victory with the team.

“We love playing in front of groups of people like that,” Willcox said. “We love brown and we love when people come out and support us. it really means the world to us. When you look up and you see that many people genuinely cheering and rooting for us — it’s an amazing feeling.” even in the face of such a victory, the

football team, which trailed behind the crimson until the last minute of the game, knows that the job is far from finished after only their first game of ivy play.

“you can’t ever take a breath,” Head coach James Perry ‘00 said in the post-game conference. “We call the season a ten-week sprint. if we don’t make the corrections from today that we need to, we’re dead in the water. but these guys know that. We can enjoy a win, a remarkable win, but also know that these guys will be ready to go tomorrow.”

at the onset of the game, it was the crimson who unleashed havoc on the bears. Unable to convert on offensive possessions, the bears went scoreless in the first quarter. reeling from their repeated appearances, the defense was exposed by an effective Harvard passing scheme. When the first quarter concluded, the game was tipped 14–0 in Harvard’s favor.

in the second quarter, the bears’ first offensive success — a 22-yard field goal by christopher Maron ’25 — was overshadowed only minutes later, as the crimson corralled their second passing touchdown of the game. down by 18 points, the bears looked to be floundering on the verge of another loss.

Just when bruno needed a pick me up, elias archie ’26 delivered. after a mishandled catch attempt sent the ball reeling into the air, archie swooped in, snatching the ball from the receiver’s hands and rushing down the field. though archie was tackled at the one-yard line, he was able to reinvigorate a crowd desperate for their team to succeed and revitalize a squad staring down a seemingly insurmountable deficit.

the bears’ offense now had to score. coming out in their goalline formation, bruno hoisted its hopes on the back of Nate Lussier. catching the snap directly, he lunged ahead, breaking through first contact and piercing the goalline. Finally, with 1:52 left in the half, the bears scored their first touchdown, and cut the Harvard lead down to 21–10.

the interception gave the team life, Mahoney recalled after the game. “it’s always great to score at the end of the half,” he said. “that was huge for us.”

When the bears emerged from the locker room, they were scarcely recognizable. delivering a hit that echoed through the stadium, Will Jarvis ’25 set the tone on the first special teams play coming out of halftime. the bears had not given up yet, and were poised to claw their way back into the game. but Harvard would not make it easy. On a crucial third down for the bears — one

in which the defense had the opportunity to stop Harvard and capitalize on brown’s offensive momentum — the crimson went deep. Gashing the bears’ coverage, Harvard converted a 52-yard pass which took them into the red zone. From there, Harvard’s running backs took over and with six minutes to go in the third, the crimson were leading by 18 points again, 28–10. but it would be the last time Harvard scored all game.

“i think, sometimes, you make your own luck,” Perry said. the offense and defense “feed off each other. From my perspective, that’s what brown football is. Looking at them pumps me up and fires me up to put my best foot forward tomorrow.”

What followed was precisely that flavor of luck-making: a bears team that would not accept defeat for the thirteenth consecutive time. On their next possession, the bears

240-pound frame to shield the ball from his defender, he reeled in a laser on the goalline, pulling the bears to within five points. there was no hesitation on the offensive side as to what would happen next: it was time for a two-point attempt.

the snap came, and for three long seconds, Willcox darted around the pocket, searching desperately for a target. He found one in the form of Qwentin brown ’26, who was alone in the bottom corner of the endzone. Willcox threw the ball and it landed secured in brown’s hands — that is, until a Harvard defender rushed downhill and knocked the football loose.

the incomplete ruling prompted minutes of mayhem at brown Stadium, with the bears’ sidelines in uproar at the referees and fans booing in the stands. the contested call warranted a review to determine whether it was a completed catch or not, and the

went for a passing play in which the inside receivers went deep and faded to the outside, stretching the safeties across the width of the field and exposing a glaring hole in Harvard’s defense. after blowing past his linebacker, Matt childs ’28 suddenly found himself alone between the hashes. delivering a strike, Willcox connected with childs, who ran the ball in for a 75-yard touchdown. after a successful Pat, the bears cut Harvard’s lead almost in half: 28–17.

energized by their offensive success, the bears’ defense attacked the crimson with renewed ferocity, forcing a quick three and out. by now, the stands were on their feet, seeing that — for essentially the first time since the first quarter — the bears had a glimmer of hope. they watched as bruno methodically marched down the field, only for the drive to stall out on a devastating fourth-and-goal situation at Harvard’s twoyard line.

“it would have been easy for us to get down on ourselves,” Willcox reflected after the game. “but we knew there was a chance that we would get the ball back.” With five minutes to go in the fourth, the offense finally delivered. Following a 14-play, 69-yard drive, Willcox turned to his favorite target: Mahoney. Using his massive

verdict didn’t go bruno’s way.

Now down five points instead of three, the game plan was clear: get a stop on defense and score a touchdown on offense. it was no longer time to contemplate — what the bears needed to do was execute. but with time winding down, it appeared brown would be unable to do so.

Harvard went on a successful, time-churning drive, eating away at the clock until there was less than a minute to go. they were in field-goal range and poised to put the game away. With only 21 seconds left on the clock, Harvard set up for the kick. the snap came, and the rest is history.

“Just like we drew it up,” Willcox remarked with a wry smile after coming off the field.

the bears now look to capitalize on their early-season momentum with a series of in-state games. Next Saturday, at 12 p.m., the bears will host the bryant bulldogs.

“We’re gonna enjoy this win for about twenty more hours,” Willcox said, “and then we’re getting back to work tomorrow morning.”

Jake Willcox ’24.5 and wide receiver Mark

The Bears stunned the Crimson with a lastminute comeback at home

The Bears won with less than 30 seconds on the clock, ending game

Men’s soccer drops Ivy opener at Dartmouth, continuing road skid

Bruno was unable to come back after an early concession

BY BEN GOLDBERG STAFF WRITER

b rown men’s soccer (3-4-1, 0-1 i vy League) suffered a hard-fought 2-1 loss to dartmouth (4-3-1, 1-0) in Hanover Saturday. after conceding a point 30 minutes into the first half, the bears tied it up with a goal from Mads Stistrup Petersen ’26.5 before halftime. but the big Green struck the fatal blow with a deflected strike early in the second half, handing the bears their fourth straight road loss of the season.

“Our performance was very good against dartmouth, which makes the outcome hard to take,” Head coach chase Wileman wrote in an email to the Herald. “Unfortunately, this has been a consistent theme this season where we are not finding a way to

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

in an email to the Herald.

game remained

tightly contested and physical. dartmouth scored a second goal with 30 minutes left, when a shot from Vasilis Moiras took a big deflection and looped over brown goalkeeper Henrik Weiper ’26.

“the goal was a shock and a very unfortunate deflection that really came out of nowhere,” Wileman wrote. “the guys fought to the end and gave it a go. We just couldn’t find a goal to get back in the game.”

brown took charge of the game and generated some offensive opportunities, but was unable to break through the big Green defense. When dartmouth’s Orrett Maine was sent off with eight minutes remaining in the game, the bears had their last burst of attack.

yet, bruno could not find the goal they needed to eke out a draw. the bears’ spirited effort came up short despite having the same number of shots on target (4) as the big Green, and three more corners (5-2).

“dartmouth was already sitting in pretty deep after scoring a second and it felt like we

had more of the ball to that point,” cloherty wrote. “We created some good chances after the red card, but not enough to find the back of the net.”

“We have a full week of practice ahead, and we’ve got a really strong group of players. it’s a strange feeling because we’ve been playing well, but it almost feels like luck hasn’t been on our side” Stistrup Petersen wrote. “Our team has incredibly high standards and expectations, and i’m confident we’ll bounce back.”

brown Men’s soccer will look to right the ship at home this Saturday in a matchup against Princeton.

“We will continue to prepare like usual and take it day by day preparing for the next opponent,” Wileman wrote. “the guys have played well this season, and we just need to keep improving as the season progresses.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 30, 2024.

Despite defensive effort of Jessie Golden ’26, volleyball drops Ivy opener to Yale

Offensive challenges led to a poor Bruno performance

BY GUS BAILEY STAFF WRITER

Volleyball (3-7, 0-1 ivy) fell in straight sets to yale (6-3, 1-0 ivy) in their ivy League opener on Saturday.

bruno has historically had a poor record against the bulldogs, only beating them twice in 33 match-ups — including just one victory from the previous 10 games. the bears started the match with energy, earning a 20-17 lead. but the bulldogs tied the score at 22 before taking the final three points to secure the first set.

the first was the only set where the bears eclipsed 20 points, hitting .171 to

WOMEN’S

SOCCER

yale’s .180 — the closest they came to yale’s hitting percentage.

yale kept up momentum into the second set as the bulldogs’ offense hit at a match-high .326 clip. brown’s offense stumbled, hitting just .063 in set two as

yale cruised to a 25-17 win.

in the third set, yale was simply too much for bruno, as they parlayed multiple 5-0 runs into a 25-16 win to clinch the match. the bulldogs’ offense proved efficient, while the bears struggled to regain the intensity they displayed at the start of the match.

yale had three players in double figures for kills to brown’s one. throughout the match, yale notched 51 kills to bruno’s 28.

yale’s offense performed well,” Jessie Golden ’26 wrote in an email to the Herald. “i think they scouted where they needed to attack and executed well.”

Golden’s performance on Saturday was a bright spot for the bears’ defense. She recorded 14 digs in the loss, as the team held yale to a .239 hitting percentage. this marked a defensive improvement

over the .292 the bears allowed in their previous match against the University of New Hampshire’s Wildcats.

“We worked on defense in the week of practice before yale, so seeing that our team definitely improved defensively was very rewarding,” Golden wrote. “i’m working a lot on leadership this year, and i think the yale game brought me a step closer to my future goal of being a great leader for this team.”

Last year, Golden led the team with 446 digs and was second in assists.

Offensively, brown’s top performer was Mariia Sidorova ’26, who tallied 11 kills. but the offense struggled overall, hitting .119 that night. the second set, where bruno hit just .063, further highlighted the offensive challenges they faced. despite the loss, Golden remains op-

First-years lead women’s soccer charge past Harvard

Set pieces and pressing defined the Bears’ 2-1 victory over its Crimson rivals

BY DENNIS CAREY SPORTS EDITOR

On a day of triumph for brown athletics, bears fans settled into their seats to watch women’s soccer (4-2-3) hand Harvard their first loss of the season (4-1-4).

With Harvard coming into the game unbeaten following a draw against No. 24 ranked Santa clara less than a week prior and the bears riding a string of four consecutive ivy titles, the match-up was highly anticipated — and it lived up to the hype.

From its outset, the game was a battle of coaching philosophies. Harvard looked to play out from the back, avoiding long balls and hoping to methodically find their way into the bears’ box. the bears favored a more direct approach, attacking heavily on the press and trying to win the ball upfield.

“Historically, we’re a high press, high energy team. We know that Harvard wants to keep the ball and be very methodical in their build out,” Head coach Kia McNeill said. “So we really wanted to deny that as much as possible.”

after flirting with danger in the early min-

utes, during which Harvard created confusion in and around the six-yard box, the bears finally settled in. From that point, Harvard was challenged in possession and had no way to play through the bears’ suffocating formation.

“First and foremost, (this was) just a good team win,” defender Layla Shell ’25.5 said. “i feel like we came in with a game plan and we executed it really well. We swarmed them pretty much the entirety of the game.”

While the bears held up defensively, they struggled to finish with force offensively. but that changed after ayla Sahin ’28 was subbed in. Her speed helped the bears easily break the crimson’s backline. Sahin had the best opportunity thus far around 30 minutes in, but her shot was ultimately parried by Harvard’s keeper.

One of Harvard’s strengths is their talented midfield, so bruno made it their mission to keep them off the ball and force plays down the wing. despite a pair of loose moments — one of which led to Harvard’s lone goal — the bears kept Harvard’s best talents out of the match.

“Obviously their midfield is outstanding,” Shell said. “So (it’s) obviously not an easy job to deal with, but i think we did a really good job of just over-communicating and sticking to our game plan.”

if all Shell had done was keep the mid-

field quiet, it would have been enough — but her most important contribution came late in the first half, when the bears won a corner and Karlie Schlosser ’25 stepped up to take it. t he corner swung over all the players, and Shell found it at the back post to head it home, giving the bears their first lead of the night.

From then on, the bears held Harvard down. When the halftime whistle rang, the crimson were thankful to hear it.

Unfortunately for the bears, Harvard came out aggressive early in the second half. What the bears had done so well, pressing and containing the center, fell apart for only one moment — but that was long enough. driving through the center, Harvard slotted a pass between bruno’s backline to find a free player on the right, who drove a successful shot to equalize the score 1-1.

but the bears settled back into the match soon after, getting themselves down the pitch and winning another corner.

Once again, Schlosser stepped up and put the ball in the box for ella Weil ’28, who sent it flying into the top of the net to win the game for the bears.

Schlosser, who assisted from the corner on both goals, was also virtually unbeatable on the right. because of her crushing defensive presence, Harvard found no service from that side of the pitch.

timistic, noting that the team’s strong start in the first set gives them a strategy to build on as they look toward their upcoming schedule.

“another main focus for us throughout preseason has been trying to find out how to start games better,” she wrote. “in our game against yale, we had the best start of our year. Now, we need to combine this aggressive start with the confidence to close out each set and finish,” she wrote. the bears will look to snap a threegame skid as they continue ivy League play. they go on the road to face Princeton (3-8, 1-1 ivy) and Penn (7-4, 1-1 ivy) on Oct. 4 and 5.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 1, 2024.

Schlosser called her performance “a testament to a lot of the preparation i’ve had over the past three years.”

“i couldn’t do it without the support of my team, i play for them … so it’s exciting to shut down everyone in the back,” she added.

McNeil noted the team’s stellar set piece play, as both brown goals came from corners.“We knew that Harvard was susceptible to set pieces, and it’s something that we really pride ourselves on,” McNeil said. “i’m glad it showed itself tonight.”

While long-time veterans like Schlosser and Shell stepped up, McNeil chose to deploy four first-years in the starting lineup — a decision that paid off.

Weil scored the game-winner, Nadja Meite ’28 and chesney robinson ’28 were key in keeping the press alive in the attacking half and Kyra treanor ’28 shone on the left-

side of defense. that’s not to mention the attacking potential demonstrated by Sahin and isabelle chukwu ’28 off the bench. While pre-season discussion centered around who the bears lost last season, attention is shifting to who the bears have brought in.

“it’s amazing how our freshmen have come in and made an immediate impact with this team. they’re contributing in big-time games,” McNeil said. Since they’re just rookies, McNeil added, “they’ve got a lot of room to grow, too.”

bruno returns to ivy play on Saturday in Princeton, where they will try to stay unbeaten facing the tigers.

c

The Bears started the match with energy, earning a 20-17 lead.

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

It’s fitting that after the highest of Brown highs this weekend, I am so deeply lost in the proverbial sauce of the week—a hump day that feels humpier than most. There’s always that first week in the semester when the assignments start to pile up, and the sleep starts to pile down (I propose we adopt this as a new turn of phrase), and somehow, smack-dab in the middle of that week, I always find myself writing the editor’s note. But there’s a light at the end of that tunnel, the due dates will come as they always do, and then I have much to look forward to this weekend—dinner at Jahunger, apple picking, a visit from my parents. What a cliché: overworked college student, chugging coffee by day, still making time for fun by night. And another cliché, a verbose rambler pointing out this juxtaposition, an appreciation for the two sides of all coins.

This week in post-, that dichotomy is as strong as ever. In Feature, our writer unpacks the bond she shares with her mother through pain. In Narrative, we have another story of generational pain which explores the gut wrenching feeling of powerlessness following a harrowing diagnosis. Similarly, one Arts & Culture writer reflects on Pachinko , which inspired him to learn more about his ancestors. Here’s where that dichotomy comes in: On a brighter note, our other A&C writer recounts her trip to the All Things Go music festival. In Lifestyle, our writers are talking about two sides of campus life: in one piece, a guide on where to eat with that campus friend crush, and in the other, the deep spite of running into that campus enemy. We’ve got a crossword too about this past weekend’s football clash. And for the first time ever, a piece that interrogates the concept of juxtaposition to christen our brand new post-pourri section!

I’m so excited to debut this new section of post- to the world tonight. I want to end with a special shoutout to our managing editor Rachel Metzger for helping raise this section from just a mere idea. Spoiler alert, another cliché, but I think often about the ways that post- has evolved over the years, and I like to think that this week will go down as a signpost(-) in the ever-growing journey of the magazine. One thing that will never be a cliché: my love for this publication and everyone who breathes life into it. I hope you celebrate them with me by picking up a copy this week!

Of two minds,

Joe Maffa Editor-in-Chief

“Because language is the only thing that has never felt like a waste of time. So you will leap into the ocean—or you will let yourself fall—over and over again, and in the end you will write about it all. You will warp your words, like Pygmalion does his clay, until you convince yourself that your creation is as good as the real thing.”

— Emily Tom, “From Here, You Can See Everything” 10.7.22

“I know the future holds many more new exit numbers for me. Everywhere I’ve ever called home will stay tucked away, but just within memory’s reach when I need to feel the comfort of belonging.”

— Samiha Kazi, “The Road Back Home” 10.5.23

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Joe Maffa

FEATURE

Managing Editor

Klara Davidson-Schmich

Section Editors

Daphne Cao

Elaina Bayard

ARTS & CULTURE

Managing Editor

Elijah Puente

Section Editors

Emily Tom

AJ Wu

NARRATIVE

Managing Editor

Katheryne Gonzalez

Section Editors

LIFESTYLE

by Lily Coffman

SOCIAL MEDIA

Managing Editor

Tabitha Grandolfo

Section Editors

Alex Hay

LAYOUT CHIEF Gray Martens

Layout Designers Amber Zhao

STAFF WRITERS Nina Lidar

Sarah Frank Pooja Kalyan

Ana Vissicchio

Gabi Yuan Lynn Nguyen

Rahman ’26: Finding common ground on our fractured campus

to say we live in an imperfect world would be a gross understatement. today, we face war in the Middle e ast and e urope, genocide in Sudan and a refugee crisis in Venezuela, among other crises. c onflict, at its core, is a failure to reach an acceptable agreement for all parties involved. i n our daily lives, and here at b rown, we disagree on a lot. While the stakes of these disagreements are often lower than in these examples, the ability to find common ground in any situation might be the most valuable skill we can take away from c ollege Hill.

The world doesn’t need safe spaces, it needs brave spaces. “ “

r ational, smart and well-intentioned people disagree all the time. While we often associate disagreement with destruction, it is also a powerful force for change. t he difference between productive and unproductive disagreement comes down to the understanding between the two parties. in my view, conflict can broadly be summarized as manifesting in one of three possible ways that constantly overlap and inform each other: a conflict of narratives, values, or structure.

a conflict of narratives occurs when different groups frame the same event through opposing lenses. One powerful example of this is in the i sraeli-Palestinian conflict, where both groups view the events of 1948 through radically different lenses — the first as a war of independence, the second as an ethnic cleansing. i n this paradigm, one group’s freedom fighters become another’s terrorists and the failure to reach a coherent narrative prevents all parties from moving forward.

a conflict of values happens when groups have fundamentally opposing ethical approaches to an issue. a n example of this type of conflict is frequent in debates on climate change where developing nations prioritize economic growth over environmental protection, while wealthy, historically polluting nations lecture them about sustainability.

Finally, there are conflicts in which power structures or external factors lead to the domination of one group over another. t his can encapsulate everything from race and class struggles to a war for scarce water. t he challenge of addressing this form of conflict is in the complex nature of dismantling those structures that compel conflict.

So what does this mean on a practical level? We disagree, great. We understand why we disagree, but now what will we do about it? i n the world, we often see an unwillingness for opposing parties to speak candidly with one another. a t b rown, we see a similar polarization on campus. t he debate over divestment represents a small bit of daylight in our otherwise monocultural campus political discourse. b ut a culture of protest without active debate is, in my view, deeply unproductive.

t he world doesn’t need safe spaces, it needs brave spaces. When people fight, it’s often because they don’t truly understand what the other needs, wants or feels. a n example of this hyper-

polarization i have experienced was when discussing the divestment protests on campus with a friend. i was told that my perspective was unneeded because they had been to enough ‘teachins.’ i remain baffled by this sentiment. i f one’s goal is to change the status quo, not to sit idly in righteous indignation, it is imperative to make space for understanding.

a s an educational space, b rown has an important role to play in fostering discourse on campus and in the wider world. We are in a difficult moment, but instead of shying away from hard conversations, we must face them head-on. t hat is the true meaning of an education. i am heartened by the work being done by J Street U b rown, i n-Progress, and other student organizations to support these efforts. b ut, institutionally there is more that can and must be done. b rown should strive to create spaces on campus for vigorous debate between scholars, students and the wider community. t his effort must be intentional. Productive academic discourse must

aim to deconstruct the roots of misunderstanding and identify shared values, structural barriers and common narratives so that we can find a way forward. to put it simply, to work towards peace, we must first reach some idea of truth and reconciliation.

t he world is full of complex issues, and i don’t presume to know the answers to them all, but what i do know is this — trying the same thing over and over again is the definition of insanity. i nstead of approaching diplomacy as a “where do we go from here” endeavor, what if we also ask, “How did we get here?” Let’s talk to each other, craft a narrative we can all resonate with and define our shared values for the future.

Tasawwar Rahman ‘26 can be reached at tasawwar_rahman@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

O’Riordan ’27: Standing up for your favorite artist might mean

sitting down

a few weeks ago, i went to the beabadoobee concert in b oston. My friends and i were in the standing room only section of td Garden, and we ended up behind a mom, her daughter and her daughter’s friend. When beabadoobee came out on stage, everyone stood up. For the first few songs, the mom did too. When she eventually sat down, she was visibly aggravated at the people in front of her who inevitably blocked her view. i heard her telling her daughter that she was tired after a day of work and didn’t see why everyone needed to stand for every song. a t first, i wrote her off as a parent who was peeved that they had to go through the hassle of a concert just to listen to an artist that they didn’t even like. b ut as i thought about it, i realized that maybe the mom had a point. Maybe it is a bit ridiculous to stand throughout a roughly two hour show, especially when the setlist is not consistently high-energy.

With these last few years being a time of iconic concerts — think taylor Swift’s e ras tour and b eyonce’s r enaissance World tour — it seems concert etiquette has become more of a hot topic. Viral t ik toks have shown people complaining about how their fellow concert-goers are behaving — from harassing others to screaming every lyric to shaming someone for not knowing songs or participating in fan rituals. t his worsening lack of consideration isn’t just frustrating, but also dangerous. More fans, often girls aged 11 to 17, are passing out at concerts. a rtists themselves are getting injured because members of the audience are throwing objects at them. Harry Styles has been hit multiple times in the eye by projectiles while on his Love on tour. P!nk

was recently handed a bag of someone’s ashes while performing at Hyde Park. a nd everyone remembers the infamous a stroworld performance in Houston, where a crowd surge and stampede caused multiple deaths.

Many speculate that concert etiquette going down the drain can be traced back to the 2020 cOVid-19 quarantine. Some argue that not socializing for the better part of a year has caused many of us to lose basic social awareness and disregard common sense in public spaces. Oth-

“

If

concert etiquette isn’t improving is that many people don’t think it should. Personally, i can’t remember the last time i stayed seated when the main act of a concert was performing — except when i went to a symphony concert dedicated to John Williams. this weekend, i’ll be attending the Sweat tour with charli XcX and troye Sivan, and i sure won’t be sitting then either. but i do believe that a lot of concert etiquette is determined by subtle factors: the performer, the venue and the personal connec-

you, like my little sister at the Eras Tour, think that screaming at the top of your lungs is more important than other people hearing the artist they paid to see, you might want to consider just staying home and shuffling your Spotify playlist instead.

ers suggest that this generation of parents feels comfortable allowing their children to attend concerts alone due to tracking technology, and thus we are left with young people attending some of the biggest tours of all time without any metric for behaving respectfully. regardless of the impetus, a major reason

“

tion one might feel to the artist or tour itself. For instance, at a Laufey concert, you wouldn’t see people screaming and starting mosh pits because her appeal lies in her beautiful voice, lyrics and classical influences — none of which can be appreciated when the sole focus is on treating the concert like a party. at the Sweat

tour, however, i expect that the audience will be on their feet and a part of the performance itself, as charli and troye are known for making club music with a strong emphasis on dance and performance. about a year ago, adele made headlines for defending a fan who stood throughout her concert, despite being told multiple times to sit by security. While adele may disagree, someone standing and singing along could easily detract from the concert experience for others — especially at a show people paid a lot of money to attend and where the focus is on her powerful live voice, not the audience. With concert ticket prices being more expensive than ever, it only seems fair that enjoying the concert should be a top priority.

regardless of the tour or artist, certain things should not become the norm. Signs that are large enough to block people’s view, screaming through an entire concert and pushing to get closer to the stage are all behaviors that universally take away from the experience for other people. trying to make an artist notice you is not more important than your fellow concert goers having a good time. and if you, like my little sister at the eras tour, think that screaming at the top of your lungs is more important than other people hearing the artist they paid to see, you might want to consider just staying home and shuffling your Spotify playlist instead.

Mary O’Riordan ’27 can be reached at mary_oriordan@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

a SHLey cHOi / HeraLd

ELECTIONS

How the 2024 elections might impact education, according to Brown professors

Faculty weighs potential impacts of the two parties’ platforms

BY AMBER MARCUS-BLANK STAFF WRITER

americans’ main concerns over the 2024 elections are varied, ranging from immigration to the economy. b ut, for some professors, the issues at stake hit particularly close to home — especially those related to education policy.

Faculty of the University expressed concerns regarding the future of diversity, equity and inclusion and federal funding for both K-12 schools and higher education. they noted the two 2024 presidential candidates offered very distinct platforms.

For Kenneth Wong, a professor of education policy, international and public affairs, and political science, the foundational difference between the democratic and republican parties’ policy plans is that Vice President Kamala Harris aims to address systemic inequality through federal involvement, while former President donald trump plans to reduce the involvement of the federal government as a whole.

Harris plans to expand government programs like t itle i , which provides

financial support to schools with many low-income students. She has also expressed support for early childhood education programs. trump, on the other hand, hopes to empower state and local governments to determine their own education policies.

“Voters need to think about whether they want to support one vision versus the other,” Wong said.

christopher cleveland, an assistant professor of education and education policy, also said that democratic candidates might support more federal engagement in equity issues compared to republican candidates. He noted that the democratic Party has historically prioritized the role of both title i and federal funding in supporting disadvantaged students..

When looking back at trump’s presidency, Wong recalled how the administration decreased federal funding for the US department of education and called for additional budget cuts. the future of the department of education has also been a point of contention during this election cycle.

One of the specific proposals in Project 2025, a list of policy proposals being promoted by the republican Party, seeks to abolish the department of education, according to Juliet Hooker, a professor of political science. compared to democrats,

“that is one big area of difference,” Hooker told the Herald.

trump has denied involvement in the controversial document, but many top republicans were involved in the proposal’s creation.

Hooker reaffirmed the high stakes for higher education in the upcoming election, highlighting the congressional scrutiny of universities and state legisla-

The pro- and anti-divestment proposals to the University, annotated by The Herald

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP , TY PHAM-SWANN , ETHAN SCHENKER , RYAN DOHERTY , KATIE JAIN , HADLEY CARR , JULIA VAZ , NEIL MEHTA , SOPHIA WOTMAN AND ANIYAH NELSON

brown’s advisory committee on University resources Management is closer than ever to releasing its public recommendation on whether the University should divest from 10 companies affiliated with the israeli military. to make this recommendation, the committee examined two student proposals: brown divest coalition’s report and “the case against divestment,” a response by anti-divestment students.

tive efforts restricting diversity education within curriculum content, in particular.

Hooker also raised concerns with state-level restrictions regarding discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in school curriculum.

“a new president won’t be able to stop the momentum of recent challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion policies,” Wong said. but, there is a major difference

between candidates: how the federal government will respond. a Harris presidency, he believes, will attempt more federal interference, while a trump presidency will continue to leave legislation to the states.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 3, 2024.

ARTS & CULTURE

REVIEW

Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ is another disappointment on screen and at the box office

The film had an advance screening hosted by the Ivy Film Festival

BY MANAV MUSUNURU SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Since its debut at the cannes Film Festival in May, Francis Ford coppola’s “Megalopolis” has divided critics and audiences alike. a renowned director well-known for “the Godfather” trilogy, coppola delivers yet another disappointment on the screens and at the box office.

Much like the development of some of c oppola’s previous movies — such as “a pocalypse Now” — the production of “Megalopolis” was not without numerous challenges and controversies. t he initial idea for the film was conceived during the late 1970s, but production was

stalled by debts c oppola accumulated from prior box office failures.

a fter 9/11, c oppola continued to struggle to convince studios to sign his project, “Megalopolis,” which takes place in a fictionalized, romanesque version of New york city aptly named “New rome.” Production was delayed after studios at the time felt its plot was too evocative of the terror attacks.

the $120 million of funding for “Megalopolis” ultimately was paid for by coppola, who sold part of his wine estate to finance the film. When production did start, it had bizarre elements and was mired in controversy.

c oppola allowed actors to improvise and re-write parts of the script during the filming process, which, in a viewer’s retrospect, was a mistake. c oppola also fired the entire visual effects team along with much of the crew in the art

department, a decision that was likely responsible for the numerous gaffes on set and in the final cut of the film.

a lthough it was made apparent that New rome was a modern-day parallel to the r oman e mpire in its final days, other worldbuilding elements were simply overlooked by c oppola. One cutscene featured a flag with the letters “N yS e ,” representing the New york Stock e xchange, even though the movie was set in the city of New rome, not New york. t he license plates on cars were identical to the real-life New york State license plates, and the actual flags of New york State, the US and the c onfederacy were used at various points throughout the film. t hese numerous contradicting elements made it quite confusing to understand the historical background of the film. Was it an alternate history based on the r oman e mpire, or was it merely

finance the film.

REVIEW

Katy Perry’s firework loses its spark on “143”

Perry lacks direction in the music industry, delivering dry trap beats

BY CAMPBELL LOI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

even before its release on Sept. 20, Katy Perry’s latest album, “143,” was already the subject of intense and widespread online scrutiny.

the album’s rollout was riddled with scandal. Singles “WOMaN’S WOrLd” and “LiFetiMeS” were poorly received by audiences. the former was deemed to be “out of touch” and “dated,” especially in light of Perry’s highly criticized decision to work with controversial producer d r. Luke. the latter’s music video also sparked disapproval from many after an investigation into possible environmental damages during its production. despite Perry doubling down on her producer and attempting to write off her failed feminist anthem as satire, her efforts weren’t enough to fix the damage. “143” debuted on Metacritic at 35 out of 100 — the lowest score the site has seen since 2011 — and received a barrage of poor reviews. t he overwhelming consensus: the album was, at best, not a total catastrophe.

even looking past the bad press it received before its release, “143” still falls

flat due to its musical monotony. Nearly every song follows the same structure: dry and lackluster trap beats coupled with clunky lyrics on exhaustingly repetitive melodies. What’s especially frustrating about this formula is how easily the songs could be improved with simply a bit more energy and direction. tracks like “GiMMe GiMMe,” “GOrGeOUS” and “LiFetiMeS” all have potential but lack the driving beats and catchy hooks characteristic of a hit.

this unoriginality is puzzling, almost as if Perry intended to crank out songs as fast as possible without worrying about quality. Given the extreme popularity and success she wielded in the 2010s, it’s hard to believe that Perry could have ever fallen so far. Her 2010 album, “teenage d ream,” was the first since Michael Jackson’s “bad” in 1987 to have five of its singles hit the top of the US charts. Songs like “Firework” and “ c alifornia Gurls” quickly became pop classics.

Perhaps the most fatal flaw of “143” is its lack of critical self-awareness. a side from the hypocrisy of promoting “WOMa N’S WO r L d ” as the lead single of an album primarily produced by an alleged perpetrator of assault, those same notes of watered-down white feminism also pervade the entire album and have been the subject of much of its surrounding criticism.

t hough the album may have been

New york c ity with r oman aesthetics?

a t moments, the visual effects and c G i in the film missed the mark. r ather than striving for the realism seen in other high-budget films, scenes in “Megalopolis” resembled poorly green-screened middle school projects edited in iMovie. t he film begins by introducing its central conflict between architect and mastermind c esar c atilina (a dam d river) and New r ome mayor Franklyn c icero (Giancarlo e sposito). c atilina seeks to redevelop New r ome into a futuristic utopia, whereas c icero resists these potential changes and attempts to preserve the city’s current state.

a t the start, c atilina is in a relationship with Wow Platinum (a ubrey Plaza), a t V presenter who values power over morals. Platinum soon leaves her relationship with c atilina to marry his multi-billionaire, bank ce O uncle, Hamilton c rassus iii (Jon Voight). t his semi-incestuous trope reoccurs later in the film, when Platinum seduces c atilina’s cousin and crassus’s nephew, clodio Pulcher (Shia Leb eouf), to seize control of the bank.

a s c rassus and Platinum have their wedding celebration, c atilina is seen having drug-induced hallucinations outside the venue, mirroring the experience one has while watching this film. Within the venue, pop sensation Vesta Sweetwater (Grace VanderWaal) — advertised as New rome’s own “Vestal Virgin” — delivers an utterly absurd performance with her multiple clones to advertise the desirability of virginity. However, near the end of her performance, Sweetwater is revealed to be a fraud (and catilina a womanizer), when a video of her having sex with catilina is projected on the venue’s screens. audiences, misled by the dramatic nature of the film’s trailers, may be confused

by the comic intermissions that appear excessively throughout “Megalopolis.” as the film progresses, it becomes increasingly tumultuous and chaotic, making it feel more like a 138-minute-long SNL skit rather than a potential blockbuster. in one (hopefully improvised) scene, catilina ridicules cicero’s daughter Julia (Nathalie emmanuel), telling her to “go back to the club,” but the unserious delivery of this line undermines the dramatic nature of the confrontation between Julia and catilina.

Still, some moments of comedic relief were welcome. Scenes featuring Platinum seemed more like intentional gags, rather than hilariously awkward lines or nonsensical circumstances. the film features surprisingly strong performances from Plaza and her co-stars, considering the lack of quality material.

One particularly creative moment in the movie occurs when c atilina holds a press conference during the middle of the film. a t select movie theaters, a live performer plays the role of a reporter interviewing c atilina, entirely breaking the fourth wall. although this sort of act is impractical at most locations, it is a unique method of capturing the attention of audiences which is especially needed in a movie like this.

a t times entertaining and hilarious, the film is by no means an example of art. rather, it is a passion project doomed by c oppola’s own involvement, best watched for comedy rather than plot. a crazy and confusing film, “Megalopolis” leaves audiences bewildered and makes them wonder: What the hell just happened?

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 29, 2024.

doomed from the start due to its messy rollout and surrounding controversy, a persistent and unfair double standard has also played a major role in how “143” has been received. For years, the music industry has held women to a higher and more rigorous standard for artistry, requiring that they constantly reinvent and reimagine themselves to remain relevant — and Perry is no exception.

yes, “143” is divinely uninspired and lacks energy and character, but this does not mean Perry’s cause is fully lost. Simply put, the problem is that she lacks direction in the music industry. While artists like c happell roan, c harli Xc X or Sabrina c arpenter have settled comfortably into their niches as of late in a recent resurgence of pop music, Perry has struggled to find a new place for herself since the bubblegum pop genre she is best known for has mostly faded in relevancy.

in “143,” Perry attempts to coast back to prior stardom by surfing along the recent pop wave, but without the proper footing, she ultimately wipes out before even catching anything. i t’s clear that to realize born-again pop stardom, Perry must reconsider her trajectory and solidify a vision for the artist she wants to be.

PHOtO c

ate

The $120 million of funding for “Megalopolis” ultimately was paid for by Coppola, who sold part of his wine estate to

Dori Walker ’24 wins Student Academy Award for senior thesis film

“In Living Memory” weaves archival footage, intimate interviews

BY AYANA AHUJA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

at brown, undergraduate theses go through many eyes — thesis advisors, professors, mentors and peers all get a chance to explore projects made by passionate students. but dori Walker’s ’24 thesis in Modern culture and Media reached far beyond campus, impressing even the academy of Motion Picture arts and Sciences.

recently, Walker’s short film “in Living Memory,” which explores archives, memory and history, was awarded a Student academy award in the alternative/experimental category.

the Herald sat down with Walker to discuss her artistic process and the undergraduate journey that led to such a project.

“in Living Memory” weaves together archival interview footage, interviews of Walker’s friends and family and clips of her neighborhood and life. “it’s a film about feelings and the process of those feelings and sitting with them and being with them,” Walker explained.

t hroughout the film, neon green captions bring the audience’s attention to Walker’s voice, as well as those of the people around her. Here, as in other moments in the film, Walker’s unique artistic style is used to turn memories into something tangible.

Walker shared that the movie’s attention to memory and recollection was

Walker creates, preserves and juxtaposes memories through new and old footage in the film.

inspired by the department of Modern culture and Media’s focus on archival practices.

“i remember i took this class with Professor ( tina Marie) campt and i feel like it completely flipped my world upside down,” she said. “i had never received such a breadth of that kind of literature around topics of blackness, memory, emotional labor, effective labor — which all kind of feed back into memory.”

a reverence for memory is clear in Walker’s film, which creates, preserves, juxtaposes and combines memories through new and old footage.

“Memory was huge on my mind (as well as) this idea that black histories and b lack stories are so frequently not archived, misarchived (or) kind of co-opted when it comes to how they’re remembered,” she said. “Sometimes they just don’t exist at all because we haven’t had the luxury of that kind of care being extended to our stories.”

beyond such theoretical questions, Walker said her film was also rooted in her personal experiences of grief during college.

“i realized that these people who have been significant to me are all passing, and

there are so many things i wish i had asked them. i’m never going to know the answers to these things (because) their memories died with them,” Walker said.

Walker’s film is broken into six vignettes, which she approached as individual projects before assembling them together.

Walker shot the footage for the film in about seven days, playing with the camera around her neighborhood, her grandmother and at dinner with her family. the experiential nature of “in Living Memory” is distinctive. Walker plays with words, music and footage to elicit emotional reactions. in her thesis proposal

Walker wrote, “sometimes it may read as a documentary and other times, it is more like a visual memoir. i’m sure it will be an ode to my loved ones. and i hope it is a beautiful mess.”

apart from the real-life footage, Walker drew inspiration from and featured archival pieces from black women spanning across history. For her own interviews with friends and family, Walker was “compelled by the reverence that people have when they’re sat down for an interview.”

“i think that (interviewing is) different from acting, and it’s different from following someone around. you watch people adjust themselves and kind of edit themselves. and you also watch people be very strong about their convictions,” Walker explained.

Walker continues to be in disbelief after winning a Student academy award. “to be recognized by the academy is extremely surreal to me. i’m just grateful to everybody that was involved,” she said.

“When i won, i realized that there are so many people behind this film that don’t even know that they’re behind this film, or wouldn’t necessarily see their participation in my life as having to do with this film,” Walker added. “i feel like this win is emblematic of those relationships.”

“in Living Memory” is being screened in festivals across the country to new audiences. to those still to experience Walker’s film, she stressed “that film at its core is a black film, and it’s ruled by love.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Sept. 30, 2024.

Better World by Design unravels annual student-run conference themed “Knots” EVENT

Speakers come from backgrounds in architecture, AI, industrial design

BY ANISHA KUMAR AND TOM LI UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS

better World by design, a joint venture organized by students at brown and the rhode island School of design, will hold its 15th annual conference this Saturday. design professionals and educators will give a series of talks on the “ways that design can center alternative narratives,” according to the group’s website. Speakers include professors from the University of toronto and the University of california at Los angeles as well as senior designers from adobe and Sonos.

the conference, titled “Knots” this year, explores interdisciplinary approaches to design. the theme is a metaphor for combining different disciplines and perspectives to build solutions to problems, explained the conference’s co-organizers, Nicole Nedeff, Henry ding and Naemi ditiatkovsky ’25. Nedeff and ding are fourthyear students at riSd

Featured speakers at the conference come from various disciplines, which organizers attributed to their broad understanding of design.

they noted that conference attendees can expect to receive “advice on their own personal journeys in design, become better acquainted with spaces they’ve been interested in or simply learn something new about a novel area of design.”

the conference, hosted at buildings on both brown and riSd’s campuses, will begin with a 9 a.m. breakfast at Sayles auditorium, where architect Petros babasikas will deliver the opening keynote. babasikas, director of the architectural studies program at the University of toronto, focuses his research on creating public spaces that combat the climate crisis.

the first set of talks will begin at 11 a.m in Freidman Hall. adobe’s Jeremy Joachim, a senior experience designer specializing in generative ai, will speak on how ai can enhance creative potential. His presentation, “What if? How emerging technology can Foster creativity,” will also evaluate the balance between human creativity and technological advancement.

allison Wong, a community engagement manager at architecture firm and nonprofit designing Justice + designing Spaces, will also speak at the event. the nonprofit creates housing opportunities for people exiting incarceration and designs spaces with an eye for restorative justice and community building.

the second set of talks will begin at 1 p.m.

Mindy Seu, a designer and an associate professor in UcL a’s design media arts department, will present at 20 Washington Place, also known as Prov-Wash at riSd they focus on exploring “feminist economies, historical precursors of the metaverse and the materiality of the internet,” the program’s website reads. the talk will be an “immersive performance lecture” recounting a “sexual history of the internet.”

riSd alum bona Kim, a senior product

designer at audio manufacturer Sonos, works with the Sonos ecosystem to enhance listening and content experiences. Kim’s presentation will evaluate the in-

tersections of hardware and software by sharing real-world examples of how the diverse disciplines come together.

M it Media Lab researchers d avid

Kong, Zoe Lee and annie chen will present the closing keynote at 2 p.m. Isabel Hahn contributed reporting.

Featured speakers at the conference come from various disciplines, which organizers attributed to their broad understanding of design.

Brown’s Food Not Bombs chapter is working to feed Providence

The chapter partners with local businesses to redistribute food

BY HENRY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

When Gabriela Venegas-ramirez ’26 saw the Providence chapter provide free meals at Kennedy Plaza for the first time, she began working with them.

“i would go to dining halls and just stock up on fruits and take loaves of bread and just cart them to Kennedy Plaza every Sunday,” she said.

Since 1980, the Food Not bombs movement has spread internationally, forming independent chapters throughout cities across the country. the organization is an anti-war group dedicated to redistributing food and resources locally. after Venegas-ramirez’s experience in spring 2023, she and others worked to get Student activities Office approval for a brown chapter and recruit as many students as possible.

“and our numbers grew. Like overnight,” she said. “We had like 80 members, and we finally got the SaO recognition.” the brown chapter soon began working in tandem with the Providence chapter, providing support and donations for the

they will distribute it on behalf of the donor.

Henry robbins ’26 has worked with the club for over a year now.

“every Sunday, the Providence chapter has a food serve from 2-4, and we, as the brown sect of that, try to find opportunities in which we can glean food from

brown campus and help redistribute that to the Providence chapter in order to give to people who are in need,” robbins said.

Now, the club is reaching out to local businesses in an attempt to gather more resources for redistribution.

“that’s a huge initiative this semester, reaching out on campus, like departments and other students clubs, as well as off-campus organizations, like One cafe on Federal Hill,” he said.

the club is also working with White electric cafe, robbins said. “We pick up all of their unsold produce and take it to Kennedy Plaza and redistribute it.”

“the premise is that there’s so much food waste,” he said, “and how can there be so much food waste while at the same time, people are hungry?”

the club’s first club fair tabling this semester saw a large increase in student involvement. the organization has since started a thursday morning meal service at Kennedy Plaza, independent of the Providence chapter.

“We’re trying to go beyond just serving,” isabela Venegas-ramirez ’27 said. “We want to focus on political education and actions that go beyond serving food.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 3, 2024

Sydney Skybetter named new faculty director of Brown Arts Institute

Skybetter discusses the importance of the artistic process in his new role

BY ANIYAH NELSON UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

associate Professor of theater arts and erformance Studies Sydney Skybetter was named the newest faculty director of the brown arts institute.

Skybetter, who began serving in his new role on Sept. 1, is responsible for “developing and implementing the academic vision of the bai,” collaborating with the institute’s artistic director “to ensure that this academic vision is closely connected with the institute’s artistic activities” and working with other arts departments at brown “to ensure that the bai enhances and supports their efforts, while building collaboration with non-arts units across campus,” according to the announcement.

Prior to his arrival at brown in 2015, Skybetter worked in an array of positions. in addition to producing shows for public theater in the New york metropolitan area, he has also worked at Harvard and boston conservatory at berklee, has given lectures at the Juilliard School and conservatories in the United Kingdom and is the founder of design brooklyn, a web design company.

Skybetter began his time at brown as an artist-in-residence and substitute public dance teacher. One of the things that drew him to the University was the Open curriculum, which he called “deeply shaping” to both the student and faculty experience.

Much of Skybetter’s research focuses on the connection between robotics and choreographic theory. in 2015, he founded the conference for research on choreographic interfaces, which “consider(s) the intrinsic risks and creative possibilities of

surveillant computational systems,” according to the conference’s website.

For Skybetter, brown offered an opportunity to explore the “interdisciplinary seam” between the two fields.

“at so many other institutions, that (connection) wasn’t just theoretically implausible, it was technically impossible,” he said in an interview with the Herald. “at brown, i found such support and gameness for the exploration of this sort of rigorous interdisciplinarity.”

Last spring, he taught ta PS 1751: “choreodaemonics.” the course sought to “explore the creative opportunities and political risks of creative production through emerging technologies of ai, robotics and virtual presence,” the course description reads.

“i think the expansion of double concentrations and triple concentrations on our campus demonstrates that students are, for lots of reasons, actively engaging across disciplinary horizons and departmental structures,” he said. “i think brown students excel in the in-betweens.”

Prior to being appointed to his new role as faculty director of the bai, Skybetter served as the deputy dean of the college for curriculum and co-curriculum for two years. in that role, he worked to make the Open curriculum more “dynamic and transparent.”

Skybetter noted that in the past, scheduling conflicts have posed challenges for students hoping to engage in separate academic fields such as physics and music.

“there are physics midterms or physics exams that are frequently offered at the same time as music or orchestra rehearsals and performances,” he began. “to disafford students access to physics classes because they want to do both would seem to me to be antithetical to the integrity of the Open curriculum.”

“there were a number of conversa-

tions that i and my team were a part of across either physics or music to ensure that the scheduling of these things works and students can engage with both,” Skybetter added.

as faculty director, Skybetter hopes that the bai can help answer “challenging research questions” such as “What does arts practice mean right now? How do we teach it? How can we empower our students in that to be as audacious and powerful creative thinkers as they want to be?”

Skybetter attributed his success in the role so far to the staff at the bai

“the staff here is extremely practiced

and very good at what they do,” he said. “even as i’m nascent … there’s lots of interest and engagement and knowledge and concern and practice.”

reflecting on the arts more generally, Skybetter expressed his belief that the artistic process is sometimes misunderstood.

“i think there’s a romantic impression of being an artist that’s roughly synonymous with being a genius – that you have these ideas springing forth from your brain in paint or dance or whatever – and it is this process of illumination and brilliance and lightning strikes and bippity boppity boo – art,” he said.

He added that “the nature of creative

production at a moment defined by complexities of all sorts ranging from cOVid to ai is that making anything right now is an act of great intention and even greater labor.”

Putting it simply, Skybetter noted that “art takes work.”

“i’m committed to transparency and being a strong budgetary steward,” Skybetter said. “i want to be a support to those who are seeking to understand what it means to be an artist right now.” This article

Sunday meal services at Kennedy Plaza. c lub members encourage community members to donate excess food and clothing at Faunce arch on Sundays at 1:45 p.m.,

emphasizing that

For Skybetter, Brown offered an opportunity to explore the “interdisciplinary seam” between robotics and choreographic theory.

The big and small things leading to 25 years of IMP

Program founder talks about IMP’s history and international experience

BY HADLEY CARR SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Maithili Parekh ’02 started her “typical brown career” in finance before tapping into journalism, the art world and eventually community-based social services. What gave her the communication and advocacy skills needed for all these paths, however, was starting the international Mentorship Program in 1999, she told the Herald.

Parekh echoed this sentiment in her speech: “i urge you to continue to weave and create your own designs, forge and articulate your own identities while acknowledging that we begin to a larger whole.”

Parekh began her speech by reminiscing about her arrival at brown: flying in from india, feeling jet-lagged and overwhelmed but excited. She recalled that her first few days were “as energizing as they were nerve-wracking.” Questions arose — of finding friends, roommate relations, peo-

ple understanding her accent, belonging. She felt lost.

For Parekh, it was difficult adapting to things as big as understanding language and humor and as little as using a coin-laundry machine. She completed her first load of laundry with her roommate from california.

Over her first semester, Parekh made many friends — both domestic and international — but felt that the international support system from the University was “lacking.”

“We found organic support in our international peers, but i felt the lack of a structured program,” Parekh said.

the following semester, Parekh brought her concerns to Joyce reed and John engWong, the then-associate dean of the college and then-director of the foreign students office, respectively. along with colleagues, the two of them supported international students from the attic of a building on Waterman Street.

eng-Wong recalled that before 1999, most international student-facing programming had been organized by students themselves. eng-Wong’s predecessor had

worked with a student from Japan to organize the first orientation for international students.

When eng-Wong took on the two-day orientation as one of his responsibilities, he began bolstering the program and hired students to plan “cross-cultural events.”

From this event emerged brown international Orientation, an event organized by and for international students.

Parekh met with e ng-Wong in the spring of her freshman year in 1999. Most vividly, eng-Wong remembers Parekh’s “dismay” at the coin laundry. the laundry was reflective of the “little things” that international students encountered at brown that weren’t taught in orientation but still posed challenges day-to-day, he said.

“People coming from around the world and across the country have not experienced group life and identity in the same way,” eng-Wong told the Herald.

that spring, Parekh, eng-Wong and reed began assembling the first set of mentors for iMP, originally dubbed international Peer c ounseling. Parekh remembers the process being “hard but

empowering.”

On april 21, 1999, the trio signed a letter to the international student community, where they invited international students to apply to the program as an “inaugural international peer counselor.”

“your lives at brown will help us design the conversations we expect you to lead, as new students face cultural transition and adaptation,” the letter read.

“year one, we had no money,” Parekh said.

due to this lack of funding, the program “piggybacked” on other trainings held at brown, according to Parekh. iPcs were required to attend both resident counselor and Meiklejohn Peer advisor training, in addition to shorter programming on cultural transitions, differences in academic culture and specific international student concerns. When the Herald reported on the first cohort of 15 iPcs, Parekh was also interviewed.

i personally had a lot of problems when i first came to brown, especially social and cultural ones,” she said in the 1999 article. She cited setting up her computer and the coin-laundry system, among other

things. the program tackled these issues and more, hoping to address “adapting and living in a new culture,” Parekh recently told the Herald.

Later in 1999, iPc changed its name to international Peer Support Network to reflect the “purpose” of the program, Parekh said. the program continued to grow until it was renamed the international Mentoring Program in 2000. by then, it had gained enough funding to offer specific training for iMP mentors. in the 25 years since its creation, iMP has grown to include multiple traditions, ranging from its annual skit and Gala to the talent show.

iMP will be “a great support system” as brown begins international need-blind admissions for the class of 2029, Parekh added.

“i never imagined it would grow and become this wonderful space for international students,” she said. iMP was “in a way, the biggest learning i had at brown.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 1, 2024.

150 students rally for divestment as Brown advisory committee’s recommendation nears

The protesters called on ACURM to recommend divestment to Paxson

BY AVANI GHOSH AND SOPHIA WOTMAN METRO EDITOR & SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On the final day before the deadline for a University advisory committee to issue a recommendation on divestment, 150 students gathered outside of Faunce arch Monday afternoon to rally in support of divestment from 10 companies with ties to israel.

the protesters called on the advisory committee on University resources Management to recommend divestment in line with a proposal penned by pro-divestment activists. President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 requested that the committee deliver its recommendation by Sept. 30. afterward, the corporation will vote on a divestment resolution during its October meeting, regardless of whether acUrM recommends divestment.

a divestment recommendation would require a majority of acUrM’s 11 voting members to determine that divestment

would help correct a social harm issue or that brown investment in one of the 10 companies contributes to a “social harm so grave that it would be inconsistent with the goals and principles of the university,” per the committee’s charge.

r epresentatives from b rown’s investment office have noted that 96% of the endowment is invested by external managers, and the remaining 4% does not include any of the 10 companies that have been identified for potential divestment.

“We are not going to actively or directly invest in any weapons manufacturers, arms manufacturers or defense contractors,” chief investment Officer Jane dietze said at a town hall last year.

acUrM has heard presentations on pro- and anti-divestment proposals from students, and held open listening sessions to gather community feedback earlier this month.

“if acUrM does not take a stand now against the horrific violence unfolding in Palestine, what does brown stand for?” anila Lopez Marks ’26 said in a speech at the rally. Marks is a member of the student group Jews for ceasefire Now and one of the students who presented pro-divestment arguments to acUrM.

“We are all here together because of

our deep commitment to ending the war on Gaza and on Lebanon, and ending our university’s financial gains from the oppression of the Palestinian people,” rafi ash ’26, a JFcN organizer, told the crowd.

Niyanta Nepal ’25, the president of the Undergraduate council of Students, urged the crowd to keep pushing the University

to divest from israel.

Nepal spoke to frustrations about the repeated need to prove social harm. “We are gathered here today, awaiting yet another recommendation coming to prove, once again, that there is social harm occurring on the ground in Palestine,” she said.

in 2020, an advisory committee rec-

ommended that the University divest from companies linked to israel. Paxson did not bring the issue to a vote in the corporation, stating that the University’s endowment will not be used “to take an institutional position on this issue.”

in the same letter, she also criticized the original recommendation, adding that it “does not meet the standard as stated in the committee’s charge.”

Speakers at the rally also called for the University to publicly accept five criteria for the corporation’s vote on divestment, which they argue will ensure a “fair” and “transparent” voting process. these include a secret ballot voting process, access to a list of recused corporation members and an October presentation of the proposal. a counter-protester played music across the street for the duration of the protest. Ken Schneider, a board member of the rhode island coalition for israel, attended the rally to “let (the protesters) know that there’s somebody on the other side.”

“My personal opinion is that they’re wasting their time,” Schneider said.

University employees donated 226 times more to Harris, Biden than Trump

Democratic donations significantly increased after Harris’s nomination

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

it took President Joe biden 27 minutes to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the democratic nominee after he announced he wouldn’t be running for a second term. Harris has renewed enthusiasm within the democratic party and, it seems,

among brown University faculty and staff. according to a Herald analysis of campaign finance filings, brown employees have donated 226 times more to Harris’ and biden’s campaigns than former President donald trump’s during the current election cycle.

Staff have donated approximately $41,000 to Harris, $20,130 to biden during his campaign and a mere $272 to trump since January 2023. this skew is unsurprising. Previous Herald reporting showed that brown staff and students contributed 27

times more to democratic campaigns than republican ones in the past two decades.

With election day a little over a month away, Harris has received 189 donations from brown employees. trump has only seen three.

the effects of Harris’s growing popularity were immediately felt at the University, rhode island and across the nation.

On July 21, donations to the democratic presidential campaign from University employees soared. When biden dropped out of the race, he had accumu-

lated $20,000 from brown staff. by aug. 1, Harris, who inherited biden’s campaign earnings, was at $43,000.

brunonian faculty donated thousands more to the democratic National committee. as of the last campaign finance filing in late august, that number has grown to over $61,000 — a whopping 206% increase in one month.

a similar phenomenon was seen in rhode island, though not as pronounced. as of July 20, rhode islanders had donated over $703,000 to biden. On aug. 1, it was over $1.1 million. the number stands today at $1.9 million.

this pattern was also reflected in democratic donor circles nationwide. in august, the Harris campaign outraised trump’s by a factor of three with $361 million. in the end of august, Harris also held a cash advantage with $404 million in her campaign’s coffers. trump, by comparison, held $283 million.

While the University as a non-profit institution is prohibited from donating to political causes, individual employees have no institutional restrictions on their donations.