Thursday, January 31, 2019

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 6

UCS discusses updates to bias reporting system VP for Institutional Equity, Diversity Shontay Delalue plans launch of new form

By KAYLA GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

During its first general body meeting of the semester Wednesday evening, The Undergraduate Council of Students heard updates from Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Shontay Delalue about a new bias incident reporting system her office hopes to launch by mid-February.

Delalue explained the purpose and goals of the new system, which the Council discussed most recently at a general body meeting in November, The Herald previously reported. “A part of what we hope to get from this process is pattern data,” Delalue said. “For the purposes of the climate at Brown, (pattern data is) really important.”

The new system’s goals include “helping the community and helping (the OIED),” Delalue said. “If we don’t have any sense of the pattern (of incidences),

it’s harder for us to pinpoint how we can deploy resources.”

The development of the new bias reporting form is now in its final stages, she added. UCS members began working with the OIED, alongside other students, to develop the new system in fall 2017, according to a June 1 email to the general body from former UCS President ChelseAmoy Steele ’18.

“It’s critically important that … anything that is for the community should be by the community,” Delalue said. “So we want to be sure that we are hearing the voices of the people who are using the form. We’ve used input from the community to inform our practice.”

Under the new system, individuals will be able to submit a report and request to have it looked over by a review team comprised of faculty, staff and students.

The review team, headed by Director of Institutional Equity and Community Engagement Shay Collins, will share resources with the complainant and invite them to discuss the report. They will also determine which University offices to consult to reach a resolution.

“Our goal is to get the person » See UCS, page 3

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

TSA reflects on support during govt. shutdown

ANNIE WANG

TSA workers receive gifts of baby formula, diapers, pizza deliveries while working without pay

By HENRY DAWSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Rhode Island Transportation Security Administration workers made it through a tough holiday season at

Theodore Francis Green International Airport thanks to high employee attendance and community support.

The partial government shutdown ended Jan. 25, and federal workers receive back pay this week, according to the Washington Post.

“I am extremely proud of how (our TSA) employees responded (to the shutdown),” said R.I. TSA Federal Security Director Daniel Burche.

METRO

Burche described the airport’s function during the shutdown as “operationally normal,” explaining that work attendance was higher than he experienced in past holiday seasons.

“With maybe one exception, I had less call-outs than I would have normally expected. … We had people coming in for work who were literally so sick we asked them to go home,” Burche said.

The community rallied in support » See TSA, page 3

U. removes compost bins due to contamination concerns CareerLAB hosts internship, job fair

High plastic usage, contamination fees lead to compost bin removal from Blue Room, Andrews

Common Good Internship and Job Fair connects students to non-profit, government opportunities

By ALEX REICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After returning from summer break, students noticed that some of their favorite dining halls were missing a previous staple: compost bins.

“A lot of my friends are upset and often ask, ‘what’s up with that?’” said Jessica Minker ’21, a member of SCRAP, the University’s student compost initiative.

Front-of-house compost has yet to be reinstated in Andrews Commons and the Blue Room, after problems with high levels of cross-contamination and a lack of compliance with composting guidelines led to their removal last September, wrote Jessica Berry, director of the Office of Sustainability, in an email to The Herald.

The University had implemented composting in Andrews and the Blue Room during the fall 2016 semester as part of a pilot program “to test the feasibility of having front-of-house composting at retail dining locations,” wrote Berry.

It became clear from the pilot program that the level of contamination in the compost in Andrews and the Blue Room

INSIDE

By TYLER JACOBSON STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY BENJI TORUÑO, ILLUSTRATION BY DAPHNE ZHAO

The University has to pay $75 to the compost collecting facility for every contaminated compost bin, according to DeeAnn Guo’21, a member of SCRAP and an employee at the Office of Sustainability. was resulting “in the (compost) material simply being thrown in the trash,” Berry wrote. The decision to remove composting from these dining halls “was

jointly made by Facilities, Brown Dining Services and leadership,” Berry added.

Composting bins remain in multiple dining locations on campus, including

the Sharpe Refectory.

With every contaminated compost bin, the University has to pay $75 to the » See COMPOST, page 2

Students gathered in Sayles Hall Wednesday for the sixth annual Common Good Internship and Job Fair.

Hosted by CareerLAB, the event aimed to connect students with employment and internship opportunities in the nonprofit, education and public service sectors.

Forty-eight employers hiring for jobs and internships in fields such as entrepreneurship, education and grassroots activism, among others, attended the event, said Jim Amspacher, director of the Careers in the Common Good project at CareerLAB. This year, the University consolidated the Swearer Center’s Community Engagement Fair with CareerLAB’s » See CAREERS, page 3

WEATHER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE Industry specialists convene at R.I. Virtual Reality monthly meet-up at AS220

ARTS & CULTURE University staff share artwork in exhibition titled ‘After Hours,’ hosted by Brown Arts Initiative

ARTS & CULTURE VISA concentrators curate solo, group exhibitions in List Art Center

COMMENTARY Krishnamurthy ’19: Right-wing paper Brown Spectator should return to campus

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PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

R.I. Virtual Reality offers networking opportunities, updates on industry

COURTESY OF SIU-LI KHOE

Representatives from local businesses, tech start-ups and universities gathered at AS220 to discuss the latest developments in the growing virtual reality and augmented reality industries. The group seeks to build partnerships, share VR/AR knowledge and explore economic possibilities in Rhode Island.

Co-founder of Xmark Lab Nicholas Napp delivers keynote address, insight on industry developments

By EMILY TENG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Rhode Island Virtual Reality hosted its monthly meet-up last Thursday at AS220 for virtual reality enthusiasts to hear from speakers in the business. During the two-hour meetup, visitors shared ideas, formed con-

ARTS & CULTURE

» COMPOST, from page 1 compost collecting facility, “and every day every compost bin was contaminated, so it really adds up,” said DeeAnn Guo ’21, a member of SCRAP and an employee at the Office of Sustainability. “It was just throwing money away,” she added.

Though 43 tons of food were composted in Andrews last year, and composting bins cost about $2,000 to install, these units remain “in storage for the future,” Berry wrote.

While the Ratty and the VerneyWoolley Dining Hall utilize reusable plates, there is more plastic in Andrews and the Blue Room, which increases the risk of contamination, said Carlyn Chrabaszcz ’21, the leader of SCRAP. Even with the introduction of compostable containers in the Blue Room, there were high levels of contamination, Chrabaszcz added. The Blue Room also draws a lot of visitors, many of who might not be familiar with the University’s composting system, Guo said.

Making dining halls compost-friendly requires larger systemic changes, Guo added. Andrews lacks reusable dishes in part because it is “really small in comparison to the Ratty … so there’s really no

nections and learned more about the recent innovations in the virtual reality and augmented reality industry.

The purpose of the meet-up was to update participants on the most recent technology developments as featured in the annual Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas this past January.

The meet-up invited the co-founder of Xmark Lab Nicholas Napp as the keynote speaker to expand upon some of the products showcased at CES and provide his insight on various trends in VR/AR development.

Participants at the RIVR meet-up included various businesses, tech startups and students. “There are a lot of

place to put in the dish washing operation,” Guo said.

Brown is not required to compost as per the guidelines of the food waste ban — a state law compelling institutions to compost if they meet certain criteria — because there is not a capable industrial compost facility within fifteen miles of the University, Berry wrote. Instead the University’s compost initiatives are a choice stemming from its sustainability principles and goals, she added.

With heightened urgency over the effects of climate change, composting is becoming a “really important” way to close the cycle of waste, Guo said. The process allows food waste “to decompose in a way that slows climate change because it doesn’t release methane, while food that goes into a landfill usually would,” she added.

While members of SCRAP see enthusiasm for composting, “not everyone wants to do the dirty work, ” Chrabaszcz said.

The University has taken a step back on composting for now, but they continue “to look at ways to divert organic material and certainly keep Andrews in those conversations,” Berry wrote.

companies that are interested in (the CES) but are unable to go,” said Siu-Li Khoe, the executive director of RIVR and organizer of the event. For a lot of small businesses willing to engage in the industry without the time or the financial resources to attend the conference, the meet-up was an opportunity to stay up-to-date and connect with others with the same interests.

RIVR aims “to energize the VR and AR ecosystem,” Khoe said. “Because this is such a leading-edge industry, we are really talking about bridging the gap between people who have inspirations and ideas, and actually having funded, resourced projects.” Since the

establishment of RIVR, Khoe noted that she “can point to an increasing number of projects that are being funded.”

The companies associated with RIVR come from a wide range of fields, including non-profit work, film production and computer science.

“We are looking at how VR can be incorporated to make workplace learning more effective and make it so that people actually enjoy it,” said Anne Devaney, program manager of TCP Learning and one of the participants at the meet-up.

John Smithers, vice-president in business development and strategic partnerships of the Mullings Group,

said that he is especially intrigued by how AR and VR can play a role in education, parenting, trauma relief and other humanitarian applications.

Khoe describes the VR culture in Rhode Island to be “warm, welcoming and enthusiastic.” She further said that one of RIVR’s tasks is to “partner ruthlessly.”

RIVR has collaborated with Brown students and groups, including the Ivy Film Festival and Bears@Work, a computer science student organization.

RIVR has further conducted tours at the YURT Ultimate Reality Theatre, the University’s virtual reality theater, and has held meet-ups at the Granoff Center.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» CAREERS, from page 1 Common Good Fair to feature 14 Community Corps Partners — local organizations that Brown students can volunteer with through the Swearer Center — at the event, Amspacher said.

“The Swearer Center (has) always been a partner for the Common Good project (and) always helped guide community partners to participate in the Common Good Internship and Job Fair,” he said. “This year, we took it a step further. … Not only have they encouraged folks to attend, but (the Swearer Center) arranged it so Community Corps Partners (had) tables at the Career Fair” to recruit volunteers for work-study and summer internships, Amspacher added.

“We are really excited to have them here.”

One featured Community Corps Partner was Self Expression for Adults with Developmental Disabilities.

SEADD works with the Blackstone Valley ARC, another organization that facilitates creative writing and expressive workshops for adults with disabilities, said Eva Kitlen, a fair representative for SEADD. Kitlen found the consolidation of the Community Engagement Fair and the Common Good Fair to be helpful because “a lot of people are interested in both,” she said. In particular, SEADD is looking for “people who are excited to connect with (others), … facilitate the empowerment of people with disabilities (and) make a positive change.”

Demand for the event arose since “so many students want to be pursuing jobs and internships in the common good,” said Matthew Donato, director of CareerLAB. “It is important to bring these type of employers back to campus.”

Among the class of 2017, 28 percent of students seeking employment

chose nonprofit or government work, Amspacher said. But “pathways into non-profit and government work are not always as clear as they are for some of the bigger industries like consulting, finance or tech,” he added. “One

me more” than the Spring Career Fair, she said. The Spring Career Fair took place Jan. 29.

Evan Dong ’22, who attended the Spring Career Fair, said it was “at least half tech companies, probably more,

BILAL ISMAIL AHMED / HERALD

In Sayles Hall, students talked to representatives from non-profit, education and public sectors at the Common Good Internship and Job Fair. The fair was organized by the Swearer Center and CareerLAB. of the roles of the Common Good project is to help build more of those paths, and having these (employers) come to the Common Good Internship and Job Fair is one of the ways we do that,” he said.

Students reacted positively toward the Common Good Fair. “There were some really wonderful organizations and people so passionate about the work that they do, so it was really nice to get to talk to them,” said Rim Haile ’19, a Health and Human Biology concentrator. “This just interested

… which was a little intimidating for a first year student who is not really necessarily sure what they want (for) themselves.”

But the Common Good Fair made him feel less like he was “selling out” to companies, he said. “It is directed more toward a different type of (audience): common good, nonprofit, (fewer) paid positions. I like it,” he added.

“The employers that have a lot of resources in the bigger industries like consulting, finance and tech have the

JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD

VP for Institutional Equity and Diversity Shontay Delalue updated UCS on a new system for reporting and gathering data on bias incidents as well as a new rubric for evaluating departmental progress under the DIAP.

» UCS, from page 1 connected to the right place as soon as possible,” Delalue said. Individuals will also be able to indicate that they do not wish for the report to be reviewed by the team, she added.

The Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan also emerged as a point of discussion.

The plan released in February 2016 “aims to increase representation of historically underrepresented groups on campus, strengthen research and teaching on diversity and inclusion issues and improve campus life,” The Herald previously reported.

money and resources to make a bigger splash,” Amspacher said. “Students are excited that we’ve created this space and this opportunity for employers that don’t have as many resources.”

Despite the recent success of the

Every year, the OIED requires every academic department to submit a report outlining their progress in implementing the goals of the DIAP. The OIED will develop a standard rubric that department heads can use to “chart their progress,” Delalue said.

Specific aspects of the DIAP drove discussion during the question and answer segment of the meeting.

UCS Secretary Vanessa Garcia ’20.5 noted that the DIAP “mentions … ethnicity and gender, but, notably for me, it didn’t mention anything about ability.”

Garcia asked Delalue what else the OIED is “thinking about in terms of ability bias.”

In response, Delalue acknowledged that the specific language of the DIAP may not explicitly include ability, but emphasized the role of the DIAP as “one guide, among many.”

All in all, the OIED’s “work is making sure that through the existing infrastructure, we are attending to the different identity groups, particularly around bias.

So that’s why our conversations with the bias incident system, is not to one particular identity marker,” she said.

Delalue also discussed the impacts of the proposed changes to university Title IX processes released by the federal government in November. As the University’s

Common Good Internship and Job Fair, the number of employers and opportunities at career fairs are only a “tiny fraction of all opportunities available, both in the common good space and other spaces,” Donato said.

“If you think that you are going to get a job from (a) career fair, that’s usually not what the purpose of it is,” he said. “The purpose is to make a connection and to start learning how to research and find opportunities that you are most interested in. This is just one way to do it.”

own processes change in response to the regulations, “we are going to stay committed … even as the federal government has its various changes in the ways in which it impacts institutions.”

In this regard, Delalue emphasized the importance of community members filling out the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct later this semester to help understand what specifically is happening on campus in comparison with other institutions.

The OIED’s organizational and structural changes were also a topic of discussion, as Delalue explained the OIED’s hiring of more staffers since she assumed her role in Dec. 2017.

“It just signals again to the community that the institution takes diversity, inclusion and equity very seriously,” she said.

New positions include the Director of Institutional Equity and Community Engagement, who works on the bias incident reporting system as a liaison to the campus community, and a Title IX Administrative Coordinator, Delalue said.

The Office is also working on acknowledging the intersections of diversity, inclusion and equity by increasing collaboration through its various divisions “because we realized there’s places where they overlap, and there are also places where they diverge,” Delalue said. “So we are building that work … and we will eventually communicate that out to the institution around where these places come together.”

» TSA, from page 1 of TSA workers during the partial shutdown, when they had to work without pay, according to Burche.

Workers received “tremendous public support,” including gifts of baby formula and diapers, assistance from public utilities and banks and surprise pizza deliveries, Burche said.

“All of that recognition goes a long way to helping people stay focused on the job and not worry about anything,” he added.

If a deal to end the partial government shutdown had not been reached, Burche worried the negative impact on workers would have been worse: “In the grand scheme of things, we’re paid to keep an eye on the ball. External stress, or unnecessary stress is certainly nothing that I want to see.”

While the shutdown has ended temporarily, its magnitude has brought attention to the widespread effects of government closure. Before Congress and President Donald Trump agreed to reopen the government, many federal workers, including TSA officials, struggled to make ends meet.

“The impact (of the shutdown) is a majority of Federal officers had to go to food banks to get food to put on the table, to support not only themselves but their families and children,” said Paul Feragne, president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, which covers parts of New England and represents federal workers at T.F. Green. He added that other sources of stress during the shutdown included fears of health insurance cancellations, eviction and missing payments on their credit cards, loans and cars.

Elected officials also sympathized with the unpaid TSA employees at T.F. Green.

“They’re angry,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-1) wrote in an email to The Herald. “This took a toll on them. None of us would want our boss to tell us to show up for work for 35 days without a paycheck. These are working people who have bills to pay.”

Cicilline wrote there was “no question” the shutdown had a potential impact on airport security. “None of us are safer because an air traffic controller is distracted by the thought that he can’t pay rent. We’re all more at risk when a TSA worker is worried about her credit bill while she’s supposed to be screening passengers,” he wrote.

For the future, Cicilline wrote that he plans to co-sponsor legislation to avoid a similar situation.

Despite the hardships faced by TSA workers, the shutdown may have created a greater appreciation for what they do.

“We’ve probably been thanked more in the last 35 days than in the past 15 years,” Burche said.

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

‘After Hours’ exhibition showcases U. staff artwork Brown Arts Initiative hosts sixth annual staff exhibition in Granoff, on display until Feb. 21

By JANGO MCCORMICK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On the ground floor of the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the sixth annual staff exhibition features an array of mediums including paintings, photographs, woodwork, quilts and sculptures. The exhibition, hosted by the Brown Arts Initiative, showcases the artistic talents of University staff members.

The exhibition title, “After Hours,” references the creative lives that many University staff members lead after the workday is over. “It speaks in part to this idea of the hidden work that goes on, that may not even be known by peoples’ colleagues,” said Emma Boast GS, the curator of the exhibition. Boast added that, while the exhibition does not have a single message, one takeaway “is to just appreciate the work and labor that folks do both within their day-to-day jobs and . . . outside of that.” Boast cited the complexity of staff members’ identities beyond their work at the University, which comes across in the exhibition.

“The kind of student that is attracted to Brown is a multi-dimensional person that has creative interests, and I would say that that’s true of the staff as well,” said Anne Bergeron, managing director of the Brown Arts Initiative.

Chira DelSesto, associate director of the Brown Arts Initiative, said that the exhibition allows staff members who do not usually share their work in a professional setting to do so. “The artists are able to bring their colleagues and coworkers to come and see their work,” she said.

In some of the exhibited work, the connection between the staff member’s artistic practice and professional occupation is evident. Daniel Sperry works as a carpenter for the University’s Facilities Management. “For quite a few years I got to work with a lot of the antique furniture here at Brown,” Sperry said. His skill in woodworking is clear in the ornate pieces he contributed to the exhibition. One such piece is “Parrot Knife,” a knife with a handle in the shape of a parrot’s head made from a variety of materials. “The handle right there is an old axe handle

. . . then maple burl down there, then bone, then the black is a violin peg,” he said, gesturing toward the piece as he explained the construction of the knife.

While Sperry buys some of his materials, he repurposes others — for example, the violin peg in “Parrot Knife” came from his work repairing violins. Other pieces make use of marble, bronze and even the dried husk of an avocado.

In other displayed pieces, the staff member’s occupation is not directly reflected in their artwork. Desirae Mix, assistant director of Student and Employee Accessibility Services, saw an advertisement for the exhibition and was inspired to revive and submit a project she began several years ago. Three pieces from the series “Cult Movie Icons” appear in the gallery, each showing the stylized face of a character from films like Kill Bill: Volume One and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“I think movies are an easy talking point to get some students out of their shell,” Mix said, explaining that she likes to use her art to help find common ground with other people, especially at work.

Although she has used mediums like acrylic and canvas in other series, Mix’s distinctive style comes in part from her materials. “If I want to do something, I want to make sure I can do it with items that are readily available in my desk,” Mix said. She created the “Cult Movie Icons” series using only permanent marker and mechanical pencil. “I’m a big fan of street art, particularly stencil style,” Mix said, citing her admiration for the street art of Florentine artist Tiana Kai. She also mentioned influences closer to home, adding that seeing the murals in Providence every day inspired her to return to her own work.

Other work in the gallery includes sculpture, photography, painting and multimedia art forms. While the exhibition has featured live music in past years, it typically attracts visual art, DelSesto said. And while the gallery setting does set limits on the kinds of art that can be featured, the exhibition seeks to encompass as much as possible. “I think generally we would be open to any creative practice that a staff member has.

We would certainly at least want to have a conversation to see what’s possible,” she said.

The “After Hours” staff exhibition will be on display in Granoff through Feb. 21, closing with a public reception that evening.

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

Desirae Mix, assistant director of Student and Employee Accessibility Services, submitted “Cult Movie Icons,” depicting characters from The Fifth Element, Kill Bill: Volume One and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

The annual exhibition includes paintings, photographs, woodwork, quilts and sculptures made by U. staff, highlighting the work of 23 artists from various University departments.

TODAY

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

b lo w i n g i n t h e w i n d

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Grinder, Pho Bar, Barbecue Bam Bam Pizza, Boneless Chicken Wings, Macaroni and Cheese Bar JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Tacos, Quesadilla Station, Southwestern Bean Burger

Turkey Chili Soup, Minestrone, Vegetable Curry

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Carrot Ginger Soup, Roast Turkey, Cajun Tofu, Asian Style Chicken and Scallion Pizza

Veracruz Style Fish of the Day, Chickpea and Potato Vindaloo, Chocolate Cream Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup, Chana Masala, Hot Turkey Sandwich, Enchilada Bar

Spicy Pepper Pulled Chicken, Ziti Pasta, Swiss Steak, Mexican Salad Bar, Pretzel Bread

sudoku

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Students flocked to Sayles Hall Tuesday to seek jobs and internships that serve the common good. But what is “common good?” The answer may lie in a philosophy class or at The Herald. Open Houses: Feb. 2 & 9, 1-4 p.m.

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

“The kind of student that is attracted to Brown is a multdimensional person that has creative interests, and I crossword

would say that’s true of the staff as well.

”

—Anne Bergeron, managing director of the Brown Arts Initiative

See bai on page 4.

CORRECTION An earlier version of the article “Move to South Street Landing improves staff experience” stated that the University office area occupies the fourth through sixth floors of South Street Landing. In fact, the University also occupies a portion of the third floor. The Herald regrets the error.

An earlier version of the article “Researchers improve 3D printed human organs” stated that “scientists can now 3D print human organs with blood vessels.” In fact, scientists can now 3D print biomaterials with internal channels that mimic blood vessels in human tissues. Therefore, the headline “Researchers improve 3D printed biomaterials” is more accurate.

The article also mistitled Ian Wong as associate professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology, biotechnology and engineering. In fact, he is assistant professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology, biotechnology and engineering.

The Herald regrets the errors.

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Engineering Seminar: Biomedical Engineering 9:00 A.M. Barus and Holley, Room 130

Peer Career Advisor Open Hours 1:30 P.M. CareerLAB, Floor 1

How to Find and Fund an Internship by CareerLAB 4:00 P.M. CareerLAB, Floor 1

January Jam 7:30 P.M. The Underground

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Bromantic Language: Case of Sam and Frodo 6:30 A.M. Smith-Buonanno Hall

Providence’s Heritage: Above and Below Ground 4:00 P.M. Rhode Island Hall

Women’s Water Polo vs.

Wagner College 5:30 P.M. Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center

Dancing with the Professors 7:00 P.M. Alumnae Hall

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

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COMMENTARY THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Bring back the Brown Spectator ANUJ KRISHNAMURTHY staff columnist In the spring of 1986, the Brown Spectator published its inaugural issue. Proclaiming itself “The Right Alternative” to existing student publications, the Spectator aimed to provide an outlet for conservative and libertarian thought on a campus the journal’s staff alleged to be overwhelmingly liberal. Sadly, the Spectator isn’t around anymore. The last article on the journal’s website was published on July 6, 2014; the website, it appears, has been defunct since. (Digitized versions of the journal’s print edition are no longer available online.) This is a shame. In the near future, the journal should be excavated from the dustbin of College Hill history and restored to life.

The Spectator’s resurrection would be a positive development on campus, especially for students interested in activism and progressive politics. For the record, I’m not a conservative, and I don’t want Brown to lose its character as an institution with a student body deeply concerned with justice and equality. In fact, I find mostly everything about American conservatism, particularly as it’s manifested by the Republican Party of President Trump’s first term, profoundly abhorrent.

Still, despite my revulsion toward the twenty-first century Republican agenda, I believe that my experience of Brown and my understanding of American politics could be enriched by the presence of clear-eyed conservative commentary — published on a platform devoted to conservative voices on campus, versus piecemeal contributions to existing student-run publications — from my peers. I want Brown students who lean right to have the opportunity to express their opinions openly, experience the process of putting together a publication and participate in student discourse.

I also want Brown students who lean left to leave campus armed with the ability to articulate forcefully the shortcomings of conservative ideas and reject them in public forums and in politics. I know that, as a progressive on a progressive campus, my views are often enthusiastically reaffirmed by those around me. As much as I like affirmation, however, it does not help me recognize the weaknesses in my arguments

or forge stronger ones. The Spectator, in promulgating conservative arguments, could transform this reality. By having our own conceptions of the role of government, faith and justice in American life challenged, progressive students will have the chance to further sharpen our ability to empathize with individuals of different political persuasions and develop a stronger facility with opposing arguments. In turn, we might be better equipped to not only debate and defeat conservative contentions, but also persuade others to embrace a progressive, inclusive vision for America. A reinvigorated Spectator on

ing undermines the ability of the Spectator — or any student group, really — to bill itself as an organic, student-driven enterprise. Should there be a new iteration of the Spectator, its student managers ought to secure at least some funding from sources within the University. Even on a left-leaning campus like Brown’s, this shouldn’t be difficult; last semester, the Undergraduate Council of Students approved the creation of a campus chapter of Turning Point USA, a national right-wing group, the first step toward receiving Student Activities Office support.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, the

Still, despite my revulsion toward the twenty-first century Republican agenda, I believe that my experience of Brown and my understanding of American politics could be enriched by the presence of clear-eyed conservative commentary.

campus should be good practice for such work.

The Spectator, of course, was not without its deficiencies — and any enterprising conservatives on campus interested in reviving the journal should take care to avoid recreating them.

For starters, the Spectator was funded entirely by external groups. According to The Herald, the journal received $2,000 from the Collegiate Network, an organization whose staid, bureaucratic name obscures its function as a sponsor of right-wing publications and activities on college campuses all over the United States.

The remainder of the Spectator’s budget came from the Foundation for Intellectual Diversity, a group started by five Brown alums who wanted to amplify “underrepresented ideas” at the University. This reliance on external fund-

Spectator’s former editors derived far too much pleasure from deliberate provocation. At an Oct. 20, 2006 lecture given by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an environmental attorney and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, staff members of the Spectator distributed copies of the journal. That issue’s cover story, penned by Sam Quigley ’10, was titled, “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr: Another Joke from the Kennedy Family.” Given the tragic history of the Kennedy family, such an article comes across as an insensitive, badfaith attack. Quigley justified the Spectator’s acrid, aggressive tone as essential to the vitality of campus discourse. “We have to grab people with rhetoric first,” he told The Herald. Additionally, he said that “negativity is essential to any kind of democracy in order to discredit the current

structure.” Assertive, reasoned polemicizing is one thing; berserk writing beyond the parameters of acceptable debate, produced purely for the sake of shocking or provoking readers, is another thing altogether. Hopefully, the editors of a resurrected Spectator will assume a more temperate framework for their writing and editorial decision-making. (And I’m not too worried about the Spectator becoming anything close to a Junior Varsity Breitbart — the alt-right politics exemplified and inflamed by President Trump does not encapsulate the full spectrum of conservative thought, and I think it’s unlikely that Brown students, who’ll have their names permanently attached to their contributions on the internet, will use the Spectator to peddle openly racist, sexist, or anti-immigrant sentiments.)

The task of restarting the Spectator will definitely be hard. Putting together a proposal for consideration by UCS, navigating the minutiae of Undergraduate Finance Board funding and assembling a team of students committed to the project are not easy. But there is a natural constituency for the Spectator, which, if managed properly, can serve a productive purpose on campus. In the grander scheme of things, the Spectator will be a useful training ground for students interested in making arguments about policy and partisan politics at higher levels, or, at the very least, becoming engaged citizens. After all, the fight for America’s soul — whether this country creates opportunities for average folks to get ahead, fully extends civil rights to all of its people or actualizes its highest ideals — is happening now, and young people with even an iota of interest in safeguarding their future cannot afford to sit this one out silently. As Quigley told The Herald, in a democratic society, “the worst thing that can happen is that people become complacent.” Ultimately, I hope that the Spectator, on a campus brimming with political and activist energy, can operate as another bulwark against that complacence.

Anuj Krishnamurthy ’19 can be reached at anuj_krishnamurthy@brown.edu.

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

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

Visual Art Dept. offers students opportunity to curate exhibitions VISA concentrators highlight heritage, food motifs in solo, group exhibitions

By EMILY TENG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Students from the Brown Department of Visual Art showcased their artwork in exhibitions at the List Art Center.

The exhibitions, which opened Dec. 21 and close Jan. 31, gave Isabela Lovelace ’20, Caitlin Takeda ’20 and Miranda Villanueva ’20 an opportunity to present art that reflected on everything from food to deeply personal experiences.

Lovelace’s first solo exhibition, titled “the ambient medium del medio ambient,” explored the “concept of home and the stability of home,” she said.

With one parent from the Caribbean and the other from Southern California, the two recent natural disasters of Hurricane Maria and the debris flow through Santa Barbara have drastically impacted Lovelace’s connection with places integral to her identity, she wrote in her artist’s statement.

“I decided to explore those concepts through art and integrate my other concentration, which is geology, within this exhibition to explore not only the parameters of disasters, but the impact disasters have on the land as well,” Lovelace said.

Similar to Lovelace’s, Takeda’s solo exhibition was closely related to her heritage. After learning more about Japanese-American incarceration during World War II, Takeda was moved by a trip to Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, where her grandfather had been confined. Through the exhibition, Takeda intended “to reframe” the incarceration sites; instead of portraying them from the perspective of government photography, she wanted to illustrate the “very deep emotional and familial ties” within the site.

While Lovelace and Takeda each curated solo exhibitions, Villanueva curated a group exhibition, which was titled “Whetted Appetites” and used food as a common motif among the pieces. Five artists, including Villanueva, had artwork on display, using a variety of mediums. Villanueva’s own piece “Red Wine and Cherries (Self Portrait no. II),” a collage that

ARTS & CULTURE

TIFFANY DING / HERALD

From Dec. 21 to Jan. 31, List Art Center hosted exhibitions curated by VISA concentrators. Students took the opportunity to express themes important to their identities through their artwork using a variety of mediums, including photography, videography and collage. used food to resemble a menstruating woman’s body, shared thematic similarities with a collection of short videos filmed by Nicole Cochary ’19.

Both of these pieces touched on “absurdity in advertisement,” Villanueva said. Another artist, Herald illustrator Pia Mileaf-Patel ’20, showcased a series of 32 photos titled “Italian hours.” Her piece, and the showcased images by Alex Westfall ’20, both reflected on

“food in conjunction to memory,” Villanueva said. Alyssa Rodriguez ’19.5 contributed a video to the exhibition, in which she filmed herself eating an onion to “think about the disgust and possession and ownership of a body,” Villanueva added.

“There are a lot of people who want gallery spaces, but it’s not too difficult to get one if you want it,” Villanueva said.

The VISA department selected students

through the process of a lottery. Once selected, the department has resources to guide students along the process of curating, she added.

“A lot of good ideas come out of being inspired by other people’s work,” Lovelace said, who has also been part of a group exhibition before. But her first solo exhibition allowed her to “manage a lot more details” that went into the show. “There was a lot more just my

own thoughts and my pieces, and I could determine a lot more,” she added.

For these VISA concentrators, the exhibitions provided the opportunity to gain more experience in creating personalized shows.

“You get the chance to curate, which is not something you get to do all the time. … This is kind of a good opportunity to experience something outside the norm,” Villanueva said.