Thursday, April 11, 2024

BCA faces backlash for Spring Weekend lineup selection, poster design

Concert Agency took down lineup poster after SAO recommendation

BY CAMPBELL LOI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When Brown Concert agency announced its highly anticipated spring Weekend lineup on Thursday night, the response was swift and fierce.

Quickly after the announcement, dozens of students shared their reactions on social media, including instagram and sidechat, to the release of the annual festival’s 2024 performers. While some shared their excitement for the artists, many voiced disapproval.

“We get hate every year,” BCa Co-head Catherine yang ’24 wrote in an email to The herald. “We know to expect controversy surrounding the lineup.”

But on saturday, BCa removed the lineup release poster from their instagram at the rec-

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

ommendation of the student activities Office, which received complaints from community members who alleged that the poster was “explicitly antisemitic” or “questioned what the organizers intended to convey about who was welcome at the spring Weekend concerts,” wrote Joie Forte, senior associate dean and director of student activities.

upon sharing those complaints with BCa on saturday, saO suggested that the organization temporarily archive the post as they looked into the complaints, Forte wrote. red, black and green featured prominently in the previously archived lineup poster — which some students said mirrored the colors of the palestinian flag, questioning if BCa intended to do so.

The lineup poster announced Elyanna, a palestinian-Chilean artist, as a featured artist in the weekend lineup. Many students shared supportive comments on her addition to the festival’s activities on the now-removed instagram post, with several including reference to her palestinian heritage.

University community comes together to watch solar eclipse

Student volunteers distributed glasses for safe viewing

BY JAANU RAMESH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

students flooded onto the Main Green as 2:15 p.m. approached and rhode island’s partial solar eclipse began.

at 3:29, when the eclipse reached the point of highest coverage visible from providence, a cheer rippled across the lawn.

student volunteers from the university’s department of Earth, Environmental and planetary sciences and the department of physics helped distribute eclipse glasses for safe viewing of the eclipse.

ralph Milliken, an associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences and director of Nasa r i.’s space Grant program and Consortium, joined the department’s “Eclipse Team,” answering

questions and supervising the enthusiastic scene on the green.

according to Milliken, it’s a rare and precious phenomenon that rhode island is adjacent to the path of a total eclipse. “it’s just great to have events like this, because it provides an opportunity to bring people from all aspects of the community together,” he said.

students rejoiced in the warm spring weather and expressed a lot of excitement about the approaching eclipse. “The beautiful sun and beautiful weather” brought Matteo papadopoulos ’26 to the green with friends.

“This is the most packed Main Green i’ve seen since 4/20 last year,” he said.

While dhruv raghavan ’27 was on the green mainly for the nice weather, he was still excited to see a partial eclipse for the first time.

The lineup was un-archived late Tuesday evening, after this story was initially published. in an online statement released after the post was un-archived, BCa wrote, “We reject the notion that the lineup or poster contains antisemitic sentiments in any way and condemn all forms of racism and identity-based harassment that have arisen in response to our lineup and poster.”

yang shared with The herald that BCa members faced identity-based harassment and “inappropriate targeting,” which led them to take down instagram posts featuring members of the student group.

“in regards to a few complaints we have received, we want to clarify that BCa is in no way a hateful or exclusionary organization,” yang wrote. “We have always strived to represent different, and often underrepresented, sides of the student body across genres/demographics/ languages with our lineup and graphics. We reject the notion that the lineup or poster contains hateful symbolism in any way.”

For most students, qualms with the an-

UNIVERSITY NEWS

nounced lineup came from their unfamiliarity with the artists.

“i didn’t recognize many of the names, and i’m a person who really considers themself to be into music, so i was kind of surprised and i guess just a bit disappointed,” Nate rodden ’26 told The herald.

“i hate to say that (the artists) are too small, but i feel like they just weren’t indicative of what Brown students actually listen to,” Chloe daniel ’27 said.

BCa Co-head Brian Wang ’24 said that the organization strived to give students as full a spring Weekend experience as possible despite the cuts made to the program budget.

“We wanted to still give people as much music as we could,” Wang said, adding that because the festival is only one day, BCa hoped to “extend the experience a little bit longer” by choosing four artists to perform.

With fewer artists in the lineup than usual, yang said that diversity of sound among the

Students protest Israeli officer’s visit

Protestors gather outside Hillel, hold moments of silence

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP AND KATIE JAIN

EDITORS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

approximately 60 students gathered outside of the Brown-risd hillel on Wednesday evening to protest an event hosted by Brown students for israel featuring a conversation with yuval Klein, a search and rescue and intelligence officer for the israeli defense Forces.

The gathered protesters, who were affiliated with the student groups Jews for Ceasefire Now and students for Justice in palestine, held posters that listed the names of palestinians who were killed in the ongoing israel-hamas war. protesters also read some of the names aloud and donned keffiyehs.

JFCN member rafi ash ’26 said that the event was “celebrating murder and genocide.”

in an ongoing case before the united Nations international Court of Justice, south africa alleged that israel is enacting “acts and omissions” that are “genocidal in character … (against) the palestinian national, racial and ethnic group,” the BBC previously reported.

Through the event, ash said the protesters were “holding moments of silence and were honoring the dead.”

Brown-risd hillel director rabbi Joshua Bolton wrote in a message to The herald that “at some point, students on either side of this debate — just like israelis and palestinians — are going to have to learn to speak with one another, to learn from one another and find points of commonality.”

“The ideological all-or-nothing-ism

postmagazine

KENNETh rhEE / hErald

1 Vanderbilt expels three students for pro-Palestine sit-in participation

Twenty-two students were issued disciplinary probations in connection to the sit-in. an open letter signed by 154 faculty members crtiqued the decision.

2 Wrongful death trial for Harvard student against employee began Tuesday

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of harvard class of 2018 student luke Tang by his father, alleges that harvard counseling services employee Melanie Northrop was negligent in her care of Tang, who died by suicide in 2015. a previous suit by Tang’s family against harvard was dismissed.

3

U. of Florida student arrested for stabbing mother to death

Emmanuel Espinoza, a pre-medical student at the university of Florida, allegedly stabbed his mother to death. he confessed to the stabbing on saturday and was arrested shortly after.

This was also the first time Chloe Jazzy lau ’27 saw a partial eclipse. “The eclipse is a really cool once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.

“We really are only going to get to see this in North america every 20 or 40 years. i’m excited to actually be able to look at this eclipse and understand what’s happening and why we’re seeing this,” said anna Bencke ’24. she and other physics students used telescopes and spotters to better observe the eclipse.

they are new to providence and enjoyed their first time taking in the university’s greenery. For Tati lamb, the eclipse is a symbol of “rebirth, and the age of aquarius.”

it was Jairus lamb’s first eclipse, and as a self-proclaimed “astronomy nerd,” he was eager to witness the “maybe once-ina-lifetime phenomenon.”

i think the thing that makes it special is just that we happen to be here as humans on this planet at this particular moment in time where we do have total solar eclipse events like this, and it’s not something that

The rarity of the eclipse also appealed to Jairus lamb Gs and Tati lamb, who said

artists was one of the most important considerations when curating the lineup.

“We’re always looking for new genres or new types of artists that we haven’t had before,” yang added. “it keeps things fun and interesting for everyone, and can also put people on to the plethora of different musicians and artists that exist out there.”

But many felt that the artists selected this year did not meet students’ expectations for the event.

austin Xiang ’26, a former herald reporter, said that while he enjoys the music of the artists in this year’s lineup, he didn’t feel that it was fitting for the event. “it’s not something that can really get a crowd going,” he said.

“i’ve been giving a listen to each of the artists (and) it felt like some pretty mellow music choices,” rodden said. “i’d like to see more variety … some energetic artists and some more relaxing artists.”

according to Wang, stage presence and the ability to perform were also key factors in the decision. “i’m really excited about all the artists in regards to their performing capabilities.”

of her before the lineup was announced, her “stage presence and magnetism” captivated audiences.

Wang also remarked on the importance of diverse representation in the festival’s lineup. in particular, they pointed to the significance of headliner yves Tumor, who is nonbinary.

“having someone that is gender non-conforming as our headliner is really exciting and it means so much,” they said, adding that they hope audience members will feel “heard, seen and represented” by the artists this year.

yang added that the group also considered diversity of language, highlighting the opportunity to feature Elyanna, who primarily sings in arabic. Outside of Maye’s performance at spring Weekend in 2022, which featured songs in spanish, “we haven’t really been able to feature someone who is predominantly (a) non-English (performing artist),” yang said.

some students felt dissatisfied with the organization’s decision-making process and expressed a need for more input from voices outside of BCa

we’ll always have around,” Milliken said, referencing the moon’s slow departure from Earth’s gravitational pull. “so i think everybody should enjoy it while they can.”

“The eclipse is bringing everyone together,” said shiv prasad ’27.

“although the moon can get in the way of the sun’s light, nothing could get in the way of Brown’s sense of community,” agreed his friend ross Goldbaum ’27.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 8, 2024.

daNa riChiE / hErald Students on the green gathered to watch the eclipse, enjoy the temperate weather and learn more about astronomy. ECLIPSE FROM PAGE 1

17 undergraduate student members, who are selected by application.

“i know that there are some people who are huge fans of these artists, but i just don’t think that most people are,” rodden said. “if there was at least a little bit of (student) input, i think things would have been different.”

assembling such a large-scale event came with challenges. “it’s truly been an unprecedented year,” Wang said, noting that financial constraints coupled with a sudden change in faculty advising made this a “year of rediscovery” for BCa

“From the jump, we had significantly less budget (and) we weren’t going to be able to reach the same level of polish as last year’s spring Weekend,” they said. “i think it was really easy to get disheartened.”

several students suggested that the money would have been better spent on a smaller, more recognizable lineup.

“i think the easiest solution would be to spend the budget on fewer, more popular artists, even if they can’t personally tailor to everyone’s music taste,” Gold wrote.

“despite less funding than years past, the BCa should have hired one exceptional headliner and left the other spots reserved for Brown student bands or providence-based performing groups,” daniel solomon ’26 wrote in an email to The herald.

“i do not believe the lineup reflects what Brown students envision in their spring Weekend,” solomon wrote, additionally criticizing BCa for making the event a “partisan affair,” pointing to its branding and the context of the ongoing war in israel and palestine.

Others expressed approval of BCa or questioned the notion that students should vote for artists.

great time and find new artists,” Jd Gorman ’26 wrote in a message to The herald.

Wang and yang both acknowledged that the secrecy of BCa’s selection process can be frustrating for students and said that the organization has been working to be more “approachable” and “public-facing”.

“We now have a communications team, which we feel will be a lot more helpful at connecting us with people on campus,” yang said. she added that BCa sent out a Google form for artist suggestions this year, and plans to host town halls and other events in the future to gauge student interests.

despite these setbacks, BCa remains hopeful for the prospects of this year’s festival.

yang added that labor-related costs for event staff and emergency medical services — which the undergraduate Financial Board had covered in prior years — added further stress to BCa’s finances on top of the already limited budget. Because these costs were not something BCa previously had to consider, most of the funds to cover them had to be taken out of the budget set aside for booking artists.

“Whether or not you might have known the artists beforehand, i think that a great performance is universally appealing,” yang added. she cited last year’s headliner remi Wolf as an example, noting that though many audience members had never heard

Fillip Gold ’26, who commented “straight garbage” on the lineup post, told The herald he feels that the artist selection “should be more of a democratic decision,” allowing students to vote on performers.

“i feel like just having more student opinions heard outside of BCa would have probably been more beneficial,” daniel said. “it’s a concert for (thousands of) people and only like 10 people are picking it.” BCa comprises

“unfortunately, that’s kind of the only area where we can truly afford to be flexible,” yang said, referring to the budget for artists. “We’re unable to sacrifice anything when it comes to production, security (or) any of the things that are keeping the festival safe and running adequately.”

“it wouldn’t be as easy as saying, ‘BCa needs to give us how much money they have, and then give us a list of people and then we all vote on those people,’” Will havens ’25 said. “as nice as it sounds, i think voting on this would kind of be impossible.”

“They’re doing their best with what they have,” Cara hutton ’26 said. “They all want to give people a good experience.”

“Overall, i think it’s maybe a less popular lineup compared to last year, but i think the lineup is strong and people are gonna have a

“We’re really excited for (the artists) coming this year and the show that they’re gonna put on,” yang said.

some students are also optimistic about this year’s performance.

“Certain people kind of went into learning about the lineup with a specific idea in mind, (and) i think that people should just try to be open about it,” Zaivion hampden ’27 said, discussing the controversy surrounding the lineup.

“Even though they might not have been artists … or the genre you would have wanted, it’s still worth going,” hampden said. “Maybe you’ll like it at the end of the day.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 9, 2024. BCA

INFRASTRUCTURE

Mayor Smiley faces backlash for South Water Street bike lane removal plan

City Council passes opposing resolution citing safety, cost, concerns

BY CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

since March, the city has considered temporarily closing the south Water street bike lane to alleviate traffic congestion from the Washington Bridge closure. On april 3, the City formally unveiled the bike lane removal proposal alongside other traffic mitigation plans.

The bike lane, located near the providence pedestrian Bridge, opened in October 2021 as a segment of providence’s Great streets initiative. since the Washington Bridge closed in december 2023, “drivers are often opting to leave the state highways to travel along city streets,” according to a press release.

“The city has been listening to feedback from neighbors and local businesses about the impact the Washington Bridge closure has had on our community, particularly involving the dramatic increase in traffic on our local roads,” wrote city spokesperson Josh Estrella in an email to The herald. “By removing the twoway protected bike path along south Water street, we are opening up that road to two lanes of travel which will significantly improve traffic congestion in this area.”

Local leaders, community members object

The proposal has faced backlash from community members and organizations. On april 4, the voting City Council Members passed a resolution introduced by Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) opposing smiley’s proposal.

according to Councilwoman rachel Miller, the City Council received 294 letters opposing the closure proposal. Only one received letter supported smiley’s decision.

i have profound concerns about the potential removal of the bike lanes on south

BUSINESSES

Water street,” Goncalves said. “removing the bike lanes would be completely backward in terms of positive quality of life.”

in his resolution, Goncalves cited the bike lane’s contributions to increased safety. Fatalities, total crashes and injuries have decreased since the installation of the south Water street bike lane and other two-way protected bike lanes, the resolution asserts.

“if streets are narrow, you’re going to drive slower,” said dylan Giles, an organizer with the providence streets Coalition, a collective of locals advocating for more transportation safety and accessibility. slower speeds reduce the likelihood of pedestrian and cycling accidents and promote traffic safety, he added.

Estrella emphasized that the city plans to “develop an enhanced urban trail adjacent to the current bike lane and will soon be installing pedestrian safety infrastructure, including a raised crosswalk.” Estrella added that the plans are not finalized and that community feedback will be considered.

Katrina demulling, owner of unpredictable Finds and other small businesses in the downtown area, said that smiley’s proposal prompted her to look into federal guidelines

on bikeway selection. Citing these guidelines, she argued that sharing the sidewalk with bikes and pedestrians “only makes sense when both walking and biking volumes are relatively low.”

The city has estimated that the bike lane removal and raised crosswalk construction will cost $750,000. “is it worth it?” asked Tyler Justin, owner of Mission Electric Bikes. “i don’t feel like we’re solving a problem.”

Stakeholders hesitant about effectiveness of mitigation plan

Giles expressed doubts that adding a second car lane back to south Water street would mitigate traffic. “all of those cars are going to have to go down to one lane anyways to get onto the highway,” he said.

Justin expressed a similar sentiment and said he would like to see more data from the city about exactly how the bike lane removal would improve traffic issues.

Estrella did not provide specific information about how the removal would improve traffic times. But he pointed to studies that addressed general concerns with the original bike lane construction plan in 2021. he

highlighted the rhode island department of Transportation traffic count data and a Fuss & O’Neill study commissioned by the i-195 redevelopment district Commission.

‘Ill-conceived from the get-go’

smiley has described the bike lane as “ill conceived from the get-go.” several local businesses, the rhode island school of design and the university signed onto a letter opposing the bike lane’s construction when it was initially proposed.

“We supported a bicycle lane on south Water street,” said university spokesperson Brian Clark in an email to The herald. “What we did oppose was the design of the bike lane, which we believed created a safety risk.” Clark explained that the design forces large trucks to obstruct traffic during deliveries, triggering other vehicles to make a ninety-degree turn with limited visibility, increasing traffic concerns. as for smiley’s current plan, “Brown has not been directly involved in conversations with the city,” Clark wrote. “We continue to support the need for bicycle lanes along south Water street.” plant City, one of the businesses that initially opposed the bike lane design, declined to comment on the mayor’s proposal. several other business owners have voiced support for the bike lanes and opposition to smiley’s plan.

demulling wants “to capture as much potential business as possible, which includes drawing in those who can bike.” For her, the bike lane drew in additional customers that traveled by bike or by walking, opening up parking space for customers traveling by car.

A bike-forward ecosystem some advocates suggested that increasing the presence of bike lanes and encouraging people to bike their commutes would be beneficial in alleviating congestion from the Washington Bridge closure.

“The vast majority of people driving during commute times are a single occupant in their car,” Giles said. if a fraction of those people switched to biking to commute, Giles argued, that could help improve traffic flow.

sam archer, an East providence resident, has been biking for his commute since long before the Washington Bridge closure. he moved to rhode island from Boston in July and chose his home in part because it was at “the meeting of two bike paths.” archer bikes into providence — often traveling via south Water street or Main street — and then takes the train to his job in Boston.

he described the south Water street path as “safer” than other streets and a route that he feels more comfortable bringing his 12-year-old son to.

archer, Justin and Jewett all cited walkability and bikeability as reasons they moved to the providence area. Justin moved to providence seven years ago and said that, generally, “it’s been getting much more bike-friendly” since then.

While bike lane advocates said the City Council’s opposing resolution to smiley’s proposal showed widespread public support for the bike lanes, the resolution was non-binding. as of now, smiley still plans to move forward with the removal.

The mayor hosted a community meeting on april 8 about the impact of the Washington Bridge closure, where several more bike lane advocates attended to share their opposition to the plan.

“The goal of the community meeting was to hear directly from the community about the impacts that the Washington Bridge closure has had,” Estrella wrote. “There will be ongoing engagement around the design of a future bike lane.”

i am required to drive for work, and i hate traffic as much as anyone else,” Tim Jewett, a member of the providence streets Coalition, wrote in an email to The herald. “The only way to reduce vehicular congestion is to provide alternative methods of transportation.”

All-vegan ice cream shop Like No Udder relocates to Hope Street

Shop signs new lease, opens larger shop with new menu items

BY MIRA WHITE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

i n the Fox point neighborhood lies a special spot for vegans and ice cream enthusiasts alike. But while gearing up for the 2024 season, the vegan ice cream shop l ike No udder found itself facing property challenges.

i n January, shop owners were informed that their lease at 170 i ves s t. would not be renewed, resulting in a weeks-long scramble to secure a new location prior to the spring and summer seasons — a critical period for any ice cream business.

The shop is now relocating to a new space at 783 hope st., two miles north of the former location, which it will share with providence Vegan d eli. With larger kitchen facilities, the shop plans to offer new menu items — but always vegan.

s ince its opening in 2010, l ike No udder has focused on “creating community, making delicious and consistent eats and always striving to do no harm to animals,” wrote owner Karen Krinsky.

“ i appreciate l ike No udder’s commitment to providing ‘yummy’ vegan

food that extends beyond ice cream,” wrote a aron Epstein ’25.

i think that l ike No u dder really shows people that vegan food can be fun and enjoyable, and encourages everyone to try it,” h annah s aiger ’25 wrote in a message to The herald.

d uring the first week of January, like No udder’s landlords decided not to offer the shop owners an opportunity to renew their lease. “it was a huge shock,” Krinsky wrote.

Forced to navigate commercial property rentals around Fox point and nearby

neighborhoods, l ike No u dder’s team began to explore other options for a location amid rising rent prices — combined with a rush to open before the warm weather, which attracts potential customers.

“Finding a spot in the right location

at the right price in a short amount of time is nearly impossible when there are so few rental properties in the area we have grown in and loved,” wrote Krinsky. “Needless to say, we have been spending every spare moment to make sure we get back on our feet quickly.”

The new location is surrounded by independent businesses and restaurants, and l ike No u dder’s owners remain optimistic that the shop will continue to attract their loyal college clientele.

“ i t is sad for my friends and i that l ike No udder is farther, but i am sure that we will still bike there to get to the new location,” s aiger wrote.

Epstein shared similar sentiments, writing to The h erald that he’s disappointed that l ike No udder will be moving out of Fox point but that he also plans to continue to visit the shop

“We will truly miss this neighborhood,” Krinsky wrote, “but know that this unexpected change will prove to be an even better place as we grow.”

Ciara MEyEr / hErald

According to Councilwoman Rachel Miller, the City Council received 294 letters opposing the closure proposal.

Save The Bay merges conservation efforts, family fun at new aquarium

Aquarium hosts educational programming, features touch tanks, local species

BY CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

This article is part of an Earth Month series exploring environmental issues, climate initiatives and community stakeholders throughout Providence and Rhode Island.

s mooth dogfish sharks, crabs, seahorses, starfish and clams: all residents of Narragansett Bay and on display at s ave The Bay’s new h amilton Family a quarium in downtown Newport. The aquarium, which opened its doors on March 18,

ports s ave The Bay’s conservation work by “bringing people in (and) showing them the animals that are affected by different issues, giving them that little spark of passion.”

Jessica d altorio, a visitor at the aquarium who graduated from the u niversity of r hode i sland last year with an animal science degree, highlighted the value of dedicating a space to educate people about the local environment.

“

i t’s nice to go to the beach and see (the animals) for yourself, but getting education and information along with that is vital,” she said. “Knowing that they are doing it in a sustainable way is also fantastic.”

s urrounding touch tanks and display

exclusively features species found in local waters, and a large majority of the animals on display will return to the Bay after bringing joy to children and adults alike.

s ave The Bay is a non-profit organization “with a mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay and a vision of a Bay that is fully fishable, swimmable and accessible to all,” according to the organization’s website. Their work focuses on education, advocacy and restoration.

The Bay’s previous aquarium and center on Easton’s Beach closed in October 2023, according to a press release.

“Following 17 years of successful operations … the nonprofit organization sought a larger, less vulnerable location to expand its educational offerings,” reads the press release.

“a huge part of (s ave The Bay’s) mission is education,” said Marissa s cott, aquarium education a meriCorps member at s ave The Bay. “ i n order to get people to care more about the (Narragansett) Bay and … help, first you need to know what you’re caring about.”

according to scott the aquarium sup -

cases, the aquarium’s walls are covered with informational diagrams, photos and interactive tablets where visitors can read about the aquarium’s animals, the history of Narragansett Bay and the organization’s broader conservation efforts. The aquarium also features puzzle and craft stations.

The main touch tanks — labeled “sandy shores,” “rocky shores” and “sandy bottom” — feature different animals found in various parts of the Bay. The aquarium also includes “tropical travelers,” or “animals swept up by the Gulf s tream,” explained Kady McCain, aquarist apprentice at s ave The Bay.

“Everything looks professional, the exhibits are so fancy and really well put together,” said Elsa Gonsiorowski, a visitor at the aquarium. Gonsiorowski and her three-year-old daughter were regular visitors at s ave The Bay’s old aquarium.

Meredith d oherty, an after-school assistant teacher, said her students would “be all over” the new aquarium.

l ast summer, d oherty’s students took a field trip to an aquarium two and

ClairE diEpENBrOCK / hErald

Elsa Gonsiorowski’s three-year-old daughter couldn’t pick a favorite animal or exhibit from her visit to the aquarium.

she loved “all of it!”

a half hours away. “ i t was rough,” she said. “They were overtired and hungry.”

The new h amilton Family a quarium solves the issue of travel. d oherty added that the new aquarium is within walking distance from the school.

General admission to the aquarium is $15, with a variety of discounted and free opportunities. Gonsiorowski and her young daughter plan to visit the aquarium frequently. They’d been visiting the old location “since she was born.”

Gonsiorowski’s daughter couldn’t pick a favorite animal or exhibit from her visit to the aquarium. s he said she loved “all of it!”

The aquarium is open Thursday through Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This

8, 2024.

She said

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Women’s rugby takes home second place in Crimson 7s in Cambridge

Bruno fell to Harvard in finals after undefeated regular play

BY LYDELL DYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

in a weekend thriller, the women’s rugby team (13–7, 3–3 ivy) traveled to Cambridge to compete in the Crimson 7s tournament, which features several teams from across New England.

The Bears went undefeated in regular play, but even after two stellar tries by lily Nowak ’27, the Bears fell 17–14 to harvard, taking home second-place in the tournament.

“We had a strong performance at Crimson 7s and showed a lot of growth tactically and technically,” Coach rosalind Chou wrote in a message to The herald. “But we still need to be able to have a complete defensive performance (and fewer) lapses in critical moments.”

in their first match-up of the day, the Bears took on american international College. Brown’s fierce defensive pursuit placed the team within aiC’s 22-meter line just a minute into the game, where akilah Cathey ’25 bulldozed two defenders for the first try of the day. a conversion by Julia Murray ’26 capped the score, and Brown took an early 7–0 lead.

after a 70-meter equalizer by aiC, the Bears struck back with a vengeance. in a dominant offensive showing, the team marched down the field where Murray split two defenders for the try. With time running down in the first half, Kate Muldoon ’26 heightened her offensive strategy, bursting through the tryline after a fake

BASEBALL

pass sent her defender reeling. heading into the half, Bruno led the game 21–5.

Though aiC was able to score once in the second half, they never touched the Bruno lead. With thirty seconds left, Jordan Wiseman ’27 put the final nail in the coffin with a 60-meter charge into the tryzone, securing a 28–12 victory. in their second contest of the day , Bruno’s offense came out to a hot start against sacred heart. Mirroring her earlier performance, Cathey barreled through her defenders to claim the early lead. a minute later, the Bears poached the ball in sacred heart’s territory, and lily Nowak ’27 scored to earn an early 12–0 advantage. in the second half, an unyielding passing game helped aziza alford ’25 elude sacred heart’s defenders on their way into the tryzone. Capped off by a Muldoon try, the Bears took home a 22–14 victory. The semi-finals pitted Brown against Quinnipiac. after going down early, the

Bears struck back with a comprehensive attack. With just under a minute to go in the half, the Bears intercepted a Quinnipiac throw-in, and Cathey scored to claim a 7–5 lead heading into halftime.

When play resumed, Muldoon pounced, laying out to cross the plain, extending the advantage to 14–5. piling on the point, Nowak — in a stunning display of strength and speed — corralled the ball behind the halfway line, outrunning the Bobcat defenders. in a declarative 19–12 victory, the Bears advanced to the finals.

With only one team separating them from the Cup, the Bears came out swinging against harvard. Nowak exploited a hole in the Crimson formation, piercing through the defensive line for the first try of the game. Converting the kick was Julia Murray, and Bruno took a 7–0 lead with 2:30 remaining in the first half.

But Brown’s defense faltered, and after three consecutive harvard tries, the Bears found themselves trailing 17–7. refusing

to give up, the offense rallied once more and Nowak scored for the second time that game. ultimately, though, the late surge was not enough to overcome the ten-point deficit. The Bears narrowly lost the game 17–14.

The Bears will next play in the ivy 7s tournament on april 20, where they hope to “build and improve on (their) performance from last year,” Chou wrote

“This group is an absolute joy to coach because they have such a passion for learning, paired with work ethic and

SCORES RECAP

WOMEN’S

TENNIS Vs darTMOuTh W 4-0

SOFTBALL Vs darTMOuTh l 0-3

WATER POLO Vs saiNT FraNCis W 9-8 Vs. BuCKNEll W 10-4

Vs

LACROSSE

MEN’S

TENNIS Vs darTMOuTh l 1-6

BASEBALL Vs priNCETON l 8-17

Vs harVard l 0-7

LACROSSE Vs. COrNEll l 8-14

competitiveness,” Chou added. “We keep surpassing expectations and our potential is limitless.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 9, 2024.

BRUNOS 8

BY THE NUMBERS

With a win margin of eight points, Brown’s baseball team defeated Harvard for the first time since 2009.

4

Overcoming a four-goal deficit with an explosive offense, Brown women’s water-polo team had a comeback to beat Saint Francis 9-8 on Saturday.

24

For the 24th time in program history, a Brown gymnast qualified for NCAA Regionals after Julia Bedell ‘25 posted a National Qualifying Score of 9.920 in Florida on Friday.

Baseball drops series at home against Princeton over weekend

Starting pitcher Santhosh Gottam ’25 delivers career outing in rubber match loss

BY LINUS LAWRENCE SPORTS EDITOR

The Brown baseball team (8-17, 3-6 i vy) lost two out of three games against p rinceton (9-16, 5-4 i vy) at a ttanasio Family Field at Murray s tadium over the weekend. The Bears now sit tied for sixth place in the conference standings as they approach the halfway mark in i vy play.

“Obviously we’d want to come away with a series win,” h ead Coach Grant a chilles said after the series finale on s unday afternoon. “There’s a lot of hunger, a lot of kids who are really working hard, and we’re right on the verge.”

The two teams traded blowouts in s aturday’s doubleheader, with the Tigers taking the opener 17-8 and the Bears winning the back-end 11-4. p rinceton’s bats barraged the Bears’ pitching in the first game, tagging Jack s eppings ’25, Carter r asmussen ’26 and Brenden Kline ’27 for at least four runs each. The centerpiece of the Tigers’ offensive effort was a nine-run seventh inning which saw 10 men come to bat — resulting in two homers, a triple, three doubles, three singles and a walk — before r asmussen retired three straight to stop the bleeding.

The Bears put eight runs on the

board, spearheaded by two r B i s apiece from eight and nine hitters a ndrew h anlon ’27 and Charles Crawford ’24. Crawford reached base in three of five plate appearances, blasting his third career home run.

Trailing 17-5 in the 9th inning, the Bears gave pinch-hit opportunities to some of their underclassmen, including trailblazer Olivia p ichardo ’26, who last spring became the first woman to make a d ivision i baseball roster. a fter reaching base on a walk in her second collegiate plate appearance, p ichardo notched another historic achievement: the first run scored by a woman at the d ivision i level.

p ichardo was one of three Bears to score in the final frame, but it was ultimately not enough for the Bears to overcome the p rinceton onslaught.

i n the second game, p rinceton once again jumped ahead early to go up 2-0 in the third inning, but Brown bit back with a five-run fourth. Catcher Conor Cooke ’25 got things going with a solo homer to cut the deficit in half before Mika petersen ’26, Mark h enshon ’26 and dJ d illehay ’26 mounted a two-out rally, with petersen eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

With two men on base, second baseman and clean-up hitter Gunner Boree ’25 — currently sporting a .517 on-base percentage in ivy play — pulled a rocket deep into the outfield. p rinceton center fielder Matt s cannell broke for the warning track and leapt above the fence,

but just barely missed an inning-ending home run robbery as the Bears went up 7-2.

“This whole weekend, this whole season, i ’ve been feeling pretty good,” Boree said of his recent success. “Just trying to stick to my approach and (trust) all the work i ’ve been putting in.”

Brown starter paxton Meyers ’24 and reliever Jacob young ’25 limited p rinceton to three hits while striking out 11, working around 10 walks to hold down the Tigers and give Brown an 11-4 win.

i n the rubber match on s unday, p rinceton once again struck first with a two-run double in the first inning, Bruno once again responded, tying the game on r B i s from Nathan Brasher ’25 and p etersen in the first and second respectively.

From that point forward, the game was a pure pitchers duel. Brown’s s anthosh Gottam ’25 turned in a phenomenal performance, striking out twelve in eight innings using 117 pitches — all new career-highs — while p rinceton’s s ean Episcope tossed six innings of four-hit ball.

“

h e was around the zone all day with all of his pitches,” a chilles said of Gottam. Even those two runs they got in the first inning, he (made) a great pitch and it was just right where we’re not.”

Gottam spoke to his success settling in after surrendering the lead to p rinceton early. “ i t’s a lot of mental toughness,” he explained. “ i ’ve had a lot of tough outings in my career at Brown and learned the mental toughness from that.” h e added that his ability to suc -

ceed after a tough start comes from practicing every day. “ i t’s not something that just happens naturally,” he said.

Neither team was able to break through until p rinceton finally got to Gottam in the eighth, taking advantage of a leadoff four pitch walk on a slicing r B i triple by designated hitter Jake Bold. p rinceton then tacked on another against rookie r yan Oshinskie ’27 in the ninth.

p rinceton pitching mowed down Brown batters, with Episcope and sidearmer Jacob Faulkner combining to retire 14 in a row before h enshon reached on an error in the bottom of the eighth. d illehay followed h enshon with a promising fly ball to center field, but s cannell reeled it in on the edge of the warning track.

“ h e gave it a good shot,” a chilles said. “But their centerfielder maybe had some thoughts of yesterday’s Gunner Boree home run.”

Jared Johnson ’25 gave the Bears a final hope with a pinch-hit, two-out double in the bottom of the ninth, but a ground ball from freshman Miles Newsome ’27 sealed the Tigers’ series victory.

The Bears will continue their season with a trio of games on the road against last-place d artmouth next weekend (715, 2-7 i vy). a ll games will be available to stream on E sp N+.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Women’s lacrosse bounces back, beats Dartmouth at home

Bears defeated the Big Green 18-11 following loss against Bulldogs

BY COOPER HERMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

after what attacker Greta Criqui ’25 described as “a devastating loss to yale” last weekend, the Bears (9-3, 2-2 ivy) bounced back with a dominating win against dartmouth (6-5, 0-4 ivy) on saturday at home. Brown was propelled by an uncanny first quarter in which the Bears scored eight unanswered goals to take a sizable lead which continued to mount en route to a win. The Bruno victory made head Coach Katrina dowd the winningest first-year head coach in program history.

For annie Burton ’25, maintaining a consistent offensive and defensive presence throughout the game was “key” for the win.

“lacrosse is a game of momentum shifts. When you have the momentum, you have to fight to keep it, and when you don’t have the momentum, you have to do everything in your power to get it back,” Burton wrote in an email to The herald. “in this game, both the offensive and defensive units did a great job of supporting each other through the shifts of the game,” despite brisk wind and misty rain, the Bears were firing on all cylinders, showing off their potent offense from the moment saturday’s contest began. Midfielder Maddie Joyce ’24.5 got Brown started by gracefully navigating the dartmouth defense and scoring the game’s first goal — and her eleventh this season — at the 11:21 mark.

Moments later, Criqui scored the first of her five goals in this game, ultimately leading the game in goals scored. “(The team) worked hard this week in practice to make sure we had a dominating performance,” Criqui wrote. “Coaches dowd, scotton and Gait prepared a great game plan for us. We were sharing the ball and finishing on our opportunities.

leah Caputo ’24.5 followed up shortly after with a goal of her own, extending the Brown lead to three and forcing the Big

Criqui ’25 led Brown with a game-high five goals. MEN’S

Green to make defensive adjustments.

Everything was clicking for Bruno. defensively, the Bears showed relentless aggression, suffocating the dartmouth offense and forcing turnovers. Offensively, Brown continued to mount its lead by sprinting downfield, firing clean passes and shooting pinpoint goals into the net. With 3:32 left in the first quarter, Bruno held a comfortable 8-0 lead.

Burton, who finished with a game-high six assists, spearheaded the Bruno offense.

“We were a cohesive unit working together, communicating and sharing the ball,” Burton wrote. “Our energy stayed high throughout the game even when we made mistakes, which is something we focused on all week in practice.”

With 90 seconds remaining in the first quarter, dartmouth’s Katie Elders finally ended their scoring drought, putting the Big Green in an 8-1 hole after one quarter. in spite of the steep deficit, dartmouth stayed resilient and never gave up. The Big

Green outscored the Bears 4-3 in the second quarter, leaving Brown up 12-5 at the half.

To combat dartmouth’s strong second-quarter effort, the Bears showed unwavering force after halftime. Flawlessly moving the ball around the dartmouth net, Brown’s offense continued to dominate as Joyce, Burton, sydney rathjen ’25 and Criqui combined for five unanswered goals to extend the Brown lead to 17-6. in the last five minutes of the third quarter, dartmouth’s Catherine Erb and Ellie Burdick added two goals to bring the score to 17-8.

dartmouth continued to fight in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bears 3-1. But rathjen’s eighth goal of the season at the 14:28 mark sealed the Bruno victory, handing the Bears a decisive 18-11 win.

“i think we saw a lot of success because we had a level of aggression and killer instinct from the start that we were missing last game against yale,” Burton wrote. “The defense came up with huge stops on the other end. and when dartmouth was able to get a few goals in a row, we put the ball in the back of the net on offense. it was a great team performance and both sides of the field were crucial to us getting the win.”

Brown’s next match-up is against ivy league rival princeton (7-3, 3-1 ivy). The Bears will tackle the Tigers at stevenson-pincince Field on saturday at noon. The game will be televised on the New England sports Network.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 7, 2024.

‘A very special moment’: Jack Kelly ’25 earns First Team All-American Honors at NCAA Championships

Kelly

BY GUS BAILEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For the first time in 80 years, a Brown swimmer has earned First Team a ll- a merican honors, a distinction reserved for the top eight finishers in each event at the NC aa championships.

On March 30, Jack Kelly ’25 was named a C s C aa a ll- a merican after finishing eighth in the 200-yard Breaststroke at the NC aa d ivision 1 Men’s Championships.

Kelly is the first Brown swimmer to make the Championship Final since Carl p aulson ’46 finished first in the 200 Breaststroke in 1944. Kelly is also the first since Thomas Glenn ’14 — who received an honorable mention in 2012 — to achieve an a ll- a merican honor.

“ i t means so much to me to bring Brown back onto swimming’s big stage,” Kelly wrote in an email to The h erald. “ i was so thankful to be a part of the finals, and i couldn’t have done it without my teammates who push me in the pool and the weight room everyday.”

“ i t’s hard to even put into words how significant it is to compete in the Championship Final and earn FirstTeam a ll- a merican,” Coach Kevin Norman wrote. “ s eeing the Brown ‘B’ flashing on the entrance tunnel as Jack walked out for his Championship Final

was something i will always cherish, and (it was) a very special moment for Brown Men’s s wimming & d iving.”

Originally from yonkers, N.y., Kelly was the 11th seed going into the 200 Breaststroke, but the coaches felt that his strong preparation put him in a good position to exceed that placement.

“We felt he had been prepping well for that race and had a good chance of scoring in the top 16,” Norman wrote, adding that this alone “would have been amazing, but sneaking into that

Championship Final at night was unbelievable.”

Their confidence and Kelly’s hard work paid off. h e finished in 1:51.65 in the p reliminaries, edging out Virginia Tech’s a J pouch by .04 seconds to make it to the a Final, where he swam 1:53.27.

Kelly also nearly earned s econd Team a ll- a merican honors in the 100-yard Breaststroke race, finishing in 18th place.

a ttributing his success to the consistent work he and the team have put

in this season, Kelly wrote that he “found the best way to prepare was to trust the training my team and i had done throughout the year.” h e added, “a t this point in the season, all the hard training was completed, and it was now time to have fun and race.”

Norman praised Kelly’s attitude along with his “relentless drive and work ethic.” Kelly “sets goals for himself with the understanding of how hard he will have to work to accomplish them, and he’s not afraid to fail,”

Norman wrote to The h erald. “ h e just keeps getting better.”

l ooking forward to next season, Kelly, who is currently a junior, said his goals are centered around Bruno’s success as a team. “ i hope to help push my teammates so that Brown can send multiple swimmers to the NC aa s and to place in the top three” at the i vy l eague Championships, he wrote. “ i could talk about breaking times, but what really matters is winning with your team.”

Coach Norman echoed Kelly’s emphasis on team success. Norman wrote that the team fell short of their goal of finishing in the top three at i vy l eague Championships. “Based on results from last year, we have identified some changes we are going to make in our training from an individual approach and also as a team.”

“We also learned a lot being at NC aa s and (used) that as an opportunity to observe how the best teams in the country operate on the deck, communicate and prepare to race,” Norman added.

For now, though, Kelly and the team will celebrate his historic achievement. “ s eeing my name as one of the top eight finishers was just so surreal,” Kelly wrote. “ i was able to share this moment with both my coaches — Coach Matt and Coach Kevin — as we jumped up and down with excitement. i t was such a joyful moment.”

becomes first Bears swimmer since 1944 to accomplish feat

Kelly finished eighth in the 200 Breaststroke and 18th in the 100 Breaststroke.

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

If you are reading from the future (or from under a rock), this past Monday, we just celebrated the last total solar eclipse until 2044. For two hours, myself and what must have been every one of Brown’s undergraduates, graduates, faculty, their direct family, their extended family, and even a few pets gathered on the Main Green to look to the skies and bask in the magnificence of these far off celestial bodies crossing each other’s paths. This is the annual time when we all flock to the green to share a chat, a charcuterie board, or maybe something else (but not until next week). In the past two years, however, I have never passed something around with as much genuine excitement as I did those $5 eclipse glasses. I jumped and hollered and pointed—as if anyone had any doubts as to what was going on. I felt a level of awe that has left me wandering around campus empty, save for the tinge of regret I feel for not making the drive a couple hundred miles north to see the eclipse in totality. There will be a few more memorable days on the green in the coming weeks, but I fear that none may ever live up to the feeling of sheer amazement I felt on Monday.

This week in post-, our writers are reflecting on a few seminal experiences in their own lives. In Feature, our writer thinks about the cherry blossoms and how their annual bloom mirrors the transient stages of her life. In Narrative, one writer explores her relationship with alone time while the other writer recounts her time at boarding school and an experience with a UTI and McDonalds (correlation does not imply causation). In A&C, one writer reviews a book from her high school senior year that she is revisiting as she graduates Brown, and the other one thinks about growing older with Lizzy McAlpine. Rounding out this issue, one Lifestyle writer offers some timely tips on how to turn any dorm into a home, and the other one gives a guide for forming parasocial relationships around campus. And make sure to check out the first mini crossword from our talented new creator!

Out of Bloom

Samira Lakhiani

To Be Alone or Not to Be Alone

Gabi Yuan

Growing Pains Never Grow Old

Alaire Kanes

As I sit in the post- office writing this note to our lovely readers, I can’t help but think about the last solar eclipse I witnessed—on my tattered high school football field, after a sweaty morning of band camp, among a crowd of strangers whom I viewed with a mix of fear and discomfort. On Monday, I shared the sight on our beloved Main Green, after a morning of chatting with my closest friends in the world, among a crowd of brilliant, eccentric, fascinating people whom I feel honored to call my classmates. I hope all you amazing people find a moment this week to continue the momentum and feel awe, wonder, and a deep sense of internal questioning with this week’s edition of post-! Don’t worry, we won’t make you wait twenty years for the next one!

Feminine Woes at Boarding School

Nina Lidar

How to Make a Dorm a Home!

Daphne Cao

Nina Lidar

A Farewell to Brown

Dorrit Corwin

“I feel like clotting is kinda overhyped.”

“Do you think they’ll let dat ass pass?”

“And what are secrets if not aloneness? A vow you make to yourself. An invisible shield. To identify the parts of yourself you hope no one sees. To make it so. To hide something, you must first hide the fact that something has been hidden. Bury the object and burn the map.”

— Emily Tom, “Secrets”

“The passing of time is easy to miss when you don’t pay attention. It sweeps by, and sometimes we want it to. We don’t realize how fast it’s going until it’s behind us. Then, when a timestamp reveals itself, it’s a jarring feeling.”

— Marin Warshay, “The Routine of Nostalgia” 4.15.22

1. Eclipse

2. Your campus crush

3. post-

4. You ;)

5. Those TikToks where the thing gets crushed through the machine

6.Your mom

7. Paint drying

8. The abyss

9. The Weather app at a party

10. The ceiling

COMMENTARY Aizenberg ’26: No, the eclipse was not going to blind you

The solar eclipse earlier this week sparked widespread wonder and amazement. The Main Green was filled with hundreds of students excited to view the first total american solar eclipse since 2017. This awe, however, was accompanied by serious warnings to not look at the sun during the eclipse without proper protective eyewear. News platforms published articles with eye-catching headlines like “Why you absolutely cannot stare at the sun without eclipse glasses.” Others published long lists about how to stay safe during the eclipse. some schools closed early out of fear that students would stare at the sun during dismissal, while others canceled classes entirely.

Though solar eclipses certainly necessitate a level of caution, this widespread anxiety about the dangers of the eclipse was largely unwarranted and it obscured the country’s communal sense of wonder with worry and fear.

staring at an eclipse without appropriate eye protection is obviously ill-advised. such actions could lead to severe injury. For example, during the 2017 solar eclipse, one patient suffered permanent eye damage after directly looking at the sun for 20 seconds. however, most people intuitively know not to stare at the sun — it is always dangerous to do so, regardless of if an eclipse is occurring.

still, despite these dangers, solar eclipses have never caused a significant number of eye injuries. during a 1991 eclipse that was watched by over 50 million people in Mexico, there were only 21 moderate cases of eclipse-related visual impairment recorded. a 1999 eclipse over the entirety of France resulted in 147 injuries. similarly, the 2017 eclipse

Letter: Response to ‘Smiley pushes for noise camera installation in Providence’

To the Editor:

We appreciated herald senior staff writer Ciara Meyer’s Mar. 21 article regarding Mayor smiley’s proposal to use noise cameras to address one of the most prevalent sources of excessive and unnecessary noise we hear about through our Community Noise survey. Over 90% of providence residents’ survey submissions indicate they are exposed to vehicle noise, especially modified mufflers and over-amplified audio systems.

in Ms. Meyer’s article, a member of the Brown university school of public health faculty explained that exposure to excessive noise “negatively (impacts) physical and mental health” and that noise levels were higher in lower-income neighborhoods. Nonetheless, she opposes installing noise cameras in those areas due to the potential for higher levels of surveillance — despite the fact that these neighborhoods suffer the most from the adverse effects of high noise levels.

That seems contrary to the core idea of public health, while also privileging a small subset of people who deliberately produce unnecessary noise, degrading the health of others. somehow, people who advocate for more equitable allocation of public resources to address community disparities seem instead to prefer an equal allocation when it comes to noise cameras.

But don’t the city residents most exposed to noise deserve equitable relief from it?

providence should allocate its noise cameras equitably — i.e., in areas where vehicle noise is most prevalent or residents complain about it the most, in order to address its adverse health effects. it should not put them in quiet, low-traffic areas based on a perverse notion of “equality” or other claims that undermine public health.

John Wilner Communications Coordinator, The providence Noise project

over North america was viewed by an estimated 150 million and still led to just 100 cases of retinal damage. Before this event, hospitals braced for a potential surge in patients. some spent months preparing and planning. yet, there was no notable increase in patients with eye problems. There was not even an uptick in other accidents typically as-

forces us to look away long before any lasting harm can occur. incredibly, the eye can actually heal and protect itself: “Corneal abrasions” (colloquially known as eye scratches) heal without medical intervention, and tears prevent infections before they happen. Eyelids and eyelashes stop dirt, dust, and other foreign objects from entering the eye.

Though solar eclipses certainly necessitate a level of caution, this widespread anxiety about the dangers of the eclipse was largely unwarranted and it obscured the country’s communal sense of wonder with worry and fear. “ “

sociated with large national events. Furthermore, most of the people who came into hospitals with worries did not actually end up having substantial injuries.

One explanation for this lack of mass eye dam age is that it is ultimately very difficult to perma nently harm the human eye. Our eyes have evolved protective mechanisms that induce discomfort and trigger tearing when exposed to sunlight, which

were covered with clouds, which made the eclipse hard to observe and less compelling for viewers. plenty of others, i assume, were likely inside, busy with work or uninterested in the eclipse — only 53% of americans expressed the intention to watch it. plus, the eclipse was fairly brief — and thus easier to miss — in regions further from the “path of totality.” For instance, it was only visible for about an hour in los angeles (compared to nearly twoand-a-half hours in providence).

some of the concern over the eclipse may have just been human nature: we have a long-standing fear of uncontrollable solar events. (For example, the Babylonians thought that it could signify the imminent death of a king and the incas suspected that it was a sign of their sun god inti’s anger and coming wrath). Most of the worry, however, was a product of media alarmism and increasing safetyism. The reality is that few people look at the eclipse without eclipse glasses since looking directly at the sun is always uncomfortable. Even people who did look at it unprotected probably recovered. Furthermore, a large proportion of americans likely missed the eclipse or did not care enough to watch it. as with previous solar eclipses, there was likely no surge in eye-related hospital

Garo ’24: You may be misunderstanding the point of divestment

d ivestment is not a new topic to many american colleges and universities. it first disrupted american campuses in the 1970s and 80s as students protested companies involved in south africa’s apartheid regime. Many of today’s students likely recognize the current fossil fuel divestment movement, which has seen several successes since its inception in 2012. however, there is a different divestment movement that has gained significant traction over the past few months, especially on Brown’s campus: the movement to divest from companies complicit in the israeli occupation of palestine and the current destruction of Gaza.

since hamas killed 1,200 israelis during the devastating Oct. 7 attacks, israel’s brutal retaliatory siege on the Gaza strip has drawn fierce criticism from students across the country, and Brown is no exception. last semester, pro-divestment student activists — myself among them — staged two separate sit-ins at university hall, resulting in a total of 61 arrests. The current semester has already seen an eight-day hunger strike and several demonstrations. But president paxson continues to refuse to bring a divestment proposal to Brown’s governing body and the public at large questions the effectiveness of divestment. We must understand what the divestment movement hopes to achieve — and why it should succeed.

let’s get this out of the way early: d ivestment does not substantially impact the market value of targeted companies. however, those who use this fact as an argument against the divestment movement are missing the point. The goal of divestment is not to completely tank the companies implicated in these human rights violations. The divestment movement has many goals, and each of them can have meaningful consequences that go far beyond any decline in shareholder value.

Firstly, divestment is a clear campaign goal. israel’s apartheid regime, much like the former apartheid regime in south africa, is a complex system in a faraway country supported by a web of various political and economic interests. it is a difficult beast to tackle. d ivestment offers a focal point for student campaigns, and with each divestment proposal that makes it to a vote, the movement is reinvigorated.

With a solid campaign goal and a clearly defined movement, activists can work toward their next goal: spreading awareness. simply put, an issue will not be addressed if no one knows about it. as students organize around divestment, they bring attention to the many ways — financial and otherwise — that their institutions support and

“

movement: stigmatization. as the complicity of various companies in human rights violations is brought to light and subsequently shamed, a social and political stigma is created around associating with institutions inflicting these abuses.

Even if this does not directly influence corporate behavior, it may eventually compel governments to act. as more people became aware of the evils of south african apartheid, pressure mounted for american politicians to respond. Though Cold War-era politics had many politicians wary of cutting ties with the anti-communist apartheid government, the public pressure eventually became too much, and Congress passed the Comprehensive anti-apartheid act. The bill’s economic sanctions, in addition to the resulting exodus of multi-

If the ultimate goal of divestment is stigmatization, then informal divestment is not enough.

uphold certain injustices. student activists may even hold teach-ins, invite guest speakers and create educational materials to educate the public. This type of peer education is essential for building public pressure, especially as conversations of divestment may open up discussions about other types of financial or economic sanctions.

This leads us to the last goal of the divestment

“

national corporations from south africa, created a massive financial burden that contributed to the eventual fall of the apartheid regime.

Though they were slow on the uptake, Brown’s leaders eventually also took action. in 1987, the Campus Committee on south africa wrote, “it is apparent to all of us that a far more important impact of divestment than its direct

Sandhu ’25: Diversity, equity and inclusion

Growing up with a name that is not easy for everyone to pronounce, i struggled to feel recognized and included in classrooms where teachers did not learn my name. i n the past, i had grown accustomed to mispronunciations of my name, undermining my sense of identity in class. Because of this, i know that pronouncing names correctly has the power to accelerate the progress of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in education. Though it may seem like a minor detail, correctly using a student’s name creates a space where students can feel confident about their identity, their learning and their belonging in academic settings. a nd considering it is so simple, there is no reason why we shouldn’t all respect each other’s names.

a t the start of this semester, i anticipated a familiar experience. i t was the first day of classes. s tudents peered at the door to check the room number and then silently filed into the classroom. i followed, taking a seat somewhere in the middle-front of the room. a s the professor read out the class list and neared the end of the alphabet, i began looking for the signs. Will she pause? Will her expression appear unsure? Will everyone’s eyes turn to me when i speak up to diffuse her mistake? But this time, the pause never came. When i ’m called, my name rings

around the room in perfect pronunciation. a ll i have to say is, “ h ere!”

What was different? This professor was acquainted with my name. The feeling i got knowing that i wasn’t anonymous in this class made me want to speak up more. i t also encouraged

economic effects … is its indirect communication of our seriousness of purpose to the us Government”

unfortunately, the university’s current leaders have forgotten the lessons learned by their predecessors. in response to recent demands for divestment, the investment Office has claimed they informally do not invest in the weapons manufacturers identified as divestment targets by the Brown d ivest Coalition, a claim impossible for community members to verify due to the endowment’s opaque nature. But more importantly, this claim does not absolve the Brown Corporation of its duty to publicly commit to abstaining from future investments in companies profiting off of israel’s human rights abuses. if the ultimate goal of divestment is stigmatization, then informal divestment is not divestment that works.

d ivestment might not seem like much, but we are in the early days of this anti-apartheid divestment movement. so far, the only american college or university to divest from the occupation of palestine is the small liberal arts school of hampshire College. hampshire College was also the first american school to divest from south african apartheid in 1977; seldom does our hindsight offer such clear direction for the future.

history has shown us that the seemingly dull sword of divestment is a powerful weapon in the fight against grave injustice, and it is the most powerful tool Brown has as an academic institution. so let us wield it.

Isabella Garo ’24 can be reached at isabella_garo@brown. edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

in the classroom starts with names

a discussion, a professor who did not take the time to learn challenging names acknowledged these contributions before a contribution made by “Meher,” ultimately depriving some students of equally deserved recognition. i found myself accepting mispronunciations of my name in or-

Considering it is so simple, there is no reason why we shouldn’t all respect each other’s names.

my classmates to make an effort to learn my name since the professor set an expectation that it was known, pronounceable and important to remember. i felt confident, included and equal to my peers. i n the past, i have often thought that to be an excellent student, i had to accommodate or simplify my name so that teachers would recognize me and, therefore, my work.

When “Jane” or “ s am” contributed positively to

der to draw less attention to its difficulty and to make sure i was known at all, whether it was by the correct pronunciation of my name or not.

poet h arman Kaur writes in her collection “ p hulkari” about the experience of growing up with a p unjabi name that is difficult to pronounce. s he writes that if her classmates can study the pronunciation of scientific terms, they can learn her name. a s a biology student, i have

diligently learned how to pronounce complicated organic chemistry nomenclature and bacteria names so that, when i spoke up in class, i felt prepared and knowledgeable. s cientific language is universally taught, and, regardless of the student’s native language, they are expected to memorize difficult jargon with ease. Why should we not make the same effort with names?

The solution to this problem has two components. The first is a willingness in teachers to learn how to say students’ names the way they like, and the second is for schools to hire a more diverse faculty that reflects the diversity of students. Not only does diversity in academia offer new perspectives to the learning experience, but representation amongst faculty welcomes minority-background students into the classroom by fostering a sense of belonging. Every student benefits from diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts. a nd that starts with a commitment to calling every student by their name of choice.

Meher Sandhu ’25 can be reached at meher_sandhu@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

EVENTS

Author, poet Lemn Sissay talks craft, forgiveness, family at readings

Event part of the ninth annual conference on Adoption and Culture

BY CATE LATIMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The moment lemn sissay enters a room, audiences can tell he is there to perform. he is open and smiling, cracking so many jokes between his poems and memoir readings that the event feels almost like stand-up comedy interspersed with memories of sissay’s painful early life in the British child care system.

sissay opened the ninth annual alliance for the study of adoption and Culture Conference with a poetry reading on Thursday. Organized by Emily hipchen, the director of the nonfiction writing program and a senior lecturer in English, the poetry reading was the first of three events featuring sissay. On Friday, sissay also delivered the conference’s keynote address. There, he read his memoir “My Name is Why,” recounting his experience being surrendered to the care of the government as an infant and living in foster and children’s homes during his childhood.

“if this is your first poetry reading, i’m sorry,” sissay joked, stopping halfway through his first poem, which told the story of a man hanging onto a branch on the face of a cliff.

in an interview with The herald, sissay

shared that he had known that he wanted to be a poet from age 12.

“The feeling of security is what i got when i wrote and i felt the world around me was incredibly insecure. and writing gave me a sense of purpose,” he said. “poetry is around us all of the time, and it’s very powerful.”

“i write because creativity is a celebration of what it is to be human,” he added.

“i think when i write, i’m alive.”

For sissay, it is okay for audience members to feel confused by his work. “it’s good not to understand something,” he said. “let go of any idea that you’re in the wrong place.”

at the poetry reading, sissay read from his collections “Morning Breaks in the

Elevator” and “let the light pour in,” the latter comprising the four-line poems he publishes every morning on X.

sissay has been writing posts on X for 13 years, he said at the event. Every day, he faces “the idea that they might be crap and that someone could be laughing at how bad they are.”

“i don’t do it for likes, because if i did it for likes, i would have to write what i thought other people liked,” he added. “and i write what i like.”

sissay not only writes what he likes — he also talks about exactly what he wants to. Before reading his poem “invisible Kisses,” he jokes that he is going to sue every couple who has read his poem at their wedding.

“did you pay me?” he asked, faking sincerity. “you stole from a poet.” he began his poem before stopping in the middle to clarify. “Can i just say, i’m not suing anybody?”

Throughout the reading, the room was electric with laughter. sissay charmed with each piece he read, poking playfully at anyone who arrived late or left early.

after reading the first poem in “let the light pour in,” sissay told the audience that they would be singing the poem.

“There’s no rules to how a poetry reading should be,” he said. “so we’re gonna sing it.” The audience agreed, repeating the melody back to him. he continued his reading, alternating between the darker and more lighthearted of his four-line poems before transitioning to a Q&a his keynote performance, while still decorated with jokes, was more serious. reading from his memoir, sissay recounted his memories of being stolen from his mother, having his name changed and growing up in Britain’s child care system.

Before he began reading, sissay told the audience that his memoir “acts as a witness statement to what happened to me because there were no witnesses.”

“Family is a set of disputed memories between one group of people over a lifetime,” he said. “i didn’t have anybody to dispute the memory of me.”

during the Q&a sissay discussed forgiveness and how he was able to forgive

‘Resident Alien’ rediscovers humanity through extraterrestrial eyes

Alan Tudyk’s tour-deforce performance makecomedy a must-watch

BY ANISHA KUMAR

a s both a sitcom addict and a secret s tar Trek fan, i have to admit that the science fiction show “ r esident a lien” lies at a particularly compelling intersection of my interests. But i simply can’t recommend it enough for any audience. The show’s third season premiered Feb. 14 on s yFy, with the eighth and final episode of the season released last Wednesday.

Based on a comic series of the same name, “ r esident a lien” follows an alien

(a lan Tudyk) who crash lands in the small mountain town of p atience, Colorado and assumes the body of town doctor h arry Vanderspeigle after killing him. With each episode, h arry grows more and more human, forging connections with local residents and discovering emotion — a capacity his species does not have. There’s just one problem: he’s on a mission to eradicate all human life on Earth.

Billed as a sci-fi comedy on its release in 2021, “ r esident a lien” intricately weaves together different genres — a family show, a drama, a mystery and a psychological thriller. d isarming transitions between the wacky and the serious characterize the show. a t one moment, h arry plots to circumcise a baby to forge

a d Na sample, and, at another, a family copes after aliens abduct their baby.

The show’s triumph lies in its ability to ground every wild storyline in the small and intimate — co-workers navigating a rocky relationship, families growing or kids making friends. CG i aliens, though freakishly realistic, fade away in comparison with bittersweet, softly cinematic moments that capture loss, acute grief and newfound love

his foster parents for putting him back into the child care system.

“you can’t forgive somebody just for your own benefit,” he said. “you have to forgive them because you believe that they are deserving of forgiveness.”

For sissay, forgiving his parents lifted a weight off of his shoulders. “any darkness in me was my responsibility. Couldn’t be blamed on anything,” he said. “it was (up) to me to work through it.”

during the reading, sissay reassured the audience that he “was okay.” and it seemed he truly was: smiling and joking throughout his reading, sissay seemed to radiate joy.

in an interview with The herald, sissay shared the secret to his happiness.

“i think that there’s something bigger in the world. i don’t know what it is. For some people it’s God, for some people, it’s creativity,” he began. “But i think that’s really important to me, to know that i’m not the most important thing in the world — that there’s something much bigger than me. i think that’s the main thing that helps my wellbeing and keeps me happy.”

he also highlighted the importance of finding joy in what you do. “Find a career that you love,” he said. “and then stay there. do things that make you happy.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 7, 2024.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Festival of Dance Come view student performances in dances developed within Taps courses.

april 11 - 13, 8 p.m. and april 14, 2 p.m.

Ashamu Dance Studio

Sketching Sound Chamber Music Concert

In the Lab presented by the Black Music lab. the event celebrates saMMus, Nadine lee and dr. madison moore.

april 12, 8 p.m.

Lindemann Performing Arts Center

New York Classical Players Concert

The event features risd illustration students who will respond to the live music with drawing exercises.

april 13, 1 p.m.

Lindemman Performing Arts Center

Tudyk — a human playing an alien playing a human — demonstrates a masterful command of every layer of his character. h e’s joined by a sta Twelvetrees (s ara Tomko), a fiercely caring nurse at the p atience clinic, former Olympic skier and current self-deprecating wild child d ’ a rcy Bloom (a lice Wetterlund), haplessly naive town Mayor Ben h awthorne (l evi Fiehler) and the

The event will feature two pieces by associate professor of Music Eric

Nathan

april 11, 7 p.m.

Grant Recital Hall

oft-misguided s heriff Mike Thompson (Corey r eynolds), among others.

The third season opens with the revelation that Ben and his wife Kate (Meredith Garretson) are both regularly getting abducted by evil aliens. Over eight episodes — the season was cut short due to the sa G-a FT ra writers’ strike — “ r esident a lien” introduces a birdalien love interest for h arry, presents yet another threat to wipe out humanity and ends on a breathtaking cliffhanger that will leave minds spinning.

While the risks taken by the show mostly paid off, it’s unclear how much longer the writers can credibly keep plot holes from unraveling with hand-wavy explanations of “alien technology.”

“ r esident a lien” strikes a curious aesthetic balance between the alien — gleaming metal and green glows — and the familiar — puffer jackets, wine and cobblestone roads. But its main appeal comes from the latter: flawed characters playing out quintessential dramas against a backdrop of postcard-perfect r ockies. i n the end, “ r esident a lien” is nothing but human.

and Culture Conference with a poetry reading on Thursday.

CGI aliens, though freakishly realistic, fade away in comparison with bittersweet, softly cinematic moments that capture loss, acute grief and newfound love.

ARTS & CULTURE

Avantika talk at Granoff kicks off 23rd annual Ivy Film Festival

Actress discussed creative inspirations, diversity in Hollywood

BY CAVAN AGATONE STAFF WRITER

This Monday, avantika — a mononymous actress well-known for her recent portrayal of Karen in the musical adaptation of “Mean Girls” (2024) — gave a talk at the Granoff Martinos a uditorium, marking the first event of the 23rd annual i vy Film Festival.

The discussion was moderated by a ilsa Kokoricha ’26 and l emuel Greaves ’26, two members of the i FF team. The interview was followed by an open Q& a session.

Over the hour-long talk, avantika gave insight into various aspects of her career, starting with her experience in the entertainment industry as a ballet dancer. s tarting at a young age, she eventually transitioned into acting due to the long-term physical taxation of dance.

avantika cited facing many challenges when pursuing a career in film, some of which stemmed from a lack of worker protections. u pon her initial expression of wanting to act professionally, her mother suggested that she make her debut in the i ndian film industry to avoid stereotype-casting. s he described

working in i ndia as “very rough” due to the lack of a union system, and recalled leaving film sets at 3:00 a.m. and returning at 6:00 a.m.

d espite these challenges, she likened her relationships with her castmates in the i ndian film industry to a “family,” contrasting it to the bureaucratic structure of the a merican film industry.

avantika also discussed previous, current and future projects. s he shared her affinity for her character in “Mean Girls,” describing Karen as “someone who remains joyful because of how ignorant she is.” avantika explained that she always looks to “inject joy” in her roles and that it was important to her to play a brown person who is “okay with being stupid and doesn’t feel the need

to compensate.”

s he later spoke more about the importance of “using her voice” to promote further diversity in h ollywood and also referenced her cultural background in her work and image.

avantika also shared that she will be taking a leave of absence from her studies at Columbia to focus on her career. s he criticized higher ed -

ucational institutions for making it difficult for students to pursue extracurricular opportunities on top of their schoolwork.

d uring the Q& a session many attendees took the opportunity to ask a wide range of questions. h er dream project, whether or not she likes seeing TikTok edits of herself and how she chooses roles that feel authentic to her cultural identity were some of the themes discussed.

Taarini Godbole ’27 described the talk as “really inspiring and cool to see.” “a s a s outh a sian person, it is really nice to see her perspective on going into this industry and how she navigated everything,” Godbole added.

Jennifer Tran ’25 enjoyed learning more about avantika’s “perspective and her lived experiences,” especially in a moment of growing a sian representation in media, she said.

The i vy Film Festival will continue throughout the week. Future events include a screening of “The i dea of you” starring Nicholas Galitzine and a nne h athaway on a pril 13 and a discussion with “Wicked” actress Cynthia Erivo on a pril 14.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 9, 2024.

Doja Cat references past releases, drifts away from pop in “Scarlet 2 CLAUDE”

Deluxe album introduces new sound, shift from bubblegum pop

BY MANAV MUSUNURU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

d oubling down on her mission to shift away a the bubblegum pop sounds of her past hits, d oja Cat released the deluxe version of her 2023 album “scarlet” on april 5 with little prior notice.

The album, “ s carlet 2 C laud E,” references the antagonist Claude Frollo from Victor hugo’s novel “The hunchback of Notre-d ame.” The name of the deluxe edition serves as a metaphor that represents the pressures creatives face in the music industry — much like the pressures Frollo imposed upon Esmerelda throughout hugo’s novel, according to doja Cat. The project also features a new cover: a zoomed-in picture of doja Cat’s natural hair.

The album was leaked just two days before its scheduled release, but doja Cat was seemingly unbothered by the event. i n a now-deleted post on X, d oja Cat asked her followers, “What does it mean when someone leaks an album why do people get upset?” she went on to explain that she doesn’t care about streams — maintaining the nonchalant attitude she’s had throughout this era of hers — instead advising her fans to “look forward to the awesome things (she has) coming up!!” placed at the beginning of the album rather than the end, d oja Cat showcases her versatility throughout the seven new songs on the deluxe edition. Many of the tracks also reflect the aesthetics of doja Cat’s previous releases and projects, incorporating genres outside of the hip-hop

and trap sounds of “scarlet.”

d oja Cat channels nostalgia in the opening track, “aCKNOWlEdGE ME,” in which she raps about her annoyance with her partner’s behavior while setting her boundaries and boasting about her wealth and popularity. “ disr E sp ECTF ul ,” a standout on the deluxe album, could easily be confused for a KayTraNada production with its house-inspired sound that would fit perfectly into d oja Cat’s debut album, “amala.” The outro of this track features d oja Cat and a chorus of male voices calling on various groups to “get rowdy” with a catchiness that gives the song viral potential.

The interestingly titled “ urrrGE!!!!!!!!!!” is a more trap-inspired track that feels like a continuation of “Fuck the Girls (FTG)” from the original release of “scarlet,” as doja Cat raps about practicing self-control when wanting to fight her critics. an outstanding guest appearance from a$ap rocky on the track, one of only two features on “ s carlet 2 C laud E,” steals the spotlight from d oja Cat. riddled with rhymes and double entendres, his verse highlights his excellent writing skills while proving that it may be impossible for d oja Cat to choose a bad feature for any of her songs. d oja Cat asserts her dominance over her critics in the next track “OKlOsEr .” The playful and fun vibe of the track — produced by longtime collaborator yeti Beats, among others — is reminiscent of doja Cat’s old soundCloud releases, “NiNTENdhOE” and “u w u.”

The lead single of the deluxe album, “M as C,” features a guest appearance from Teezo Touchdown. On the track

issues with a lover, repeatedly singing, “Boy, we way too old / For this shit.”

Teezo Touchdown’s almost spectacular verse — which consists of both rapping and singing — is overshadowed by his off-putting repetition of “i need your feet cuddlin’ mine.” The accompanying music video strays away from the high-budget looks of d oja Cat’s past music videos, instead opting for a more simplistic set design: a spotlight and a blue stage.

Overt references to horror — a theme seen across the previous music videos for “scarlet” — are also absent, replaced by subtle references to spiders and bat skeletons in a video focused on the artists’ high fashion.

d oja Cat flaunts her wealth and diamonds on the track “ piss ,” which is

— d oja Cat discusses her

— an antithesis of her previous single “agora hills”

similar to a revised version of “ s hine” from her sophomore album “hot pink.” a ttentive listeners may even notice a creatively-placed sample of d oja Cat’s own song “love life” playing in the background during the spoken word outro. “ h E adhi G h ,” much like many of the previous tracks, reflects d oja Cat’s past sounds. The track evokes memories of “purrr!” — doja Cat’s debut Ep. The track — whose first verse sounds somewhat like a voicemail — is the most personal on the deluxe album, tackling doja Cat’s struggles with self-confidence and criticism. d oja Cat addresses her estranged relationship with her father in the second verse, rapping, “Fatherless, i do act so fatherless / Except that’s not actin,’ actually, i lack some confidence.” s he

then fights back and expresses sympathies for her critics, encouraging them to be kinder and take control of their lives, rather than waste time fighting with her on the internet.

d oja Cat continues to showcase her versatility as an artist with “ s carlet 2 ClaudE,” proving that she can escape any box that she may be confined to.

With her headlining gig at Coachella and the European leg of her “scarlet Tour” scheduled in the upcoming weeks, one can only attempt to predict the creativity d oja Cat will unleash as she explores what it truly means to be an artist and performer.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 7, 2024.

Cat continues to showcase her versatility as an artist with “Scarlet 2 CLAUDE,” proving that she can escape any box that she may be confined to.

CaVaN aGaTONE / hErald

Avantika also discussed previous, current and future projects, sharing her affinity for her character in “Mean Girls.”

Three Brown students win prestigious Goldwater scholarship

Polydefkis ’25, Tandar ’25, Wang ’25 among 438 awardees this year

BY IRENE ZHAO STAFF WRITER

Three Brown students were named Barry Goldwater scholars, an award intended to support college sophomores and juniors with promising futures as researchers in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. awardees receive a scholarship of $7,500 per year.

This year, 438 winners were chosen to receive the award among a pool of over 5,000 applicants, according to the Goldwater scholarship’s website.

The herald spoke with the three Brown awardees about their work — ranging from prosthetic development to cancer therapeutics — as well as reactions to winning the scholarship.

Elizabeth polydefkis ’25: a bioengineer working towards a more accessible world as a young child, Elizabeth polydefkis ’25 knew she wanted to be an engineer while watching her father adapt to life with a progressive neurological condition.

“seeing the creative adaptations my father has made to his laboratory instruments, gardening tools and sports equipment so that he could work and enjoy his passions was a huge reason why i wanted to become an engineer in the first place,” polydefkis told The herald.

polydefkis grew up watching her father struggle with devices designed without adequate input from customers. Now, polydefkis studies biomedical engineering in hopes of “enhancing accessibility and independence for individuals with physical disabilities.”

her research interests led her to work

in Johns hopkins university’s haptics and Medical robotics laboratory over the summer of 2023. her work focused on improving 3d-printed upper limb prosthetics by adding haptic feedback systems, which allow users to decide the needed amount of force to perform a certain action.

“persons without tactile sensation or impaired tactile sensation lack the dexterity required to complete daily activities efficiently and accurately,” polydefkis explained. “The mental energy expended using a prosthesis is exhausting for limb-absent individuals and reduces functionality.”

To address this issue, she investigated “accurate mapping of haptic feedback” for 3d-printed prosthetics.

polydefkis credited the Brown community with fostering her love for research.

“at Brown, i am surrounded by people conducting amazing research on top of their extracurriculars and academic commitments, so i genuinely was not expecting to win when i applied,” she said.

Clara Tandar ’25: a future physician-scientist engineering better cancer therapeutics

as a bioengineering and international and public affairs double concentrator, Clara Tandar ’25 hopes not only to develop new therapeutics but also to translate that research into effective policy action.

“i ultimately want to be a physician-scientist and focus a lot on the therapeutic and patient side of things,” Tandar told The herald. “But that doesn’t exist in a vacuum. i want to be able to communicate my work to not only experts in the field but also a general audience as well.”

For Tandar, winning the Goldwater was an important affirmation of the path she had chosen to take.

“it’s a nice reminder that what i’m doing can have an impact on patients someday,” she said. “But within the grand scheme of things, it just inspires me to keep pursuing a broad interdisciplinary approach.”

Tandar credited Brown’s environment for encouraging her to take a wide variety of classes, ranging from sociology to a history capstone. “i truly think that i have incorporated all of those classes into how i approach my research interests, even if it’s

not so directly obvious or related,” she said.

Tandar’s research merges her interests in cancer biology, nano- and micro-engineering. as a member of associate professor of Medical science, Engineering and Orthopaedics Eric darling’s lab, she has worked to improve microfluidic devices, which are used to detect cancer from blood samples.

“These devices are really great, but we actually need calibration particles for them,” she explained. “and currently, what we have are polystyrene particles — but they actually don’t mimic the right density, size or stiffness of biological cells.”

Tandar’s research focused on addressing this gap by fabricating microparticles and nanoparticles with more biologically relevant traits. Now, she is working on a new drug development project that uses these microparticles to deliver drugs and eliminate toxins.

Jennifer Wang ’25: a computer scientist integrating ethics into computing

Jennifer Wang ’25 — a double concentrator in computer science and international and public affairs — believes computing and policy are inextricably linked.

“i see computing as a tool to reveal the limitations of policy,” she told The herald. “Technological advancements are breaking the assumptions that our policy is hinged on.”

in particular, Wang highlighted the rapid development of ai technology as one example of the need for policy intervention. she worked at the White house Office of science and Technology policy in fall 2023 to research “domestic and international ai policies that uphold our values of equity, as well as legislation that enhances privacy protections,” she said.

Wang told The herald that “the Goldwater has been a huge affirmation to the

value of research at this intersection of policy and tech, especially when academia has traditionally valued depth over breadth.”

Wang worries that the fast pace of technological development will ultimately infringe upon people’s rights.

“increasingly, there’s been an undermining of our fundamental rights in the digital space because a model is now making a decision instead of a human,” she said. “But that shouldn’t be the case — we need to embed our societal values into technical systems from the very formulation.”

For her Goldwater application, Wang focused on her work in the reinforcement learning and Behavior lab. There, Wang worked on a project that allowed users without a substantial computing background to program robots more easily.

Wang drew on her own childhood experience of learning to code using scratch, a block-based and highly visual programming language intended for children and other beginner programmers. inspired by scratch, Wang built a visual interface that allowed users to build programs for their robots, unburdened by the technical aspects that professional programmers often wrestle with.

Through projects like this, Wang discovered an unparalleled love for research, solidifying her desire to pursue higher education and research jobs.

“Through seemingly insurmountable challenges, research made me confront the limits of my knowledge and taught me that failure is part of the journey of discovery,” she wrote in her Goldwater application. “i cannot imagine a time when i would not relish the thrill of finding a foothold in uncertainty and the joy of making my vision a reality.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 8, 2024.

Brown researchers leverage AI to predict protein conformations

March study highlights new technique using

BY FRANCESCA GROSSBERG STAFF WRITER

u niversity researchers developed a new technique to predict multiple protein conformations using an ai -based technology called alphaFold2. Their findings, published in a March study, may aid in drug development.

p roteins are dynamic molecules that can shift between different folding conformations, said Gabriel Monteiro d a s ilva G s , a p h. d . candidate and the paper’s first author. historically, scientists have used time-intensive laboratory techniques to determine how a protein folds.

But those methods have limitations. “The problem with those methods is that they usually give you the structure of a protein at one point in time,” Monteiro d a s ilva explained. But to fully understand a protein’s function, researchers must be aware of all of its different conformations.

George l isi, assistant professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry, wrote in an email to The h erald that “these fleeting states can be detected experimentally, but atomic level snapshots are extremely difficult

to capture, placing a premium on novel methods such as subsampled a lphaFold2.”

a lphaFold2 — developed by Google-affiliated company d eepMind — uses a model that has learned to predict protein structures based on the p rotein d ata Bank, an expansive database that Monteiro d a s ilva described as “the dream of any person working with ai models.”

u sually, a lphaFold2 predicts the most commonly occurring structure,

known as the ground state structure, according to Brenda r ubenstein, an associate professor of chemistry. But the team said that if they could repeatedly manipulate inputs, a lphaFold2 would output different conformations, represented proportionally to how they appear in cells.

“We didn’t develop a lphaFold2, but we came up with clever ways of using it,” she said, adding that this development allows scientists to “figure out all of that physics-based modeling in the space of

hours as opposed to years.”

u nderstanding these changes in protein conformation can affect the efficacy of drugs that target those proteins. i n the past, some drugs have been unsuccessful because “they were targeting one (protein) structure ... but not others,” r ubenstein said.

r ubenstein and Monteiro d a s ilva explained that this technique works well for proteins that are well-studied because there is more data available to accurately train the model. The team was

able to model kinases, a class of proteins linked to cancer that have historically been difficult to target because of their dynamic nature.

But the method is not as accurate for proteins with less preexisting data available, r ubenstein added.

Often “the output shape is broadly correct, but when you look (at) the grain, you might see some imperfections,” Monteiro d a s ilva said. “Those imperfections will impact the use of these particular models for some very specific things.”

s ince these granular errors may impact drug development, the team is working to improve the technology’s accuracy.

in addition to helping improve drugs, “we are looking at this as a way to predict the dynamics and movements of the proteins,” r ubenstein said. “ i f we can predict multiple structures, now maybe we can also predict the movements going between those,” which has additional implications for drug development.

Monteiro d a s ilva also looks to make the technique more accessible. “We want to make it something that anyone who has access to a computer terminal and some basic coding skills can do,” he said. This

TaNdar aNd JENNiFEr WaNG

This year, 438 winners were chosen to receive the award among a pool of over 5,000 applicants, according to the Goldwater Scholarship’s website.

AlphaFold2

Even at Brown, some say they felt New Jersey earthquake

Shakes felt throughout northeast, no significant damages registered

BY TOM LI METRO EDITOR

at 10:23 a.m. Friday, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Whitehouse station, New Jersey, about 40 miles west of New york City. The quake sent tremors throughout the northeastern united states, with numerous reports of shaking in rhode island, including on Brown’s campus.

a magnitude 4.8 earthquake can be felt over hundreds of miles from its epicenter and may cause very minor property damage, according to Colleen dalton ’00, professor of earth, environmental, and planetary sciences. little damage was reported following the earthquake.

“Earthquakes do happen in the northeast, but they are typically infrequent, small and felt only locally or not at all,” dalton wrote in an email to The herald. The last earthquake felt by many rhode islanders occurred in November 2020 near New Bedford, Massachusetts, with a magnitude of 3.6, she added.

Earthquakes that do occur in the northeast are “thought to occur on ancient faults that may have formed during previous episodes of continental break-up and collision that occurred hundreds of millions of years ago,” dalton wrote. But, “it is not well understood what forces cause reactivation of these faults, although numerous possible explanations have been proposed.”

Whatever the reason for the quake may be, several students reported feeling rumbling

EVENTS

Friday morning. The herald spoke with some of these students about what was shaking before they were shook.

lucas lieberman ’25 was doing homework in his room when his bed suddenly started to shake. “i assumed it was something in the building, like water going through pipes or construction i didn’t know about,” he wrote in a message to The herald. aanya hudda ’25 was lying in bed and taking a break from work when the bedframe began to move. “i realized that the walls of my dorm were creaking a bit as well and my fan was shaking,” she wrote in an email to The herald. “it didn’t last very long and i wasn’t necessarily worried, but i did think it was a bit odd.”

Colin Guillemette ’26 was scrolling

through social media apps when his bed started shaking as well. “it lasted like 10 to 15 seconds,” he described in an email to The herald. “i was a little startled and confused, but (there) wasn’t a lot of movement so i didn’t panic or anything.”

sitting closer to the floor, lulu levy ’25 was watching a soccer game on her beanbag when she felt “everything shake for like a second and a half,” she said.

“i kind of just thought, at first, maybe someone had dropped something,” levy added. it felt like “something had fallen or something had dropped nearby.”

The shaking didn’t immediately register as an earthquake for many students. Others did not feel the quake at all.

“at first i thought it was me (moving), or

a car without a muffler driving by on Thayer,” hudda wrote. “i texted my roommates to see if they felt it too, and they both said no, so i assumed it was nothing.”

hudda would later discover, through a text message from a friend, that she had just experienced an earthquake.

levy went back to watching her soccer game and “kind of forgot about it for a little bit,” she said. a few minutes later, levy received a notification from the New york Times about the earthquake: “i was like, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that’s what it was,’” she added. according to lieberman, “right away my friend from New york City texted me saying ‘did you just feel that earthquake?’ and i was like, ‘No way, yeah i did,’” he recalled.

Guillemette got his confirmation from

sidechat. “My roommate came home and i told him about it and he just looked at me funny as if i made it up,” he said. “i immediately went on sidechat to see if anyone else had a similar experience, and sure enough there (were) like (five) posts back-to-back about the earthquake.”

This was Guillemette’s second earthquake experience, the first being “a few years ago back in my hometown in Massachusetts,” he wrote. “Funnily enough i was also in bed, it felt very similar (with the) bed shaking, but maybe a little more extreme than this time!”

hudda, a native of Washington, d.C., added that this quake felt “significantly smaller” than the 2011 earthquake that hit Virginia and the d.C. metropolitan area, damaging the Washington National Cathedral.

“i lived in slater hall last year, and my dorm shook way less during this earthquake than slater shook during spring Weekend,” hudda joked.

But for lieberman, this quake was a first. “The biggest thing that surprised me was that it literally shakes side to side (and) vibrates, just like stereotypical earthquakes from movies,” he wrote.

The strength of the quakes despite the distance between providence and the epicenter of the quake also shocked lieberman. it’s crazy to imagine how catastrophic a high magnitude earthquake would be, if this was only a 4.8 and super far away from the center,” he wrote.

“Overall it was a new experience, and the perfect opportunity for Californians to act cool and nonchalant,” lieberman joked.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 8 , 2024.

Experts discuss misinformation, artificial intelligence at panel

BY MEGAN CHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Misinformation experts discussed social media, algorithms and artificial intelligence at a Tuesday panel hosted by The information Futures lab.

Titled “Everything We Know (and don’t Know) about Tackling rumors and Conspiracies,” the panel was moderated by Claire Wardle, a co-director of the iFl and a professor of the practice of health services, policy and practice.

despite its societal impact, research on media misinformation remains “a young field,” according to stefanie Friedoff, another co-director of the iFl and an associate professor of the practice of health services, policy and practice.

having worked as a senior policy advisor on the White house COVid-19 response Team, she later contributed to a literature review on pandemic misinformation interventions: a topic she discussed at the panel.

“We’re significantly understudying this,” Friedoff said, citing a lack of longitudinal research on non-american and video-based misinformation. “We don’t have a lot of useful evidence to apply in the field, and we need to work on that.”

Evelyn pérez-Verdia, founder of We are Más, a strategic consulting firm, spoke about her work to combat misinformation at the panel. she aims to empower spanish-speaking diasporas in south Florida through community-based trust-building: recently, she

has worked with the iFl as a fellow to conduct a survey of information needs in Florida.

according to pérez-Verdia, non-English-speaking and immigrant communities are prone to misinformation because of language and cultural barriers. When people are offered accessible resources, she argues, communities become empowered and less susceptible to misinformation. “people are hungry for information,” she said.

abbie richards, another panelist and senior video producer at Media Matters for america, a watchdog journalism organization, identified social media algorithms as an exacerbating factor. in a video shown during the panel, richards highlighted the proliferation of misleading or inaccurate content on platforms like TikTok. as a video producer, she looks to distill research and discourse on this topic for “audiences who wouldn’t

necessarily read research papers,” she said. she researched ai-generated content on social media, which is often designed to take advantage of the various platform’s monetization policies. “There’s a monetization aspect behind this content,” richards elaborated. algorithms are “designed to show (users) what they want to see and what they’ll engage with,” she said. When viewers “feel disempowered … it makes it really easy to gravitate towards misinformation.”

When discussing ai-generated misinformation that is designed to be entertaining, Freidhoff noted that only “some of us have the luxury to laugh” at misinformation.

“But from the perspective of somebody behind the paywall, who doesn’t necessarily speak English,” factual information becomes increasingly difficult to access,” she added. she describes this as “misinformation in-

equities,” which all speakers acknowledged existed in their projects.

in an interview with The herald, Friedhoff and Wardle emphasized how the “online information ecosystem” connects different types of misinformation. Vaccine skepticism, Wardle said, is a slippery slope towards climate change denial: “We have to understand as researchers and practitioners that we can’t think in silos.”

Many of the speakers agreed that misinformation spreads in part because people tend to prioritize relationships — both in real life and parasocial — over fact. “There’s nothing more powerful than someone you trust and close to you,” pérez-Verdia said.

When asked to offer potential solutions, the speakers offered a range of responses. richards suggested a “marketing campaign for federal agencies” to facilitate increased governmental literacy that allows for all citizens to understand how the government functions. pérez-Verdia also identified diverse and culturally conscientious government messaging as key, while Friedhoff recommended creating “community conversations” to explore perspectives rather than further polarizing them.

audience member Benjy renton, a research associate at the school of public health, was “inspired by” community-based approaches like pérez-Verdia’s work: “it was great to see the diverse range of perspectives on misinformation.”

The speakers told The herald that they found each other’s perspectives enlightening. “i’m somebody that people feel like they can go to because i’ve spent years talking about (misinformation),” richards said in an interview with The herald after the event. “But the idea of how you measure (trust) is fully beyond me.”

pérez-Verdia ended the discussion by re-iterating the fight against misinformation as founded on teamwork: “When you look at all of these pieces, the women here, a collaboration where we all have our individual gifts… that’s exactly what needs to be done on a larger spectrum.”

richards said emotional literacy is the backbone to navigating both ai and misinformation. This includes “teaching people how to recognize (confirmation bias) within themselves” and understanding common misinformation techniques.

TraCy paN / hErald

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake can be felt over hundreds of miles from its epicenter and may cause very minor property damage, according to Colleen Dalton ’00, professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences.

Panel hosted by Information Futures Lab featured communication experts

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Speakers discussed social media, algorithms, and AI as a part of the Tuesday panel.

is counter to the spirit of the u niversity and ultimately makes campus a less joyous, safe and thoughtful place,” he wrote.

a ccording to a B si statement by Brooke Verschleiser ’25, the group’s president, Klein was in i srael “in the wake of October 7th” and previously served in Turkey after the 2023 earthquake. Klein has also made visits to other college campuses around the u nited s tates.

“a s a research and rescue officer in the i sraeli d efense Forces, y uval Klein saved countless lives in rescue missions to Florida, Turkey and i srael,” the statement reads. “We are profoundly disappointed that students decided to demonize and mischaracterize his story, instead of taking the time to listen to it.”

s tudents from inside h illel gath -

ered on the rooftop prior to the event, which began at 6:30 p.m., observing the protesters and playing i sraeli music.

a t approximately 6:45 p.m., a counter-protester parked next to the demonstration and loudly played “a m y israel Chai,” or “The Nation of i srael l ives,” a song by Eyal Golan, a popular i sraeli singer. The counter-protester left after speaking with a p rovidence police officer shortly after arriving.

The demonstration concluded with a moment of silence by protestors before they proceeded to Faunce a rch and dispersed.

Five Brown faculty awarded President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Governance

Award celebrates contributions to University committees, governance

BY RYAN DOHERTY UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

president Christina paxson p’19 p’Md’20 awarded five faculty members with the president’s award for Excellence in Faculty Governance at the monthly faculty meeting on april 2.

The award, created in 2007 under then-university president ruth simmons, is intended “to recognize and celebrate contributions to faculty governance,” according to university spokesperson Brian Clark. awardees receive a $2,500 research stipend.

The Committee on Nominations “solicits suggestions, reviews service, drafts a list of recommended recipients and shares those with the Faculty Executive Committee for input,” Clark wrote in an email to The herald. The recommendations are shared

with paxson who announces the recipients.

The herald spoke with some of this year’s recipients to discuss their service in faculty governance and contributions to the university community.

diane lipscombe, a professor of science and neuroscience and director of the Carney institute Brain science, is a recipient of the award. she has chaired the Task Force on the status of Women Faculty — which released findings on the hiring, recruitment and retention of women faculty in a 2023 report — and served on the Tenure and promotions Committee, in addition to other service roles.

lipscombe decided to join the Task Force because she felt that she could make a difference in ensuring that recommendations would be adequately implemented. as chair, “my role was to give everybody on the committee a voice,” she told The herald.

“i was really touched by the award because the people that i work with … work as hard as i do,” lipscombe said. “i feel that it’s extra special, because Brown is a place … where people care deeply … about

the contribution to the university and the contribution to these committees.”

By participating in faculty governance, lipscombe said that she feels more closely connected to the Brown community, noting that she gets to connect with colleagues across departments.

For alexander Zaslavsky, a professor of physics and engineering, the award came as a shock.

“i don’t think that i do an enormous amount of the faculty service, but apparently they remember what i had done many years ago,” said Zaslavsky, who has worked on TpaC, the Committee on Faculty Equity of diversity and the Grievance Committee.

Zaslavsky, who is currently serving his second term on TpaC, noted that he enjoyed how the committee’s decisions make a “difference at the margins.”

“The quality of the faculty certainly has a bearing on how Brown will do in the foreseeable future,” Zaslavsky said. “i would like to see Brown prosper and do what we can and ensure that our col-

leagues are committed researchers and teachers.”

When senior lecturer in sociology lisa diCarlo Ma’97 phd’01 heard she received the award, she was “not expecting it at all,” she wrote in an email to The herald.

“it is hard to know how much everyone serves, which makes it difficult to see how my participation in faculty governance compares to that of my colleagues,” she added. “i volunteer whenever there is an opportunity to meet a need and i assume others are doing the same. it is nice to have my efforts acknowledged.”

diCarlo noted that her experiences as a first-generation college student, non-tenure track professor and working mom have inspired her to take on service roles.

“Every committee benefits from a diverse range of voices and experiences,” she wrote. “it is the only way to understand that there are organizational cultures and practices at every level within the larger organization that is Brown.”

“Without serving this kind of role as a faculty member, you’re not gaining

understanding of how a great university operates,” said Jin li, a professor of education and another recipient of the award.

li joined the Grievance Committee in 2022 and was nominated to be Vice Chair, even though she was a new member.

When the chair recused themself due to a conflict of interest, she had to lead the committee as a new member. When adapting to this new position, li noted she continuously went back to the committee’s charge to guide her decisions.

li said that faculty “can’t be partial members” of the Brown community.

“We have to contribute to its health and vitality,” li said. “Without faculty participating or being willing to serve, then this community … will not be as great as it should be.”

laurel Bestock, associate professor of archaeology and the ancient world and Egyptology and assyriology and of history of art and architecture, also received the award but did not respond to The herald’s request for comment.