SINCE 1891
THE THE BROWN BROWN DAILY DAILYHERALD HERALD VOLUME CLVIII, ISSUE 44
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
WHAT’S INSIDE
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Rainn Wilson discusses ‘The Office,’ spirituality in banter-filled lecture KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
SEE WILSON PAGE 14
METRO Community members process escalating violence in Israel, Gaza R.I. coalition raises
Students attend vigils, seek out community to grieve loss of life in Israel, Gaza BY SAM LEVINE AND KATHY WANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of violence and discussions of death. Early Saturday morning, Hamas, the militant group that controls much of the Gaza Strip, launched an attack on several cities across southern and central Israel. Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries, broke through the fencing that surrounds Gaza into Israeli territory and launched a wide-reaching assault by land, air and sea, the Associated Press reported. The Israeli military has retaliated with
continual strikes on Gaza and has blocked deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity. This escalation of Israel’s decades-long blockade, which security analysts predict will be followed by a ground invasion of Gaza, will not pause for humanitarian aid until the release of the approximately 150 hostages captured by Hamas during its attack, Israeli officials have said. According to the Associated Press, the recent Hamas terrorist attacks and Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 3,200 people, primarily civilians. The violence, students told The Herald, has reverberated through campus, leading students to seek community and space to mourn. On Friday morning, the Israeli military also ordered the evacuation of the approximately 1.1 million Palestinians currently living in northern Gaza. A United Nations spokesperson has called the evacuation order “impossible” and warned of “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
ON-CAMPUS ACTIVISM
“With this weekend’s horrific and devastating attacks by Hamas on Israel and the tragic loss of life that has ensued — including and especially the impact on civilians in both Israel and Gaza — my thoughts are with the individuals and families most directly impacted by the violence and those who remain in fear as the conflict persists,” President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 wrote to the Brown community in an email Tuesday afternoon. “We began with outreach to students with connections to the region and will continue to support these students for as long as needed,” she wrote. The violence in Israel and Gaza this week has profoundly impacted many Brown community members. Gidget Rosen ’24 woke up on Saturday morning to discover the extent of the attack on Israel. Her first instinct was to text everyone she knew in the country. “I wanted to know that people were okay,”
she said. “I have family in Gaza, and multiple members of my extended family have died in the past few days,” wrote one student of Palestinian descent, who wished to remain anonymous for safety concerns, in a message to The Herald. “Hearing them talk about it makes me realize how familiar death is to them — they seem so used to it.” “The ones who are still alive have had their homes destroyed, they have no food and no water, and nowhere to go. It is incomprehensible,” they added. Amitai Nelkin ’25 was observing Simchat Torah — a holiday during which many Jews do not use electronics — over the weekend. News of the attacks slowly reached him by word of mouth, but “there’s really no way that we could have understood the horrors that had occurred,” he said.
awareness around issues of domestic violence
SEE COALITION PAGE 5
METRO
CPC approves most requests for contentious Wickenden proposal SEE WICKENDEN PAGE 5
POST-
SEE REACTIONS PAGE 3
CAMPUS LIFE
Student groups reflect, com- Talk for Tomorrow holds vigil ment on Israel-Hamas war for Palestinian, Israeli deaths Student groups criticize President Christina Paxson’s response to escalating violence BY OWEN DAHLKAMP SENIOR STAFF WRITER Content warning: This article contains descriptions of violence and discussions of death. Violence in Israel and Gaza has sparked intense outcry from Brown community members, with several campus organizations holding vigils to commemorate the loss of civilian lives. Several student organizations have released statements of mourning while simultaneously condemning what they identify as the root causes of the violence. Brown Students for Israel has criticized pro-Palestine groups on campus for their characterization of the recent violence. Meanwhile, groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and the newly-formed
Talk for Tomorrow have condemned what they say is a one-sided response from the University. On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel. The attacks by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries, triggered a declaration of war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli military has responded with continual air strikes on Gaza and by intensifying its years-long blockade of the Strip, completely cutting off food, water, fuel and electricity. Last Friday, Israel ordered one million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive. A United Nations spokesperson has called the order “impossible” and warned of “devastating humanitarian consequences.” Israeli officials have said that its retaliation will not pause for humanitarian aid until the release of
SEE ACTIVISM PAGE 16
Community members shared religious prayers, anonymous student testimonies BY SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR Content warning: This article contains descriptions of violence and discussions of death. On Wednesday evening, Brown community members gathered on the Main Green to light candles and recite Jewish and Muslim prayers to mourn victims of the recent escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza. “This week has been an incredibly painful one for our Palestinian, Arab, Jewish and Israeli friends at Brown. It has been heart-wrenching and disturbing to witness what has been broadcast and shared with our world,” a vigil organizer said in a speech. “We wanted to make a space for our communities to stand together rather than let ourselves be divided.” Wednesday’s vigil was organized by Talk for Tomorrow, a new campus group of anonymous Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian
and Arab students at the University. Earlier this week, the group shared an open letter addressed to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 which “unequivocally” condemned Hamas’s attacks on Israel as well as “Israel’s inexcusable acts in Palestine.” The letter urged Paxson “to protect Palestinians and those advocating for Palestinian rights on campus” and to expand her response to the recent violence “to include the condemnation of the Israeli state’s inexcusable acts.” On Oct. 10, Paxson wrote in a letter to the Brown community that “with this weekend’s horrific and devastating terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel and the tragic loss of life that has ensued — including and especially the impact on civilians in both Israel and Gaza — my thoughts are with the individuals and families most directly impacted by the violence and those who remain in fear as the conflict persists.” Paxson was in attendance at the beginning of Wednesday’s vigil but departed before its conclusion. University Spokesperson Brian Clark declined to comment
SEE VIGIL PAGE 14
SEE PAGE 8
ARTS & CULTURE
SEE PAGE 12
PAGE 2
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
TODAY WEEK IN HIGHER ED:
1
NAT HARDY / HERALD
U.S. House Committee investigating University of Maryland’s COVID-19 quarantine policy
As of this September, the University of Maryland requires students who test positive to quarantine off-campus without financial assistance from the university. The U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic is investigating the policy, but Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Maryland) expressed concerns regarding house overreach into university proceedings.
2
CAMPUS STUDY SPOTS:
LILA QUINN / HERALD
Located on the Main Green, Rhode Island Hall houses the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World.
LILA QUINN / HERALD
New bill will allow some Mexico residents to pay in-state tuition at California colleges
LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD
85 Waterman St. , also known as the Building for Environmental Research and Teaching, was fully renovated in 2013.
A pilot program for the bill — which will run until 2029 — will allow eight eligible community colleges within California to offer in-state tuition to Mexico residents within 45 miles of the California-Mexico border. Each college can enroll up to 150 students through the program.
3
Hundreds of protesters pack Columbia’s campus following escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza
Hundreds of Columbia University community members gathered on the university’s camps Thursday afternoon in protest of the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza. Organizers from Students for Justice in Palestine and Students Supporting Israel demonstrated on opposite lawns as bystanding students and press looked on.
KYLA ZHANG / HERALD
The University’s Sciences Library houses a myriad of campus centers, including the Writing Center, the Center for Language Studies and the Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning.
THIS WEEKEND Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Energy Transitions, Then and Now Friday, Oct. 20 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Stephen Robert Hall
The Lindemann Performing Arts Center Opening Block Party Saturday, Oct. 21 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lindemann Performing Arts Center
Observe the Moon Night Saturday, Oct. 21 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Ladd Observatory
Apple Picking & Hayride Sunday, Oct. 22 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Linvilla Farms
NEXT WEEK Philippines on the Potomac: A Walking Tour Saturday, Oct. 28 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Old Chancery
“Another Body” Screening Saturday, Oct. 28 10:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Laemmle Royal
SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference Saturday, Oct. 28 All Day Oregon Convention Center
Remembering Anani Dzidzienyo Sunday, Oct. 29 9:00 a.m. Churchill House
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
REACTIONS from PAGE 1 “First you hear what happened,” he added. “And then over the next few days, you feel what happened.” “At first I didn’t think too much of it. Rocket attacks are unfortunately something we are accustomed to,” wrote an Israeli student, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, in a message to The Herald. “But when the videos of Hamas terrorists brutalizing Israeli civilians started circulating, I started having panic attacks and just broke down. I couldn’t process what I was seeing.” Brown-RISD Hillel and the Rohr Chabad House issued a joint statement in an email Sunday night in which they called for a vigil on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center Wednesday afternoon. During the vigil, religious leaders from the Jewish community gave speeches and students shared testimonies about how they are coping with the death of civilians. Paxson also spoke at the event and offered a prayer for peace in English and Hebrew. “We wanted to respond to it not as this type of Jew or that type of Jew, but as a Jewish community,” Hillel Rabbi Josh Bolton said of the joint Chabad-Hillel event. “We wanted to create this space for people to gather, to reflect, to cry, to see one another.” “I express my deep concern for Gaza, for the Palestinians who endure life under occupation and apartheid,” an anonymous Palestinian student wrote in a statement shared by organizers at the vigil. “I also reserve a place in my heart and mind for the Jewish and Israeli lives that have been lost, as well as our Jewish friends who are in mourning.” Multiple human rights organizations, as well as an independent human rights expert commissioned by the United Nations, have published reports stating that the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians amounts to “apartheid.” “If Palestinians had to hold vigils every time our people were massacred, we would be bankrupt from buying candles,” said Hisham Awartani ’25, a Palestinian student who was raised in the West Bank, in his speech at the vigil. “There is no re-
PAGE 3
spite for us.” Other Palestinian students on campus said at the vigil and in interviews with The Herald that they are struggling to wrap their minds around this new wave of violence. “I grew up with the siege (of Gaza), as they say, but this was a whole new dimension,” another Palestinian student from the West Bank, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told The Herald. “It was gut-wrenching, what is happening,” the student said of this week’s violence. Citing safety reasons, Israel has blockaded Gaza since 2005, which has restricted trade and the ability of Palestinians to exit and enter the territory, according to UNICEF. Nelkin told The Herald that one of his friends died in the Hamas attack on a music festival in southern Israel that killed an estimated 260 people.“They were celebrating life and it was taken from them,” he said. “This was a truly horrific event and nobody wins,” Nelkin said. In recent days, students have both sought and created space to grieve with one another. “Palestinian and Arab students, in general, we’ve closed ranks and supported one another very deeply and profoundly during this time,” the second Palestinian student said. “There’s just a collective mourning and grieving, but also, there’s an inevitable suspense for what’s to come.” Ben Piekarz ’24 spoke at a vigil hosted by Brown Students for Israel Tuesday evening and shared personal stories of how his family and friends have been impacted by the attacks. “Speaking to family in Israel constantly throughout this (has been) just devastating,” he said. Sharing their experiences at the vigil is “a good way for me to try to get those stories out there and feel like I’m playing my part.” Rita Feder ’24, who has family in Israel, said she struggled to find a mourning space on campus that felt right for her. “I was and continued to be scared shitless for my friends and family, and was and continued to be scared shitless for what Palestinians have been for the past few days and are going to be facing,”
UNIVERSITY NEWS
she said. “And there wasn’t really a space where both of those things could be true.” Feder posted these sentiments on Instagram and invited students to join her in a room in Page-Robinson Hall. Forty people showed up, she said, and “we all sat together and we cried.” Attendees then held a small vigil and said a Jewish prayer for the dead for both Palestinians and Israelis. “I needed a community,” Feder said. “I felt very alone.” Several students told The Herald that they have struggled to focus on schoolwork as they reckon with the aftermath of the attacks. “I haven’t been able to focus and I haven’t been able to study. I am glued to the news and social media platforms,” the anonymous Israeli student wrote. “Midterms are the last thing on my mind right now.” Rosen said that she has leaned on her Jewish friends for support, and has sought out community at Chabad, Hillel and Brown Students for Israel events. “I see people everywhere that I know I can go to,” Rosen said. “Just knowing that you have that support is really important, and at the end of the day is what matters.” “I am very inspired by student leadership, and the way in which students have mobilized to take care of one another,” said Bolton, the Hillel rabbi. In her Tuesday email, Paxson invited the community to seek “guidance and support” from University resources, including Student Support Services, the Global Brown Center for International Students, the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Employee Assistance Program and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services. Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Eric Estes shared additional support resources in an email sent to the Brown community Tuesday evening, including resources for students, faculty and staff and “reporting resources for the Brown community.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 13, 2023.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT LIFE
Students raise over $3,000 for earthquake relief in Afghanistan
Shocks cause nearly 1,500 deaths, wipe out infrastructure across Zinda Jan District BY KATHY WANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
On Saturday, Oct. 7, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the Zinda Jan district of Afghanistan’s Herat Province. The initial shock was quickly followed by three powerful aftershocks of magnitudes 5.5, 6.3 and 5.9. Only a day after the aftershocks, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 1,023 deaths and 1,663 injuries, as well as demolished infrastructure, across 11 villages in the Zinda Jan District. As of Tuesday, Oct. 17, the United Nations has reported nearly 1,500 deaths. Suhaila Hashimi ’25.5, who is from Afghanistan, knew she wanted to fundraise for the earthquake’s victims the minute she heard news of the disaster. Last Wednesday, she connected with Fatima Rezaie GS, who is from Herat and has family in the affected region, and together they recruited Nazifa Qazizada ’25.5 from Afghanistan and Rhitama Basak GS and Suraiya Hamidzada GS from India to begin coordinating fundraising efforts. Over the weekend, the students or-
ganized a GoFundMe campaign and a fundraising table — the proceeds from which will be donated to onthe-ground organizations such as the Qamar Foundation. Benefiting from the crowds drawn in by Family Weekend, the group has currently raised over $3,000 for earthquake relief, Rezaie said. While the weather was unfavorable on Saturday, Hashimi couldn’t help but remember the “people (in Afghanistan) who have nowhere to go. People who have no food, no warm clothes.” “At least I know … I can go lay down on my bed, or turn on the heater,” she said. The students are also considering the possibility of donating supplies to individuals in Afghanistan, particularly sanitary products for women and children, according to Hashimi.
SCAN TO READ MORE
COURTESY OF FATIMA REZAIE
The United Nations reported almost 1,500 deaths on Tuesday, with 66,000 lives “upended” by the series of earthquakes in Herat. Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. editor.
SINCE 1891 SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY DAILYHERALD HERALD THE BROWN
133RD EDITORIAL BOARD 133RD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Will Kubzansky Will Kubzansky
Rya Vallabhaneni Arts &Editor Culture Editors Sports Finn Kirkpatrick Linus Lawrence Rya Vallabhaneni
Managing Editors Managing Editors Katy Pickens Katy Pickens Alex Nadirashvili Alex Nadirashvili
University News Editors Sports Editor Charlie Clynes Linus Lawrence Sam Levine
Senior Editors Senior Editors Augustus Bayard Augustus Bayard Caleb Lazar Caleb Lazar Peter Swope Peter Swope Kaitlyn Torres Kaitlyn Torres POSTPOST- MAGAZINE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Kimberly Liu Liu
Neil Mehta University News Editors Haley Sandlow Sofia Barnett Kathy Wang Charlie Clynes Aniyah Nelson Emily Faulhaber Katie Jain Sam Levine Neil Mehta COMMENTARY Haley Sandlow Editorial Page Editors Kathy Wang Kate Waisel Aniyah Nelson Devan Paul Katie Jain
NEWS Head Opinions NEWS DIGITAL NEWSEditor Metro Alissa Simon Metro Editors Editors Director of Technology Rhea EmmaRasquinha Gardner Swetabh Changkakoti Jacob Smollen Opinions Editors Rhea Rasquinha Julia Juliet Fang JacobVaz Smollen COMMENTARY Jack Yael Wellisch JuliaTajmajer Vaz Editorial Page Editors Anika Bahl Jack Tajmajer Kate Waisel Science & Research Editor Devan Paul ScienceSandlow & Research Editor Haley MULTIMEDIA Haley Sandlow Head Opinions Gabriella Vulakh Photo Chiefs Editor Gabriella Vulakh Alissa Simon Elsa Choi-Hausman Arts & Culture Editors Claire Diepenbrock Finn Kirkpatrick Photo Editors @the_herald
@the_herald @browndailyherald
Mathieu Greco Opinions Editors Lilly Nguyen Juliet Fang Kaiolena Tacazon Yael Wellisch Anika Media Bahl Chief Social
Designers Design Editors Allyson Chen Ashley Guo Julia Dubnoff Gray Martens Joyce Gao Tiffany He Tran Audrey
Sahil Balani MULTIMEDIA Photo Chiefs Podcast Editors Elsa Choi-Hausman Finn Kirkpatrick Claire Diepenbrock Jacob Smollen
Michelle Jun Designers Aijoon (Jennie) Lee Joyce Gao Menasha Leport Menasha Leport Nathaniel Scott Tom Li Kaiolena Tacazon Nathaniel Scott Angela Xu Jane Zhou Jane Zhou
Photo Editors Director of Technology Mathieu Greco Swetabh Changkakoti Lilly Nguyen Kaiolena Tacazon PRODUCTION Copy Chief SocialDesk Media Chief Brendan McMahon Sahil Balani
Junior Copy Desk Chief Podcast Editors Anna Dubey Finn Kirkpatrick Jacob Smollen Design Chief Neil Mehta PRODUCTION Copy Desk Chief Junior Design Chief Brendan McMahon Gray Martens Design Chief Neil Mehta Design Editors Ashley Guo Tiffany Tran
BUSINESS BUSINESS General Managers General Managers Joe Belfield Joe Belfield Andrew Willwerth Andrew Willwerth Sales Director Sales Director Alexander Zhou Alexander Zhou Finance Director Finance Director Eli Pullaro Eli Pullaro
Office Manager Cary Warner
facebook.com/browndailyherald @browndailyherald @browndailyherald
88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com 88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com
Op-eds are typically between 600 and 900 words and advance a clear argument related to a topic of Op-eds are typicallyYou between 600 and 900to words and advance a clear argument related to a topic of campus discourse. can submit op-eds opinions@browndailyherald.com. campus discourse. You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words and respond to an article or column that has appeared Letters to the editor should around 250 and respond to an article column that has appeared in The Herald, or critique or be commend The words Herald’s editorial decisions. Youor can submit letters to the in Theto Herald, or critique or commend The Herald’s editorial decisions. You can submit letters to the editor letters@browndailyherald.com. editor to letters@browndailyherald.com. Submissions undergo multiple rounds of editing. These rounds of editing generally take place over the Submissions of editing. These rounds generally take place over course of one undergo evening,multiple and you rounds may have to respond to edits lateofinediting the evening. If you know you willthe be course to of one evening, you may to email, respond towe edits in the evening. you know unable do so, please and mention thathave in your and willlate do our best to workIf with you. you will be unable to do so, please mention that in your email, and we will do our best to work with you. Submissions can build on reporting from The Herald, reporting elsewhere, official statements from Submissions build groups on reporting fromreputable The Herald, reporting from the Universitycan or other and other sources, but elsewhere, they cannotofficial break statements news or contain the University orThe other groups and other reputable butpublish they cannot break newsinformation, or contain information that Herald cannot verify. Becausesources, we cannot unsubstantiated information that The Herald cannot verify. cannot publish unsubstantiated failure to provide appropriate sources may Because mean wewe have to modify or remove unverifiedinformation, claims. failure to provide appropriate sources may mean we have to modify or remove unverified claims. The Herald will not publish anonymous submissions or submissions authored by organizations. Leaders The Heraldorganizations will not publish anonymous submissions submissions authored by organizations. Leaders of student can be identified as such butorcannot write under the byline of their organization. of student organizations can be identified as such but cannot write under the byline of their organization. The Herald cannot publish all submissions it receives and reserves the right to edit all submissions. Thesubmissions Herald cannot publish all submissions receives and reserves theelsewhere right to edit submissions. All to The Herald cannot have it been previously published (inall print or online — All submissions to The Herald cannot have and beenmust previously published elsewhere (in print or submission online — including personal blogs and social media) be exclusive to The Herald. Once your including personal and social media) mustInc. be exclusive to The Herald. your submission is published in The blogs Herald, The Brown Dailyand Herald, owns the copyright to theOnce materials. is published in The Herald, The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. owns the copyright to the materials. Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. Commentary: The editorial thenecessarily majority opinion the editorial page board of The Brown Herald. The editorial viewpoint doesis not reflectof the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc.Daily Columns, The editorial viewpoint does necessarily reflect theonly. views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect thenot opinions of their authors letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed providing the Brown University community the most accurate information possible. Correctionstomay be submitted up to seven calendar days with after the most accurate information possible. Corrections R.I. mayPostmaster: be submitted up tosend seven calendar days after publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, Please corrections to P.O. Box publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at Advertising: its discretion.The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you Herald,and Inc.Postis a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University The Brown Daily and It PostMagazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily Herald since 1891. is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, community daily since 1891. It is published Mondayand through the academic year, Daily excluding vacations, once during Commencement once Friday duringduring Orientation by The Brown excluding vacations, once during Commencement once during Orientationprices: by The$200 Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of theand community. Subscription one year Herald, Inc.one Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 semester daily. daily, $100 one semester daily. Copyright 2023 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
PAGE 4
METRO
CITY & STATE POLITICS
Fare-free R-Line pilot ends, future of program unclear due to funding concerns
Free bus pass pilot for low-income riders lacks funding beyond end of October, RIPTA says BY HADLEY CARR CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority recently concluded a 13-month pilot program to offer free rides to all passengers on the R-Line, which runs from Cranston to Pawtucket through downtown Providence. For much of this period, RIPTA has also piloted a No Fare Bus Pass Program, offering free rides to passengers who meet the income threshold to receive a no fare bus pass but not other required criteria. As the two programs end, RIPTA draws closer to an annual funding gap of $40 million when federal relief funds are exhausted. If the agency is not fully funded by the 2025 fiscal year, a RIPTA presentation to the state Senate predicts over 400 layoffs and the elimination of multiple bus lines. End of R-Line pilot In 2022, the Rhode Island General Assembly allocated $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to RIPTA to fund a year-long fare-free pilot program for all riders on the R-Line. But RIPTA Director of Communications and Public Outreach Cristy Raposo Perry noted that the cost of the pilot program exceeded the allocation.
“Given the annual cost of this pilot and RIPTA’s current budget outlook, it is not financially feasible for RIPTA to continue this program indefinitely,” Perry wrote in an email to The Herald. A quarterly report on the program, which tracked R-Line ridership from December 2022 to February 2023, noted that RIPTA would have earned about $400,000 each month if R-Line riders had paid the $2 bus fare. According to Perry, the total lost revenue was $5.7 million. On Monday, riders and activists gathered in front of the Rhode Island State House to rally for increased RIPTA funding. The rally centered around four main objectives, according to Dally Dixon, an organizer and junior at Rhode Island College. “The main demands are increased
as well,” Glidden said. She added that there are “new organizing efforts” to expand the transit system. Crowley added that he suspects there will be decreased ridership following the discontinuation of the farefree R-Line program. In response, Perry cited the financial situation of the transit agency and the cost of the pilot program. She added that while ridership increased during the pilot program, an increased number of passengers were using the R-Line as a hop-on, hop-off service for shorter trips. RIPTA will aim to fully evaluate R-Line ridership in their board meeting at the end of October.
state and federal funding, reinstating the free R-Line, better pay for bus operators and preventing the fiscal cliff,” Dixon said. Monday’s rally was also endorsed by Rhode Island Transit Riders. Amy Glidden, co-coordinator of the group, said she has a particular interest in the R-Line fare-free program due to the new riders the pilot brought in. While Glidden also supports the no fare pass pilot program, she hopes to see an extension of the transit system itself. “Rhode Island Riders would like to see free fares exist in a fully funded system that has the resources to expand
began in November 2022, was extended until the end of October while the RIPTA board of directors waits for administrators to determine if the program can continue, according to Patrick Crowley, a member of the authority’s board of directors. At a September board meeting, Sarah Ingle, RIPTA’s director of long range planning, said that the agency lacks funding to continue the pilot program past the end of October. When RIPTA first began its no fare bus pass program for low-income community members, dozens came to the Mathewson Street Church where the passes were being distributed, The
No fare bus pass program The no fare bus pass program, which
Herald previously reported While assisting with this initiative, church Director of Outreach and Communications Kevin Simon said the program was able to help community members who were not able to reach doctor’s appointments, family members or meals. Over the course of the pilot, RIPTA has issued 775 passes, but according to Simon, “people come to the door who still need passes.” “It’s back to hearing stories of ‘I can’t get to my doctor’s appointment,’” Simon said. “The need is not going away.” Simon and 15 service providers met with five members of the RIPTA staff last week to discuss the future of the pilot
program. “RIPTA has been incredibly supportive,” Simon said. Along with a team of service providers, Simon hopes to present a plan to replace the no fare pilot program by the end of the month. Crowley is similarly hopeful that RIPTA will be able to provide a form of subsidized passes. “I’m optimistic that we can figure out some way to make the program continue,” he said. But Simon noted that the transit authority must go further in the future: “It’s not just an extension that we need,” he said, “but an expansion.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 12, 2023.
TALIA LEVINE / HERALD
CITY & STATE POLITICS
City Council declares Providence a ‘Climate Jobs City’ Lawmakers, policy directors discuss clean energy goals, equitable workforce initiatives BY CAMILA VALDES CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Sept. 17, the Providence City Council passed a resolution declaring Providence the country’s first “Climate Jobs City,” resolving to work on decarbonizing and retrofitting buildings, investing in carbon-neutral and climate-friendly infrastructure and increasing climate literacy and environmental education, among other goals. The resolution will be followed by a series of supplemental ordinances, according to Ward 3 Councilor Sue AnderBois, a member of the Council’s environment committee. According to Council President and Ward 13 Councilor Rachel Miller, the city is a national partner with Climate Jobs, a coalition that works “to affirm our commitment to environmental justice … alongside worker’s rights and a just transition.” “For me, as the primary sponsor, (the resolution) was really setting the stage for a body of
work that is to come on climate action,” AnderBois said. “It’s early on. But it builds on a really good body of work that has already existed in the city.” The resolution sets a goal for Providence to use 100% renewable energy by 2033. It follows the city’s Climate Justice Plan, a cornerstone planning document that was released in 2019. There are no specific metrics to measure whether the city is meeting the plan’s goals in the resolution. Instead, AnderBois cited existing city policies, which include an annual report of the city’s carbon emissions and energy consumption, as well as future legislation. “Each ordinance that we’ll put out will also have goals and metrics inside
of them of how we will keep track of implementation,” she said. The building energy reporting ordinance, which AnderBois noted will soon be on the City Council’s agenda for full passage, has specific dates by which goals need to be met, as well as an annual reporting requirement, she said. In a press release, the Council said it would be “working with Climate Jobs RI and other stakeholders to identify federal funding programs” as well as “a regular reporting system on progress.” Climate Jobs Rhode Island is a coalition consisting of citizens, workers and legislators, according to the group’s website. Its involvement in the resolution is unique in the emphasis the coalition places on creating an equitable workforce within the clean energy sector. “Climate is a lot of the reason why I decided to run for office, and the partnership with
Climate Jobs is really exciting,” AnderBois said. “The whole resolution is meant to be intersectional; not one policy can stand on itself,” said Michael Roles, policy director for Climate Jobs Rhode Island. The resolution “deals with fighting climate change, but in a way that also promotes equal opportunity among workers.” Roles noted that the resolution’s policies are not stand-alone, citing the various supplementary ordinances to the resolution that are set to come. Roles said he hopes to see “working class people literally at the seat of decisions” as the ordinances go forward. AnderBois noted that an upcoming meeting of the Council’s Environment and Resiliency Committee is set to address the transition to renewable energy within the transportation sector. She added that she hopes to hear from various perspectives throughout the Providence community as the city works to implement the new ordinances. “It really is an inclusive, stakeholder-driven process that we try to reflect in the resolution itself,” she said. “This isn’t just that things will be SIMONE STRAUS / HERALD
done ‘at’ people, but that things will be done ‘with’ people.” A major component of the resolution involves getting workers into clean energy sectors. Patrick Crowley, secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island division of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, shared the story of Maximo Decaba, a member of the Pawtucket Painters and Allied Trades District Council 11 Local 195 as a testament to the opportunities within the climate jobs sector. According to Crowley, Decaba worked as a painter on a wind turbine project off of the Long Island Sound. “Max tells these amazing stories about how he was virtually homeless before he got the opportunity to work on this job, and as a result of working on this particular offshore wind project, he was able to buy his family’s first house and really turn his life around,” Crowley said. “He’s just one example of the promise and opportunity that we’re looking at through Climate Jobs Rhode Island and through the city resolution.” Crowley also said that the construction workforce in Rhode Island and across the country is becoming increasingly diverse — but he doesn’t “want to see that demographic change result in lower wages and benefits just because the people doing the jobs happen to be a different race, ethnicity or gender.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 15, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 5
METRO
CITY & STATE ACTIVISM
R.I. coalition raises awareness around issues of domestic violence R.I. Coalition Against Domestic Violence unveils ‘One of Us’ campaign
June, has worked to involve University students almost every year, according to Rios, who emphasized the importance of
BY JULIA VAZ METRO EDITOR Roughly one in three women in Rhode Island have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the alarming statistic the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence is working to highlight this October. “We all know someone … in our social circles that’s going through this,” said Lucy Rios, executive director of RICADV. The coalition’s campaign highlights that women experiencing domestic violence are “One of Us,” Rios explained. During this Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which runs through the duration of October, RICADV’s campaign has specifically focused on centering the voices of survivors. Cece, one of the survivors and advocates participating in the campaign who did not provide her last name due to safety and privacy concerns, highlighted the importance of building such awareness. “Speaking about domestic violence creates an opportunity to stop abusive situations before they begin, as well as create a community in which survivors receive actual opportunities to rebuild and feel safe,” Cece wrote in an email to The Herald. Founded in 1979, RICADV was formed to aid agencies in the state providing emergency and support services to domestic violence survivors, according to
COURTESY OF THE RHODE ISLAND COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Founded in 1979, the Coalition was formed by a group of agencies in the state providing emergency and support services to domestic violence survivors. It has sought to spread awareness through media campaigns. its website. Through its member agencies, the coalition has secured a presence in schools, courtrooms and police stations, Rios said. Cece, who now helps domestic violence survivors access resources, detailed how important it had been for her to connect with a RICADV advocate when her abuser was arrested. While Cece had been in the relationship since high school, it was during college that the relationship turned violent. “I truly feel that had I not met my advocate, my life would look incredibly different,” she wrote. “The greatest lesson I learned and I now share as an advocate is ‘This was only a chapter in the story that is you.’” Beyond making sure the campaign is visible across the state — with ads on buses, billboards, social media and radio — RICADV has also established a presence within Brown’s campus. A big part
of the campaign, Rios explained, targets young women who are just beginning to encounter their first serious relationships. “We know that the risk for intimate partner violence is greatest among women who are (between) the ages (of) 18 and 24,” Rios said. “It’s also really important that young people get this information and are aware of the warning signs that someone might be in an abusive relationship.” On Oct. 18, Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Wendy Schiller will be joined by Rios at the Joukowsky Forum to discuss her new book “Inequality Across State Lines,” which aims to address the “epidemic of domestic violence” across the country and how most public policies have failed to keep women safe. For Schiller, the event produces a “unique opportunity” for Brown’s “academic research to inform the people who work directly in the field of domestic
violence services and prevention, and for researchers to learn from them as well.” While working on the book, Schiller and her co-author Kaitlin Sidorsky MA’12 PhD’15, associate professor of political science at Ramapo College, quickly learned that “domestic violence is spread across socioeconomic levels, educational levels and ethnic and racial groups.” “It affects people in all walks of life, and the violence that occurs has a wide impact on family members, the workplace and the public community at large,” Schiller wrote in an email to The Herald. At the event, Schiller will share some of the policy recommendations she makes in the book, including “informing victims of abuse that there are options for them to be safer and working with social services and law enforcement to reduce the probability of lethal violence.” RICADV’s annual community advocacy day, which typically occurs in
having young people involved in RICADV’s campaigns. “Our decision-makers have to see that young people care about this issue,” she explained. While this month’s campaign is not attached to a particular policy agenda, Rios said the coalition hopes that increased public visibility of domestic violence will help make addressing the issue a “priority for the state.” The campaign is also an opportunity to celebrate RICADV’s recent policy achievements. Earlier this year, the Coalition advocated for the passing of the Abusive Litigation Act, which prevents abusers from weaponizing the court system to further harass and traumatize victims. In 2022, they also helped initiate the Address Confidentiality Program, which limits a perpetrator’s access to a victim’s address information as they relocate. On Oct. 26, RICADV invites community members to join their task force, Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships, in a vigil to honor victims and survivors of domestic violence. SOAR works closely with the coalition to advocate for legislation aiming to mitigate experiences of domestic violence and spread awareness about people’s experiences with domestic violence. “The women of SOAR are the bravest and (most) courageous people that I know,” Rios said. “Survivors know what they need,” Cece wrote. “Systems need to listen to survivors in order to end domestic violence and to better serve the population.”
PROVIDENCE
City Plan Commission approves most waiver requests for contested Wickenden project Following public comment, approvals include dimensional adjustment, design waivers BY RHEA RASQUINHA METRO EDITOR The Providence City Plan Commission approved a dimensional adjustment and two design waivers requested by the developers of the 269 Wickenden St. mixeduse project at a meeting Tuesday. The fourth request, which was not approved, was for a dimensional adjustment of 10 feet from the rear yard setback requirement. The three approvals include a dimensional adjustment for a five-story and approximately 66-foot-5-inch height, a design waiver for the height of windowsills and a design waiver for residential use on a main street. The location of the proposed building is in a C-2 district, for which a maximum of four stories and 50foot height are permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. A staff report filed before the meeting recommended that all four requests be approved. The proposed development has previously prompted controversy, with Fox Point residents and other community members pushing back against the size, massing and design of the building. At a meeting in August, the commission approved the project’s master plan and design waiver for windowsill height but declined to act on the dimensional
NATHAN GOLD / HERALD
The building design was adjusted after public feedback. “We heard the public loud and clear on the desire to address the housing crisis,” attorney Dylan Conley said. adjustment for the proposed height. At the Tuesday meeting, representatives for the project’s developer — Fox Point Capital, LLC — presented design changes and requested an additional design waiver for the location of residential property within 20 feet of a main street. Following feedback from previous meetings, the developer eliminated the large commercial bay in the design and replaced it with spaces similar to those used by local and small businesses, said Dylan Conley, an attorney representing Fox Point Capital at the meeting. The new design has more residential units, which increases affordability, he added. “We heard the public loud and clear on the desire to address the housing crisis — we’ve traded effectively what was really
premium commercial square footage and fifth-story residential footage for what is … standard market square footage.” The building design was also adjusted to be “comparable to what’s traditionally seen on upper Wickenden,” Conley added. This changes the building from a “rectangular monolith” to “look like three separate buildings with attics.” Architect Kevin Diamond expanded upon specifics of the new design, including pulling the top story of the building back 12 feet so that it is no longer visible from the intersection of Wickenden and Brook streets. Numerous community members spoke during the public comment session following the design presentation and questions from commission members. Local residents expressed support and
concern for the project, raising concerns regarding parking, the proposed building’s size and its affordability. Eileen Afonso, who lives one block away from the site of the proposed development, said that “there’s hardly any parking at all,” and that an additional development would worsen the issue and traffic in the area. “This causes a major concern in my neighborhood.” Daniel Morris, who rents an apartment in Elmhurst, added that “the city is in the midst of a housing crisis … I sacrifice over half of my income to rent.” Morris added that having bicycle parking in the new development “is a great way to alleviate car travel.” Adding 75 residential units with the new development increases the housing stock, Morris added. Having apartments “within a walkable, bikeable, busable distance to work,” may help with recruitment, and “those who work in our thriving small business community” may also benefit. Roz Rustigian, who has lived on Benefit Street for 22 years, views “this project as the first stone in the pond that’s going to kill the creativity, valor (and) spunk of the people who have populated Wickenden Street and their commercial endeavors.” “I don’t want to live in ‘Everytown, U.S.A.,’” Rustigian added. Vincent Buonanno ’66, a lifelong Providence resident who served as chairman of the Brown Trustee’s Fa-
cilities and Design Committee for over 10 years, added that the preservation of the human aspects of a place has to do with the general populace, not just rich or famous people. Harry Adler, co-owner of Adler’s Design Center & Hardware — which has been in business for 104 years — said that “this project is a Trojan horse for Wickenden Street” and that its approval would transform Wickenden “into Thayer Street, which is not a positive development for the city.” Leslie Myers, longtime representative of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association in I-195 District developments, and Fox Point resident Aisha McAdams both expressed concerns about the affordability of the proposed residential units. “I am extraordinarily saddened that there’s this misunderstanding … that 269 Wickenden is going to be affordable. It’s market-rate.” Myers said. “The people who want to work in this neighborhood are not going to be able to live there.” Though the rear-yard setback request was not approved, the remaining master plan was approved, allowing the developers to proceed to the preliminary planning stage on the conditions that the next plan addresses the transformer location, includes complete floor plans and a planting plan for the building rear and maintains the loading area as proposed. Additional reporting by Will Kubzansky
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
SPORTS
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Bears seize spectacular overtime win in comeback against Princeton CHIP DELORENZO / BROWN ATHLETICS
Blocked PAT by Caleb Moorhead ’25 proves decisive in family weekend thriller BY LINUS LAWRENCE SPORTS EDITOR The football team (3-2, 1-1 Ivy) put on a show for its family weekend crowd with a stunning 28-27 comeback victory in overtime against the Princeton Tigers (2-3, 1-1 Ivy) on Saturday afternoon. The win was Brown’s first against Princeton since October 2015. “The guys rallied around each other, especially the older guys, I’m very very proud of them,” said Head Coach James Perry ’00 in an interview following the game. Princeton has “a heck of a football team. They’re exceptionally wellcoached. We just kept fighting, even when things didn’t exactly go our way.” Entering the day, the stage appeared set for a heavyweight show-
down between the Bears — boasting the FCS’s top passing offense behind quarterback Jake Willcox ’24 — and the Tigers, who held the leading total defense in the FCS and allowed just four touchdowns in the season’s four opening games. After an early Bears touchdown, Princeton’s defense proceeded to hold Bruno scoreless through the third quarter, including a second quarter in which the Tigers recorded two interceptions. Reaching the end zone in each of the first three quarters, Princeton took a commanding 21-7 lead. But Brown finally broke through with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 21-14 on a direct snap to Stockton Owen ’25. With just under four minutes left and the ball at the 49-yard line, Bears receiver Graham Walker ’24 fumbled a reception to give the Tigers a critical possession, but Brown was able to pull off a stop.
“It was a bad fumble on my part,” Walker said in an interview following the game. “The defense picked me up. All we talk about is ‘Offense, pick up the defense. Defense, pick up the offense.’ And obviously ‘special teams, pick up the offense and defense.’” Then, with 1:02 on the clock and the ball at Brown’s 49-yard line, Willcox aired out a pass to receiver Mark Mahoney ’24, who made a one-handed catch and ran for the endzone. Mahoney ended the game with 153 receiving yards and nine catches, both career highs. With a successful PAT, the Bears leveled the score at 21. After a series of clutch pass breakups by Brown’s defenders, the game headed to overtime. Princeton, receiving the ball first at Bruno’s 25-yard line, scored a quick touchdown to pull ahead 27-21. But as Princeton’s Sam Massick kicked the football towards the goalposts, linebacker Caleb Moorhead ’25
burst forward, leaping with his hands outstretched and sending the ball bouncing to the ground. “I got free. I just blocked it,” Moorhead said in a postgame interview. “It felt good.” On the following possession, Willcox fired a pass to the back of the endzone to the hands of an airborne Walker, who secured the ball for a redeeming touchdown. Willcox completed the afternoon with 378 yards, marking the fourth time in five games this season he’s recorded over 350. “I’m happy that it was me who made the play, but I would’ve trusted any of the other guys to come down with that catch too,” Walker said. “They didn’t get down on themselves,” Perry said of the team’s fight. “You talk about Jake throwing to Graham (on) the last play of the game … you knew you could count on them, and sure enough they came through.” Unlike Princeton’s, Brown’s PAT
attempt was good, sending the crowd into a frenzy and sealing a signature 28-27 victory against the team ranked second in the Ivy League preseason poll. It also marked the first time Brown has won three of their first five contests in eight years. “It means a lot,” Moorhead said. “It’s huge for our program.” “There’s a difference between wanting to win and hating to lose — and I think this group just hates to lose,” Walker explained. “That really drives us to keep pushing, even when things look tough. And ultimately, games like this are just gonna build our confidence up.” “Brown’s back up. We’re gonna keep trying to prove that,” Walker stated. The Bears’ Ivy schedule will continue next weekend as they travel to Ithaca to face Cornell (2-3, 1-1 Ivy). This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 15, 2023.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball extends win streak to five, sweeps Dartmouth, Harvard
Beau Vanderlaan ’25 records 21 kills, strong performance over pair of weekend matches BY DENNIS CAREY SENIOR STAFF WRITER The women’s volleyball team (14-3, 5-2 Ivy League) extended its win streak to five this weekend, sweeping both Dartmouth (6-10, 3-4) and Harvard (11-5, 4-3) in three sets at home. The Bears began their weekend Friday night, defeating Dartmouth in the “Dig Pink” game to support the fight against breast cancer. Between the first and second set, the team asked for the crowd to stand in solidarity with people who have had breast cancer. The team sold T-shirts Wednesday and Thursday, donating the proceeds to the breast cancer charity SideOut Foundation. “Breast cancer research and awareness is a women’s issue that I care deeply about,” said Head Coach Taylor Virtue. “Just today we’ve had so many people tell us that their family members are survivors or more unfortunately taken too soon because of it, so I’m just really proud to be a part of a group that cares about that and wants to make a difference.” The Bears took the first set of Friday’s match in a 25-22 victory over the
Big Green, led primarily by the serving efforts of Victoria Vo ’25, who collected four aces. Setter Cierra Jenkins ’24 and outside hitter Kayla Griebl ’25 notched two and one aces, respectively, giving Brown a total of seven in the first set. “It’s absolutely one of the reasons that we’re (14-3). We’re a good serving team,” Virtue said. “Seven aces is what it looks like after a lot of hard work.” Bruno also dominated the net in the first set with another standout performance from middle blocker Beau Vanderlaan ’25. In total, she managed eight kills and five blocks Friday night. “We call that ‘short court,’ which is dominating within the 10-foot line of each court,” Vanderlaan said. “We practice that all the time and those are the best plays in my opinion. It’s like hitter (versus) hitter.” Vanderlaan was not alone in the attack, with Griebl notching 10 kills of her own and right-side hitter Kate Sheire ’24 notching another nine for a total of 19 between the two of them, accounting for almost half of the Bears’ 40 kills on the evening. Jenkins posted a strong statistical performance, leading the team with 25 assists in addition to notching five kills and 11 digs. “On the court, we all played as one unit,” she said. “We’re encouraging each other, pursuing every ball and giving each other confidence.”
Despite a 25-18 victory in the second set, Bruno had their work cut out for them after going down 19-13 in the third. But they surged back with nine straight points, led by three kills from Jenkins and three aces from Mariia Sidorova ’26. “We just had to change the momentum and get in control of our side of the court again,” Jenkins said. “We really tried to apply pressure on our serves, get them out of system and attack the setter, which really helped gain our momentum back.” The Big Green didn’t roll over easily, however, and tied the game at 24. But the Bears managed two straight points to win 26-24 for a comeback victory. “We hope to not put ourselves in that situation too often, but it’s a big deal to be able to do that,” Virtue said. “The win is absolutely amazing,” Va n d e rl a a n
said. “We all realized we have to kick it into gear. It’s now or never.” The following night, the Bears defeated Harvard in their second sweep of the weekend. Harvard entered the game leading the Ivy League in aces, but the Bears held strong, managing to only allow five aces while responding with nine of their own. Bruno’s offense was crushing, hitting 44 kills to Harvard’s 27 and posting a hitting percentage of .291 as compared to the Crimson’s .116. Brown also outscored Harvard 61-35 on official points.
The effort was led by Vanderlaan, who had 13 kills alongside nine by Sheire and eight by outside hitter Jilienne Widener ’24. Jenkins followed up Friday’s performance with another strong showing, offering up 32 assists and five kills with a hitting percentage of .500. Bruno won each set by more than five points, taking each of the first two sets 25-19 and the third 25-18. The Crimson never led the Bears by more than three points during the entire match. The Bears look to continue their win streak against Yale, whom they lost to earlier in the season in a 3-2 heartbreaker, at the Pizzitola Sports Center Friday night. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald. com on Oct. 15, 2023.
CHIP DELORENZO / BROWN ATHLETICS
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 7
SPORTS
MEN’S SOCCER
Men’s soccer draws against defending Ivy champions Penn
Second consecutive scoreless draw in Ivy play leaves Bears alone in third place BY NICHOLAS MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER Goalkeeper Hudson Blatteis ’24 wasn’t expected to be on the field much this season for the men’s soccer team (44-4, 1-0-3 Ivy). But after an error from starter Henrik Weiper ’26 in an early season match against Cornell, Head Coach Chase Wileman made a switch. In came Blatteis who, in his first career appearance, kept Cornell scoreless for the next 70 minutes, helping the Bears earn a 1-1 draw. Blatteis has stuck between the sticks since, allowing only two goals in four games. Most recently, in Brown’s Saturday night home match against defending Ivy champions Penn (3-3-5, 1-1-2 Ivy), Blatteis was the hero, sliding to break up a one-on-one opportunity and securing a crucial diving save on a penalty kick in the second half. “I think at that point in the season we had given up a lot of goals, and that’s not necessarily on the goalkeeper, but … we’d given away too many goals,” Wileman said of the goalie change against Cornell. “And then in the Cornell game in particular there was a mistake. So that’s when I made the change. And also we were kind of not really getting consistent results at that time. So it was trying to get a spark a little bit in the team.” Against Penn on Saturday, Blatteis’s performance preserved a 0-0 draw for the Bears against a Penn team that was favored to repeat as Ivy champions in the conference’s preseason poll.
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Goalkeeper Hudson Blatteis ’24 made a critical penalty save in a physical contest with few chances for either side. In a physical contest with few chances for either side, the Bears outshot the Quakers 10 to five but couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. Wileman said he was “definitely not happy with the draw.” “It’s a frustrating one again,” he said, “because I just feel like we didn’t quite reach our performance levels. And I think we let Penn off the hook a little bit.” Brown got one of its best chances in the 20th minute. After a pass from Kojo Dadzie ’24 was intercepted in the box, the ball pinballed around before popping out to midfielder Langdon Gryglas ’26, who rifled a volley that was tipped over the bar by Penn goalie Nick Christofferson. The next chance went to the Quakers five minutes later. Penn center-back Leo Burney played a long ball over the top
for forward Charlie Gaffney, who had run behind the Brown defense. Gaffney took a touch, and with the ball still bouncing, Blatteis came charging out of the penalty box, lunging into a split while sliding to nick the ball away. With Blatteis well out of his net, the ball fell to Penn forward Stas Korzeniowski, but tight marking from Brown center-back Taha Kina ’24 prevented Korzeniowski from getting off a shot. In the 58th minute, Blatteis made an even better save. Defender Tanner Barry ’25 brought down Korzeniowski in the penalty box with minimal contact, leading the referee to point to the spot. Korzeniowski, the reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, stepped up, hitting the penalty inside the right post. Blatteis guessed correctly, leaving his position far before Korzeniowski made contact to parry
the shot away. The team “watches a lot of film on old penalties,” Blatteis said. I “knew he had a trend to go that way, but (I) just had a feeling, and I tend to go pretty early. But I guessed the right way, and it worked out.” With just nine minutes to play, Dadzie created a chance out of nothing for the Bears. He dribbled to the end line through four Penn defenders and then played a pass to forward Jamin Gogo Peters ’26, whose poke was saved by Christofferson. Barry had the best chance in the game’s final minutes. A cross from forward Lorenzo Amaral ’27 fell at the back post to Barry, who took a touch forward and from in close, fired a shot over the bar. “I think obviously, collectively as a
team and then for myself, we need to capitalize on opportunities,” Barry said. Combined with the draw, Yale’s loss at Harvard gave Bruno sole possession of third place. Sitting on six points, Brown stands in a strong position to finish in the top four in the conference and qualify for the Ivy League postseason tournament. But with the Ivy League’s top seven teams separated by only four points, Bruno has little margin for error. After its final non-conference game against the University of Rhode Island on Tuesday, Brown will conclude Ivy play with games against Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale. Brown has still allowed just one goal in Ivy League play, a marked improvement from its defense in pre-conference play. “I think it’s just a mentality change over the past couple of games,” Barry said. It’s “just tightening up in the back, limiting individual mistakes and then just working collectively as a group.” For his efforts, Blatteis was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. Blatteis has “done amazing since he’s come in, and he also is probably the hardest worker on the team,” Wileman said. “That’s what happens when you work hard and you continue to get better and you just trust in the process. And then also when you get an opportunity, you have to take it. And he has.” “It’s obviously scary,” Blatteis said of being named the starter midseason. “But I think I was ready. I’d been working really hard to get where I am. And I feel like I’m just not trying to do anything crazy — just doing what I can do and controlling what I can. I feel like it’s gone well so far.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
No. 16 women’s soccer clinches Ivy Tournament Berth in tough fought 1-0 win over Columbia First-minute strike from Brittany Raphino ’23.5 propels Bruno to victory BY BEN GOLDBERG STAFF WRITER On a slick and rainy playing surface in New York City, Brown women’s soccer (9-1-2, 5-0-0 Ivy League) squared off against the Columbia Lions (7-3-3, 1-2-2), whose staunch defense had only conceded 5 goals before this game. Brown star forward Brittany Raphino ’23.5 quickly broke through the Columbia defense: Raphino latched onto a Columbia turnover in the midfield, ran the length of the entire offensive half, eased past a Lions defender and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal only 35 seconds into the game. Bruno was able to hold on to the early advantage for the remainder of the game, seizing a 1-0 win. With her 10th goal of the season, Raphino moved into second place in program history for points. Her point count of 95 is bested only by Theresa Hirschauer ’88. Brown’s defense managed to keep Columbia’s offense at bay, limiting them to only three shots on target, which were all saved by goalkeeper Clare Gagne ’24. Raphino’s early goal and Gagne’s clean sheet propelled them
PETER SCHWALLER / BROWN ATHLETICS
Scoring the match’s lone goal, Brittany Raphino ’23.5 now has the second most points in program history — 95 points to date. to being awarded Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week respectively. While the first half of the game proved a very tight affair — with neither side generating clear-cut chances — Columbia dominated the ball in the second, forcing Bruno to defend five corner kicks. According to Head Coach Kia McNeill, the Bears adjusted their tactics at the start of the second half. “We changed to a 4-2-3-1 (formation) because we thought it would help secure a couple of things we didn’t like going on defensively in the first half,”
McNeill wrote in an email to The Herald via Brown Athletics. “In retrospect, I actually think it gave Columbia more of the ball in the second half.” “Our team has shown that we can go in and out of several formations and continue to have success and this match was another example of that,” she added. According to McNeill, the rain “wasn’t as bad of a factor as we were initially anticipating,” but Columbia’s “matter down” and “slick” turf still proved difficult. Brown’s win continues their 27game winning streak in Ivy League play
over the past four years and clinches them a spot in this year’s Ivy League Tournament — the first of its kind — which will include the top four finishing regular season teams. Sitting in first place, the Bears appear in prime position to host the tournament, which will take place on Nov. 3 and 5 on the campus of the Ivy team with the best conference record. “Even though it wasn’t our best collective performance, I’m happy we were able to find a way to win,” McNeill wrote. “Throughout the trip, we talked about the fact that we were on a business trip, not a vacation. We knew that we could solidify our spot in the Ivy Tournament with a win against Columbia and bolster our consideration for the NCAA Tournament, so I gave them a brief reminder of what was on the line in this game and they came out the gate flying.” Brown will look to continue its undefeated record and push for an Ivy League Tournament on home turf next Saturday as they embark on another New York road trip to face Cornell (3-3-6, 0-3-2) in Ithaca. The Big Red are coming off a 1-1 draw against Yale (5-4-4, 0-3-2) in New Haven this past weekend. “Playing away at Columbia is always a tough road game,” McNeill wrote. “For us to leave with 3 points and a shutout is great.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 17, 2023.
SCORES RECAP WOMEN’S
CROSS COUNTRY AT ECAC 7TH OF 36, CHAMPIONSHIPS 237 PTS VOLLEYBALL VS. DARTMOUTH W 3-0 VS. HARVARD W 3-0 SOCCER AT COLUMBIA W 2-0 RUGBY VS. PENN STATE W 31-17 ICE HOCKEY VS. HOLY CROSS W 4-3 (OT) AT HOLY CROSS L 2-1 (OT) TENNIS AT BROWN CLASSIC 1ST FIELD HOCKEY AT COLUMBIA W 2-0 EQUESTRIAN AT SALVE REGINA SHOW 4TH
MEN’S
CROSS COUNTRY AT 1C4A 17TH OF 34, CHAMPIONSHIPS 425 PTS WATER POLO VS. GEORGE WASHINGTON W 13-9 VS. SALEM W 20-13 VS. POMONA-PITZER W 13-9 VS. OCCIDENTAL W 21-14 FOOTBALL VS. PRINCETON W 28-27 (OT) SOCCER VS. PENN T 0-0
post-
APR 14 — VOL 31 — ISSUE 9
See Full Issue: ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
OCT 19 — VOL 32 — ISSUE 4
Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, This week, like many other weeks, I am getting a strong dose of the female experience. What does that entail, you ask? Well, it just so happens that this issue of post- Magazine is written, illustrated, and brought to you by an all-female team* who are much more qualified in weighing in on the matter: In Feature, the writer discusses learning Dutch in light of the legacy of the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, and what cultural ownership really means. In Narrative, the writer talks about her anxieties as a senior and how it manifests in her attitudes toward the past and her future self. Another writer talks about her appreciation for dance from the perspective of a non-dancer, and how it can serve as a release for her. In A&C, a writer enthuses over the NYT crossword, and explores her obsession with words. Another A&C writer discusses female YA heroines in the books that this generation grew up reading, how their dainty, effortless, not-like-the-other-girls characterization impacted her own perception of what it means to be a heroine in real life, and explores the process of unlearning these ideals. In Lifestyle, the writer discusses the pressure to be in love, and the beauty of non-romantic love in a collection of moments. The female experience can be so varied depending on geographical location, mother-daughter relationship, access to support, and so many other factors, but at its center is something universal. Not saying what it is because I’m secretive. But glints of familiarity catch my eye, as in every story I see a thread of shared reality that makes me feel part of something larger than just myself. For me, this week has been fraught with anxiety and insecurity, cramps, mysterious pains and bruises, confusion at what’s expected of me, and hormones, so many hormones. I am slouching towards the weekend, and not even in a mall goth scenecore y2k grunge way. But in reading Olivia’s piece about simple love or Audrey’s reflection on the innateness of matrilineal responsibility, I am reminded that experience connects me like a web, an Indra’s web, where my struggles do not have to only be my own. So go forth, read post-, and see yourself in your fellow human! Bye Barbies!
Kimberly Liu
See Full Issue:
Editor-in-Chief
ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
Speaking in Tounges Audrey Wijono
A Tangle of Movement MAck Ford
Senior Anxieties 2
Jeanine Kim
3
4
How to Be A Girl
The Shape of Love
New Dorm
olivia cohen
Daphne Cao
Will Hassett
6
7
Ode to The Crossword Samiha Kazi
9
*All-female save for Will, our crossword staffer, and Joe and Elijah, our editors, whom we love and appreciate
6
5
“If you don’t have what it takes to be a stripper, you don’t have what it takes to be in investment banking.”
10s
“I don’t use mechanical pencils; they’re for people who are out of touch with nature.”
1
2
3
New Dorm by Will Hassett
4
5
6
1. Top 10s 2. Things I Hate About You 3. One Tea House 4. You ;) 5. -nis 6. Commandments 7. Amendments to the Constitution (aka the Bill of Rights) 8. Ben 9. October 10, 1010 (10/10/10) 10. -nessee (cuz ur the only 10 i seeeeeeeeee)
Across
1
4 Ignite or incinerate 7 Nebraska's largest 8
7
Online shorthand for "wow!" or "no way!"
city ____ Origin Coffee, set to open in 5D this fall
9 Ambiant music creator Brian
Down 8
9
1
Online shorthand for "but..." or "also..."
2
NYC home to Picassos and Pollocks
3
Scrape or scratch (past)
5
____ Family Hall, adjacent to Jo's and new home for 8A
6 An angel's adornment EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kimberly Liu
“As I held on to the hug, all the colors and words and shapes and sounds of that moment held on to me with a symphony of voices that sounded like “you are here you are here you are here.” I am here, gladly.” —Joyce Gao, “Detaching From Detachment” 10.14.22
“Through warm cinnamony conversations, we unravel layers of ourselves. In the middle of the crowd, I speak and listen myself into existence. A seemingly de-individualized coffee chain becomes, for a moment, a world all our own.” —Liza Kolbasov, “Coffee for Here” 10.15.21
post–
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
Section Editors Emily Tom Anaya Mukerji
FEATURE Managing Editor Klara Davidson-Schmich
LIFESTYLE Managing Editor Tabitha Lynn
Section Editors Addie Marin Elaina Bayard
Section Editors Jack Cobey Daniella Coyle
ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Joe Maffa
HEAD ILLUSTRATORS Emily Saxl Ella Buchanan
Section Editors Elijah Puente Rachel Metzger
COPY CHIEF Eleanor Peters
NARRATIVE Managing Editor Katheryne Gonzalez
Copy Editors Indigo Mudhbary Emilie Guan Christine Tsu
SOCIAL MEDIA HEAD EDITORS Kelsey Cooper Tabitha Grandolfo Kaitlyn Lucas LAYOUT CHIEF Gray Martens Layout Designers Amber Zhao Alexa Gay STAFF WRITERS Dorrit Corwin Lily Seltz Alexandra Herrera Liza Kolbasov Marin Warshay Gabrielle Yuan Elena Jiang Will Hassett Daphne Cao
Aalia Jagwani AJ Wu Nélari Figueroa Torres Daniel Hu Mack Ford Olivia Cohen Ellie Jurmann Sean Toomey Emily Tom Ingrid Ren Evan Gardner Lauren Cho Laura Tomayo Sylvia Atwood Audrey Wijono Jeanine Kim Ellyse Givens Sydney Pearson Samira Lakhiani Cat Gao Lily Coffman Raima Islam Tiffany Kuo
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
October 19, 2023 7
PAGE 10
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
COMMENTARY
Gupta ’25: We must look beyond the flawed “love language” framework At one point or another, I’m sure we’ve all come across the famous love language questions: “Do you prefer words of affirmation or acts of service?” or “Do you express love as gift giving or quality time?” If you’re anything like me, it can be difficult to settle on just one answer. We live in an age where we are obsessed with categorizing ourselves. From Zodiac signs to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator results, it can feel a lot easier to process our complexities through a set of predetermined ways of being. Love languages are no exception. They offer a framework for understanding romantic relationships, defining five distinct ways people prefer to give and receive love: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Love languages speak to us because love is complicated, and we are constantly searching for ways to explain it. And if there is an opportunity to compartmentalize a romantic disconnect by saying it’s just a matter of conflicting love languages, why not take it? That can feel easier than a deeper exploration into the compatibility of your relationships. Treating love languages as the crux of your relationships, however, will only lead to worse outcomes down the road. The idea of love languages was first introduced in a book titled “The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate” by Pastor Gary Chapman. Chapman’s central idea is that love languages are interchangeable, meaning that people tend to give love in the way they want
to receive it. He emphasizes that open communication about these love languages can help couples avoid making assumptions and instead provide each other with the love and support they truly need. But Chapman has faced some pushback on his work, with critics bringing into ques-
Chapman’s own Love Language Quiz, for example, found that couples with different love languages were not any more dissatisfied in their relationships than couples with matching ones. Not only do love languages inaccurately determine compatibility, but they also
“
While Chapman’s love languages may be a good starting point for love, it’s critical that we communicate beyond them: They shouldn’t be the only languages you and your partner are fluent in.
tion the validity of love languages as a sufficient way to understand intimate relationships. For one, he refers to himself as “Dr. Chapman” for his PhD in adult education, yet has no formal training in medicine, psychology or marriage counseling. Secondly, his conclusions were based on anecdotal experiences working with primarily Christian, presumably heterosexual, married couples, who are not representative of the greater population. A research study done using
unnecessarily restrict us from showing our partners intimacy in all its forms. Having to choose one way of giving love — physical touch, for example — can unintentionally cause us to neglect all of the other important expressions of affection, including words of affirmation or quality time. To move away from the love language framework, it’s essential to recognize that love and our experiences of it are fluid and multifaceted. There is no such thing as a
“primary love language” because a single type of love is insufficient for one person’s emotional needs. It’s perfectly normal to enjoy compliments, gifts and physical affection simultaneously. When a partner concentrates on one aspect of love while neglecting others, a relationship’s full potential goes unrealized. That’s why we should explore beyond the five love languages. While the framework can help us begin to understand our needs and expressions of love in relationships, the five languages leave so many forms of showing love undiscovered. For instance, physical or emotional space from your partner, managing tasks practically and equitably or having shared experiences and identities. While Chapman’s love languages may be a good starting point for love, it’s critical that we communicate beyond them: They shouldn’t be the only languages you and your partner are fluent in. If you have questions about sex or relationships that could be discussed in a future column, please submit questions to an anonymous form at https://tinyurl. com/BDHsexcolumn. Anusha Gupta ’25 can be reached at anusha_gupta@brown. edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This column originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 13, 2023.
Chang ’27: Stereotypes about economics are holding the field back Entering college, I was hesitant about taking an economics course. When I finally did, I often found myself rationalizing the decision to those around me: “Sure, ‘Introduction to Game Theory’ is technically an econ course, but it’s more mathematical than anything
al-world implications. If we confine ourselves to thinking that concentrating in economics can only lead to careers in the private sector, we may drive individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences away from the field. We as a student body need to change
“
We as a student body need to change our perceptions of what economics is, lest we perpetuate the same stereotypes we criticize.
else.” I now admit that my reasoning was flawed on multiple levels. How could I claim that game theory is unrelated to economics when the first two games we studied modeled the behavior of corporate duopolies? It certainly doesn’t help my case that the course is designated ECON 1090. Why does it make me so uncomfortable to admit that I am taking an economics course? Upon reflection, the stigmas of selfishness, greed and wealth often associated with the concentration — along with the perception that an economics degree can only produce investment bankers and consultants — invariably dissuaded my desire to participate. The last thing I want is to be a nameless opportunist. But at the same time, I cannot deny my fascination with the subject. It is a prevailing stereotype that those who study economics are just in it for the money. While I’m sure that the promise of a lucrative career is one reason why economics is the second most popular concentration at Brown, economics is not exclusively about making money and this stereotype has harmful re-
our perceptions of what economics is, lest we perpetuate the same stereotypes we criticize. Economics is not inherently selfish, and there are many legitimate — dare I say altruistic — uses for a degree in the field. Economics encompasses a wide range of topics including race, women’s rights and healthcare. Studying economics gives one the power to change the world. Take Neale Mahoney ’05, an economics professor at Stanford who is well known for illuminating the scope of the country’s medical debt crisis, for example. But to Brown students, economics appears inextricably linked to careers on Wall Street — not careers studying the pitfalls of the free market. According to internal documentation within the Brown economics department from 2016, one of the top reasons students cited for not pursuing economics after taking an introductory course was that the field “has a reputation for students interested in banking/finance which I am not.” Wall Street carries connotations of
its own about greed, and also a reputation about the racial and gender breakdown of the field, which skews overwhelmingly white and male. The stereotypes about greed, careers and race are not the only cause of the field’s homogeneity — but they all amplify each other. But our current attachment to these stereotypes is potentially upholding the hegemony of white men over the field. The lack of faculty diversity within Brown’s economics department only exacerbates these existing stereotypes. The department’s second faculty member of color only began at the University in fall 2019, according to a 2018-19 report summary from Brown’s Academic Departmental Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. Additionally, per a memo put out by the University’s Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Board in 2022, the
derrepresented groups away from concentrating in economics — by establishing a summer pre-orientation program similar to the New Scientist-Catalyst or Mosaic+ Transition Program. These programs have been proven to help students enter spaces that are racially or socioeconomically different from their own background. The Mosaic+ Transition Program, for example, has year after year improved retention rates for groups that are historically underrepresented in computer science, which is a field dominated by white men. I admit that it’s fun to tease one’s economics concentrator friends occasionally, and I’ve definitely made my fair share of jokes. But instead of leaning further into harmful stereotypes about what economics is and who belongs in the field, we must work to change them.
“
But instead of leaning further into harmful stereotypes about what economics is and who belongs in the field, we must work to change them.
economics department has failed to substantially improve its diversity in recent years. Students who aren’t white men should see their life experiences reflected in their professors — faculty diversity could reshape these preconceptions. The Department of Economics can also help break down these harmful stereotypes — which turn students from historically un-
Victor Chang ’27 can be reached at victor_a_ chang@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This column originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 11
COMMENTARY
Malherbe ’26: We can’t fix wealth inequality at Brown until we’re willing to talk about it The recent Supreme Court decision ending race-conscious admissions in higher education made waves at college campuses across the nation. Many people are justifiably outraged that the slow progress towards racial diversity at our universities is being undone, and that current racial inequalities at predominantly white institutions like Brown will be left unchanged. That said, there is another form of inequality present at our university that could still be addressed in admission policies without getting the Supreme Court in a tizzy. Wealth inequality is a major issue at schools across the country — especially at pricey Ivy League institutions. At an institution with such a severe wealth gap, we still seem to be incapable of truly addressing the problem. In order to combat inequality at Brown, we first need to be able to speak openly about it. But could economic inequality at Brown really be that severe? Brown’s need-blind admission policy for domestic applicants seems to suggest that wealth is not taken into account in admissions decisions in a way that would benefit wealthier students. But that’s not really the full picture of how it works. A student’s financial situation can be crucial in determining the strength of their application, since easy access to tutors, extracurricular activities, advisors, essay editors, et cetera, relies on wealth. This isn’t even taking into account the privileges afforded to legacy applicants, who are more likely to come from high-income households. So in reality, wealth can determine a lot about whether someone gets admitted to a college, even in a world where admissions officers ignore the statistic of household income in their decisions. While it may not be surprising that an Ivy League institution like Brown would have a wealth divide, did you know it’s one of the worst, even among the Ivies? In 2017 a paper estimat-
ed that 70% of Brown students were above the 80th percentile for family income, with 47% of students being from the top five percent, the highest among the Ivy League. Brown also had the highest median family income of any of the Ivy Leagues — $204,200 — and the second highest number of students from the top one percent of income in the country. One of the most disheartening statistics from this study was that only one and a half percent of Brown students move from the bottom quintile of income to the top as adults Clearly, we not only have a disproportionately wealthy student body, but do
would be well-received, and the politics of many Brown students put us in direct opposition to the existence of the wealth divide in America. No one wants to become the figurehead for the Brown bourgeoisie, so — to avoid a Marie Antoinette moment — the quickest solution is simply to hide one’s wealth. Many students thrift most of their clothes even though they don’t need to, never display any high-end labels, don’t talk or post about their many vacation homes and avoid conversations around financial aid and who pays for their apartment altogether. While these actions may not initially seem harmful, they keep
“ In order to combat inequality at
Brown, we first need to be able to speak openly about it.
little to enable upward mobility. Limited information means that this 2017 study is still the best resource for analyzing economic inequality at Brown. But after the economic strain most Americans faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with income inequality beginning to rise again, I have a feeling a 2023 version of the study would only have worse results. When I uncovered these statistics, I felt deeply disturbed by the severity of wealth inequality at Brown. But why was this so shocking? I think the answer is pretty straightforward: A very progressive environment like Brown’s is not one in which flaunting extreme wealth
us from speaking openly about the effect our financial backgrounds have on our college experience. Coming from South Africa, tcurrently the country with the most extreme wealth equality in the world, I have found the wealth gap to be an unavoidable topic. But being aware of and taking accountability for your wealth and privilege is not a noble act; it should just be a given for any white South African like myself. On South African university campuses, economic disparities have been the subject of some of the most impactful student protest movements, including the famous #FeesMustFall protests, but
this is not so much the case here. The “hide the money” tactics employed by many Brown students have permitted an environment where we pretend wealth isn’t a factor at all. There definitely are parts of the Brown community that focus on and actively address inequality, like the Undocumented, First-Generation College,and Low-Income Student Center. But are we really giving the issue the collective energy it warrants? We should use our power as students to pressure the Brown administration into accepting applicants from a wider range of economic backgrounds. We should hold our community and ourselves accountable for the things we do that perpetuate inequality — whether that’s something as extreme as creating elitist structures like the infamous Granoff dinners, which brought together the school’s wealthiest students for an evening meal, or something less obviously problematic like organizing activities with friends that not everyone can realistically afford. We should show our support for the existing initiatives that are already addressing inequality at Brown. But most importantly, we have to start talking about wealth inequality on campus as a problem. Paulie Malherbe ’26 can be reached at paulie_malherbe@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. This column is part of a series of opinion pieces about the impact of wealth and inequality on politics that receives financial support from the Stone Initiative on Inequality. The Herald maintains editorial independence over the published work.
BROWN UNIVERSITY
Democracy Project
Imagining Democracy Book Series
In this book, Juliet Hooker, a leading thinker on democracy and race, argues that the two most important forces driving racial politics in the United States today are Black grief and white grievance. Black grief is exemplified by current protests against police violence— the latest in a tradition of violent death and subsequent public mourning spurring Black political mobilization. The potent politics of white grievance, meanwhile, which is also not new, imagines the U.S. as a white country under siege.
Juliet Hooker's Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss, with: Cristina Beltran (NYU), Thomas Zimmer (Georgetown), Kevin Quashie (Brown), and Bonnie Honig (Brown)
BROWN
Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Monday, October 23, 2023, 4:00-5:30PM with reception to follow
Watson Institute Room 155 Brown University
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
ARTS & CULTURE
ALBUM REVIEW
Drake delivers dynamic, contentious album with ‘For All The Dogs’ Singer disses ex-partners, tackles rumors in latest release BY COOPER HERMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Drake finally released his highly-anticipated studio album, “For All The Dogs,” on Friday, Oct. 6 after postponing its original release date in September. The musician’s fans and hip-hop enthusiasts everywhere had been teased earlier this summer when Drake hinted at the upcoming album by posting its cover art, drawn by his six-year-old son Adonis, on Instagram. The 36-year-old rapper came ready with some prominent features on his 23song album: “For All The Dogs” includes musical collaborations with J. Cole, 21 Savage, SZA, Lil Yachty, Yeat, Sexyy Red, Bad Bunny, Chief Keef, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Teezo Touchdown. The album is very Drake-esque, tackling recent rumors, dissing ex-partners and competitors and shedding light on the artist’s seemingly ever-evolving love life. From eradicating rumors about his involvement in the death of XXXTentacion to poking fun at Rihanna’s relationship with A$AP Rocky, Drake proved yet again that he’s always bellicose. The album’s versatility and depth solidify it as one of the best of the year. “Virginia Beach” does an excellent job of setting the stage for the album: It’s filled with Drake’s tranquil singing but is nonetheless provocative. In it, Drake disses his ex-partner Rihanna, saying: “Drawin’ conclusions like you got a Parsons degree or somethin’,” ref-
erencing when the pop sensation was honored by the Parsons School of Design in 2017. The album takes a sharp turn in its second song, “Amen” featuring Teezo Touchdown, with an upbeat, piano-based sound. While a valiant attempt by Drake to diversify his sound, the song fails to match the rest of the album. Drake bounces back strong with his third song, “Calling For You” featuring 21 Savage. This fast-paced, energizing song exemplifies what makes this duo so unique — Drake’s soft-spoken lines blend seamlessly with 21 Savage’s harsh lyricism. In the fourth song, “Fear Of Heights,” Drake escalates the album’s tension, aimlessly throwing out subliminal disses and sharp jabs at ex-partners and competitors in the rap industry. The album’s tension continues to build in the fifth song, “Daylight.” Drake sings: “TPS think that I bought the body / Internet swear that I bought the body / Take more than that to pop somebody.” Fans and listeners worldwide on social media expressed speculation that Drake said this to squelch rumors that he played a role in the murder of late rap sensation X X X Te n t a cion, who was shot and killed in 2019.
In “First Person Shooter,” J. Cole and Drake deliver a spectacular song that utilizes two completely different beats: J. Cole’s slow, old-school-sounding rap and Drake’s much faster and more aggressive sound. In “IDGAF,” Yeat, a newcomer in the rap industry, brings a uniquely futuristic sound to one of the album’s best songs. The album’s ninth song, “Slime You Out,” features SZA and successfully brings together R&B lovers and hiphop fanatics. With SZA delivering outstanding, high-pitched vocals and Drake implementing clever lyrics, the song proves itself extraordinary. Released as a single three weeks ago, the song quickly climbed to the top of the charts. But not every song on the album is a hit. “7969 Santa,” the eighth song on “For All The Dogs,” is a cool mix of sounds but its unorthodox
beat is repetitive and an odd addition to the project. The next several songs on the album are also fairly experimental — with Drake exclusively singing on many of them — but feel too abstract and out of the musician’s wheelhouse. In “Members Only,” a collaboration with fellow Canadian artists PARTYNEXTDOOR, Drake returns strong, producing a somber, tranquil gem of a song — one of the best on the album. And in “Gently” featuring Bad Bunny, which presents the largest tonal shift on “For All The Dogs,” Drake shows off his Spanish-speaking abilities in an extremely fast-paced, Latin-beat style. But the album dies down in a fairly lackluster fashion. “And Rich Baby Daddy” featuring up-andcoming female rapper
Sexyy Red and SZA is filled with lewd sexual innuendos and a repetitive chorus and comes out as one of the album’s worst songs. And the tracklist’s final two songs, “Away From Home” and “Polar Opposites,” both seem amiss. Despite its closing blunders, “For All the Dogs” remains a largely dynamic, provocative and versatile album that once again reinforces Drake as one of the industry’s absolute best. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 12, 2023.
KATHARINE KNOWLES / HERALD
ALBUM REVIEW
boygenius launches listeners into orbit with new EP ‘the rest’ Band’s latest EP reveals songs not included on previous album, sets itself apart BY DAPHNE DLUZNIEWSKI SENIOR STAFF WRITER This past Friday, boygenius fans were anything but unlucky: The trio, composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, released their newest EP titled “the rest.” While the title implies that these songs are “the rest” of the tracks that did not make it onto “the record,” which boygenius released in March of this year, the EP is notably more understated than the previous album’s dynamism. Bridgers explained in an interview that “these songs don’t belong on ‘the record’ ... But they make so much sense together.” Listening to these songs as a unified project, rather than as individual tracks, reveals the group’s effortless songwriting and creative abilities. While the songs are good on their own, their cosmic melodies coupled with sharp self-reflection create the impression that the trio is looking down on their lives from outer space. The EP opens with “Black Hole,” whose stripped-down introduction slowly unravels into an atmospheric symphony. Baker spearheads the first verse in which she references a recent NASA discovery of a black hole seemingly creating new stars. The song con-
COURTESY OF CHUFF MEDIA
boygenius touches on cosmic themes throughout the songs on ‘the rest’, creating the impression that the trio is looking down on their lives from outer space. The four songs on the separate release complement one another well. tinues to ascend in the second verse, where Bridgers and Dacus’s voices meld together to offer uncomplicated yet striking lyrics. Dacus brings listeners back down to Earth with the next track, “Afraid of Heights.” The production of the song itself is beautiful — during the verses, Dacus’s voice is backed by a simple guitar progression before the song expands in the chorus, supported by
Baker and Bridgers’s ethereal harmonies in the background. But the lyrics, which describe the tense relationship between the risk-averse narrator and their daredevil partner, are the true star of the track. The song features one of the most powerful lines from the EP: “I wanna live a vibrant life / But I wanna die a boring death.” While the verse is straightforward and less poetic than some of their other songwriting,
its unintentional poignancy makes it stand out and reflects the overall allure of “the rest.” boygenius touches on cosmic themes again in “Voyager.” The song is a slow, fragile piece that leaves listeners feeling untethered, floating in their sadness. Bridgers sings that her freedom from a relationship makes her “feel like a man on the moon,” but as she views the world from her new lunar
vantage point, she laments that she “never imagined a dot quite as pale or as blue / You took it from me, but I would’ve given it to you.” With lyrics similar to “Moon Song” from Bridgers’s solo album “Punisher” and minimal inclusion of Baker and Dacus aside from humming in the background, the track seems more like a solo endeavor from Bridgers than a group effort. “the rest” closes with “Powers,” whose guitar introduction rings similar to “Anti-Curse,” a track from “the record.” Baker questions the origin story of her unspecified powers and proposes that she may have acquired them from falling into a nuclear reactor or being abducted by aliens. As the song crescendos, she is joined by Bridgers and Dacus, and the lyrics in the chorus draw on references to astronomy and physics. While the track itself is a somewhat unimpressive ending to the EP, its final lines provide a redeeming conclusion to not only “the rest” but also to “the record,” and they encapsulate boygenius’s current era of making and performing music as a group. The trio sings, “The force of our impact, the fission / The hum of our contact, the sound of our collisions.” As they ponder the waves that their work together has made, it is evident that their influence radiates far beyond what they could have ever imagined. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 13
ARTS & CULTURE
STUDENT PROFILE
‘Transcend boundaries’: Lyric Johnson ’24 mixes media to communicate through art Johnson addresses concepts ranging from queerness to science through their artwork BY KATE BUTTS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Lyric Johnson ’24 began creating art when they picked up photography in 2020 as a way to get outside during the pandemic. It began as “just a hobby.” This pandemic pastime has blossomed into a broader passion for art, expanding to include drawing, photography, sculpture and other art forms at Brown. Johnson said they have been interested in art since middle school but thought it felt tangential to their primary interests. “It just wasn’t something that I saw as a skill that I should be encouraged to work on,” Johnson said. This changed when they came to Brown. Johnson began to take drawing more seriously after they started taking VISA 0100: “Studio Foundation.” They have since been using the department’s resources to expand into other art forms and mediums. Johnson said their concentration in biochemistry heavily influences their work and a lot of their artwork explores the human body and organic forms. While surrealism also appeals to them in their drawing practice, they’re currently working on exploring more photorealistic styles and hope to find a way to combine their personal art style with their goal of becoming a medical illustrator. To Johnson, art is a form of communication. “Art is one of those things that transcends barriers of languages and cultures and all sorts of things and is an incredible medium to use for communication,” they
said. Johnson described their art as a very personal practice, adding that they make a lot of it just for themself. Their photography process begins on Pinterest with a mood board to solidify their concept and decide what kinds of shots they want. The shoot itself is a full-day process involving careful consideration of lighting, clothing, backdrop and posing. Afterward, they begin the editing process — their favorite part, they said, because they feel like they have the most creative liberty. “I like an abstract look to my photos a lot of the time,” Johnson said. “I feel like in editing I’m able to ... highlight the pieces of the photo that I really like and make it a little otherworldly.” Their drawing process involves coming up with a concept, occasionally creating a thumbnail — a miniature version of the drawing for planning purposes — and then working on the project whenever they can find the time. They said they approach photo editing and drawing with an openness to trying new things and without a rigid expectation for the final project, saying that their approach is to “just see what happens.” On campus, Johnson is a freelance photographer. They do photography for student organizations such as Shades of Brown, as well as photoshoots with friends and occasional videography. They are also a content creator for the Black Star Journal, creating pieces that are then paired with the student work that gets published in the Journal. Delena Alemayehu ’24, a close friend of Johnson’s, described Johnson’s work as focused on narrative, as well as feelings of joy and warmth. “A lot of their work is intended for the sake of storytelling or underlying meaning
outside of … what you see on the surface,” she said. She added that she appreciates that Johnson prioritizes highlighting underrepresented groups in their work, noting that she finds it refreshing. Alemayehu, who is a DJ, hopes to collaborate with Johnson because although they use different mediums, she thinks they like to express themselves through art in similar ways. Leslie Walker ’26, Johnson’s friend and roommate, described Johnson’s art as expressive and authentic to who Johnson is. She said their work draws her into the piece and forces her to “take a step back and think about what it means.” Walker is also a photographer and plans to collaborate with Johnson on a photo shoot with an eerie theme in October. Another, longer-term project of Johnson’s is to create a piece centering lesbian sexuality explored through a collection of multimedia pieces. They hope that this piece will show off their skills across many media and the full range of their artistic abilities. “I saw this art piece in New York over the summer that was centering queer men and queer sexuality and I want to do some similar work … with lesbianism,” they said. Johnson added that they view this project as an opportunity for mixing media. “I’m ready to take my individual mediums and use them to contribute to another,” they said. “I have so much knowledge of each of them individually and I want to find a way to combine them. I think that would be the perfect project to do so.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023.
COURTESY OF LYRIC JOHNSON
While surrealism tends to appeal to Lyric Johnson ’24 more in their drawing practice, they’re currently working on exploring more photorealistic styles.
DOCUMENTARY REVIEW
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is worthy reward for committed fans Movie of monumental tour lives up to real thing, can be redundant for concert-goers BY TALIA LEVINE CONTRIBUTING WRITER Released on Oct. 12, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is a nearly three-hour film that documents Taylor Swift’s North American tour of the same name which began earlier in the year. The movie is a riveting and energetic compilation of her performances across the Los Angeles leg of the tour. Presumably for time reasons, however, Swift had to cut songs from the movie, including fan favorites “The Archer,” “no body, no crime,” “cardigan,” “Wildest Dreams” and “Long Live” (though “Long Live (Taylor’s Version)” played during the credits). In being called “The Eras Tour,” Swift attempted to encapsulate her entire discography, from her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” referred to as “Debut,” to her latest album, “Midnights.” Each album except for “Debut” was given a section of the concert known as an era. Most of the eras came with set and outfit changes to match the music, which range in style from pop to country. Due to the pandemic, Swift had to cancel her “Lover Fest” tour. During the COVID-10 quarantine, she re-
leased two albums — “folklore” and “evermore” — which she also could not tour for. With these albums in the mix, Eras had to narrow down a catalogue of over 200 songs. Tour tickets, however, were expensive and hard to come by. The opportunity to see Swift on the big screen at a far more affordable price is one that many were eager to take advantage of. The movie was a perfect homage to the concert. Singing and dancing dominated theaters, and Swifties enthusiastically traded friendship bracelets — a nod to her song “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” The first thing Swift says in the movie is, “Oh, hi!” which perfectly encapsulates her joy for performing on the big screen. While Swift is certainly not the best dancer, or maybe even the best singer, on stage, she thrives through her inside jokes and playful demeanor. From her winks to little waves, Swift connects with the audience through the screen. At times, however, the movie is overwhelming and fast-paced. By the time your eyes focus on something, the angle would change, not allowing time to really take in what was happening. Additionally, the editi n g
throughout the movie, particularly in the “Reputation” era, could have been more consistent. Halfway through the film, a new editing element of fading in and out of clips was jarring at first. The most disconcerting part of the movie, though, was the number of phones in the audience recording Swift. The clips would flash from Swift to the audience, and while sometimes they would show enthusiastic fans, sometimes all the viewer could see in the audience was people standing and holding their phones up. The most remarkable thing about the film was the audiences’ new ability to see and appreciate Swift’s backup dancers, backup singers and band. While Swift’s dance moves were a little awkward, this was not the case for those backing her up — and stealing the show in the
process. Due to its length, seeing the movie is a significant time commitment. Unless you really love Taylor Swift, three hours could quickly become boring, especially if you saw the concert live in the past few months.
Seeing it in the theater could also entail Swifties screaming in your ear every time Swift changes her outfit or the set, which, while expected at a concert, is a different story in a dark movie theater. Overall, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is a lighthearted, colorful and silly movie that is well worth watching if you have three hours to spare and want to understand the hype. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023. COURTESY OF ROAN WOOD/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The audience can feel the joy and authenticity emanating from Taylor Swift’s performance: She blows kisses to her fans and dances around on stage.
PAGE 14
UNIVERSITY NEWS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
CAMPUS EVENTS
Rainn Wilson discusses ‘The Office,’ spirituality in banter-filled lecture Brown Lecture Board conversation followed by student Q&A BY KELVIN JIANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Brown Lecture Board hosted Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Rainn Wilson Monday evening, an event which included a moderated conversation and a student question-and-answer session afterward. In a wide-reaching interview, Wilson covered a lot of ground: The conversation included topics ranging from “The Office” to mental health and spirituality. Wilson is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on “The Office.” As he walked onto the stage, he called on the audience to “get their phones out” and “have an Instagram moment,” quickly seating himself and jokingly adding, “Thanks for having me, Yale.” Wilson discussed the ways being Dwight had affected him. “In a meta sense, the role has greatly affected me, but not internally.” He said that he played dozens of roles before “The Office” and continues to do so after, but that series will be “the one that (he’ll) always be known for.” He added that “when you play a character, it doesn’t seep in, affect, corrupt and congeal your personality.” Later, Wilson transitioned to speaking about his book “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution,” which was released in April. He spoke about being raised in the Bahá’í Faith, reading diverse texts such as the Quran, Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada and Bible during his childhood. “That broad Universalist context was very much a part of my DNA — pretty
VIGIL FROM PAGE 1 on Paxson’s departure. Wednesday’s vigil follows two separate Main Green vigils held last week, one organized by Brown-RISD Hillel and the Rohr Chabad House — which Paxson attended — and another by Students for Justice in Palestine, which she did not attend. In response to the Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants, the Israeli military has launched continual airstrikes on Gaza and escalated its yearslong blockade of the territory, almost completely cutting off food, water, fuel and electricity. On Wednesday, Israel agreed to let Egypt deliver limited humanitarian aid to Gaza. Last Friday, Israel also ordered over a million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive. A United Nations spokesperson has called the order “impossible” and warned of “devastating humanitarian consequences.” Hamas’s attacks on Israel have killed an estimated 1,400 people, and the group has taken more than 200 people hostage. Israel’s retaliatory attacks have killed more than 3,000 people in Gaza and wounded more than 12,000, the Wall Street Journal reported. “We want to take the time to recognize that our Palestinian friends do not only come here to mourn the thousands who have been killed over the past 11 days, but the lives uprooted and taken since the Nakba of 1948,” another vigil organizer said in a speech. Wednesday’s vigil included a
much a part of my upbringing.” Jaehun Seo ’24 hadn’t “expected (Wilson) to be in the Bahá’í Faith,” as all Seo knew about Wilson “was from the character Dwight.” Other students shared similar sentiments in interviews with The Herald following the talk. Kanayo Duru ’25 stated that he watched all of “The Office,” one of his “favorite sitcoms.” “I didn’t even really know how far he’d delve into spirituality — I’ve really only seen Rainn Wilson in the lens of TV and his role on ‘The Office,’” he added. “It was really, really engaging.” “I couldn’t actually believe he wrote a whole book about spirituality,” Eduardo Adriano ’27 said. Wilson said he often was asked, “Why the hell is the guy being Dwight writing a book about spirituality?” His response is that it is driven by his “depression, crippling anxiety and panic attacks, addiction and deeper despair and loneliness.” “In the ’90s when I got out of school, we didn’t really have a word for the mental health epidemic,” Wilson said. He said he “did the only thing that (he) knew to do — to turn to the holy books.” He quoted Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, saying that “we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Originally, Wilson “didn’t want anything to do with religion or spirituality or God,” saying he only wanted to be “an actor living in NYC.” But throughout that journey, he “learned so much, that spiritual journey towards trying to find meaning, purpose, inspiration, vision and wholeness.”
two-minute moment of silence to “commemorate all who we have lost and will continue to lose,” an organizer said. Early into the vigil, Reverend Janet Cooper Nelson, the chaplain of the University and director of the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, expressed that she felt “honored tonight by the work of the students who pulled (the event) together.” Following Nelson’s speech, a Muslim student recited a passage from the Qur’an that is “often read when we are grieving and mourning for those we have lost,” and Hillel Rabbi Jason Klein shared a Jewish prayer for the dead. Several vigil organizers shared anonymous testimonies from Palestinian and Arab students on campus about the emotional impact of the Israeli military’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza. Students also expressed fears over facing backlash and harassment for speaking out about the situation. “This enduring grief is woven into my identity, as it is for all Palestinians who have endured, who have witnessed the endurance of over seven decades of suffering under the Israeli occupation,” wrote an anonymous Palestinian student in a statement shared by organizers. “My heart aches and breaks every day for those of us who are mourning the loss of their loved ones, struggling for their survival and panning their final words.” “This week, despite being thousands of miles away from the war, the effects created waves that have followed me here on campus,” another anonymous Palestinian student statement read. “In Palestine, there’s an ever-present sense
CLAIRE DIEPENBROCK / HERALD
Actor and comedian Rainn Wilson remarked that The Herald’s acronym, BDH, “sounds like an underwear brand.” Wilson added a lesson he learned from Arthur Brooks, who “has this great metaphor where he talks about you needing emotional caffeine — for instance, if you were really sad.” He mentioned that comedy, for many, might be “an antidote to trauma, a way of coping.” Adriano and Hwang both found the metaphor compelling, reflecting on how everyday emotions might be blocked out by external factors. After the moderated conversation, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. One attendee asked about the role of media in the world of spirituality, the recent commodification of spirituality and conflicting views. Another question included Wilson’s view on science, to which he responded that science and spirituality “are two sides of the same coin,” as they are “both incredibly beautiful and aspects of the divine.” Throughout the conversation, Wilson
continued to make witty remarks. He asked Brown Lecture Board president Arvind Sridhar ’24, “Why do you ask all these conjecturing questions,” quickly following that statement by saying, “This is good since you guys are almost Ivy League, right? … You and Cornell are absolutely Ivy-adjacent.” At the start of the lecture, Sridhar began by asking Wilson about what prank he would pull, if he were given the opportunity to. “Dwight really didn’t do the pranks … other than the snowmen in the parking lot,” Wilson said, referencing the “Classy Christmas” episode from “The Office.” Wilson added that if he were to pull a prank, it would be “to, on, at and toward the Office Ladies,” referencing Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsley’s podcast about “The Office.” “They’re the worst there.” He would have a giant beet “jump from his chest with gore in the middle of the interview on the table in their pod-
cast,” adding that “you pay me enough and I will do it.” He also asked about The Herald, commenting that “BDH sounds like an underwear brand” and adding that he “hopes (the BDH) will list all the things (he) can get canceled for.” “You know I got rejected from Brown. Screw you, Bears,” Wilson joked. “I would’ve donated so much money.” Overall, students told The Herald they enjoyed hearing Wilson share his life experiences while laughing at his witty comments. “I was surprised by how insightful and funny he was,” Seo said. “He kept it real, and I respect that,” Hwang added. “I’ve gained more respect for him, knowing the struggles that he had to overcome and seeing what he’s built for himself,” Duru said.
of vulnerability and suppression, feelings that unexpectedly recently resurfaced here at Brown.” In a previous statement to The Herald, Clark reiterated the University’s commitment to “ensuring that Brown is safe and welcoming for all members of our community.” He wrote that students should refer to a letter sent by Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes with resources for community members. Clark previously wrote that “the Department of Public Safety remains the best immediate point of contact for anyone with a timely concern about personal safety.” In an interview after the vigil, a student of Palestinian descent, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told The Herald that they “feel like there have been a lot of voices on both sides that haven’t been productive and have been focusing only on one side of the issue.” “As a Palestinian, I wanted to show support for all lives on both sides,” they said. Two Israeli-American organizers shared a statement at the vigil addressing how they’ve reacted to and processed the violence and criticisms of the Israeli government’s current and historic actions. “The fear and despair was all-encompassing as footage came out of Hamas’s brutal attacks,” said one of the Israeli-American students. “The paralyzing fear, though, was not just for our families. It was also because we knew how Israel was going to respond.” “The disturbing and mounting numbers of Palestinians killed and expelled
in the past 75 years should be enough for us to call for this to end,” the student continued. “It has never been more clear that such a military occupation is dangerous for both the occupied and the occupier.” Vigil organizers also acknowledged that some Palestinian students “feel underrepresented” in the letter the group delivered to Paxson. “Many Palestinians, including (those) amongst us, wish we did not have to dilute our statements and avoid certain language,” a vigil organizer said in a closing speech at the vigil. “Unfortunately, however, this is the situation we find ourselves in.” “It is sad and scary that we have to do so in order to convince people of our humanity,” they continued. An organizer with Talk for Tomorrow, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told The Herald that the group believed it was “important for this to be a moment of unity” and that creating an inclusive space for all those
who were mourning was a way to “call in” many students to their movement. While the organizer said they were “grateful” that Paxson took the time to read the group’s letter and attend the vigil, they believed that Paxson “has not recognized the struggle of Palestinian people, and has also not centered any of the language of her emails and communication around Palestinian people.” In an interview after the vigil, one student, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, told The Herald that they came because they knew Paxson would be in attendance. “I wanted to speak to her if I had a chance,” the student said, adding that they hoped to share with Paxson that Muslim students feel “uncomfortable” and “voiceless” as a result of the administration’s response to the violence. Clark previously wrote in an email to The Herald that the administration, having received the letter from Talk for Tomorrow, will “read and consider the points they’ve shared.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2023.
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
ACADEMICS & ADVISING
PAGE 15
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Archaeology affiliates create space for Indigenous knowledge at U. Growing number of Indigenous archaeologies are changing outcomes of field BY HALEY SANDLOW SCIENCE & RESEARCH AND UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR At the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, the focus has historically been on the Mediterranean, with a smaller focus on the Americas. In recent years, the institute’s scope has expanded to include Indigenous archaeologies, with contributions from students and professors alike. Annabel Richards ’26, a Cherokee citizen double concentrating in Archaeology and Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies, is crafting her own track in Indigenous archaeologies. Affiliated faculty members are also bringing their own work with Indigenous peoples across the Americas to Brown. “What I want to do is to bring an Indigenous perspective to the field,” Richards told The Herald. “I love material history. I think it’s the most telling aspect of what real people go through. But I want it to reflect on the present and the future instead of putting Native people in the position of the past.” “I want to focus on Indigenous futurisms while also taking care of preserving our cultural heritage,” she added. Indigenous archaeologies is archaeology with, by and for Indigenous peoples, said Robert Preucel, professor of anthropology and director of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. Preucel teaches ANTH 1125: “Indigenous Archaeologies,” a course offered in the department every few years. By centering Indigenous peoples, the field of archaeology is gaining new insights, Preucel said. “Indigenous peoples ask different questions of the archaeolog-
DANA RICHIE / HERALD
Archaeology can be a powerful political tool for Indigenous peoples to protect the rights to their lands, experts told The Herald. ical record,” he said. “Those questions can broaden science.” For the Wajãpi people, with recognized land in the state of Amapa in northern Brazil, archaeology does not stop at shards of pottery in the ground. The archaeological record includes stories from tribal elders, the distribution of plants in an environment and even the colors of the birds in the trees, said Mariana Cabral, visiting scholar of archaeology and the ancient world, in an interview with The Herald. “The Wajãpi have these stories from the beginning of time when everyone was some kind of people,” said Cabral, who began working alongside the Wajãpi people almost 20 years ago. “There were no animals, everyone was people. So there are bird people, there are fish people, there are jaguar people.” “The Wajãpi tell us that in the beginning of time, people went to this first party and painted their bodies with different colors,” Cabral said. “After the party, they actually then became the birds the way we see them today. As they become birds, their feathers carry the colors they once
painted on their bodies.” This means considering the color of birds as an “archaeological trace” — which has made Cabral rethink what she had learned about archaeology, and also makes the field more inclusive, she said. Creating a dialogue with different knowledge systems is one way of confronting and changing the field’s colonial lens, Cabral said. “I think Indigenous archaeology is a future in the sense that it makes the field more open and more inclusive, and more ethical, more committed,” she said. That confrontation also demands acknowledgment in the classroom — teaching “in a way that students are aware of our colonial history (and) the problems that we have, which is (a) Western, white way of thinking (about) the past.” Still, Cabral noted that acknowledging archaeology’s “violent history” alone isn’t sufficient. Richards, a member of Natives at Brown, said that a “chasm” often appears between academic and activist spaces: While academia can work to confront the harm it has caused, archaeology ultimately traces its roots to
colonialism. “Scholars often have this sense of entitlement to knowledge, an entitlement to everyone’s culture, everyone’s history,” Richards said. “It’s hard for scholarly spaces — especially in fields like archaeology, because they’re so colonial — to catch up with the activism that’s going on.” Rae Gould, executive director of the University’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative and member of the Nipmuc Nation of Massachusetts, has written about a similar “chasm” existing between archaeologists and the communities they study. In pedagogical spaces, that can mean using archaeological and museum collections for classes and research without speaking with the people whose heritage is represented, Gould wrote in an email to The Herald. Richards said that in some classes, she has heard tribes referred to by an incorrect name. “This practice could be improved by a simple process — although time-consuming — of systemically engaging with the communities connected to these collections to better understand the communities’ understandings of them,” Gould wrote. “Institutions should invest in this process, as part of classes being taught, graduate student training and institutional will in general.” Richards said that by applying what she learns in NAISI classes to her work in archaeology, she believes she can combine her study of the past with a focus on the future. Part of that future is political. Archaeological sites can play an important role in the fight for Indigenous peoples’ rights to territories. In Brazil, the archaeological sites Cabral worked on — protected in Brazil by law — were used to help protect the Wajãpi land after conflicts with mining
companies. Archaeology became a “tool for negotiation,” Cabral said. “I do think that archaeology — it is a discipline, it is a science,” Cabral said. “But it is also a political tool for Indigenous people: how to use archaeology to help them through the fight for their rights.” Indigenous archaeology is a growing field. With an increase in scholars in North America and Oceania, newer movements are popping up across the globe. Within the last decade, Brazil’s first Indigenous archaeologists earned graduate degrees, and more scholars are on their way, adding Indigenous voices and experiences to a changing field, Cabral said. On College Hill, the strengthening of Indigenous archaeology goes hand in hand with expanding Indigenous scholarship across campus, Preucel said. Moving forward, Preucel hopes that the University will strengthen and expand NAISI. “We need more Native faculty on campus (and) they don’t need to be in anthropology or history, they could be in any department,” he said. “While there are some courses at Brown that offer a focus on Indigenous archaeology, more could be offered that engage Indigenous peoples and projects and their interests and needs,” Gould wrote. “I hope that more Indigenous people join archaeology efforts,” Richards said. “Our ancestors are so important to us culturally, and our heritage is so important to us… I think it’s a really good way to both dissect the history of colonialism and dissect our own histories.” “History is a very powerful rhetorical device,” she said. “Really taking our history into our own hands — I think that’s what is important.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 17, 2023.
UNIVERSITY HALL
Brown explained: What is the University’s endowment? U.’s perpetually invested fund grew 2.7% in 2023 fiscal year, rose to $6.6 billion in value BY CHARLE CLYNES AND NEIL MEHTA UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS Brown’s endowment is its $6.6 billion invested fund, entirely composed of donations and grown through investments. The endowment is invested across a variety of stocks, real estate and other assets. As the value of these assets goes up, the endowment grows alongside it. Generally, endowments are designed so a fraction of their funds can be spent each year, while the rest is perpetually invested and grown. The University says its endowment is made up of over 3,000 different accounts — each allocated for specific purposes like financial aid and salaries. The endowment, worth $6.6 billion as of June 30, grew 2.7% over the last fiscal year. To learn more about the endowment’s performance this year, read our coverage. Is an endowment the same thing as a budget? Not exactly. The endowment, for the most part, is
separated from the University’s annual operating budget, which totaled around $1.69 billion for the current fiscal year, which began June 30. The University routinely pulls money from its endowment to contribute to its operating budget. This fiscal year, it pulled out $277.8 million, or 4.8% of the endowment, according to a May 31 press release. The University aims to pull between 4.5% and 5.5% of its endowment for the budget every year, according to the release. Who controls the endowment? Brown’s 21-person Investment Office manages the endowment and is responsible for its year-by-year performance. The Investment Office isn’t given complete control over the endowment. Instead, it reports to a separate Investment Committee that comprises 21 fellows and trustees of the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body. This Investment Committee is responsible for higher-level decisions including “asset allocation ranges, liquidity and risk guidelines,” according to the Investment Office’s website. Performance-based compensation is common for investment management employees at Brown, University Spokesperson Brian Clark previously
told The Herald. Jane Dietze, the University’s chief investment officer, earned nearly $3 million in the 2021 calendar year — making her the University’s highest-paid employee that year — according to the University’s IRS Form 990 filings. Have campus community members criticized the University’s investments? Some students and faculty have called on the University to divest — or withdraw investments — from companies in its endowment with ties to Israel. Earlier this year, the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine called on the University to withdraw investments in companies the group said are “profiting from Israeli apartheid” — a characterization used by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — The Herald previously reported. And in 2020, The University’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies recommended the University divest from “any company that profits from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land,” The Herald previously reported. Paxson did not bring the recommendation to the Brown Corporation,
RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD
stating in a March 2021 letter that the endowment “should not be used as an instrument to take sides on contested geopolitical issues over which thoughtful and intelligent members of the Brown community vehemently disagree.” Previously, calls to divest also centered on climate-related activism. A 2012 Herald op-ed by advocacy group Brown Divest Coal called on the University to divest from “the 15 coal companies with the worst environmental and social records.” The op-ed was followed by rallies through 2013, though the Corpora-
tion decided not to divest from coal companies when its members met that October. But in March 2020, the University pledged to divest entirely from fossil fuels in its endowment. “To date, 90% of investments in companies that extract fossil fuels have been sold, and the remainder is being liquidated as it becomes possible to do so,” Paxson wrote in a March 2020 letter to the Brown community, The Herald previously reported. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 18, 2023.
PAGE 16
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
UNIVERSITY NEWS ACTIVISM from PAGE 1
the approximately 200 hostages captured in Hamas’s attacks. Hamas attacks have killed an estimated 1,400 people in Israel, and the retaliatory Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed ap-
Last Friday, Jillian Lederman ’24, president of BSI, said in a live CNN interview that “the response by individuals on Brown’s campus, by students on Brown’s campus, particularly Students for Justice in Palestine, has been horrendous.” “It’s made students on campus feel
proximately 3,000 people and wounded more than 12,000, the Wall Street Journal reported. Brown Students for Israel was the first University club to publicly comment on the conflict, releasing a statement on Oct. 8 pledging to “stand, always and forever, with Israel.” “Israel is defending itself with all its strength, as it must,” the statement continued. On Oct. 10, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 wrote in a letter to the Brown community that her “thoughts are with the individuals and families most directly impacted by the violence and those who remain in fear as the conflict persists.” Later that same day, Brown Students for Justice in Palestine released a statement holding “the Israeli regime and its allies unequivocally responsible for all suffering and loss of life, Palestinian or Israeli.” “While all loss of life deserves to be mourned, we cannot stand by as the root cause of this violence is not only ignored but strengthened: Israel’s settler-colonial regime of apartheid and military occupation and its brutal 16-year blockade of Gaza,” the statement read. “We stand in solidarity with Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation.” Multiple human rights organizations, as well as an independent human rights expert commissioned by the United Nations, have published reports labeling the Israeli
unsafe in a way that I’ve never experienced before,” Lederman said, citing her conversations with Jewish students on campus. She added that many students feel “threatened.” In an email to The Herald, Lederman wrote she feels that those “‘contextualizing’ this brutality … are responsible for a traumatic environment in which, in the midst of the most devastating period for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Jews on Brown’s campus must confront the fact that some of our classmates justify terror against our people.” Lederman also referenced rhetoric circulating on Instagram and Brown Sidechat, an anonymous social media platform for Brown students, that she said blames “Israel for the violence.” When asked about these claims, SJP organizers wrote that they “condemn all forms of antisemitism on campus and beyond, and we reject the notion that criticism of Israel’s apartheid government and war crimes is antisemitic.” On Monday, Talk for Tomorrow — a new group founded by students who have opted to remain anonymous — shared an open letter addressed to Paxson. It begins, “This statement has been written by Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian and Arab students at Brown University. We have been vilified, told what to believe and told whose lives we’re to allowed to mourn.” “On the deadliest day for Israelis since
government’s treatment of Palestinians “apartheid.” Criticizing Paxson’s public response, SJP also wrote that Paxson “has unequivocally privileged Israeli interests and initiatives.” The statement reaffirmed the organization’s long-standing demand that Paxson and the administration “end Brown’s complicity in the Israeli apartheid regime.” University Spokesman Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald that the University does “not have a practice of responding through news media to matters expressed in online statements or demands,” saying that these calls “come from statements that we have not received directly.” “We remain committed to engaging with students who are in touch directly with ideas or concerns,” he wrote. SJP delivered a letter to Paxson in March demanding that the University divest “from companies profiting from human rights abuses in Palestine.” Paxson has previously said that the endowment is “not a political instrument to be used to express views on complex social and political issues, especially those over which thoughtful and intelligent people vehemently disagree.” As of Oct. 17, 28 student and local organizations have signed on to SJP’s Oct. 10 statement. Among the signatories are the Graduate Labor Organization, Students for Educational Equity and Direct Action for Rights and Equality. According to statements provided to The Herald, leadership teams at GLO, SEE and DARE decided to sign on to the SJP statement to uphold their organizational values and missions in relation to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Last Wednesday, Paxson spoke at a vigil hosted by Brown-RISD Hillel and the Rohr Chabad House. The next evening, SJP hosted “a vigil for lives lost” on the Main Green, which Paxson did not attend.
1948, over 1,000 people, including women, children and the elderly were killed. Hundreds more were kidnapped and taken hostage by Hamas,” the letter reads. “We unequivocally condemn this and all acts of terror. Acknowledging this atrocity does not necessitate our silence concerning other atrocities.” The letter goes on to condemn “Israel’s inexcusable acts in Palestine,” urging Paxson and the Brown community “to protect Palestinians and those advocating for Palestinian rights on campus from censorship and harassment and to stand up against the continued suppression of pro-Palestinian advocacy.” Michael Farrell-Rosen ’24, a member of the J Street U Brown executive board, said he has spoken with Jewish students who feel “unsafe or, at least, uncomfortable” due to community responses to Hamas attacks, as well as students who feel unsafe supporting “Palestinian liberation” because of backlash on college campuses. Farrell-Rosen said students pointed to incidents at Harvard where community members who signed a statement holding Israel “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” faced “doxxing attacks.” “I was disgusted by Hamas’s killing of Israeli civilians and taking of hostages, disturbed by statements that seemed to celebrate Hamas’s massacres of Israeli civilians, and I was disturbed by those who used Hamas’s crimes to make dehumanizing generalizations about the Palestinian people or called for violence against civilians in Gaza,” Farrell-Rosen wrote, describing a sentiment he thought “many progressive Jewish students” shared. “SJP will not be silenced by threats of doxxing,” SJP organizers wrote in an email to The Herald. The group intends to continue “organizing for the end of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Gaza.” Clark reiterated the University’s commitment to “ensuring that Brown is safe and welcoming for all members of our
Thank You 2023 Sponsors Platinum Sponsor:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
Thank you participating businesses:
thayerstreetpvd.com | #thayerstreetpvd Taste of Thayer - BDH 6x8V - Thank you Sponsors.indd 1
community.” He wrote that students should refer to a letter sent by Vice President Eric Estes listing resources for students, faculty and staff. Clark also wrote that “the Department of Public Safety remains the best immediate point of contact for anyone with a timely concern about personal safety.” Last Sunday, BSI released an additional statement criticizing SJP for what BSI described as “support of the actions of Hamas” and the implication that Hamas’s actions are “resistance,” alleging that this characterization “condoned repulsive acts of terror.” “We reject the portrayal of mourning as a justification of terrorism,” SJP wrote in response. The BSI statement also called on the co-signatories of SJP’s statement to retract their signatures. SJP noted that some organizations “have withdrawn their signatures from SJP’s statement … out of concern for individual members’ safety.”
Representatives from GLO, SEE and DARE all said that they do not intend to remove their organization’s signature from the statement. “GLO’s elected leadership voted unanimously to stand with Students for Justice in Palestine and reiterate our union’s democratic decision to support Brown Divest,” GLO representatives wrote in a statement to The Herald.“We will certainly not abandon them now.” Talk for Tomorrow has invited community members to a vigil on the Main Green to be held Wednesday evening to “mourn all innocent lives (lost) — Palestinian and Israeli.” Farell-Rosen separately urged unity on campus, including the creation of a space that “successfully facilitates Jewish and Muslim students grieving together.” Talk for Tomorrow’s letter asks Paxson to “publicize the joint vigil,… vow to protect
10/18/2023 11:09:29 AM
the free speech, advocacy and safety” of all student activists and expand her “condemnation to include the condemnation of the Israeli state’s inexcusable acts.” Clark wrote that the administration will “read and consider the points they’ve shared,” as Talk for Tomorrow directly sent the letter to Paxson. In its statement to The Herald, SJP agreed with Talk for Tomorrow’s calls for “more spaces for Palestinian voices and grief,” adding that “we as an organization are committed to empowering those students.” With continuing airstrikes killing civilians in Gaza, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis and hostage situation, the conflict remains at the forefront of students’ minds. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 18, 2023.
NAT HARDY / HERALD