Thursday, February 22, 2018

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 20

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U. raises tuition for five master’s programs CS, PRIME, engineering, physics, data science programs switch to variable tuition rates

Center would feature mental health office hours, study spaces in effort to create community

By ERIC CHOI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Corporation has approved tuition increases of at least 10 percent in five master’s degree programs — computer science, engineering, innovation management and entrepreneurship, physics and data science — according to a recent University Resources Committee report. The increases follow the decision to apply variable tuition rates to these programs based on market prices — in line with tuitions at peer institutions — according to Provost Richard Locke P’18. The University expects $830,000 in additional revenue from these increases for the fiscal year 2019, according to the URC report.

“Under 100 students” will be affected by the increases, said Shayna Kessel, associate dean of the Graduate School. Current students will still pay “the tuition they were admitted with.”

The decision to change tuition rates for each program “was based on an analysis of how we were pricing tuition

By KATHERINE BENNETT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD

for master’s programs as opposed to our peers,” Locke said. The University’s current tuition rates sit at the low end of pricing compared to peer institutions, according to the URC report.

The Graduate Student Council hopes the tuition increases will not affect the accessibility of these programs. “To ensure that an advanced Brown education in these fields is equally accessible to students with financial need, the GSC will advocate for sufficient financial support on

UCS holds Q&A with Project LETS Coordinators discuss program’s initiatives, set date to vote on Campus of Consent amendment

By MELANIE PINCUS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students held a question-and-answer session with the co-coordinators of Project LETS at its general body meeting Wednesday evening.

Project LETS provides mental health education on campus through student-run panels and workshops and runs a peer mental health advocate program with over 100 trained peer advocates who specialize in various realms of mental health, co-coordinator Yema Yang ’19 said.

“We really focus a lot on creating an inclusive community of folks with mental illness or (who) identify with experience(s) of mental illness,” Yang said.

In addition to their work with Project LETS, Yang and co-coordinator Matt Flathers ’19 are working to

Students propose disability identity center

establish a “disability identity center” on campus, Flathers said.

“At its core, it’s a disability cultural (and) identity center that includes mental illness and includes neurodivergence and all kinds of disability,” Yang added.

The center could help create a larger support network for students on campus, Flathers said, referencing similar mental health programs at Syracuse University and Georgetown University.

“There’s a large disabled community here that feels isolated a lot of the time.

They don’t necessarily know how you get the help you need.”

In a recent meeting with administrators, Yang and Flathers discussed creating the center and also implementing changes at the curricular level.

This could mean “expanding disability studies within Brown” and “bringing in speakers to talk about disability studies,” Yang said.

In response to a question from a general body member about combating mental health and disability stigma on campus, Flathers and Yang stressed the importance of learning how to support and respond to » See UCS, page 4

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in tuition.”

Alexis Grant GS, chair of master’s advocacy for the Graduate Student Council, believes the changes in tuition will create a larger burden on master’s students in the affected programs.

“The cost of programs is already high, and there isn’t much funding for master’s students, especially those outside of STEM fields or for international master’s students,” Grant wrote » See TUITION, page 2

Car Seat Headrest reinvigorates 2011 album Artful re-recording of album “Twin Fantasy” exceeds Headrest cult followers’ expectations

By ANNABELLE WOODWARD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 16, the indie-rock band Car Seat Headrest released a re-recording of their sixth LP, “Twin Fantasy.” The band originally unleashed the introspective concept album on the world in 2011, when the outfitwas still just the solo-recording project of suburban sad boy Will Toledo.

It’s hard to discuss the album without first paying homage to Toledo, Headrest’s progenitor and lead vocalist, who named the personal-project-turned-band “Car Seat Headrest” because he recorded the vocals of his first album in the back seat of his car. In 2010, he began self-producing lo-fi concept albums that — often quite explicitly — examined teenage identity, including 2013’s “Nervous Young Man” and 2014’s “How to Leave Town,” before signing with Matador Records in 2015.

He was only 19 when he first released “Twin Fantasy” on Bandcamp, and his decision to revisit (and reinvigorate) the album after seven years feels deeply personal.

The original “Twin Fantasy,” like most

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The confessional alt-rock group Car Seat Headrest, headed by Will Toledo, re-recorded their 2011 LP “Twin Fantasy” for release on Feb. 16. of Toledo’s early music, was lyrically brilliant but poorly produced — perhaps better described as “lo-fi bedroom indie,” in the words of one Bandcamp fan.

Though this DIY aesthetic was a big part of what earned some of the early Headrest albums’ cult followings, it’s now 2018, and Toledo is a successful musician with ample resources to make his original vision a reality. Press releases have stressed that this re-recording “is no shallow second take, sanitized in studio and scrubbed of feeling,” according to a statement written to accompany the album’s release. Rather, “this is the album (Toledo) always wanted to make.”

In the re-recording, Toledo’s lyrics are still sprawling, confused and desperate with longing, but they’re more resolute and pack a bigger punch. It’s still “sad boy” music, sure — a messy memoir littered with allusions to drug use, sexual frustration and shopping malls. But Toledo’s simple poetics and stream-of-consciousness narratives seem to have higher stakes than the average, Dashboard Confessional-esque “sad boy” ballad: They are electrified with urgency and moments of triumph. Many of the tracks in “Twin Fantasy,” like “Beach Life-In-Death,” and “Bodys,” could and » See HEADREST, page 3

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behalf of these prospective students,” President of the Graduate Student Council Alastair Tulloch GS wrote in a group statement to The Herald.

“It is imperative that students from all income groups are permitted the opportunity to pursue advanced degrees, and we are confident the University will support this commitment. The GSC will also work with the graduate students in these departments to ensure their needs are being met to account for the considerable increase

A group of Brown student leaders and activists is currently pushing to create a disability identity and cultural center on campus. Separate from Student and Employee Accessibility Services and Counseling and Psychological Services, this student-led center would serve all members of the University community, providing access to a wide range of services and cultivating a sense of culture among students with disabilities.

From the ongoing conversations guiding the creation of the center, students determined that the space should include features such as open hours for peer mental health » See CENTER, page 2

NEWS

PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

» CENTER, from page 1 advocates, distraction-free study spaces and accessible group meeting rooms, said Matthew Flathers ’19, the coordinator of the proposed center.

The center would also provide students with information on navigating health resources at Brown while placing an emphasis on peer support and solidarity, he added.

Planning the center is “a little difficult because it’s meant to be as accessible as possible,” said Yema Yang ’19, the co-coordinator of the proposed center. “For sensory overload we might have dim lights, … (but) for people who need tactile things to calm them down they might want to be in a more stimulating place,” she added.

A disability identity and cultural center would provide students with a space to build a collective community that is currently lacking on campus, Flathers and Yang said.

“There’s a sense of not belonging, this feeling of ‘I’m not getting the support I need,’” Flathers said.

“A lot of people feel really isolated on campus. … We hope to combat some of that.”

While University administrators have been supportive of efforts to create a disability identity and cultural center, no timetable exists for the center’s opening, Flathers said.

“It’s really hard to get confirmation from administration with anything,” Flathers said. “There’s a lot of administrators who are in support of us, who think this is a good thing to have, but no one really knows how it’s going to go down the pipeline.”

“This could be the end of next year, it could be eight years out, it could be anywhere within that range,” Flathers added.

Though the idea for this center has been in the works among the student activist community for some time, it has previously seen little progress, Flathers said.

In the past, several initiatives

» TUITION, from page 1 in an email to The Herald. “The higher cost will make the burden of debt larger for the students who cannot pay out of pocket.”

Locke acknowledged some students may be worried about covering the tution increases, but emphasized that “the money literally goes back into supporting students,” Locke said.

According to a survey of master’s students conducted by Grant in fall

existed to create the center, preventing the formation of a cohesive movement, Yang said.

But during this school year, students put aside their differences and agreed to broaden the scope of issues that the center would seek to address, Yang said. Flathers and Yang used their experience working with Project LETS — a nonprofit that aids students with mental illnesses — to foster dialogue among student activists.

“We very much want all different (types of ) disability, mental health, neurodivergence … and any kind of other mental or bodily difference to be represented and supported in a space like this,” Flathers added.

By being independent from SEAS, the center would foster peer-based support not overseen by administrators, which would also improve its accessibility by promoting student interactions, Flathers said.

At the same time, initiatives implemented by SEAS would still inform work conducted by students at the center, Yang said.

“SEAS would like there to be a dedicated community space on campus,” wrote Catherine Axe ’87, the associate dean and director of SEAS, in an email to The Herald. “There are always ways that resources and services could be enhanced, and having a space would foster communication, comprehensive input and priority setting to that end,” she added.

Currently, the group is in the “initializing process” of developing the center, Flathers said. “Right now we’re gathering as many different student groups, student voices, lived experiences together to start planning … things that people would like to see in terms of resources.”

Through the center, Yang said she hopes to “fortify a collective identity amongst people with disabilities. …

It’ll give the community an openness and empower students so that they can … comfortably be and exist.”

2017, more students went into debt after enrolling in a University master’s program. Forty-three percent of master’s students had no debt at the time of surveying, but before coming to the University, 61 percent of master’s students had no debt.

“The majority of students enrolled in master’s programs … are self-supported,” according to the Graduate School’s website.

The move to change tuition to a different rate from the undergraduate

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ANITA SHEIH / HERALD

Yema Yang ’19 and Matthew Flathers ’19 are co-coordinating the student push for a disability identity and cultural center on campus. Despite community support, the center’s creation does not have a timeframe.

rate will give “us flexibility to be responsive to different markets,” Locke said. Under the uniform tuition rate,“we were locked in to how much we could charge. … The way that we worked around it is we had a tuition and then we had a program fee, only so that we could do what we wanted to do.”

Kessel believes the new tuition rates can benefit students. “Variable tuition allows departments to offer more financial aid if they choose,”

Kessel said. From the tuition revenue, “50 percent of the pot goes to the University and 50 percent goes to the department, whatever the cost.”

Though variable tuition rates are slated to apply to only five programs next year, they may be extended to other programs in the future, Locke said. Under these variable tuition rates, certain programs could possibly have lower tuition than they would have otherwise had under a uniform tuition rate, Locke said.

“When people apply to Brown University, they don’t think, ‘let me go to Brown because it’s the discount university,’” Locke added, implying that the change would not affect future application cycles. But “if it turns out we overshot, we can adjust.”

Grant believes that increases in tuition may be worth the cost if the quality of education improves. “If the cost is higher but the quality is better, it’s a trade off that I think people would be willing to pay for,” Grant said.

NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Simple testing strips detect fentanyl drug in opioids Inexpensive, easily distributed tech with near-perfect accuracy to combat opioid epidemic

By CHRIS SCHUTTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The unknown presence of fentanyl — an opioid fifty times stronger than heroin — in many drugs has contributed to the increasingly-fatal opioid crisis that has swept across the United States in recent years. A new study co-authored by Traci Green, adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology at the University, and Susan Sherman, professor of health, behavior and society at Johns Hopkins University, has shown that testing strips can be used to detect trace amounts of fentanyl. The compact and cost-effective strips can be easily distributed and are nearly 100 percent accurate. Their work will allow agencies across the country to implement these tests in the near future.

“People are dying,” Sherman said.

“We wanted to understand the nature of these testing methods … (so) we could better (understand) what are the best ones to employ in the field.”

The testing strips are especially advantageous due to their simplicity and low cost.

» HEADREST, from page 1 should be used to score car-chase scenes in action movies. Others tracks, like “Stop Smoking (We Love You)” are simple and sweet, driven by lyrical repetition and call-and-response. In “Cute Thing” — one of the album’s heavier re-writes — Toledo sings, “Give me Frank Ocean’s voice / And James Brown’s stage presence,” so earnestly that you find yourself wanting to hug him, badly.

The album’s rhythmic variety can be attributed to its “episodic” nature. “Twin Fantasy” is clearly telling a single story and the “you” that Toledo is addressing is clearly a single person — but like a movie, the narrative is delivered piecemeal. “Beach Life-In-Death,” one of the most talked-about songs on the album, is just over thirteen minutes long — a minute longer and a hell of a lot brassier than it was on the original recording.

Throughout the tumult of the song, a conflicted Toledo meditates on his love for a friend (“I spent a week in Ocean City / And came back to find that you were gone”), his queer identity (“I don’t know if we’re boyfriends yet”) and the scriptedness of daily life (“What should I do? Eat breakfast / What should I do?

Eat lunch”).

In this song and in others, Toledo laments, celebrates, eulogizes, misspeaks

Drug checking can be helpful to start a conversation with an individual regarding safe drug use, Sherman said. “(The strip) brings us to a different kind of conversation about the reality of peoples’ drug use,” she added.

Expanding the use of the strips is crucial to initial advancements in public health programs combatting the epidemic. The majority of public health services are located in urban environments, but expanding harm reduction services to non-urban and younger populations is vital to reaching the shifting demographics of users, Green said. The strips will make it easier for agencies to reach people in these areas, she added.

Although these strips can be seen as a means of initial treatment, their use is one of the last steps in the process. “It’s not all about treatment. Getting someone housing and getting their kids back, … that would go farther than getting people into treatment,” Sherman said. “The point is to keep them alive.”

While the strips test opioids and are meant to combat the epidemic, they

and self-corrects — constantly wrestling with the person he feels like he should be, or is, or was. His frequent mention of media platforms like Skype and YouTube might beget ridicule from some, who might regard them as sort of pandering, but these platforms were clearly influential in shaping how he currently thinks about desire — and how the rest of our generation thinks about desire, for that matter.

The album admittedly has a few cringey moments — like in “Bodys” when Toledo asks, “Is it the chorus yet? / No, it’s just the building of the verse / So when the chorus does come it’ll be more rewarding.” While self-awareness is a big part of Toledo’s voice, this meta aside just feels excessive.

Trendy asides aside, there’s something noble about the act of confronting a product of one’s confused and tactless youth and vowing to do it justice.

Moreover, some great tension within Toledo seems to have been reconciled in the re-recording. The biggest difference between the two albums, according to the album’s release statement, is that Toledo “no longer sees his own story as a tragedy,” and that change is clearly reflected in the music. With a few more miles on his proverbial speedometer, a seasoned Toledo can channel his teenage malaise with greater acuity.

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may provide insight applicable to fighting future drug epidemics as well. “This could be really useful across the board for any drug supply. … If we indeed had a larger problem with another drug it would be a way to help us lose risk and increase health services,” Green said.

Health agencies currently use other methods to check drug quality, including spectrometry, a method less sensitive than the strips but one that leads to a more detailed analysis, Green and Sherman said.

However, spectrometry requires a physical space to conduct tests, while the strips are more mobile. While the strips were the most sensitive of the three forms of testing studied

by Green and Sherman, they do not discern between analogs of fentanyl oranalyze its concentration.

Drug checking is mainly conducted in Europe, but the strips were first piloted in Canada and in limited areas across the United States. Recently, California has bought thousands of the

strips tested by Sherman and Green to use in their public health programs, Green said. The demographics of opioid users today are different from those who used the drugs many years ago. “Drug checking is one thing that could help us reach populations who perhaps haven’t been thinking about their risk of opioid use,” Green added.

Silvia Martins, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University who is unaffiliated with the study, said the epidemic started many years ago despite its recent attention. “The opioid epidemic started in the late 1990s and occurred in parallel with an increase of prescription opioid use in the (United States),” she said.

Martins noticed little research and few papers about increasing opioid prescription and use and decided to enter this line of research in 2004.

“People weren’t paying that much attention. … Once it began affecting suburban whites, it

became a big issue. … Once it started affecting middle-class white people, it started gaining attention,” she added.

Alongside the recent implementation of the testing strips, places such as New York City, Seattle, Kentucky and others across the country are creating health campaigns and increasing training to raise awareness of opioid overdoses. In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has partnered with physicians to monitor and alter prescription practices to limit opioid possession. “The next big step needs an intertwined solution at a different level, making sure that all major cities and suburban areas have these prevention programs,” Martins said. Furthermore, raising the awareness of family members and the general public to lessen the stigma of opioid overuse is necessary, alongside a data-driven, multi-pronged approach, she added.

Brown University will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit March 11-14, 2018, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education is one of seven accrediting commissions in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. The commission, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, accredits approximately 240 institutions in the six-state New England region.

Brown University has been accredited by the commission since 1929 and was last reviewed in April 2009. Its accreditation by the New England Association encompasses the entire institution.

For the past year and a half, Brown has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the commission’s Standards for Accreditation. An evaluation team will visit the institution to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate. The team will recommend to the commission a continuing status for the institution. Following a review process, the commission itself will take the final action.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO SUBMIT COMMENTS REGARDING THE INSTITUTION TO: Public Comment on Brown University Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges 3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100 Burlington, MA 01803-4514 E-mail: cihe@neasc.org

Public Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution. The commission cannot settle disputes between individuals and institutions, whether those involve faculty, students, administrators or members of other groups.

Comments will not be treated as confidential and must include the name, address and telephone number of the person providing the comments. Public Comments must be received by March 14, 2018. The commission cannot guarantee that comments received after that date will be considered.

NEWS

PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Metro Roundup, Feb. 22

BY PRIYANKA PODUGU AND SARAH WANG, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS

R.I. government considers trans rights policy proposal Ken Wagner, the commissioner of Rhode Island, held a hearing earlier this month to gauge public support for a measure that would require all Rhode Island schools to provide protections for transgender students, the Providence Journal previously reported.

In accordance with Rhode Island state law, Wagner’s proposals would ask local school districts to implement policies “addressing the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming students to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory school environment.”

The hearing inspired debate among Rhode Island constituents who spoke at the event. Because the proposal includes provisions to protect students’ privacy and confidentiality, individuals “expressed the fear that educators might steer children and teens toward medical treatment without notifying their parents,” the Providence Journal previously reported.

The recent hearing follows the Trump administration’s decision to rescind federal guidelines protecting transgender students. Specifically, the administration revoked Obama-era guidance that used Title IX to protect the rights of transgender youth “to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identities,” according to NPR. A June 2017 study conducted by the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union found that 60 percent of Rhode Island schools “have policies in place to protect the rights of transgender students.”

The ACLU has been a vocal supporter of the proposal. The proposal also drew support from “educators, clinicians and advocates for transgender people,” the Providence Journal previously reported.

Cicilline to reintroduce assault weapons ban in Congress U.S. Congressman David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I. plans to reintroduce legislation banning assault weapons next week, the Associated Press previously reported.

The bill — which Cicilline describes in a letter currently circulating through Congress — would “prohibit the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of semi-automatic weapons and ammunition feeding devices capable of accepting more than 10 rounds,” the Associated Press previously reported.

Past versions of similar legislation have failed to pass Congress.

Cicilline’s planned legislation will build on a previous assault weapon ban that expired in 2004. His proposal would not affect “hunting rifles and weapons used by military members and law enforcement,” the Associated Press previously reported.

R.I. Gov. Raimondo faces ethics complaint from R.I. GOP Brandon Bell, the chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party, filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Gina Raimondo after she struck a “fundraising deal with a local Democratic group which was headed at the time by a state employee,” the Associated Press previously reported.

Raimondo partnered with the Providence Democratic City Committee to raise money for her re-election bid in the upcoming gubernatorial election. However, the committee was chaired by Patrick Ward, who was hired by Raimondo’s administration in June to work in the state’s Department of Human Services.

Bell argues that this partnership is an unethical financial transaction as Ward was previously Raimondo’s subordinate.

“Hiring a local party leader as a state employee and then entering into a secret fundraising agreement with this subordinate goes too far and crosses an ethical line,” according to a press release from Bell.

The partnership has also received criticism as candidates can receive up to $10,000 in donations from individuals through committees as opposed to $1,000 through state parties.

MELANIE PINCUS / HERALD

The Undergraduate Council of Students gathered Wednesday evening to meet with coordinators from Project LETS, a student-run mental health education group.

» UCS, from page 1 someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

“A lot of that (support) centers around trying to communicate with the person, … being present with the person and less of ‘I need to call 911 right now’ or any other of (what) the immediate responses tend to be,” Flathers said.

UCS President Chelse-Amoy Steele

’18 said that the UCS Campus of Consent bill could include provisions to implement training that concerns how best to respond to mental health crises. The proposed bill requires that Category III student groups participate in training to prevent interpersonal harm within their organizations.

“I think that this could be a really valuable inclusion to have within that model,” Steele said.

The general body also discussed applications to its elections board.

Members of the board coordinate logistics for UCS elections and work to investigate and prevent violations of the UCS Elections Code, said Katie Barry ’19, the board’s co-chair.

Next Wednesday, the general body will vote on amendments to the Campus of Consent bill, which members have discussed at two meetings this semester, Steele said.

TODAY

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

e n d o f f e b r u a r y , o r e n d o f m ay ?

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Students brought out spring-time clothes and tossed frisbees, studied and socialized on University greens as temperatures rose to unseasonably warm mid-sixties.

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

“When people apply to Brown University, they don’t think, ‘let me go to Brown because it’s the discount university.’

”

— Provost Richard Locke P’18

See tuition on page 1.

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Blood Drive 11:00 A.M. Hillel

Strategies to Improve Memory 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 203

IFE Paris Information Session 4:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 440

BWell Stress Relief Study Break 5:00 P.M. Faunce, 229

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Scientific Computing Seminar: David Williams 11:00 A.M. Barus and Holley, 190

Global Health Lecture: Uganda Village Project 12:00 P.M. Alpert Medical Building, 280

Workshop: Intro to 3D Printing 12:00 P.M. Granoff Center, N320

Depression Support Group 3:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 512

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Landscape the hardscape To the Editor: Now that the University has wisely changed course about the site of the future performing arts center, it should also turn its attention to the area around the five historic structures which were spared from

the wrecking ball or relocation. The ugly, barren hardscape behind the Waterman and Angell street houses deserves a landscaping upgrade, in keeping with the charm these buildings add to the campus.

Peter Mackie ’59

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COMMENTARY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Rethinking the Fight for 15 REBECCA AMAN staff columnist

On Feb. 8, progressive Democrats in the Rhode Island General Assembly, including Aaron Regunberg ’12, unveiled their 2018 “Fair Shot Agenda.”

This legislative package prioritizes “passing a budget that protects our neighbors,” “investing in school facilities,” providing high-quality care for seniors and, last but not least, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023. Yet, while it is crucial to ensure every Rhode Islander has a fair shot in life, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will likely hurt the very people it is intended to help.

It is true that research on the effects of modest minimum wage increases on unemployment is decidedly mixed. Some studies find that modest minimum wage increases cause modest increases in unemployment, while some find no effect at all. For example, a Congressional Budget Office study found that increasing the federal minimum wage to $10 an hour would increase pay for 16 to 24 million Americans, while eliminating about half a million jobs. While the research is far from clear, many policymakers have reasonably concluded that the benefits of modest minimum wage in-

creases outweigh any potential costs.

But there is very little research on the more drastic minimum wage hikes undertaken in recent years to create a living wage in the long term, in states such as California and Washington, and cities like San Francisco and Seattle. A living wage ranges from $12 to $17.50 an hour, increases the minimum wage in most places by 50 to 100 percent and allows earners to sustain themselves without government assistance. The only study of this kind of minimum

wage increases suggests that these sorts of increases lead to lower takehome pay.

Furthermore, even if a $13 minimum wage worked in Seattle, there is no reason we should expect it to work in Rhode Island. Seattle has a booming economy and a highly-skilled workforce. Rhode Island, on the other hand, is ranked 31st in the United States for unemployment, 43rd for business friendliness and 37th for population growth in 2018. Additionally, raising the minimum wage at

cult for Rhode Island to keep up.

This isn’t to say that the government should not work to ensure everyone has enough to provide for themselves and their families. But putting the entire burden on private businesses big and small to pay a living wage will likely cause more harm than good.

Instead, in addition to implementing modest minimum wage hikes — which Rhode Island has already written into law, as the minimum wage is slated to increase to $10.50 an hour in 2019 from $9.60 an hour before 2018

While it is crucial to ensure every Rhode Islander has a fair shot in life, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will likely hurt the very people it is intended to help.

wage hike, which analyzes Seattle’s then-$13 minimum wage, found that employers reacted to the wage hike by decreasing hours for their workers, leading to lower take-home pay on average for low-wage workers.

While proponents of a living wage have been quick to point out issues with this study — namely, that it is still in the process of peer review — we should be concerned that the only study on drastic minimum

the state level may simply encourage businesses to move across state lines, according to the Brookings Institution. As a small state with competitive neighbors, Rhode Island is especially vulnerable. For example, Massachusetts, which is ranked 16th in unemployment, 19th in business friendliness and 24th in population growth, currently has a minimum wage of $11 an hour. Raising the minimum wage to $15 will make it increasingly diffi-

— local governments should work to encourage growth and expand opportunity for all. For example, investing in public education, which is part of the 2018 “Fair Shot Agenda,” is crucial in order to ensure equal opportunity for all children, and to prepare the next generation for high paying jobs. Further, policies streamlining permits and licenses will improve the state’s business climate and help small businesses thrive. Finally, and perhaps most im-

portantly, because households in the lower third of the income distribution spend about 40 percent of their income on housing, local governments should use innovative tools like inclusionary zoning — the allocation of some residential units to low- and middle-income families — and housing trust funds to grow and maintain the affordable housing stock.

Supporters of a $15 minimum wage argue that people working full time should be able to support themselves. I agree. Like those who support a $15 minimum wage, I believe in using policy to create a fairer and more equitable world. But we need to think critically about how policies intended to be fair will work in practice, and a $15 minimum wage will ultimately hurt the low-wage workers it intends to help. While “Fight for incremental minimum wage increases while carefully watching unemployment, encouraging growth and expanding opportunity” is not as catchy as “Fight for 15,” at the end of the day, sensible, nuanced policymaking will enable us to achieve our shared goals of equity, justice and opportunity for all.

Rebecca Aman ’20 can be reached at rebecca_aman@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Why Black Panther is a must-see RANDI RICHARDSON staff columnist Marvel’s “Black Panther” came out last weekend, and it lived up to its highly anticipated greatness.

The excitement around the movie stems from two factors: Audiences get yet another heart-racing movie from Marvel, but more importantly, its themes, images and overall portrayal of Blackness are beautifully moving. King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) of the fictional African country Wakanda arrives at a moral crossroads when his country, under the control of a usurper, is about to start a world war. In a dramatic turn of events, T’Challa is able to regain control and return order to his land and the world at large. Notably, the role of Black women is a key component of why T’Challa is so successful in his endeavors. For its game-changing plot and depiction of women, “Black Panther” — released during Black History Month — is a must-see for everyone and a huge milestone for the Black community.

For starters, the Black women in this movie straight-up handle business. Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, sustains the country with her scientific advancements and use of technology to create the country’s energy, weapons and clothing. Wakandan spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and commander Okoye (Danai Gurira) — in addition to the army of Black women warriors who fight alongside the king — practically constitute T’Challa’s spine, given how much support and protection they offer him.

At the same time, both Nakia and Okoye retain their own ambitions and stick to their own convictions in their service to the king. They consistently choose their own principles through-

out the movie and do not waver just because His Highness requests something of them. This selfassertion is extremely important because, while service is a pillar of their role to the king, the women of “Black Panther” also provide indispensable advice and guidance to T’Challa. Nakia and Okoye serve as a reminder to all women, especially Black women, that you don’t have to give up on your own personal goals to make a difference in the grand scheme of your country.

Plus, it’s always nice when the lead women keep their clothes on and have more than three lines in a movie because women are more than ob-

of domination that usually inflicts hardships on Black folks. At one point, a Wakandan straightup tells Agent Ross not to speak, which is something no Black person is accustomed to telling a white man in a position of power. All of this is to say that Wakanda changes the power dynamics of race, presents the possibilities of Black innovation and entertains the childish thought of “what would’ve been” if twelve to seventeen million bodies weren’t captured from Africa and entrapped in the transatlantic slave trade.

What’s perhaps as important as the portrayal of Black people killin’ the game in “Black Pan-

“Black Panther” has shown that representation is profitable, and that there is no economic excuse for films that lack people of color or lowball the people of color they do portray.

The lesson for Hollywood is clear: Paying for Blackness and representation is worth it. jects and they can contribute more to the story than their subservience.

Another defining feature of “Black Panther” is its depiction of a prosperous Black country.

Wakanda represents the goals that any sane modern-day country would try to achieve — a secure border, a sustainable and eco-friendly energy source and intelligent, beautiful and hardworking citizens. Plus, Wakanda flips the current social construct known as race and makes its white visitors, or all visitors really, come second to the Wakandan default, Black people. The interactions with CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) provide an opposing view into the matrix

ther” is the timing of the movie. A February 2018 release date — during Black History Month, in a period of political unrest and renewed interest in racial equality — says almost as much as the twohour movie itself. The movie’s title pays homage to the well-known Black Panther Party that historically sought equality for Black folks. Make no mistake, Marvel’s release of a majority Black-casted movie centered around a powerhouse country of Black people during Black History month is a well-calculated marketing strategy. “Black Panther” proved profitable: Its opening weekend broke box office records with $242 million in revenue, which makes it the biggest launch of a solo

superhero movie of all time. This method of using Blackness to make money is not new and is far from over. Usually, I’d be against this type of exploitation, but Marvel has proven that movies with Black leading actors and actresses — that uplift Black women, address the rifts between Africans and African Americans and showcase Black joy — can make nearly a quarter billion dollars in one weekend. “Black Panther” has shown that representation is profitable, and that there is no economic excuse for films that lack people of color or lowball the people of color they do portray. The lesson for Hollywood is clear: Paying for Blackness and representation is worth it.

Themes such as these are central to “Black Panther,” and they are presented so effectively because Black people were calling the shots at every stage in the film’s production. (There are several specific lines throughout the movie that will jump out as being from the pen of a Black person.)

The director, Ryan Coogler, is a Black man who brought together mostly people of color as his crew: Kendrick Lamar produced the soundtrack, Ruth Carter designed the costumes and the list goes on. “Black Panther” is a clear example of the fact that, when Black people hold decision-making positions in movies — or in the world at large — the end products turn out better. The moral of the story is simple: Go watch the movie, if for nothing else than to see images of strong Black women, depictions of a fervent Black country and a classic Marvel superhero story.

Randi Richardson ’20 can be reached at randi_richardson@brown.edu.

Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

New administrative position to integrate engaged scholarship, academics Julie Plaut to take on role as Assistant Dean of College, Director of Faculty Engagement

By MALCOLM NASH STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BILL CLEMENTS

Julie Plaut’s role as Assistant Dean of the College and Director of Faculty Engagement and Research was created as part of the Swearer Center’s efforts to increase academic integration with the University.

Julie Plaut will assume the inaugural role of Assistant Dean of the College and Director of Faculty Engagement and Research this April. Her position will involve integrating the public service work of the Swearer Center for Public Service with the academic work of the University, said Dean of the College Maud Mandel.

Plaut will help manage faculty members and fellows interested in engaged scholarship, build a learning community for graduate students who want to be involved in engaged scholarship and foster collaboration with faculty in regional institutions, said Mathew Johnson, associate dean of the college for engaged scholarship and director of the Swearer Center.

Her position was created as a result of the Swearer Center’s strategic plan — Community Engaged Scholarship and Action: A New Plan for the Swearer Center for Public Service, released in 2016. A central tenet of the plan seeks to increase the academic integration of the Swearer Center into the University, Johnson said.

Though Plaut’s specific role is new to the University, the Swearer Center already has three staff members who are also

trained as deans.

Plaut is excited by the “values and vision” of the strategic plan. Taking on this new role “felt like a distinctive opportunity to come to a place that has really committed to engaged scholarship as a core aspect of its educational mission and identity,” she said.

Plaut will also manage the Ernest A. Lynton Award, which is awarded to fulltime faculty members who do not have tenure status and who connect “their teaching, research and service to community engagement,” according to Plaut and the Swearer Center’s website. She will additionally seek to recognize faculty for the work they do outside of giving awards, Plaut added.

Her current work as the executive director of the Minnesota Campus Compact has helped prepare her for the new job, Plaut said.

The role of incorporating academic work with public service and community engagement has become increasingly common at universities over the past 10 years, Johnson said. Some of the work Plaut will assume has already been conducted by the Swearer Center and she is “excited to be part of a place that’s already on a good path,” Plaut said.

“It speaks not only to the strategic plan of the Swearer Center, but also to what faculty have been saying for a number of years,” Mandel said. “There are a number of faculty thinking about ways to apply their research and their teaching to areas to be useful to and engage more fully with the Providence community.”