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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 86

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U. study examines effects of SNAP benefits Uber driver charged with Professors find SNAP beneficiaries less likely to buy store brands or use discount coupons By CATE RYAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Families who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use fewer discount coupons and

allot more money for spending on food than they would without assistance, according to a forthcoming paper in the American Economic Review by Justine Hastings and Jesse Shapiro, professors of economics. In 2017, the SNAP program served about one in six families, Hastings explained. Recipients can access their benefits through an Electronic Benefits Transfer card and can use the money to purchase pre-

approved food products at specific retail stores, according to Benefits. gov. The study found that “every $100 in SNAP benefits leads to between $50 and $60 extra dollars of food spending each month,” Hastings wrote in an email to The Herald. Cash benefits of the same amount are not predicted to have the same effect, she added. Furthermore, the study found that SNAP recipient house» See SNAP, page 2

DAPHNE ZHAO

Costs of War Project to expand focus to Africa Watson Institute panelists discuss drones, accountability, military language By JACKSON TRUESDALE STAFF WRITER

The Costs of War Project, which studies post-9/11 U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and related violence in neighboring nations, hosted a panel at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Monday afternoon as its first step toward expanding its focus to include Africa, according to International Studies Professor and Co-Director of the project Catherine Lutz. Members of the project, which is housed within Watson, decided to » See WAR, page 3

INSIDE

sexual assault of student Following alleged assault Aug. 2, Vanessa Garcia ’20.5, U. craft safety tips for ride-sharing apps By EMILY DAVIES METRO EDITOR

Carlos Carrillo, a 29-year-old former Uber driver, was charged with the second-degree sexual assault of Vanessa Garcia ’20.5 hours after reportedly assaulting her during an Uber ride near campus Aug. 2. Carrillo has posted bond is currently in the midst of pre-arraignment counseling, according to court records. Carrillo has a No Contact Order with Garcia. The Herald does not typically name alleged survivors of sexual assault, but Garcia requested that her name appear in this story as a sign of empowerment and an acknowledgement of her work as an advocate for survivors of sexual assault. With Garcia’s guidance and involvement, the University released “Tips for using Uber and Lyft” Oct. 1. “I want to give a face and a voice to the ‘anonymous 21-yearold victim’ that people were victim shaming in the WPRI article about my assault,” Garcia wrote in a state-

ment to The Herald on her decision to have her name appear in this story. The Herald interviewed Garcia in August but delayed publication of the story in an effort to reach Carrillo for comment. Garcia criticized The Herald’s decision to contact Carrillo at a rally Sept. 29, The Herald previously reported. It is The Herald’s policy to reach out to those charged with serious crimes for comment when reporting a news story in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of events. Carrillo’s only listed contact information is his residential address. He did not respond to a letter from The Herald requesting comment. His public defender, Jason Ollman, refused to comment. Garcia reported being “inappropriately touched” by Carrillo, according to police records. “What the rider reported to police is appalling and wrong. This driver no longer has access to the app, and we will support the police investigation,” a spokesperson for Uber wrote in an email to The Herald, adding that Carrillo had no previous reports “of this nature.” Uber drivers are expected to comply with the company’s community guidelines, which include a clause forbidding sexual contact » See UBER, page 2

“Now Here This” performs at new RISD exhibition Audio storytelling performance focuses on themes of repair, apology, reconciliation By ELISE RYAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“Dear listeners, apologies for our late response. … We’ve been busy making stories about what it means to apologize,” said Mitchell Johnson ’18.5 and Alex Hanesworth ’20, managing editors of Brown and Rhode Island School of Design’s joint audio storytelling collective “Now Here This.” The audio performance “SORRY, A Live Listening Party” was presented within the RISD Museum’s new exhibition, “Repair and Design Futures.” “This event is about repair and healing, but also absent apologies, the refusal to forgive and what happens when saying sorry isn’t enough,” Hanesworth said. The event featured four speakers, all of whom presented renditions of podcasts they released in the spring. Each speaker addressed the themes of conflict, reconciliation and healing.

SAM BERUBE / HERALD

“SORRY, A Live Listening Party” was presented by audio storytelling collective “Now Here This” at the RISD Museum’s new exhibition, “Repair and Design Futures.” expert at “Now Here This” — who Raina Wellman, a RISD student, Museum of Apology,” as evidence of cited her collection of apology artibegan the conversation by addressher proficiency. Wellman took the facts, recent writing about apology ing apologies. She was introduced by cakes and 77-song playlist titled “The Hanesworth as the resident apology » See APOLOGY, page 2

WEATHER

TUESDAY, OC TOBER 23, 2018

SCIENCE & RESEARCH University professor develops new criteria for use of spinal taps in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease

ARTS & CULTURE Indie rock singer Mitski stops in Boston, explores tribulations of relationships in latest album

COMMENTARY Calvelli ’19: Lanyard-wearing first-years embody enviable innocence of new college life

COMMENTARY Allums ’21: MPC workshop “Are You Problematic?” should be opportunity for self-reflection

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» UBER, from page 1 when using the platform. “As a reminder, Uber has a no sex rule. That’s no sexual conduct between drivers and riders, no matter what,” the guide reads. A CNN investigation in April revealed that at least 103 Uber drivers in the United States have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers in the past four years. At least 31 of these drivers have been convicted, according to the investigation. Providence Police Public Information Officer Lindsay Lague wrote in an email to The Herald that the incident between Garcia and Carrillo is one of the first complaints about an Uber driver in relation to a student in recent memory. Garcia’s ride began at 12:24 a.m. from Thayer Street and was a twodestination trip. At the first stop, Garcia allowed Carrillo to use her bathroom while she waited outside for him, according to the report. As the ride resumed, Carrillo “insisted on her sitting in the passenger seat,” Garcia told the police. While she was in the front seat, Carrillo asked her if she had a boyfriend and began to “stroke her legs and chest area,” according to the report. Garcia told him to stop and he started “touching her groin area.” He then stopped the car and attempted to climb on top of Garcia. She cried no repeatedly and Carrillo responded “Okay, I won’t,” according to the report. He returned to his seat but rested his hand on her chest area as he drove, the report stated. Carrillo then drove Garcia

» APOLOGY, from page 1 audience on a tour of her museum, listing and explaining a few of her song selections and the scenarios they might fit. “If you’re sorry for being foolish, I would suggest, “I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee,” Wellman began. Lee sings, “You tell me mistakes / Are part of being young / But that don’t right / The wrong that’s been done.” The song expresses the universal emotions of unrequited love, Wellman explained in her podcast. Lee’s 1960 anthem inspired many future apology songs. Another pick, “Apology Song” by The Decemberists, apologizes to a friend for losing his bike. “I’m really sorry Steven, but your bicycle’s been stolen,” lead

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to her final destination. As she fumbled with her belongings before entering the house, Carrillo came up behind her on the doorstep, grabbed her from behind and began “grinding against her” while feeling her chest, according to the report. After she opened the door, Carrillo “demand(ed) her phone number,” the report stated. Garcia said she gave Carrillo a five-star rating after the incident to avoid filling out the comment box that is required if dolling out a low review — and to keep herself safe. “If I rated him one star, his rating would go down and he knew where I lived. I just wanted him out of my life,” she said. The investigation transferred from the University’s Department of Public Safety to the Providence Police that night. “The student initially contacted Brown DPS. Once the department was made aware of the circumstances, they contacted the Providence Police Department to investigate,” Executive Assistant for Brown DPS Kate Felder wrote in an email to The Herald. DPS refers the “majority of serious crimes occurring on campus and streets adjacent to the campus” to the Providence Police, DPS Deputy Chief of Police Paul Shanley wrote in an email to The Herald. Following the incident, Garcia has struggled to find her new normal, she said. She has worked with a Sexual Harassment and Assault Resource and Education advocate to find new forms of transportation and to discuss how to best work with a detective. She no longer uses Uber “because I have trauma from using rideshare apps and can no longer trust strangers like that,” Garcia said.

Garcia decided to be named in The Herald despite comments on previous media coverage that blamed her for the assault, she said. “Comments blam(ed) me for getting assaulted because I agreed to sit in the front (seat), and statements (claimed) that if I were to be raped in my own house because I let him use the bathroom, that would also be my own fault,” she wrote in a follow-up statement to The Herald. “I am sick and tired of people 1) thinking that it is in any way MY fault or burden to bear as a survivor and 2) that those comments don’t affect anyone. After reading these comments in the detective’s office, I remember bursting out in tears and wanting to just disappear from this society. Your blaming of victims matters and it hurts. Do better.” Garcia hopes her experience helps University students stay safe when using ridesharing apps. “Tips for using Uber and Lyft” suggests avoiding riding in the front seat, among other pieces of advice. “At a bare minimum, don’t take rideshares alone,” Garcia said. “Use safety apps so you can send tracking to your friends, and don’t get in the front seat if you get bad vibes from someone.” The University recommends The Brown Guardian Mobile Safety App, which was updated June 27 and includes instant location sharing and streaming, a two-way text option with Public Safety and a content portal for University Campus Safety information. Brown community members affected by sexual assault can call the Sexual Assault Response Line at 401-863-6000 or visit the Health Services website for more details.

holds are slightly less likely to buy store brands and redeem discount coupons on SNAP-eligible food products. Understanding if “SNAP has larger effects on food spending than cash benefits would is important for understanding its effects on the economy and on the lives of recipients,” she wrote. According to Shapiro, the authors’ ability to more accurately calculate estimates for the effect of SNAP on food spending sets this research apart from similar studies. In the working paper, the team analyzed over six billion data points. “Justine Hastings and Jesse Shapiro are leaders in this movement to incorporate new sources of data, including scanner data, into policy research, ” wrote Gregory Bruich, an economics researcher and lecturer at Harvard, in an email to The Herald. Scanner data is composed of any data collected when an individual checks out at a grocery store — including payment method and loyalty program history — and can be analyzed to compare the behaviors of SNAP recipients with other shoppers. Bruich, who uses scanner data in his own research, wrote that the method not only yields larger samples sizes but also allows “researchers to develop more creative and more credible research designs than would be possible with standard survey data sets.” A key concept that the study explores is “mental accounting,” a term devised by Richard Thaler, professor of economics at the University of Chicago and a 2017 Nobel Laureate, to describe a consumer’s tendency to set aside specific amounts of money

for various categories of spending, Hastings wrote. Hastings provided an example of mental accounting in the context of SNAP benefits. If a household that spends $300 per month on food receives a $200 benefit from the program, they would potentially have $200 of cash for spending on other, non-food items as a result, making the SNAP benefits equivalent to a cash stipend. But the study found that, possibly because of mental accounting, SNAP recipients focus their spending of those benefits on food items. Hastings is the founding director of Research Improving People’s Lives, a group working to make large data sets more comprehensible to policymakers. In partnership with Gov. Gina Raimondo and led by Hastings, the group launched in 2015 under a different name, the Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab, according to RIPL’s website. The forthcoming study is specifically a part of RIPL’s Social Program Innovation initiative, which brings together scientists and facilitates work that “policymakers can use to effectively improve opportunity for everyday Americans,” Hastings wrote. Both Hastings and Shapiro have been involved in many research projects on financial assistance for food expenses. Hastings started looking into federal food assistance roughly a decade ago as a professor at Yale, while Shapiro started work on the Food Stamp Program, which preceded SNAP as the main federal initiative, as a doctoral student at Harvard. Hastings and Shapiro are currently engaged in further research into how SNAP impacts the nutritional “composition of purchased foods,” Shapiro wrote.

singer Colin Meloy sings in the 2001 release. Next, Alina Kulman ’21 touched on the themes of conflict and reconciliation by recounting a debate centered around gun ranges in the small city of Jamestown, Rhode Island. Inspired by the discovery of a highlighted and heavily annotated binder of rules and regulations on a family friend’s kitchen table, Kulman decided to investigate the city’s battle over private gun ranges and tell a story “about how a debate on guns in a small Rhode Island town got out of hand.” Her presentation featured an interview from Nick Robertson, a man who grew up shooting guns in Iowa and moved to Jamestown when he joined the Navy at age 17. Robertson raises horses on the island and built

a range behind his stables — he is a firm supporter of private gun ranges, which became heavily contested as the city urbanized. After years of debate, Kristine Trocki, the Town Council President, hosted a meeting on April 10, 2017 to decide the future of Jamestown gun ranges. The meeting was heavily attended and emotional — Robertson responded angrily to a motion to adopt a total ban. After hours of deliberation, the town council passed a ban by a vote of 3-2, with some amendments. Now, shooting enthusiasts like Robertson must travel to ranges nearby in Narragansett or Newport, “because maybe shooting behind your house doesn’t make sense anymore, if your new neighbor and their dog now only live a couple hundred feet away,” Kulman

explained. Babette Thomas ’20 followed with a look at memory and the process of healing with “At the Kitchen Table,” a conversation she shared with three other black students about their individual stories and the University’s ties to slavery. “We talked about the African American experience as it relates to slavery, and what it means to go to school in a place like Providence, at a school like Brown, which has such deep ties to the … slave trade,” Thomas said. “I wanted to make something that would last. I wanted to make a memorial to our ancestors who are so often forgotten,” Thomas said, adding that she looked to create a space that would encourage people to consider the responsibility of places like Brown and RISD in their historical

role in the institution of slavery. The program closed with Donia Torabian’s ’20 “Healing Meditations” — a series of meditations aimed to help guide women of color through trauma. “We are all keepers of our own fire, we need to be tended and fed and loved, so that we may be warm, and warm others,” the meditation began. “And as a fire-keeper you should share your warmth,” Torabian continued. The presentation asked listeners to consider the boundaries of apologizing, and then, of repair — fitting with the themes of the Museum’s exhibition. Slips of paper left on the stools and benches in the gallery asked guests to share an apology of their own — to be left anonymously, and to possibly begin internal mending.

»SNAP, from page 1

ARTS & CULTURE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 • PAGE 3

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Mitski’s latest album offers listeners emotional complexity “Be the Cowboy” showcases maturity, lyricism from indie rock singer-songwriter By DIVYA MANIAR SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Mitski’s latest album “Be the Cowboy” distills complex emotions; in her clear voice, the artist captures love and loneliness. The singer-songwriter performed at House of Blues Boston on Oct. 20 as part of her U.S. tour. The album opens with a burst of emotion. “Geyser” builds itself up, culminating explosively and passionately both lyrically and instrumentally: “I will be the one you need, the way I can’t be without you,” Mitski sings. Mitski addresses relationships from many angles. She explores the eruptive passion of love and reflects on its difficulties. “You’re growing tired of me … sorry I don’t want your touch, it’s not that I don’t want you” she sings in “A Pearl.” She does not simplify or romanticize relationships, instead opting to portray them as multidimensional. She also relates a deep desire for purpose. In “Remember My Name,” she conveys her need for recognition and legacy. “I want someone to remember me. I need something bigger than the sky, hold it in my arms and know it’s mine.” In this song, Mitski explores the tensions of ambition and the desire to leave an impact on others and the world. The upbeat “Nobody,” which was released as a single before the rest of the album, sounds deceptively happy.

» WAR, from page 1 study Africa after they constructed a global map of current U.S. counterterrorism war locations, Lutz said. “We saw how concentrated the activity was in Africa and realized we need to know more about that because it’s considered part of that post-9/11 U.S. military orientation to solving the problems,” she added. Members of the project hope to partner with Africa-focused nongovernmental organizations that

Though the music is fast-paced and carefree, she intones “My God, I’m so lonely, so I open the window, to hear sounds of people.” This song exemplifies the layered irony in Mitski’s portrayal of emotions, where little is as it seems. The album slows as it concludes. In “Pink in the Night,” Mitski takes us back to a raw depiction of love. She captures a certain juvenile purity, conveying genuine yearning. “I know I’ve kissed you before, but I didn’t do it right. Can I try again, try again, try again,” she sings. There is a certain innocence to this desperation, the vulnerability and naivete that accompanies love. At the end of the song, she repeats: “I love you, I love you, I love you.” The album ends with the torturously nostalgic “Two Slow Dancers.” Instrumentally, this piece is simple; it begins with only a piano, and there is a slow orchestral buildup. It tells a story of love, loss and growing old. “Doesn’t it smell like a school gymnasium in here?” she sings, invoking nostalgic images of adolescence. But this song’s tragedy lies precisely in the fact that we must grow up: “It would be a hundred times easier, if we were young again. But as it is, and it is.” Aging is a fact of life which we are helpless to change, something that just “is.” The song illustrates the inevitability of change, and evokes a longing for the past. The clarity of “Be the Cowboy”is a kind of honesty; this is the closest look at Mitski listeners have been afforded so far. It is explosive passion and deep melancholy all at once. In her storytelling, she bares her heart, calling out to us: “remember my name.”

are concerned about civilian casualties and government accountability, Lutz said. Monday’s panelists highlighted drones, accountability and U.S. military language used to discuss Africa, among other topics. This year, the United States has sent over 30 drone- or air strikes into Somalia, “and now it’s about every week,” said panelist and Colby College Professor of Anthropology Catherine Besteman. “With drone attacks, you have the drone fly in; it kills 100 people. The

COURTESY OF KENNY SUN

Mitski, the New York City-based singer-songwriter, performed at House of Blues Boston Oct. 20 as part of her U.S. tour. Her fifth studio album “Be The Cowboy” features three singles.

U.S. claims it was 100 militants — there’s no accountability for that.” Panelist and contributing writer at The Intercept Nick Turse said that while investigating top-secret, leaked U.S. drone warfare reports in 2015, he was struck by the language used to discuss Africa. “(The reports) do have a very ‘dark continent,’ ‘scramble for Africa’-era type language to them, and they talk about these ungoverned spaces and having to eradicate the ‘tyranny of distance,’” Turse said.

Lutz agreed that the U.S. military tends think of these ungoverned areas as “spaces that should be under control.” Drone bases along the edges of Africa would enable the U.S. military to increase “coverage” across the continent and “eradicate this blank space,” Turse said. He acknowledged that the use of drones has helped the United States “keep the footprint as small as possible and the deployments as small as they can.” Panelist and Assistant Profes-

sor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles Adam Moore agreed with Turse, adding that drones “reduce the risks on the Western bodies … and put it on foreign bodies.” In addition to the project’s new focus on Africa, members will continue their work on existing papers. Contributors to the project will present their report on the federal budget and the costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan at a Congressional press conference in November, Lutz said.

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

In seeking to account for all aspects of post-9/11 U.S. military involvement, the Costs of War project plans to focus more closely on operations in Africa.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH PAGE 4 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

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U. professor integrates use of spinal taps in Alzheimer’s diagnosis

COURTESY OF KRIS CRAIG OF THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

In addition to developing new criteria for using lumbar punctures to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, University researchers are exploring the use of eye exams for early detection.

Research team develops new criteria for patients to opt for procedure with potential to detect signs of dementia By CHRIS SCHUTTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In the battle to understand Alzheimer’s disease, advancements in the testing and development of new technologies aim to provide stronger support for treatment. In collaboration with a number of other researchers and the Alzheimer’s Association, Professor of Neurology Stephen Salloway has been developing new criteria for the use of lumbar punctures, also known as spinal taps, to diagnose Alzheimer’s. Helping patients clarify whether they should undergo this procedure may allow them to detect the disease sooner and begin treat-

ment as early as 10 to 20 years before memory loss occurs. In the lumbar puncture procedure, a needle is inserted into the spine to extract cerebrospinal fluid. This process allows scientists to analyze the fluid, monitoring the levels of two proteins in the brain and body known as amyloid and tau, said John Hendrix, director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association. As the levels of these two proteins fluctuate, they can provide earlier indications of forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. This approach has become more prevalent as technologies, screenings and tests have advanced, Salloway said.

This upcoming form of testing can also increase accuracy in diagnosing patients, said Leslie Shaw, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania, who is unaffiliated with the study. Alzheimer’s develops as a “continuum” with many stages, and research and testing allow for more educated and informed diagnoses at each stage to reduce rates of misdiagnosis and promote appropriate treatment, Shaw added. Lumbar punctures are routine in Europe but are seldom used in the United States, Hendrix said. This may be a result of a fear of the procedure due to lack of awareness and knowledge of its mechanics — in reality, a spinal tap is a quick and effective procedure with few to no side effects, he added. Ad-

ditionally, patients may doubt the procedure because of the belief that testing for dementia is futile due to the absence of a cure, Salloway said. More conversation about this procedure could better educate the public and primary care physicians about the appropriate use of testing, which can lead to more accurate diagnoses and a more informed conversation on future treatment, Salloway said. “Alzheimer’s is probably our number one public health problem,” he added. While some people who fear they have Alzheimer’s may wish to avoid treatment, the possibility of getting into a clinical trial early can greatly increase the chances and quality of treatment, Hendrix said. “It’s a really exciting time for this research, and one of the things

that gives me great optimism is that these tools not only can help with more accurate diagnosis, but they will also help in finding new therapies,” he said. In-depth PET scans to analyze tau proteins and blood and eye tests are also currently being researched as alternatives, Hendrix said. Blood testing is still being researched and is not currently in use, but may soon find applications as a preliminary screening test to lead into further procedures, Hendrix said. Other research being conducted at Brown involves using eye exams to analyze early retinal changes well before dementia and memory loss occurs, Salloway said. “Care and support might not be a cure, but it does lead to better health, to better outcomes and to better quality of life,” Hendrix said.

TODAY

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 • PAGE 5

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the scenic route

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Cheese, Pepperoni, Spinach & Feta, Cajun Chicken Pho Bar, Curry Bar JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Dumpling Bar, Guacamole Burger

Chicken Kadhai, Avial Vegetable Curry, Three Bean Chili

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Pork Carnitas, Corn Taco Shells, Flour Tortillas, Cheese Grits, Brisket With BBQ Bean Chili

Chicken Wings, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Baked Four Cheese Ziti, Banana Cream Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Chinese Chicken Wings, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Sticky Rice, Edamame Beans

Meatloaf With Mushroom Sauce, Roasted Tempeh With Angry Sauce, Peas With Mushrooms

sudoku

crossword

JASMINE RUIZ / HERALD

Kayakers making their way down the Providence River pass “Still Here,” a mural completed by artist Gaia in September. The mural is on the facade of 32 Custom House Street, home to campus favorite Knead Doughnuts.

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

“This event is about repair and healing, but also absent apologies, the refusal to forgive and what

”

happens when saying sorry isn’t enough.

— Alex Hanesworth ’20

See apology on PAGE 1. calendar TODAY OCTOBER

Public Health StudentFaculty Luncheon 12:00 P.M. CIT 227

Talk: Professor Paul Valiant 12:00 P.M. CIT 368

EEB Tuesday Seminar Series 12:00 P.M. Biomedical Center 291

Dean in the Lobby 5:00 P.M. Hazeltine Commons

TOMORROW Quaker Meeting for Worship 12:00 P.M. Page-Robinson Hall

Summer Panel Info Session 3:00 P.M. Watson Center

Annual Katz Lecture 4:00 P.M. 121 South Main Street

What is Research? 5:00 P.M. Sciences Library

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

U. should respect potential vote to unionize regardless of federal policy To the Editor: Over the past few years, graduate students at the University, like graduate students at many other universities, have been organizing to form a union. Sometime in the near future graduate students as a whole will vote on whether to form this union or not. This vote comes after negotiations with the University administration about how to conduct the organizing drive and how to undertake the actual vote itself. This is an issue of interest and importance for everyone in the Brown community. The following paragraphs were drafted by us as an open letter and circulated in September to faculty who wished to state some principles and to express their concern about the administration’s approach to this process. Alex Gourevitch Associate Professor of Political Science William Keach Professor of English Dear President Christina Paxson P’19, Provost Richard Locke P’18 and members of the Brown Corporation: We believe that graduate students are an integral part of the Brown community. They are committed students who perform essential work for the University. In this letter we affirm three things. First, that graduate students

have an independent right to vote on whether to unionize. Second, if the vote is in favor of unionization, the administration should recognize the chosen bargaining unit and seek a contract without delay. Third, that the vote and discussions about it should take place without faculty discouragement of graduate student participation. The background is the following. This past spring the administration and Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees arrived at a pre-election agreement for what the University has called “a possible union representation election among the eligible graduate students at Brown.” We are happy that they have arrived at an agreement to hold elections. But the administration still does not recognize and support graduate students’ independent right to vote on unionization. The administration currently says that graduate students only have that right because the National Labor Relations Board says graduate students have that right. Worse yet, in the “Graduate Student Unionization” part of the Provost’s Sept. 4 “New Academic Year: Information and Updates” letter to faculty, we read that the administration “will terminate (the election agreement) immediately if the NLRB reverses the Columbia decision.” In other words, if President Trump’s NLRB decides graduate students don’t have a right to vote on unionization, the administration will no longer recognize that graduate students have that right. That is wrong and unnecessary. As other

universities, like New York University and Georgetown University, have already shown, you can simply respect graduate students’ independent right to vote and, if they vote yes, bargain with them in good faith, regardless of the NLRB’s position. We are happy that the Provost’s letter to faculty contains important reminders to faculty that they must not interfere with or attempt to discourage graduate students from discussing and voting on the question of unionization. We agree with that message. But the administration is still hedging by hiding behind whatever Trump’s NLRB might decide. We respect graduate student voices and the value of democracy on campus. That is why we affirm their independent right to vote on unionization. There should be a fair, impartial election. If the vote is no, then respect that result. If the vote is yes, then bargain in good faith and respect the contract.

Yannis Hamilakis Professor of Archaeology and Professor of Modern Greek Studies

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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Let them wear lanyards AIDAN CALVELLI staff columnist Now in my fourth (and final) year at Brown, I thought nothing could surprise me. Naked people with donuts? Sure. Neil deGrasse Tyson chilling on Simmons Quad? Boring. Yet on a recent dreary mid-October day, I was proven wrong when I saw not one, but two first-years with lanyards around their necks. That’s right. We’re more than a month into school, and the lanyards haven’t all been relegated to the pockets of history. Yes, there are still first-years strutting across Pembroke Green, unaware of the silent ridicule they are subjecting themselves to. But a couple days ago, it hit me. Maybe these lanyard-wearing firstyears aren’t the mockable ones. Maybe it’s me. Yes, I, a wise senior, steeped for four years in our lanyards-are-aweird-orientation-week-freshmanfad culture, had it wrong. I now see that lanyard-wearers are unapologetically themselves, undeterred by a campus of hegemonically antilanyard conformity. Lanyard-critiquers like myself, however, have been stripped of our innocence and openness. You might, dear reader, think that I’m overemphasizing the deci-

sion to place a goofy-looking necklace around one’s neck. Think again. The lanyard is a form of symbolic self-expression, revealing both the character of the one wearing it and the condescension of those judging it. On the surface, the campus is divided into the lanyard-wearing minority and the lanyard-averse majority; on the inside, we’re split into those freely expressing their purity and those pushed into insecure, jaded

I have no recollection of why I wore the lanyard then. Perhaps, after moving away from my parents, the soft fabric against my neck was a comforting reminder of a motherly embrace. Perhaps in my fear of social isolation, I copied the superficial appearance of my peers who had yet to abandon their own lanyards. It’s likely that I can’t remember exactly why I wore the lanyard because I didn’t have a conscious rea-

possessed authenticity we gain as we grow as individuals in college. Rather, it’s a blank-slate authenticity, where we enter a new world unsure of what to make of ourselves and our surroundings and in that uncertainty, we are forced simply to be. Soon we grow out of the lanyard, and over time we transform from wide-eyed first-years into quasiadult, fully-fledged Brunonians. That transformation is mostly good: We

So, when we see first-years bearing lanyards, we would do well not to judge, for they share a spirit that time has stolen from our grasp.

conformity by paralyzing perceptions of popularity. Clearly, my fixation on lanyardwearers indicates I have some repressed feelings worth exploring. When I judge them with some vague insult of ridiculousness, it’s possible (read: definitely true) that I’m projecting an insecurity that they have something I’ve lost. To figure out what that is, I thought back to the last time I wore a lanyard: first-year orientation week.

son. Caught up in the thrill of being at Brown, too unaware of aesthetic norms to realize I looked silly, wearing the lanyard was just something I did. In those first few days on campus, we occupy a liminal space between our past selves and the people we will become at Brown. Unschooled in Brown’s culture, unthinking of much beyond “adjusting,” in the early lanyard days, we have a beautifully authentic naivete. It is not the self-

learn about ourselves and the world, meet lifelong friends and integrate into this special college community. Seniors, in general, don’t wish they were first-years. Still, I think something important is lost as Brown culture infuses itself into our identities. No longer are our college lives mysteries waiting to be unfurled. The possibilities of what Brown could be become memories of what it was, the dreamscape entered by walking through the Van Wickle

Gates punctured by late nights in the library, broken hearts and that one November morning two years ago. Today, I barely recognize that nervous, hopeful Aidan with a ratty Brown lanyard. Yet as my brain is occupied now with thesis research instead of the Sharpe Refectory lunch menu, I’m struck by how rare that first week was. We join a new community, excited and terrified to together embark on a journey of selfdiscovery with contours we genuinely cannot predict. And though we might not have known it then, our lanyards were a critical step on that journey, a symbol of a simpler time, one imbued with seemingly infinite possibility, unmarred by practical tribulations, embodying a beautiful innocence. So, when we see first-years bearing lanyards, we would do well not to judge, for they share a spirit that time has stolen from our grasp. To all the lanyard-wearing first-years I’ve pitied in my head, I’m sorry. You, in some inexpressible way, know yourself better than I do. Maybe it’s you who should be sorry for me.

Aidan Calvelli ’19 is not at all insecure about the person he’s become at Brown. Why do you ask? Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

MPC Workshop “Are You Problematic?” is for all JORDAN ALLUMS

op-ed contributor A few weeks ago, a group of Minority Peer Counselors hosted one of several planned workshops designed to address issues facing racial and ethnic minorities at Brown. The workshop, entitled “Are You Problematic?”, came in the wake of the Black Alumni Reunion that had taken place two weeks prior. This reunion was particularly significant, as 2018 marks 50 years since the 1968 walkout staged by black students from Brown and Pembroke College to pressure the University to increase the admission of black applicants. The MPCs who organized the workshop highlighted that there is more work to be done to build upon this legacy, half a century later, and engaged the attendees in brainstorming efforts that Brown ought to pursue to make amends for its racist history. Apparently, not everyone approved of the topic of the workshop. On the day the event was to take place, an anonymous student taped a note reading “It’s okay to be white” on an advertisement for the workshop posted under Wayland Arch. It is important to note that nowhere in the ad were white students addressed specifically. The workshop was not meant to impress upon students that it is not okay to be white. It seems that the anonymous author made the misguided assumption that the term “problematic” in the title must inherently mean “white.” Given that there was nothing in the ad that explicitly mentioned white people, one should wonder how and why this anonymous student managed to arrive at this conclusion. We have seen others make similar false equivalencies on a larger scale. When Colin

Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality against black people, opponents exploded on social media with criticisms because they saw a protest against America itself. Similar conflations have also been made regarding gender. With the rise of #MeToo and the increasing awareness of sexual assault against women, a number of men

ism, white students are being unfairly lumped together with those who participate in very explicit, dangerous forms of racism such as white nationalism. There are those who feel as if they are being guilt-tripped into accepting responsibility for problems that they do not actively contribute to. It is important to recognize, however, that racism does not always manifest in extreme

Rather than take the topic of the MPC workshop personally as an attack against white students, it would be far more productive to utilize the workshop for its intended purpose of improving one’s self-awareness and getting comfortable with confronting and correcting problematic behavior.

have felt unfairly targeted and even endangered by the movement, thus prompting the hashtag #NotAllMen. This “not all ___” sentiment is apparent in race relations in broader society and locally on Brown’s campus. The message taped to the MPC ad reflects the misguided view that by using “white people” as an umbrella term in discussions about rac-

ways. Yes, there are institutional demonstrations of racism such as mass incarceration and discriminatory voting laws in certain states, but racism is also present in daily interpersonal habits, such as dating “preferences” based on race and arguing that people of color have an advantage in college admission processes by virtue of being minorities.

There is currently debate over whether or not everyone, not just white people, can be racist. The question is whether racism is a systemic phenomenon, or if it consists of any instance of insulting or discriminating against another person based on their racial identity. I argue that while all forms of racism are discriminatory, not all forms of discrimination represent racism. Racism is a system which depends on the power to undermine the status of another race in society. For example, racialized name-calling toward a white person by a person of color does not qualify as racism since people of color do not stand in a position of power where this action can promote their superior status in a larger systemic hierarchy. Both white people and people of color can, however, be problematic. The term problematic in this context encompasses any behavior that reflects prejudiced stereotypes and beliefs one holds about another person based on their race. Unlike racism, this prejudice is not contingent on coming from a position of power. The title of the MPC workshop is an invitation to students of all backgrounds to examine ways in which they may unknowingly exercise problematic habits. Rather than take the topic of the MPC workshop personally as an attack against white students, it would be far more productive to utilize the workshop for its intended purpose of improving one’s self-awareness and getting comfortable with confronting and correcting problematic behavior.

Jordan Allums ’21 can be reached at jordan_allums@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

NEWS THE GOVERNOR FRANK LICHT ’38 LECTURE

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

U.S. SENATOR

ELIZABETH WARREN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2018 | 1-2PM TICKETS REQUIRED and available at watson.brown.edu/events/senatorwarren This event is free and open to the public. Backpacks and large bags not allowed. Brown or government- issued ID required. To request special services, accommodations or assistance for this event, please contact the Office of University Event & Conference Services at universityevents@brown.edu or 401-863-3100.

DOORS OPEN AT 12:00PM