Thursday, September 12, 2019 by The Brown Daily Herald

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

VOLUME CLIV, ISSUE 7

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SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Researchers discover new method of cell separation

Seminar to examine role of media in politics

BY EMILIJA SAGAITYTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Isaac Dovere, staff writer for The Atlantic, to lead non-credit study group

Isolation of trophoblast cells could be used in non-invasive prenatal diagnoses

University researchers have discovered how to separate cells containing fetal DNA from a mother’s cervical cells, a process that could eventually be used to help identify fetal disorders, according to Sumaiya Sayeed ’19.5 and Christina Bailey-Hytholt GS, researchers in the study. While this method has not yet been put into practice, the researchers hope to use it to diagnose disorders as early as five weeks into pregnancies while minimizing risk to mothers. The process enables the safe retrieval and isolation of trophoblast cells, which contain the DNA of the fetus, Bailey-Hytholt said. Similar to current methods of prenatal diagnosis that identify genetic abnormalities before birth, these trophoblast cells could eventually be used to identify disorders such as Down syndrome found in the DNA and chromosomes. “With our technique, you are getting the whole fetal genome,” Bailey-Hytholtsaid. “If you can isolate (the fetal genome), that really is getting the same material that you would be getting from these other tests.”

BY AURIA ZHANG STAFF WRITER

to expand their resources and applications, Bailey-Hytholt said. Unlike other methods for prenatal diagnosis in clinical use, this test does not require needles. Needles can lead to complications in the women undergoing the procedure, particularly those over the age of 30, Sayeed said.

As a staff writer for The Atlantic reporting on the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, Isaac Dovere is no stranger to political journalism and its constant demands. But even as the campaign picks up this fall, Dovere will be taking the time to lead one of three non-credit study groups at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs this semester. The seminar — titled “Political Journalism in 2019” — will be closely related to Dovere’s professional work, focusing on the practice of journalism and how it can change views in the presidential campaign. “It’s really necessary to think about what we’re doing in journalism, think about what we’re doing in politics, (and) how those intersect with each other and how that is developing,” Dovere said. Edward Steinfeld, professor of China

SEE PRENATAL PAGE 2

SEE SEMINAR PAGE 2

HANNA RASHIDI / HERALD

Previously, cervical swabbing would collect a mixture of cells including trophoblast cells. But the researchers found a way to separate the trophoblast cells from the other cervical cells based on their different densities, Bailey-Hytholt and Sayeed said. Using a microwell plate, they captured 90 percent of the heavier trophoblast cells, which stuck to the bottom of the

plate. After the researchers discovered how to separate the trophoblast cells, PerkinElmer, a biotechnology company that provided the samples for the study, isolated the cells. So far, the researchers have succeeded in using trophoblast cells to identify sex and now intend to continue with further testing. They also hope to collaborate with other companies

METRO

UNIVERSITY NEWS

R.I. reps call for gun safety action in Congress

UCS to hold elections for first-year reps

BY ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Following the summer’s bout of mass shootings in cities such as Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, Rhode Island’s representatives in Washington are frustrated with the nation’s lack of action to reduce gun violence. Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., who has repeatedly introduced legislation over the past several years that would increase national gun safety regulations, experienced a legislative win Tuesday when the House Judiciary Committee passed the Disarm Hate Act, which he had originally introduced, alongside two other bills relat-

ing to gun control. The act bans the sale of firearms to “anyone convicted of assaulting someone based on their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,” wrote Francis Grubar, press secretary for Cicilline, in an email to The Herald. He added that these “misdemeanor hate crimes” are often precursors to more serious acts of violence. Cicilline’s fellow Rhode Island representative Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., cosponsored the Disarm Hate Act and the other two bills that passed through the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday: the Extreme Risk Prevention Order Act, which allows law enforcement officers and family members to request a court order prohibiting an individual from purchasing or possessing firearms, and the Keep Americans Safe Act, which bans the import, sale, manufacture, transfer or

SEE GUNS PAGE 3

BY KAYLA GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Undergraduate Council of Students will add two first-year representatives to its Management Board through an election later this month, said Chief of Staff Melissa Lee ’20 at the Council’s first general body meeting of the semester Wednesday evening. Leadership also discussed ways for students to get involved with UCS and gave an overview of Council activities and responsibilities to prospective members. The first-year representative positions will allow the Council to “incorporate first-year feedback in every UCS

News

Commentary

Metro Roundup: Rhode Island finishes spraying state for mosquitoes Page 3

Students and alums: U. should create policy for ethical gift giving, oust Kanders Page 6

Fernandez ’21: U.S. media coverage of Puerto Rican protests is inadequate Page 7

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

The first general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students took place Wednesday evening in Petterutti Lounge. initiative,” Lee said. The nine-person Management Board, which Lee chairs, handles the Council’s internal operations. The representatives will lead “community events and projects for first-years” and “serve as a liaison” between the class of 2023 and UCS, according to a slide presented at the meeting. Prospective candidates attended a mandatory information ses-

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Three bills relating to gun control passed House Judiciary Committee Tuesday

Council holds introductory meeting, presents open positions, outlines goals

sion, and can campaign from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19. Voting, which is open to all first-years, will take place from 12 p.m. Sept. 17 to 12 p.m. Sept. 19. Results of the election will be announced on Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. All Management Board positions

SEE UCS PAGE 4

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Edward-Isaac Dovere, a staff writer for The Atlantic, will lead a non-credit Watson seminar this fall titled “Political Journalism in 2019.”

SEMINAR FROM PAGE 1 studies, political science, international and public affairs and the director of the Watson Institute, said the new seminar meets a variety of student interests. Many students are concerned about the impact media and politics have on each other, and others “are interested in the business of the media,” Steinfeld said. “We want to encourage all of those interests and perspectives and more.” Unlike other non-credit study groups at the Watson, Dovere’s seminar will not have any guest speakers and will meet for only three two-hour sessions throughout

the semester. Past study groups — led by Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez ’83, former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele and former President of CNN/U.S. Jon Klein ’80 — have had multiple speakers and have met four to five times. Dovere previously came to the University as a guest speaker for Perez’s seminar. The format of Dovere’s study group differs because it aims to examine “the role of media in politics … from a practitioner perspective, particularly down at the nitty-gritty of actually reporting,” Steinfeld said. The seminar meets less frequently due to scheduling issues. “We

feel very fortunate that Dovere was able to make this amount of time available to us,” Steinfeld added. The fewer number of meetings does not concern Nathan Kakalec ’21, who participated in Steele’s study group in fall 2018. “For me, this is an opportunity to hear about another person’s experiences and about politics,” he said. “I equated (Steele’s seminar) more to seeing a speaker on campus rather than taking a class.” Students interviewed by The Herald expressed interest in study groups geared toward journalistic work. Talya Wellisch ’21 participated in “News vs. Truth,” a

study group Klein led last semester, because she is interested in exploring media as a professional career. “I also wanted to take that class before I started looking at summer internships,” she added. “I wanted to get a sense of what was going on, what was happening in that industry.” Participating in a Watson study group has given Damian Ballard ’20 “a more practical sense, like a practitioner’s approach versus a theoretical approach,” he said. “They’re really helpful groups to hear a practical approach to some things that you learn in the classroom, as well as a great opportunity to meet people

COURTESY OF ISAAC DOVERE

who have very distinct careers.” The seminar leaders also learn from their students, Steinfeld said. The people who have run the study groups have all been “open to learning … (and) encouraging lots of different voices coming from participants in the study group,” Steinfeld said. “To me, those are the values of Brown.” “Hopefully, (students) will be able to draw something from me, and I’ll be able to draw from them in a way that will make us all better,” Dovere said.

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For older women or women with diabetes or obesity, the risk of fetal genetic disorders or miscarriage is higher, and performing needle-based diagnostic procedures might lead to more miscarriages, she added. “Women’s health and prenatal health is really a field that bioengineering could advance, and … there really is this need for more studies in this area,” Bailey-Hytholt said. This new method may not always be accurate for fetal diagnoses because there is a one percent chance that the genome of the extracted cells does not match that of the unborn child, according to Melissa Russo, a maternal-fetal medicine and clinical genetics specialist at the Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island. The study would need to be verified across numerous women to ensure consistently accurate diagnoses, she added. “This new method, if validated, could be another way to screen for genetic problems in (babies) in the future,” Russo said. Anubhav Tripathi, director of biomedical engineering and professor of engineering and molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology, and Anita Shukla, assistant professor of engineering and molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology, co-advised Sayeed and Bailey-Hytholt in the study.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

METRO ROUNDUP

BY SOPHIE CULPEPPER AND DYLAN CLARK Providence School District spends $187,000 on books before deciding not to use them Interim Providence Superintendent Frances Gallo spent nearly $200,000 on the inspirational book “Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide To Living Your Best Life” to distribute to all middle and high school students this month before asking educators to pause the use of the book in class, according to the Boston Globe. After paying for 16,500 copies, teachers and school board members criticized the strong religious overtones of the chosen text. The book focuses on inspirational basketball stories of triumph over struggle. Gallo had hoped to unite the district behind one text in the new school year. The expenditure of $187,000 amounts to a small portion of the $400 million school budget. The district had to cut $6 million to balance this year’s school budget. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha rejects Sackler opioid settlement Yesterday, R.I. Attorney General Peter

GUNS FROM PAGE 1 possession of high-capacity magazines for civilian use. Meanwhile, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., filed a friend-of-the-court brief this summer with several of his Democratic colleagues to urge the Supreme Court not to take up a case he says will allow the National Rifle Association to continue its attempt to undermine gun regulations. “Republicans and their big donors now see the court as part of their team,” Whitehouse wrote in a Sept. 6 op-ed in The Washington Post. “They can achieve political gains there that they cannot win in Congress.” Whitehouse’s colleague Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., another proponent of increased gun control, spoke at a vigil for victims of gun violence in Providence this summer, where he emphasized the importance of “enacting sensible gun control legislation.” The Senate is yet to bring a vote on gun reform to the floor this cycle. “The problem is not Congress, it’s the Senate,” Langevin said, adding that their lack of action is “making me angry and my constituents frustrated.” “It’s a great concern among my constituents about the issue of pervasive gun violence that’s clearly on the rise,” Langevin said. There is “broad-based

Neronha declined the settlement offered by members of the Sackler family, the makers of OxyContin and donors to the University, in hopes of reaching a better agreement. Neronha joined attorney generals across the United States earlier this month in a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family for their part in fueling the opioid crisis. Other states like New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts have opted out of the settlement as well. As it stands, Purdue Pharma is expected to pay upwards of $10 billion in settlements. R.I. finishes spraying state for mosquitoes after breakout of EEE A breakout of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus, struck the state earlier this month and killed one person. The state, in response, scheduled spraying to curb mosquito numbers in Providence, Warwick, Westerly and Woonsocket. Officials were careful to ensure sensitive areas, like organic farms or bodies of water, were not sprayed. Rhode Island last used aerial pesticides to combat mosquito

support among my constituents for common-sense gun safety laws to be passed both at the state and national level,” he added. According to USA Today, Rhode Island has the second lowest rate of gun violence in the country. Among other provisions, Rhode Island is one of several states that mandate background checks for private gun sales, a seven-day waiting period on all firearm purchases, dealers to obtain licenses and all handgun purchasers to have earned a safety certificate, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. For Glenn Valentine, member of the Rhode Island Firearm Owners’ League, legislation on the national level is mostly “irrelevant” because Rhode Island already has comprehensive background checks and fairly strict regulations, he said. But Valentine added that “there are firearms that turn up in Rhode Island that come from states like Virginia,” where gun laws are more relaxed. This is a fact that even gun owners in the state, like Valentine, are not comfortable with. “We need to attack the causes of gun violence beyond just banning assault weapons, as important as I think that is,” said Gabe Mernoff ’22, a member of the gun violence prevention group Thoughts Prayers Action, adding that he mostly works on advocacy at the local level.

populations back in 1996, but officials think that the increased risk of EEE warrants the tactic now. Rhode Island has not seen any lethal cases of EEE since 2007. According to the CDC, EEE causes swelling in the brain, fever and coma. Certain Providence properties receive $12 million in city tax breaks Some Providence business leaders are receiving tax breaks equal to $12 million, according to an analysis by WPRI’s Target 12. These breaks are allotted in the form of tax-stabilization agreements, which over 100 business owners now hold citywide. The agreements require that the owners pledge to create jobs by constructing or renovating properties. By granting TSAs, the city intends to offer businesses greater stability in their investments while they are developed in exchange for collecting higher taxes once the agreement ends. Victor Morente, a spokesperson for Mayor Jorge Elorza, told WPRI that TSAs “yielded increased property values, construction value and local spending and (have) made Providence more competitive with neighboring

municipalities.” The tax rate applied to owners who hold TSAs amounts to $16.69 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The regular commercial tax rate is twice as much, at $36.70 per $1,000. U.S. Senate confirms R.I. District Court Judge after four-year delay The U.S. Senate confirmed Mary McElroy, Rhode Island’s first female chief public defender, as the state’s latest district court federal judge on Wednesday. The confirmation follows a four-year process overseen by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Reed and Whitehouse oversaw the nomination of McElroy by former President Barack Obama in 2015, which stalled in January 2016 at the objection of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.). President Trump renominated McElroy in 2018, but she did not have a confirmation hearing before the Senate recess that summer. In June, the Judiciary Committee approved McElroy to replace U.S. District Judge Mary Lisi, who retired in 2015. Five other nominees were confirmed alongside McElroy.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

SCIENCE & RESEARCH ROUNDUP BY JACOB LOCKWOOD AND MELANIE PINCUS U. research examines muscles in bat wings The muscles in bat wings function at markedly lower temperatures than the other muscles in their bodies, but still effectively keep the mammals airborne, according to findings from Andrea Rummel GS, Professor of Biology and Engineering Sharon Swartz and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Richard Marsh. The research, published Wednesday in the scientific journal Biology Letters, involved continuously and discretely measuring muscle temperature in different types of bats. Rummel, Swartz and Marsh will next examine properties of the muscles, including how the protein myosin affects their operation, according to a news release. “We know that bats are able to support super high-performance locomotion with muscles that are really cold,” Rummel said in the news release.

UCS FROM PAGE 1 besides chief of staff are currently vacant, and most positions including historian, alumni relations director, parliamentarian and secretary will be filled through an internal appointments process from Sept. 20 to 24. The Executive Board position of

“The fact that their muscles are cold indicates that there are probably other small mammals and small birds that are also moving around really well with cold muscles — and presumably they all have some muscular adaptation, behavioral adaptation or other physiological adaptation that helps them do that.” U. study suggests graphene could protect against mosquito bites Graphene — an ultrathin, conductive nanomaterial with potential uses ranging from energy storage to protection against ultraviolet radiation — may also be useful for preventing mosquito bites, a new study by University researchers suggests. The researchers hypothesized that mosquitoes would not be able to pierce through thin sheets of graphene to bite people. But they found another effect of

Chair of Student Activities will be filled through an internal election Sept. 25 during the Council’s general body meeting. The position is open as the student elected last spring no longer attends the University. During the meeting, UCS President William Zhou ’20 said that the Council’s goals for the year include becoming

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questions in radio segments Students at the University launched a radio show called “Possibly” that digs into questions about sustainability. The weekly series began airing as a two- to four-minute segment during “Morning Edition” on the Public’s Radio back in July. Supported by the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, the new series aims to explain environmental issues — ranging from Rhode Island’s planned plastic bag ban to the environmental costs of heating buildings in the winter — in understandable terms. At the same time, students working on the segments will gain practice communicating scientific topics to non-experts. “Possibly” airs during the 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. shows each Tuesday on the Public’s Radio. The segments also stream online.

Undergrads answer sustainability

more “proactive, representative and inclusive.” General body projects this fall include Celebrating Staff at Brown, a Facebook page the Council runs to highlight University staff members, and the Undergraduate Fall Poll, which is a “real opportunity to figure out … the priorities students have on campus,”

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graphene on mosquitoes: The material proved highly effective at preventing mosquitoes from attempting to bite humans altogether. Rather than providing a primarily physical barrier against bites, graphene was found to actually work as a chemical barrier trapping molecular signals that attract mosquitoes. “The mosquito is the world’s most important vector for transmission of infectious diseases, and chemical agents now used for bite prevention can have environmental or human health side effects,” the researchers wrote in their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Their study proposes graphene as a non-chemical material that could be woven into clothing fabrics to create safer, wearable protection against mosquito bites.

Zhou said. Co-Appointments Committee Chair Eamon McKeever ’22 presented on open student representative positions in University committees. The College Curriculum Council, Library Advisory Board and Honorary Degree Committee are some of the committees with open positions.

All new general body and voting members this year will be paired with an upperclassman or member of the Executive Board, who will serve as a mentor both in UCS activities and life at the University more broadly as part of the Council’s Mentorship Program. Students need 20 signatures to become voting members of UCS.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

CA L E NDA R TODAY

SEPTEMBER

Joint Program in Cancer Biology 12:00 P.M. Alpert Medical School

Taylor Mac: In Residence Providence Lost Screening & 5:30 P.M. Panel Granoff Center for the Creative Arts 7:00 P.M. List Art Center 120

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Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

“We need to attack the causes of gun violence beyond just banning assault weapons.”

—Gabe Mernoff ’22 SEE GUNS PAGE 1

D OWN TOW N SKY L I N E

CR O S SWO R D

REBECCA HO / HERALD

The buildings of downtown Providence are a familiar sight for returning University students, welcoming them back home to the Ocean State with unusually temperate weather and blossoming trees.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Warren Kanders still must go BY SOPHIE DUNCAN, DAVID XU BORGONJON, CAMILA BUSTOS, NINA WOLFF LANDAU, SEBASTIÁN CASTRO NICULESCU AND MAYO SAJI OP-ED CONTRIBUTORS

Warren Kanders ’79, a prominent University donor, recently resigned from his position as vice chair of the Whitney Museum of American Art, which should serve as a reminder of why Brown must cut its financial ties with Kanders. We find ourselves at a crossroads: Will the University lead by example and develop guidelines around its gift policy or will it continue to lend legitimacy to donors who reportedly profit from tear gas and suppression of social movements? Almost two years ago in an op-ed in The Herald, a group of alums affiliated with environmental studies asked, “Why is Brown greenwashing tear gas and rubber bullets?” A year later, the College Hill Independent published a thorough excoriation of the same target, Kanders, who is now among America’s most controversial purveyors of tear gas. After months of activism led by Decolonize This Place, Kanders resigned from the board of the Whitney in July. Now, it is time to repeat the same questions asked in last year’s op-ed: Who is Kanders, what does he do and why is he still here? Kanders is currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Council for the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and is a major donor to the Brown Arts Initiative and its annual Warren and Allison Kanders Lecture Series. He is also the chairman of the Safariland Group, which produces crowd control weapons like tear gas. From reports detailing the use of concussion grenades at Standing Rock, to tear gas used on migrant caravans at the U.S.-Mexico border in November 2018, to tear gas more recently employed at protests in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Safariland’s “products” have consistently aided in human rights abuses and the suppression of social justice movements globally. Despite claims that these products are “non-lethal,” the aforementioned op-ed detailed the harm inflicted on civilians by Safariland products. Why do the President and the Brown Corporation, who lead an institution committed to academic excellence and positive social impact, continue to accept advice and money from the

chairman of a company that develops products that strip migrants, refugees and marginalized peoples of their dignity and safety? Brown, like all other institutions of higher education, relies on donations to subsist and grow. But the donations privilege more than just the University; by accepting a gift, Brown legitimizes the donor’s business practice and social status. In a practice known as “greenwashing” or “artwashing,” wealthy individuals and corporations try to sanitize their actions by donating to causes that boost their public image. In donating to Brown’s various programs and initiatives, including the fall 2018 art exhibit titled “On Protest, Art and Activism,” Kanders elevates his reputation as a socially-conscious benefactor while directly profiting from the suppression of social protests and attacks on people fleeing from violence. We, as members of the Warren Kanders Must Go campaign and alum supporters of the movement, call on the University to engage in a critical conversation about the line between ethical and unethical donations. After all, aren’t we, as a campus, striving to lead by example and train young people to be both critical thinkers and active participants in answering difficult questions? Instances of violence by police states, aided by crowd control weapons, are increasing by the day — from Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Gaza to Kashmir, Puerto Rico and Ferguson. During moments of social unrest in response to increasingly explicit xenophobia and white supremacism around the world, we must reflect on our own institutional complicity in suppressing these movements. As members of the Brown community, we deserve a basic ethical standard to guide us in whom we accept donations from and whom we allow to sit in positions of power. In the case of Kanders, the answer is clear: His involvement with tear gas should disqualify him from holding positions at or donating to the University. As a community, we should use our collective voice to put pressure on University leadership in pursuit of a world in which education isn’t funded by war merchants — and ultimately, a world in which war merchants no longer exist. Some claim that universities have no power to stop the arms trade or broader economic trends. However, the history of university divestment campaigns indicates that academic institutions have the power to critique and transform the status quo. Divestment erodes the legitimacy of actors benefiting from social

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“Kanders must go, but that is just the beginning.”

harms like apartheid in South Africa or fossil fuels, while sending economic signals to the market about questionable practices. Refusing donations from those tied to unethical businesses can have a similar stigmatizing impact. Other critics question the feasibility of refusing donations by asking, “What about all the other problematic donors at Brown University?” Well, give us the details! A thorough audit of the University’s biggest donors would be a good next step. The question of whether gifts to the University derive from state-sanctioned violence and human rights abuses seems fairly straightforward, yet the administration’s resistance to even asking this question indicates that the answers will be damaging for the reputation the University tries to build for itself as a morally driven global leader. In 2011, the administration reiterated its commitment to “(maintaining) high ethical standards in investments and gifts.” Regardless of this professed institutional commitment to “the ethical review of gifts,” Brown’s standards remain extremely lax. In February, President Christina Paxson P’19 stated the following: “It would be contrary to Brown’s values to use the rejection of gifts as a tool to take sides in, or make statements about, contested social and political issues. Although members of the Brown community have the right to express opposition to a gift, the mere presence of controversy around a donor is not a sufficient reason for declining a gift.” But is the violent legacy of Kanders’ career a mere “controversy”? Under the guise of civility and neutrality, Paxson has simply claimed neutrality while standing on the side of the oppressor and perpetuating the status quo. We argue that for Brown to act in line with its values, the administration should refuse all gifts from Warren Kanders, cut ties with him (including advisory or other formal positions) and publicly denounce the use of tear gas and other “non-lethal” crowd control weapons on migrants and peaceful protesters across the world. We also urge Brown to build on the recommendations

of the Report of the Committee on Slavery and Justice to devise, implement and publicize strict procedures for ethical gift review, with the substantive involvement of students, faculty and staff. In fact, the University should follow the lead of its students and faculty, many of whom have rallied in support of an ethical gift policy. In addition to the Warren Kanders Must Go campaign, some faculty have called for the University to reject gifts from Kanders — a move they say would be in line with the recommendations of the Report of the Committee on Slavery and Justice to “uphold a strict procedure for the ethical review of gifts,” according to a July article in The Herald. We believe in the need for an ethical gift policy, which is why we are holding a town hall meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Urban Environmental Laboratory (135 Angell Street). Where is the line between “mere controversy” and the enabling of state violence and documented human rights abuses? What are our values as members of the Brown community and how should they guide our practice? We do not foresee any easy answers to these questions, but they prompt necessary and timely discussions about the role of higher education institutions. Kanders must go, but that is just the beginning. We are excited to see what will take his place. Sophie Duncan ’16 can be reached at sophie_duncan@alumni.brown.edu, David Xu Borgonjon ’14 can be reached at david_xu@ alumni.brown.edu, Camila Bustos ’16 can be reached at camila_bustos@alumni.brown. edu, Nina Wolff Landau ’20 can be reached at nina_wolff_landau@brown.edu, Sebastián Castro Niculescu ’20 can be reached at sebastian_niculescu@brown.edu and Mayo Saji ’20 can be reached at mayo_saji@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

Puerto Rico: A story of resistance BY MARYSOL FERNANDEZ STAFF COLUMNIST This summer Puerto Rico made headlines around the world as hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans took to the streets in massive mobilizations. The U.S. press covered the initial stages of protest, but failed to stick with the story as the resistance evolved. In addition to highlighting present circumstances on the island, these untold stories reveal Puerto Rico’s long social and political history, which created the injustices that Puerto Ricans are now protesting. The press’s insufficient coverage of the sustained dissent on the island has left the United States with the distorted narrative that these protests are merely about one administration’s corruption. In fact, these protests are much more complex; they are directed at a broader issue that affects all Puerto Ricans — namely, their lack of political autonomy, which is rooted in the island’s colonial history. The protests in Puerto Rico began after the Center for Investigative Journalism released over 800 pages of offensive and criminally implicating text messages between former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and other high-ranking government officials in early July. On July 25, Puerto Ricans made history by using massive mobilizations that cut across geographic, generational and cultural dividesto force their governor to resign. Puerto Ricans exerted the power of the masses by creating space for all sects of Puerto Rican society to participate in protest. There were protests for 11 consecutive days in front of the governor’s building, and a national strike saw over 500,000 Puerto Ricans occupy a central highway in an inspiring demonstration of solidarity. People protested both on the island and in the diaspora. Forms of protest ranged from music, visual art and dance to acts on horseback, boats, kayaks and motorcycles. Some protesters even took to banging on pots and

pans around the island every night at 8 o’clock. The American press focused on the scandal that broke out in Rosselló’s administration, on the magnitude of the political mobilizations and on the creativity of the forms of protest. Consequently, the media’s narrative made Rosselló’s administration seem to be the root of the problem, downplaying the movement’s radical nature in the process. While the governor’s text messages originally ignited the mobilization, the issues that these protests actually address are much graver. Puerto Rico has been devastated by an unconstitutional and unpayable national debt, generated by decades of government corruption across several administrations and by Hurricane Maria and the disaster that was the post-hurricane relief effort. Puerto Ricans are protesting, above all, centuries of colonialism that cannot be described as anything less than criminal — today, this history manifests in the Fiscal Control Board undemocratically imposed on Puerto Rico by the Obama administration. The many ways in which people protested should be seen not merely as a charming story that illustrates Puerto Rican creativity. They should be seen rather as a demonstration of the lengths that Puerto Ricans will go to express themselves politically, since they lack legitimate political representation — especially given that democracy in Puerto Rico exists only as a well-constructed fallacy. A different narrative lies in this hard truth. Puerto Rican indignation developed not just because of corruption in local government, but because of the lack of democratic exercises in this modern colony. The absence of a real democracy has allowed the island to be governed not as a nation of sovereign people, but as a rich source of wealth, which has been the case ever since Spanish colonizers first landed on Puerto Rico’s shores. I, for one, am outraged more by the continued exploitation of Puerto Rico’s resources than by the media’s over simplified narrative of political corruption on the island.

“The root of Puerto Rican indignation developed not just because of corruption in local government, but because of the lack of democratic exercises in this modern colony.”

It seems that this sentiment is shared by many who continue to resist on the island. Puerto Ricans continue to resist the new governor Wanda Vázquez along with the Fiscal Control Board, since both are complicit in this exploitation. They continue to resist the unconstitutional and unpayable debt as well as the island’s colonial status. Though the widescale mobilizations have subsided, people now coalesce in public assemblies across the island to discuss what a better, more sustainable and more just Puerto Rico would look like. More localized forms of radical political mobilization continue within the island’s traditional sources of social activism such as university campuses and political unions. But these stories have disappeared from the

front pages of newspapers in the United States. The current political climate in Puerto Rico has also disappeared from the mainstream political discourse. Given how quick we were to support and celebrate Puerto Rico’s success in holding a corrupt administration accountable, we disrespect the island by forgetting the continued efforts of its people to undo the damages of its colonial history. We must do more to acknowledge and advance the ongoing anticolonial movement in Puerto Rico in all its complexities. Marysol Fernandez ’21 can be reached at marysol_fernandez@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

I L LU ST R AT I O N

ISABEL INADOMI / HERALD