SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 83
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
UCS unanimously approves new UFB budget model Panel talks
importance of trans-centered research
Proposed increase in student activities fee, all future increases to be limited by inflation rate
School of Public Health features health professionals, discussion of trans health research
By MELANIE PINCUS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Undergraduate Council of Students voted unanimously at its general body meeting Wednesday evening to approve a proposal from the Undergraduate Finance Board to tie future yearly increases in the student activities fee to inflation. The student activities fee is currently $286 per student per year, altogether forming UFB’s nearly $2 million budget, which funds approximately 250 student groups each year. The new model for fee increases would raise the fee by $6 for the 20192020 academic year, and would reflect the 2.1 percent inflation rate reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in the first half of 2018. “The main idea behind this is to limit the (student activities fee) increases to keep them from increasing beyond inflation and just make this whole process more consistent,” UFB
By TRISHA THACKER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD
UCS general body members listened to UCS President Shanzé Tahir ’19 and #FullDisclosure representatives Shawn Young ’19.5 and Joseph Vukel ’19 talk about a working group focused on low-income, first-gen students. Vice Chair Julian De Georgia ’20 said in a presentation to the general body.
The Board’s primary reasons for requesting changes to the student
activities fee are inflation, requests from groups to organize more » See UCS, page 3
At an event hosted by the School of Public Health Wednesday night, Michelle Forcier, professor of pediatrics and associate dean of medicine at the Alpert Medical School, posed a pertinent question: “How many people in this room experience gender?” Everyone in the room raised their hands. “So wouldn’t you say that’s primary care?” Forcier responded. “To not know this care, at this point in time, is not okay,” she added. The panel discussion, “Trans Voices in Trans Research: Envisioning a TransCentered Public Health Research Agenda,” featured three professionals in the field of trans health — Forcier; Laura » See RESEARCH, page 3
Talk contextualizes LGBTQ+ incarceration, prison research In first of three-part series, speakers discuss prison medical testing, hardships faced by LGBTQ+ youth By COLLEEN CRONIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
University professors and students gathered in Friedman Hall to discuss LGBTQ+ youth and their treatment in prisons Wednesday night. Hosted by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, the panel “Equitable Care for the Incarcerated: Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future” also contextualized incarcerated peoples’ often difficult relationship with the medical profession. Part of a three-part series on the impact of incarceration on community, health and wellness, the panel included Assistant Professor of the Practice of Health Services Brad Brockmann ’76, Clinical Instructor in Family Medicine Radha Sadacharan and moderator and former diversity fellow for the Alpert Medical School Ry Garcia-Sampson MD ’19 MPH ’19. The talk follows the release of “Emerging Best Practices for the Management and Treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and
INSIDE
Intersex Youth in Juvenile Justice Settings,” a guide written by Brockman and other experts out of The Miriam Hospital’s Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights. The first half of the panel included a talk from Brockmann about the challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth inside and outside of prison. About 40 percent of incarcerated youth designated female at birth identify as LGTBQ+/GNC; about 14 percent of incarcerated youth designated male at birth identify as such, according to a study published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Youth who identify as LGBTQ+/ GNC experience higher rates of familial rejection and discrimination by providers of social services, according to Brockmann. “This all translates into high levels of homelessness and out of that environment there is a need to resort to survival crimes: drug use, sales, prostitution, shoplifting,” Brockmann said, which then contributes to higher rates of incarceration. Prison employees also might not have the proper training or sensitivity to aid the LGTBQ+/GNC community, Brockmann added. “Effective communication means managing respect, correct use of terminology and awareness of one’s biases,” he said. The 2003 Prison Rape Elimination
Act required that juvenile detention employees undergo training to ensure effective communication and
professionalism. Brockmann said the training can be incredibly effective, and that the PREA itself has been a huge
step forward, although he acknowledged that facilities don’t always comply » See PANEL, page 3
BENJI TORUÑO / HERALD
Brad Brockmann ’76 , assistant professor of the practice of health services, discussed conditions resulting in incarceration of LGBTQ+ youth and the treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals within the prison system.
WEATHER
THURSDAY, OC TOBER 18, 2018
NEWS Panel discussion at Watson Institute talks Rhode Island midterm elections
COMMENTARY Letter: Brown Dining Services violates U., R.I. labor laws with respect to BuDS workers
COMMENTARY Thomas ’21: Recognition of black students should be ongoing, not limited to Black Alumni Reunion
ARTS & CULTURE Professor of African Literature delivers lecture on British Empire’s censorship in South Africa
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PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Panelists analyze Rhode Island midterm elections Professors, radio host discuss issues important to November elections, loss of PawSox, bus strike By JACKSON TRUESDALE STAFF WRITER
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs hosted a panel of political commentators Thursday night to discuss the Rhode Island midterm elections. Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Hilary Levey Friedman moderated as Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University at Newark Domingo Morel PhD ’14, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs Robert Hackey PhD ’92 and WPRO radio host Dan Yorke discussed key election races and Rhode Island’s loss of the Pawtucket Red Sox, among other topics. The governor’s race and the senate race both seem “pretty safe right now for the Democrats,” Morel said. Hackey, Yorke and Morel agreed that should the speaker of the House change as a result of the midterm election, Rhode Island politics could change significantly. “The speaker really has control of the purse strings, and the speaker really dictates what happens to the governor’s agenda,” Hackey added. The incumbent Rhode Island Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello has struggled to preserve a “conservative flavor of the Democratic party … against the progressive left,” Yorke said. Hackey suggested that the midterm election is “really hinging upon” the status of the Rhode Island economy. After the announcement of the loss of the PawSox to Worcester in August — which has largely been blamed on
JACK JACOBY / HERALD
Moderated by Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Hilary Levey Friedman, the panel included WPRO radio host Dan Yorke, Adjunct Lecturer in International and Public Affairs Robert Hackey and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University at Newark Domingo Morel PhD ’14. Gov. Gina Raimondo by her Republican challenger Allan Fung — Hackey noted that he doesn’t “see a lot of finger-pointing happening” among officials running in the upcoming election. Panelists also discussed the implications of the recently resolved
Providence bus driver strike on local politics. When confronted with demands from the bus driver union for pensions, “What do you do as a mayor or as a governor?” Yorke asked, “The state pension issue has been somewhat resolved. The real ticking time bomb
is the municipal pension problems that exist.” An imminent challenge facing the state is the fact that Rhode Island’s population is decreasing, Hackey said. Friedman noted that Rhode Island risks losing one of its two seats in the
House of Representatives if the population does not stabilize. As of December 2017, Rhode Island was within 157 residents of losing a House seat, WPRI reported. The midterm election is set for Nov. 6.
Issue
In This
Seth Higgins 2
Federal Funding, Cultural Cost
Landmarks Sydney Lo 4
Too Close for Comfort
Divya Santhanam, Jennifer Osborne, Kasturi PananjadY 4 Pia Mileaf-Patel 5
Tofu Time Kaela Hines 6
When We Were Lunar
postCover by Brenda Rodriguez
OCT 18
VOL 22 —
ISSUE 6
FEATURE
Federal Funding, Cultural Cost
The Risky Implications of a Scientific-Technological Elite By Seth Higgins Illustrated by Cricket McNally
P
resident Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1961 farewell address is best remembered for its dire warning about the dangers of a “military-industrial complex.” Another famous presidential farewell address, delivered by George Washington in 1796, cautioned against the formation of political parties. Although these warnings have faded with time, they nonetheless persist in the memory and subconscious of the American people. However, Eisenhower delivered
Letter from the Editor
Welcome to October 18th, 2018—a very
a third, largely forgotten warning: He foretold of an emerging “scientific-technological elite.” In his words: Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research...The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by
Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present—and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientifictechnological elite. Though fifty years have passed, it’s possible his
at the finality of today’s pieces— nobody
special day; once the sun has set, there
could say it better and nobody will! Behold:
will be nothing new left to say. Looking
A warning against the coming dangers
back, historians will argue over causes—
of the scientific-technological elite that,
some blaming the increased fluoride in
dear God, we will not be able to act upon!
our water supply, others crying global
A tour of College Hill landmarks that will
warming, and one sizable contingent, pale
be immortalized as a landmap by students
as sheets, endlessly repeating the words
of the future! A handy guide to the many
“Brett Kavanaugh”— the fact remains
different strains of college roommate—
2. Your epidermis
inarguable. The discourse has stagnated.
diverse and friendly students you will never
The conversation has dried up. Every movie
know! A glowing write-up about Sun &
3. Burn all your midterms
is a remake. All the jokes have already been
Moon, a Korean restaurant whose food will
told. In time, we will become aliens to one
leave you speechless (lol, just kidding, you
5. The tea
another, and humanity, a pack of roving
already were!). And finally, the definitive
6. The Canada Goose you stole from the Nelson
nomads lacking a common tongue. Instead
review of the Neil Armstrong biopic, First
of sharing meals, we’ll nibble at our avocado
Man! As though Earth weren’t enough of a
7. Your overheated laptop
toast in silence.
silent, barren wasteland already! Gee whiz.
thought by anybody, ever! They’d all be terrific conversation starters, were that still possible. So instead, take time to marvel
2!post–
1. Stand underneath BioMed vents (bonus points if no mouse smell)
4. A cuff
8. Voting (Please vote!) 9. Blanket burrito
Therefore, this magazine represents the final collection of original human
Ways To Stay Warm
Goodbye Forever,
Julian
section editor
10. Standing in the Andrews breakfast burrito line
words will sound eerily familiar to those of us at Brown, as we interact with or even identify as the scientists, professors, researchers, public officials, politicians, and even students that make the backbone of the scientific-technological elite. Thus, President Eisenhower’s words are worth revisiting in our modern times. Currently, the United States spends about 3.5 percent of our yearly GDP on the military and only 2.5 percent on higher education. Comparing higher education and the military is challenging for many reasons, mostly because education is financed through a complex combination of federal, state, local, and private funds. Conversely, the military is overwhelmingly funded by the federal government. Despite these difficult considerations, Eisenhower’s point remains: Higher education, scientific research, public policy, government, and money are now permanently wed. This is a cause of concern. Institutions of higher education, including Brown University, are increasingly becoming part of this complex web. Proof of this relationship with the government, and the continued cultivation of a scientific-technological elite, becomes clear under closer consideration. In the 2017 fiscal year, 19 percent of Brown’s revenue was derived from grants and contracts, with the only larger source of income being tuition. These government grants often appear benign. Take, for example, the $9.8 million given to study “the role of rogue DNA elements as a molecular mechanism that may undermine health during aging.” Or the $1.8 million given to the study of “the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol co-opts the brain’s natural reward-related memory circuitry to produce alcohol cravings.” On the surface, they appear to be little more than grants going towards the pursuit of science, but they in fact fund scientific studies that are used to inform technocratic government policies. For example, the government clearly has a policy interest in giving Brown $2 million for a “study of why college students engage in the risky behavior of simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use,” or the $1.6 million given to study “whether Medicaid expansion has helped to reduce racial disparities in care for end-stage renal disease.” These are public problems that politicians, who are accountable to their constituents, must solve. By bringing Brown into the process, the government makes Brown complicit in government decisions that are based on our research. While this may not seem explicitly harmful, we must remember that Brown is not a government agency, and that government agencies are not institutions of higher learning. If government-funded research at Brown is used to inform government policy, the University is complicit in the policy making process. We would no longer be an institution of higher learning, but rather an organ of government. One of the most jarring examples occurred in 2009, under the newly passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Through this act, Brown was awarded $33 million in federal funding, comprised of 47 individual research grants. This was part of the stimulus package designed to pull America out of the Great Recession. However, Brown’s endowment in 2009, during the worst year of the recession, was
still a staggering $2.2 billion. As many sectors of American industry as well as many American families faced the prospect of bankruptcy, Brown remained fiscally healthy, continuing to pull in large sums of government aid. To understand the power of this money, approximately 22 percent of all federal funds in 2009 spent in Rhode Island went to research and development. During this time of economic crisis, one would have expected that federal funds would be siphoned to those in need rather than research, yet the coffers of the scientific-technological elite continued to receive substantial funds. As we examine these crucial revenue streams for Brown, it is best to reflect on Eisenhower’s warning. Government grants, while appearing innocuous in isolation, fit into a larger picture—non-governmental institutions of higher learning increasingly act as de facto government bureaucracies, isolated from the will of the people. The marriage between government and universities extends still further. Perhaps most alarming, Brown assists in forming what Eisenhower feared—the creation of a permanent, entrenched scientific-technological elite. Many graduates of Brown go on to be major influencers in government, policy, and research. About a third of all Americans have a bachelor's degree or higher. Yet for many civil service jobs, a bachelor's degree is required to advance past GS-5 positions, which are rather low in the hierarchy of federal employment. Most members of Congress and senior Cabinet-level officials not only have advanced degrees, but advanced degrees from America’s most prestigious institutions. In other words, tomorrow’s scientific-technological elite now conduct government-funded research under the supervision of today’s government-employed elites. This process ensures the new intellectual class is here to stay. Thoughtful critics will point out that if a permanent scientific-technological elite indeed emerges from places like Brown, it is not inherently harmful to our country, especially if the research and government grants are being used to advance society. But if the current relationship is followed to its natural conclusion, we will become a society governed not by laws written by elected officials, but by public policy that strays further from the democratic process. The need for public input and acceptance will be replaced with research papers and data, cultivated at elite institutions and implemented by officials. Government of the people, by the people, for the people will cease to exist. In its place will be a network of America’s top academics and scientists, clustered in universities and public agencies. To get a sense of how inaccessible government is in some regions of America, one need look no further than my home, Elk County, Pennsylvania. Culturally Appalachian but with a Rust Belt economy, 36 percent of its economy is devoted to manufacturing, with another 24 percent lying in trade, transportation, or utilities. Less than one percent of the economy is derived from government. Saint Marys Area School District, where I went to school, serves as another powerful comparison. The district of 2,200 students has a 2018 budget of $36,283,000, but only $527,000 of it came from federal sources—in other words, only
1.5 percent of the school’s budget comes from federal dollars, which equates to $240 per student. To many Americans, the government remains somewhat of a distant mystery, and the idea of multimillion-dollar government grants are a foreign concept. It is worthwhile to cast a critical eye on Brown and ourselves. Are we indeed complicit in this evergrowing relationship between elite institutions, government, money, and public policy? My own involvement with the Watson Institute would suggest so. Evidence of my ascent into this entrenched elite is already present. As part of my studies at the Watson, I am to complete a three-month consultancy with an organization that is involved with some manner of public policy. I contacted my hometown’s mayor to inquire if I could conduct my consultancy with the city government. He and the city manager expressed
The need for public input and acceptance will be replaced with research papers and data, cultivated at elite institutions and implemented by officials. Government of the people, by the people, for the people will cease to exist. great interest in the possibility, but something came across as concerning: Not only were they interested in having me work for the city for three months, they also hoped this would create an enduring relationship with Brown, and indirectly, government money. The irony is clear—this opportunity was only made possible by my newly minted elite credentials. My community has shrunk in recent decades and continues to struggle in the aftermath of the recession. Part of its future rests on gaining legitimacy in the eyes of Brown and cardcarrying members of the scientific-technological elite like myself. If we now ask what may be done, I’m afraid I do not have the answer. I myself am captive to the very forces Eisenhower predicted. My education, like that of most students, is at least partially dependent on the ever-steady flow of research sanctioned and funded by the government. We, as individuals and as a university, may finally have to confront this relationship. By illuminating this phenomenon with a critical eye and a clear mind, we may begin the process of freeing ourselves from the continual influence of government money. President Eisenhower held institutions such as Brown in high regard and viewed universities as the historical “fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery.” He understood that their success in this role rested upon their economic freedom. But until Brown exercises a willingness to find alternative funding sources, we will remain unfree. Yet perhaps with a little more sunlight our chains will begin to erode, and in our liberation, we may pursue knowledge of our own choosing.
“What would love be without the prospect of betrayal?” “Podcasters are the third most discriminated group in America.” “My digestive tract is eccentric...” October 18, 2018'3
NARRATIVE
Too close for comfort
The 5(+1) People We Met in Our Freshmen Dorms By Divya Santhanam, Jennifer Osborne, Kasturi PananjadY Illustrated by Lauren Marin
1)
The Alarm Clock Every day exactly at 8:01 p.m., the boy would pass the common room lounge as he went to see his girlfriend. It became so routine that we would refer to him as the "Alarm Clock." In fact, I no longer needed to check my cell phone for the time. Every Tuesday, as I finished my calculus homework, at 8:01 p.m. on the dot, I would hear footsteps passing the lounge and a familiar, slightly nasally voice calling out the name of his girlfriend who lived at the end of the hallway. “The Alarm Clock has arrived,” my friend would say. He was a clock that never stopped ticking, unfortunately. He always took my seat in the lounge and left his banana peels on the table. Oh, I’m not bitter. Three years later, I saw him and the very same girlfriend at Jo’s on a Friday night. Instinctively, I checked the time. It was 8:02 p.m.— I guess some things do change. 2) The Lounge Dweller One day at 4 a.m., in my sleep deprived state, I realized I had left a book in the lounge. Half-squinting as I entered the common room, I saw a large pile of blankets underneath the table. “Strange,” I thought to myself. As I reached for my chemistry textbook, I felt a breeze near my feet. Something in the blankets was stirring. “Mice,” I thought to myself and screamed as I jumped back from the table. To my surprise, it was not a mouse, but rather, two very red human eyes that stared out at me. The girl under the desk shook her head and receded beneath the covers, but not before I caught a glimpse of Sesame Street porn on her laptop. When I woke up the next morning, I thought I had dreamed it, but alas, no one could dream up what I saw on Sesame Street. 3) The Orange Virgin I met a boy from upstate New York during my third night at Brown. He came from one of those families you read about in fairy tales, where four generations live close together in the woods in houses with rhubarb patches. In high school, he dated a girl from a dairy farm. For him, coming to Brown meant being exposed to a particularly wide set of new experiences. His first
4!post–
Ratty orange was also his first real-life orange—all the fruit he’d eaten growing up came in slices in plastic pouches or off of upstate New York’s famed apple trees. I taught him to peel that first orange, gave him his first mooncake, poured him his first alcoholic beverage. That last experience took a little too well. A month later, he crashed his bike into the Van Wickle gates and woke up to find his first-readings copy of Sonia Sotomayor’s My Beloved World torn in two equal halves, right down the spine. Two months later, he had to be pulled out of the EmWool hallway ceiling on a Friday night. Three months later, he was found in a corner of a party playing with stripped electrical wires and owl-patterned earmuffs. We spent most of the rest of that year either fighting or not speaking as he went to CAPS sessions and rebuilt his life. Now, he saves his drinking for Thursday nights with his varsity sports team (where he is known for being a sensibly moderate drinker and respecting people’s personal space) and spends his Friday nights reading post- with yours truly. 4) The (Business)man with a Plan One of the first friends I made at Brown received an email introduction from his freshman year roommate in mid-August. He read me snippets of the three-page treatise one night during orientation— his roommate had spared no details, whether about his home (Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia, a real concrete jungle!) or his approach to learning (to take courses only in BEO so as to avoid being a jack of all trades and master of none). A few days later, I met the roommate in the flesh— to avoid seeming like a creepy stalker, I asked him the usual introductory questions. He enthusiastically told me about Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia, a real concrete jungle; about BEO, and his resolve to take courses only in BEO to avoid becoming a jack of all trades and master of none. I also learned that he was fond of Coca-Cola and Donald Trump. As the year went on, I saw less and less of him, and when we bumped into each other for the first time in over a year during sophomore spring, I discovered that he had become a frequent cyclist at the Nelson and now studies Econ among other things. He seemed mellow. I speculated about whether he had shed his penchant for soft drinks and conservative politics, and still wonder who he hangs out with now, and if they see any trace of his freshman self. 5) The Harping Anglophile Picture the scene. A wardrobe entirely composed of bonnets and princess gloves. A “miniature" wooden model of a tea clipper in the corner that, in truth, takes
up about half of a tiny dorm room. Tea strewn under the bed. An accent that would drive Henry Higgins crazy. And, as if speaking fluent Latin and writing three peer-reviewed treatises on Chaucer by age 18 wasn't enough, imposter syndrome had her learning her fourth instrument in the early hours of the morning. The only thing more annoying than hearing scales at five in the morning is hearing slightly-off scales at that hour, especially after a late night at the Herald. Often, I attempted to deduce which of the 50 states she could be from while waiting for the noise to stop and made mental notes to watch some British comedy on YouTube with her to try to break the ice. +1) The Roommate You Forgot Existed I saw her on the first day, with her brown lanyard and dazed expression. The only evidence of her presence after that was the half-eaten food and mismatched socks that so often dotted our living space. She only ever wanted to get meals at weird hours and constantly told me how little time she had. Once in a blue moon, while on my way to the bathroom at 4 a.m., I would see her furiously working in the lounge and eating a cookie pizza.
Landmarks
A Walk through Campus By Sydney Lo illustrated by Halle Krieger
T
he traffic lights at the intersection of Waterman and Brook change despite the empty streets on Saturday mornings, flashing red and green against the usually wet asphalt. Broken glass and crumpled beer cans catch in the gutters littered with fallen yellow leaves. In the quiet, a RIPTA bus announces that it is turning. A flock of tree sparrows peck at crumbs outside the entrance of Subway. I pause beside Minden Hall, watch a singular Toyota Corolla cross the street, and continue on my way to the Nelson. My walk down Brook Street is comfortingly solitary, disrupted only by a foraging squirrel and someone returning home from a night out. Red Solo cups, along with an empty Flatbread Pizza container and half-filled cans of Pepsi, litter a few of the student house porches. A sprinkler pulses back and forth on a narrow lawn. I pass the row of rose bushes behind the Wheeler School, white buds reaching out to my fingertips. I hop over cracked pavement and pass the faded crosswalk at Euclid Avenue that’s recently been covered with
ARTS&CULTURE construction markers, moving more from memory than anything else. It is difficult to conceptualize this landscape as anything other than routine. When talking about university with people I meet, I do not mention these insignificant observations: the back street, the affinity I have for the little walks between north and south campus. When friends come to visit, I don’t take them on a tour of the awnings at 257 Thayer, where people smoke and write phrases in the dust on the nearby air vents, or show them the corner of Meeting Street that floods when it rains. Yet, more than Faunce Arch, University Hall, or even Thayer Street restaurants, the minutia of Brook Street is the reality of my time at Brown. There is a certain selectivity in characterizing a university campus and advertising it as an aesthetic belonging to the academic experience. Brown University connotes red-bricked buildings, lacquered gates, and sprawling greens speckled with oaks and maples. Tours map out the bear sculptures, art installations, and imposing libraries. When I arrived at Brown three years ago, I pictured myself passing through the Van Wickle Gates, doing readings on the steps of the Stephen Campus Center, and spending evenings finishing homework at Blue State Coffee. While I’ve passed and appreciated each of these College Hill landmarks during my time at Brown, my regular paths through campus establish more subtle touchstones for my life here. If it’s raining, which happens more often than not these days, the expansive puddle in front of MacMillan greets me as I walk to class. I glance at Sidney E. Frank's overpass and count the circles etched into its glass walls as I make my way to Smitty B. Beside Caswell Hall, the smell of fresh laundry and the warmth of the dryers seep onto the sidewalk on my route to the Science Library. Brook Street lies beside them all, my unnoticed foundation for navigating campus. My routine path has changed with classes and extracurriculars and living situations, with construction, new buildings, and even boredom. I’ve observed the permanent for-sale signs, the pastel-colored houses, and the half-hidden clinical and legal offices of Bowen Street, Prospect Street, and Hope Street. I’ve spent time studying in 70 Brown Street, in the secluded garden behind Kassar House, in the dimly lit hallways of Barus and Holley. These places are where I am, existing quietly beyond the polished version of Brown. I turn before I reach the Field House, passing through the narrow entrance to Pembroke Field, which is scattered with rabbits darting across the open space. I pass another student leaving the Nelson and wonder where they are going, what they see as they walk through campus, what their landmarks are.
Tofu Time
Reviewing Sun & Moon Korean Restaurant by Pia Mileaf-Patel Illustrated By Stephanie Wu
I
grew up blocks away from Koreatown in New York, so for me, soon tofu, a soft tofu stew with kimchi and usually pork, is as comforting as my mom’s chicken soup. She’d usually make chicken soup when my brother and I were sick, but in a pinch, this was her go-to. Out of all the times I’ve been sick while in Providence, I’ve made chicken soup just once. Other times, I’ve ordered soon tofu from the several restaurants on College Hill that offer Korean food. While the ingredients are the same—red gochujang-spiked broth, silky pieces of sweet tofu, salty bites of pork, and a soft egg hidden inside—the dish always falls short. Den Den’s soon tofu is fortified with tiny pieces of zucchini (ew, vegetables), and the broth is less thick. Higher up on Thayer, Soban’s version is heavier and saltier than I can handle, especially in an effort to battle congestion. In comes Sun & Moon in East Providence, with the best soon tofu I’ve had in the area. Keep in mind, I’ve tried maybe three other soon tofu selections to validate that claim—so if you have any thoughts, send them my way. I could always do more research, but I’m happy to stop here. This stew was rich but not heavy, with tiny dried pepper flakes embedded in the chili-paste broth, and enlivened with soft egg yolk to be mixed in. The tofu, custard-like, tasted fresh and homemade. Sun & Moon sits across the street from Asiana Food Market, a small store with excellent produce, where I used to go with my roommate to buy Alphonso mangoes in the spring. The restaurant looks vaguely like someone’s home. When you first walk in, there’s a Kelly-green, tiled counter with tiny mirrors in front of each seat, almost as if the set designer for the 1972 Russian version of Solaris had been hired to decorate a sushi bar. It’s amazing. Then, there’s a larger room in the back with regular restaurant tables and a offshooting small room that is entirely mirror-lined. Two staircases lead upstairs, making it feel like you’re about to eat in somebody’s mom’s dining room. It is BYOB Tuesday and Wednesday; other nights, you’re free
to order rounds of beer like the large group sitting next to us did. I went with my roommates, and we split everything—in my opinion, it’s the ideal way to eat. Alan Yang phrased it perfectly in a food diary he wrote for New York Magazine’s Grub Street: “I have a policy where I just order as much stuff as possible and share it all. Basically, if you don’t want to share food, you can’t be my friend.” I’m less steadfast about this friend policy than Yang claims he is, but I agree with the basic idea. Luckily, my roommates are in on this ordering scheme. We split the soon tofu stew as well as bibimbap, which a rice dish with vegetables, ground meat (that can easily be made vegetarian), and an egg. The rice gets crisp and fried at the bottom of the hot dish—it’s pretty hard to portion control yourself with this one. We also ordered japchae, sweet potato noodles stirfried with vegetables, onions, and a combination of sauces (mostly savory with a touch of sweet). I tried to recreate japchae later in the week after going to Good Fortune Supermarket, Providence’s recently opened Chinese supermarket about a 10-minute drive away from College Hill. It was good, but nothing compared to the japchae at Sun & Moon. A small side note here: Check out Good Fortune next time you need to stock your fridge, especially if you are as prone as I am to steaming frozen dumplings for a second dinner at 1:30 a.m. six nights a week. The unexpected combination of a homey environment and excellent food makes Sun & Moon a place to fulfill Korean food cravings and try new things. A futurist Art Deco bar when you walk in, the restaurant itself is both familiar and intriguing. East Providence is also a 10-minute RIPTA ride from Thayer Street, or a five-minute drive, if you have a car or can convince a friend with one to drive you. Now that October has settled in, and midterm season stir-crazy is tangible in the air, it’s a good excuse to get off campus. When we got up to leave Sun & Moon, the couple at the table behind us had overheard us talking about wanting to get donuts. Like the true Italian I am, besides sharing food, I tend to talk about other meals I want to have in the future while eating a meal. I don’t think this is likely to change. They told us about a new place called Proud Mary’s, also in East Providence, and we will probably check it out this week. I’m stalking it on Google Images right now… and it looks excellent.
October 18, 2018'5
ARTS&CULTURE
When We Were Lunar Now Playing: First Man By Kaela Hines illustrated by Rémy Poisson
T
he brief appearance of Ryan Gosling’s penetrating blue eyes and husky voice sparked a flurry of gasps and exclamations throughout the Avon Cinema. In light of the moon landing’s upcoming 50th anniversary, one would question whether most of the audience truly cared about the milestone or saw the movie as another opportunity to be enraptured by Gosling’s “bedroom eyes.” Whatever the viewer’s reason, the movie’s opening throws them headfirst into the harsh perspective of engineer and astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling). We are trapped in a confined space until the reflection from Armstrong’s visor unveils a tranquil stratosphere of blues and violets—a moment of peace and beauty that answers the question of why Armstrong does what he does. On land, we see Armstrong’s family life and meet his daughter, Karen, who has a brain tumor. Though a man of immense intelligence, Armstrong cannot figure out how to save her. He relies on calculation and analysis, but to no avail. We witness intimate moments between them before a final image of his finger cradling her hair cuts abruptly to her funeral. Director Damien Chazelle jumps between such moments of elation and sorrow throughout, perhaps emulating the highs and lows of the astronauts’ lives and their unstable closeness to death. There were numerous deaths on NASA’s long journey to the moon, including astronauts who had become Armstrong’s friends, such as the caring Ed White (Jason Clarke). Due to explosions and technical difficulties in the spacecrafts, every “practice run” before the landing failed. Along with Armstrong, we are reminded of the looming presence of death—a reality often neglected in narratives about the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong’s stoicism solidifies as a result of these deaths. This sternness is a point of tension in his relationships, though Gosling plays it equally for laughs. Armstrong’s reactions to successes are often hilariously dismissive and bland, such as when he gets chosen to be the head pilot (aka, the first person to walk on the moon) and responds with a brief “Okay.” Although it is hard to discern whether Armstrong has an ill-sense of humor or is just serious, we nevertheless develop sympathy for him due to his daughter’s passing. Armstrong sees Karen often, Chazelle's way of reminding us that Armstrong is hurt. Through Janet Shearon, his wife at the time, we are offered more insight into Armstrong. But she stands well on her own as Claire Foy delivers a powerful performance as a strong, takes-no-bullshit matriarch.
Shearon is depicted as a comfortable member of the Astronaut Wives club, a group of era-conforming housewives that chat poolside about their kids and the weather, but she represents more than that. She battles her daughter’s death, motherhood, and a lonely marriage to a neglectful husband whose death she anticipates. Shearon softens Armstrong’s tight, stuffy disposition while wrangling him back to earth and his fatherly responsibilities. Scenes of the couple are often adorned in delicate shades of brown and filmed through an inside-outside lens, keeping the viewer a distant observer of the Armstrongs’ almost intangible chemistry and understanding of one another. The couple is often staged in dark spaces, with one light lit on Sharon's side, perhaps to signify her role as “the light” of Armstrong’s life. As corny as that sounds, I felt myself relating more with Janet and appreciating her presence as a source of balance. I also awaited her fiery moments, which echoed a central question: Was the moon landing truly worth it?
With its 2 hour and 21 minute running time, First Man moves past the visual stunningness and difficulty of spaceflight and into the depths of the people most affected by making universal history. There are moments where the film loses its effectiveness. Chazelle falters in moments that construct the historical context of the moon landing.
“Therefore, while both cardboard and toilet paper may ultimately get the job done for the Sharpie Scribbler, the former may be preferable because of its enhanced durability.” Leon Lei, Calligraphic Characters 10.19.17
“The kids wander everywhere, break windows with bricks, and use their innocence to bum money from strangers to buy ice cream, which makes it taste all the better.” Zander Kim, We’re All in Moonee’s World 10.18.17
It is set during the Cold War, the “who has got bigger muscles” contest between the United States and Soviet Union that devastated various countries, mainly affecting people of color. The film showed the leftist protests of the Vietnam War, exemplified by Gil Scott-Heron’s song “Whitey on the Moon.” This was also a rare time when nonwhite people were shown in the film, as scenes of the control center at NASA were overwhelmingly white. True, during this era, the known leaders of NASA (and of everything) were white men; it would be unrealistic to ignore this truth. However, the film would have been more powerful if Chazelle expanded on the Cold War and stressed the importance of protests. With prominence given to the moon landing, the protests came off as background noise, as if the film was saying, “Yeah, people were dying in America, but look how hard it was to land on the moon!” Finally, amidst jumbled space talk, we arrive on the moon. The CGI is stunning and resembles real images. The cinematography of the film was dazzling from its purposeful lighting to visuals of the stratospheres to the fluid movements of the camera. I almost didn’t notice that Armstrong was never depicted putting the American flag on the moon, the iconic image that many critics pointed out Chazelle missed. I would argue that the film symbolizes American pride adequately enough that the flag was not missed; Chazelle himself said that his focus was on the unknown moments of the landing and Neil Armstrong. Overall, this movie completed its purpose and a bit more, showing us who Neil Armstrong was and how America ended up on the moon, an integral moment in American history. With its two hour and 21 minute running time, First Man moves past the visual stunningness and difficulty of spaceflight and into the depths of the people most affected by making universal history.
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018 • PAGE 3
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» UCS, from page 1 expensive activities and expansions in the number of groups funded by UFB, De Georgia said. In past years, the UFB chair and vice chair proposed changes to the fee “in order to accommodate the expected increases in spending for the next year,” he added, which led to “kind of arbitrary decisions.” In 2011, for instance, the fee increased by $36, while in 2016 it did not increase at all, according to data presented by De Georgia at the meeting. “It’s difficult to understand or discern why these increases are happening at such different rates every year,” he added. Linking increases of the activities fee to inflation “will reduce or completely eliminate arbitrary decisions,” De Georgia said. It will also ensure a more even distribution across class years of the burden imposed by fee increases, he added. In response to a question from a
» RESEARCH, from page 1 Jacobs, psychotherapist, activist and author; and Dr. Scout, vice president of social justice at The Torvus Group. According to Don Operario, associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Public Health, one of the factors that prompted the event was “the call from our students to respond to one of the articles published by our faculty members.” A study authored by Lisa Littman, assistant professor of the practice of behavioral and social sciences in the School of Public Health, defined a phenomenon called “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” which “is observed to begin suddenly during or after puberty in an adolescent or young adult who would not have met criteria for gender dysphoria in childhood,” according to the study. Littman suggested that “rapidonset gender dysphoria” spreads as “social contagion.” The study, published in August, was met with widespread media attention and criticism over its
general body member about how UFB plans to continue accommodating increases in the number of clubs, De Georgia said the Board will have to work to better allocate its funding. “The way that UFB has operated is … we kind of just give as much money as we can under (UFB) policies, and if student groups ask for more money under those policies, then as a result we simply increase the student activities fee,” De Georgia said. “We have a lot of money, I think the board should just do a better job of allocating the funds.” UCS Appointments Chair Jason Carroll ’21 asked whether the fee increase would have any impact on expected family contribution calculations. “The calculation for the family contribution is done separately from the expenses of Brown,” De Georgia said. “This wouldn’t affect that calculation at all.” Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes, who worked on the
proposal with De Georgia and UFB Chair Lisa Schold ’19, will present the plan to the University Resource Committee, the group that recommends Brown’s annual budget to President Paxson P’19 and will make the final decision on any fee changes, De Georgia said. The Board also received updates on the #FullDisclosure campaign, which proposed making information about the use of legacy status in the University’s admission process available to the public and pressed Brown to reexamine the role of legacy status in admission. Shawn Young ’19.5 and Joseph Vukel ’19, who helped coordinate the #FullDisclosure campaign, and UCS President Shanzé Tahir ’19 provided an update on the group’s work with the adminstration. In last spring’s UCS elections, a referendum proposed by Young on behalf of #FullDisclosure passed with 81 percent of 2,355 student body votes, The Herald previously reported. The referendum asked whether the
University should “disclose all internally written admissions policies and disaggregated data about legacy treatment” and “charge a joint committee of students, alumni and administrators to re-examine the use of legacy status in the admissions process.” “UCS successfully advocated for a working group that is focused on access for (first-generation) and lowincome students,” Tahir said. That working group will be chaired by Dean of Admission Logan Powell and include two students, two faculty members and two staff members from the Office of Admission, she added. After the referendum, “we had a couple of conversations with Dean Powell and the Corporation … and they were all very willing to work with us,” Young said. “In the end, I think a (working group) that looks at access for first-gen(eration) and low-income students as a whole is in a way better than something that only has a narrow focus” on legacy status at Brown.
methodology and conclusions, and the University removed the associated press release from its website and news distribution, The Herald previously reported. Operario added that the purpose of the panel discussion was to work alongside the University’s process to “reaffirm our commitment to health equity and to the wellness of the trans population and to reaffirm our commitment to academic freedom, to the best quality and actually applying our science to help uplift the wellness of all communities,” he said. Jacobs spoke about the importance of authenticity and representation in scientific research. She emphasized the importance of increasing accountability for researchers and spokespersons whose values are antithetical to the values of the trans community. Jacobs explained that the limit to academic freedom is academic dishonesty, poor methodology or studies coming from a place of stigma. “Research doesn’t just live in academia. Harmful research causes harm. It makes
it harder for people to get care. That means they live more difficult lives,” Jacobs added. Forcier also spoke about the ways in which trans youth should be supported by their parents. “Data says there is a huge importance of family and community support and acceptance. And this support and acceptance is associated with positive health outcomes,” she said. Forcier also stressed the importance of language and paradigms by citing a study suggesting that using children’s chosen name and pronouns can protect against suicidality. “Everybody takes a different path to gender and we need to respect those different paths,” she added. Scout focused on the need for systematic changes in institutes as “problematic research structures can create problematic findings.” He looked at the progress of the National Institutes of Health, which could be a model for the University, he said, noting some of the improvements made by the NIH to diversify their employee pool. He
emphasized the importance of involving trans people in research about their communities and observed how the NIH had “a special meeting of external trans experts to come in and tell them what the research priorities were,” he said. “This is an opportunity to listen. More importantly, this is the opportunity for action. It is an opportunity for Brown to become a leader in this field,” Scout added. Laura Sobik, clinical psychologist and assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services, attended the event and described the speakers as phenomenal advocates and leading voices in trans equity and social justice who were “speaking for those who don’t have or cannot use their voice.” Following the publication of the research that was referenced in the event, many psychologists at CAPS “have been working with students who have been personally or collectively harmed and in pain because of it,” Sobik added.
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» PANEL, from page 1 with its mandates. Brockmann’s talk was followed by a survey of prison research in the last 100 years by Sadacharan. Noting that there is a “history of medicine taking advantage of prisoners,” Sadacharan described several cases of misconduct. She detailed how physicians in the Philippines accidentally infected and killed prisoners with the bubonic plague when testing treatment for cholera in 1906. Inhumane testing continued through World War II and into the 1960s, Sadacharan added. Pharmaceutical companies began working closely with prisons to use prisoners in their drug testing trials, and later admitted that incarcerated people were cheaper test subjects than monkeys. By the 1970s, the U.S. government began regulating inmate testing, and set standards for what sort of tests companies could and couldn’t perform in prisons, Sadacharan said. In today’s world, any research on incarcerated persons must be approved by boards that have representations for inmates, Sadacharan said. However, despite this development, “we understand that prisoners may not be able to make a truly voluntary and uncoerced decision on whether or not to participate as subjects in research,” she said. Silvana Barbosa, a senior studying at Providence College, said she attended the panel because she found the topic interesting. On a personal level, Barbosa is “a first-generation student with immigrant parents (who has grown up) in a community that’s plagued by poverty and violence,” she said, and added that the talk’s themes resonated with her. “As a health policy major, I have the opportunity to dive in depth into why these problems exist,” she added. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Associate Director Steven Bloomfield also attended the event. Incarceration has become normalized in recent years, he said, and added that he was glad to see campus discourse on the subject.
COMMENTARY PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Brown Dining Services violates U., R.I. labor policies To the Editor: We are current and former student supervisors and managers writing to inform you that we believe that Brown Dining Services fails to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, Rhode Island General Law 28-12-3.2 and Brown University policy 40.030. The FLSA states, “An employee who is required to remain on call on the employer’s premises is working while ‘on call.’” Rhode Island General Law 28-12-3.2 states, “An employer who requests or permits any employee to report for duty at the beginning of a work shift and does not furnish at least three hours work on that shift, shall pay the employee not less than three times the regular hourly rate.” The University policy 40.030 states, “When nonexempt employees are on-call and are required to remain on Brown’s premises, they are considered to be working and must be compensated.” Per their respective supervisor and manager agreements, student supervisors and managers in the Blue Room, Carts and Cashiers units have been required to work on-call hours for years. These agreements all state that supervisors must “be at Brown to work in (their) unit for the entirety of the time that it is in operation” and detail the requirements for specific on-call hours which fall within the purview of the previously quoted regulations. Brown Dining Services did not
respond to a proposal created by Assistant General Manager Benjamin Potee ’19 last year to compensate employees for these hours. In the proposal, Potee showed that supervisors and managers in the Carts and Cashiers units work 358 to 635 hours on call each semester. Blue Room supervisors have testified they work 128 to 192 hours on call each semester. We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the student management team to correct this issue in recent weeks. However, because of the previous and ongoing lack of compensation for on-call hours, we believe that we have been significantly underpaid over the course of our tenure working for Brown Dining Services. We would like to discuss retroactive compensation and are open to hearing Brown Dining Services’ thoughts on this issue. Furthermore, we would like to ensure that Brown Dining Services’ policies are updated to be in compliance with these labor laws.
Casey Kim ’17, former cashiers supervisor Christina Nguyen ’19, former carts supervisor Ivan Ip ’21, carts supervisor Jonathan Coates ’20, former cashiers supervisor Joseph Fleming ’20, cashiers supervisor Joshua Danielson ’20, former Josiah’s supervisor Justin Champeau ’19, former Blue Room assistant unit manager Kyle Gray ’21, catering prep supervisor Logan Brunet ’19, former carts supervisor Lucas Smolcic Larson ’19, Blue Room supervisor Mallissa Sirimoungkhons ’19, cashiers supervisor Maxwell Kozlov ’20, former carts and cashiers unit manager
Alec Brown ’19, former cashiers supervisor
Michelle Bazile ’18.5, former cashiers supervisor
America Lopez ’18, former Blue Room unit manager
Neidin Hernandez ’19, cashiers supervisor
Amber York ’21, former cashiers supervisor
Taonelly Brea ’20, cashiers supervisor
Benjamin Bosis ’19, former cashiers supervisor
Tyco Mera Evans ’20, former Blue Room supervisor
Benjamin Ostrowski ’17, former cashiers supervisor
Will Portilla ’19, former cashiers supervisor
Blake Ashton Wilkinson ’18, former cashiers supervisor
Zachary Farrias ’21, cashiers supervisor
CORRECTION A previous version of the Oct. 16 Herald article, “University transforms Bear’s Lair into lounge,” incorrectly referred to Carmen Zheng ’19 as Zhang on second reference. The Herald regrets the error.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
COMMENTARY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018 • PAGE 5
Brown must keep alive the legacy of the 1968 walkout — and act on it
JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD
QUENTIN THOMAS STAFF COLUMNIST A few weeks ago, the University hosted the 2018 edition of the Black Alumni Reunion weekend. This reunion was particularly special as the year 2018 marks 50 years since the 1968 student walkout by black students from Brown and Pembroke College. The weekend was filled with events celebrating black alums of the University. The energy on campus was tangible. But, when the weekend came to an end, everything went back to normal. These three days — filled with so much joy and appreciation for the history of black students and, especially, black student activists — were but a moment in time. This shouldn’t be the case. While every day can’t be Black Alumni Reunion weekend, the acknowledgement and appreciation of black students at Brown — along with the pursuit of the goals laid out by student protests in 1968 — should be ongoing, rather than packed into one weekend that happens every so often. One of the main events during the BAR Weekend was the First Annual Black Convocation. The event served to welcome black first-year students to Brown. Manning Chapel was packed with first-years, upperclassmen and alums. It was a beautiful event; welcoming black first-year students to Brown in this manner each year is a true commitment to ensuring a positive experience for black students. But the
impetus for this event came from students. The Black Student Union spearheaded the initiative and received support from various groups and offices to make the event run smoothly. Students on campus are constantly spearheading initiatives and planning events that don’t get the same kind of exposure that the First Annual Black Convocation did. A weekend isn’t enough time to ad-
sistent in showing that it cherishes the rich history and contributions of its black students and black student activism. As stated earlier, it’s been 50 years since the 1968 walkout and Brown has made the moment a part of its institutional self-image. However, if the University wants to show that it cares about the walkout in the present, its leaders might consider looking at the de-
black students constitute 15 percent of college-aged Americans, the University’s freshman class in 2015 was only 8 percent black. In comparison, the students who walked out in 1968 demanded that the incoming class of 1973 be at least 11 percent black. On the point of Brown being more proactive, earlier this year racist flyers were posted around cam-
Rather than trying to cover all of the bases in one weekend, Brown should be more proactive and consistent in showing that it cherishes the rich history and contributions of its black students and black student activism.
equately acknowledge black student activism at Brown. What’s more is that the University administration often receives the praise for such initiatives while the work of students may go unnoticed. Recognition of black students, the enduring legacy of black alums and the work they’ve done to make the University what it is today should be a normal, ongoing part of campus life. Rather than trying to cover all these bases in one weekend, Brown should be more proactive and con-
mands made by the student protestors in 1968, and seeing which of them have not yet been met. To meet the demands of the students that Brown so greatly appreciated during the BAR Weekend would be a great way for the University to show how much it actually values its black student population. For example, Brown might next consider looking at its proportion of black students in relation to its Ivy League peers and increase that number like the 1968 demands stipulated. While
pus, which resulted in two press conferences. These press conferences were not organized by the administration, and an official statement from the University came more than two weeks after the fliers were first discovered. Brown students shouldn’t have to force the University to care about them and wait two weeks for the administration to take a stand against displays of racism and prejudice in the community. A major step in the right direction was taken during BAR Week-
end this year with the renaming of the J. Walter Wilson building to Page-Robinson Hall. To have a building on campus that memorializes two black graduates of Brown is a real, conspicuous way for the University to integrate the history of black students on College Hill into campus conversations and dialogue. Yet there’s still work that remains to be done in fulfilling the aspirations of earlier generations of Brunonians who fought to make Brown a more inclusive, more just place. All Brown students should have an experience here that fosters nothing less the maximization of our potential. Walking around campus with the knowledge that your university cares about you is critical to feeling empowered and being able to learn. Creating events and renaming buildings is a great start in the process of making black students at Brown feel seen and supported — but we cannot afford to be complacent. We must make the pursuit of justice and the acknowledgement of Brown’s history a living, dynamic and continual part of campus life. As Ido Jamar ’69 ScM ’74 PhD’77, one of the students who walked out in 1968, said, “We realized something was not right here. It either had to be made right or we could no longer be here.”
Quentin Thomas ’21 can be reached at quentin_thomas@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, OCTOBER 18, 2018
Lecture contextualizes South African colonial literature Guest speaker Isabel Hofmeyr examines shaping of colonial hierarchies through censorship By GRAYSON LEE STAFF WRITER
Professor Isabel Hofmeyr opened her lecture Monday evening by taking the audience underwater. At the start of her talk, she detailed the dumping of books deemed unacceptable by the British Empire’s custom houses into what she termed “Davy Jones’ library.” Hofmeyr asked attendees to join her in imagining such a dumping ground — the ocean floor three miles off the coast of Durban Harbor in colonial South Africa — as littered with detritus, decomposed books, unused rifles and broken jewelry. Throughout her lecture, she would repeatedly return to the notion of shifting the center of gravity in colonial histories to water, a concept she calls “hydrocolonialism.” Hofmeyr, a professor of African literature at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and professor of English at New York University, was invited to participate in this year’s edition of the annual Andrea Rosenthal Memorial Lecture. The Comparative Literature Department and the Center for Contemporary South Asia co-sponsored the lecture, titled “Shore-shaped Story: How Coast, Colony and Custom House Conduct Literature” at the Watson
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ELI WHITE / HERALD
Isabel Hofmeyr, a professor of African literature at the University of Witwatersrand and a professor of English at New York University, delivered a lecture on the British Empire’s colonial censorship of literature in South Africa. Institute for International and Public Affairs. By examining goods entering the port city of Durban and the accompanying practices of customs officials, Hofmeyr gave insight into how categorization and censorship reinforced and shaped both colonial hierarchies and the literature that existed under them. All goods entering Durban on ships were subject to inspection and
officials had the authority to ban a book if they considered, as Hofmeyr quoted from a customs house record, “Page 67 (to be) objectionable.” Custom houses had control over what entered colonial territories, and thus, what people in these territories had access to. Hofmeyr explored the interaction between the nation state and literature, and how literature — and every other import — was defined in
relation to the state. However, practices of categorizing and prohibiting objects were not standardized. Hofmeyr went so far as to call the system of customs “chaos,” and named the customs officials “dockside ontologists” who spontaneously created categories of being. Objects that did not conform to these acceptable categories of being were unceremoniously poured into the harbor beyond
the territorial boundaries of the colony. This harbor became, as Hofmeyr said, “a dumping ground for objects and people considered waste.” In this chaos of categorization, customs officials gave great importance to marks of origin. Hofmeyr explained how every object had to have a mark of origin, and how copyrights became interchangeable with these marks. A British copyright, she said, by virtue of synonymousness with whiteness, became a racial trademark that indicated a good’s acceptability to customs officials. Hofmeyr displayed lists of goods entering the customs houses that were both extensive and humorous. For example, she pointed out how goods such as bones, books and boot polish were listed alphabetically, implying that they could all be processed in a similar manner. By focusing on the objects, Hofmeyr drew on “objectoriented ontology,” which, as she explained, seeks to examine objects as distinct from their interactions with humans. “There were a lot of cool specifics,” said Aliosha Bielenberg ’20 after the lecture. “Of course, I didn’t know anything about custom houses in 19th century Durban, South Africa. I don’t think anyone did.” At the close of the lecture, Hofmeyr brought attendees back to the ocean floor off the coast of South Africa, now with a richer and fuller appreciation for the objects that lay there. As Hofmeyr addressed questions from the audience, listeners slowly emerged from this imagined underwater realm.