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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 16
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
BUCC discusses staff climate survey
Council members meet to address staff environment, receive update on Corporation meeting By ANNA KRAMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF BROWN
Roxane Gay, a feminist author and professor at Purdue University, gave a politically charged, occasionally sarcastic talk on identity and activism in Salomon Center on Tuesday night.
Roxane Gay speaks on feminist action In humorous, sobering speech, Gay discusses necessity of action, perseverance By MIA PATTILLO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
“I want your fight. I want your din,” urged Roxane Gay as she spoke of the current political climate under President Trump’s administration and the crucial need to take action. On a cold Feb. 14 evening, Gay was the motivational and bold valentine for
a packed Salomon Center, filling the space with her unfiltered humor, rawness and urgency. Organizers of the event, Margaret Goddard GS and Ida Yalzadeh GS, brought Gay to Brown through the sponsorship of the Department of American Studies. Goddard and Yalzadeh hoped to “create a space for critical engagement with popular culture and attention to the role of academics in public discourse,” they wrote in an email to The Herald. The feminist writer, professor, editor, commentator and author of New York Times best-seller “Bad Feminist”
began by reading two pieces from her most recent publication, “Difficult Women.” The first reading humorously utilized yogurt as a symbol of feminist strength in her marriage, underscoring the powerful influence of having confidence. Her second piece spoke of a “gated” community in Naples, Florida. The gates represent not only physical barriers put up by members of a wealthy community who “all looked the same,” but also the community members’ intolerance that prevented them from understanding those with identities different from their own. » See GAY, page 2
The Brown University Community Council discussed the results of a staff climate survey and University concerns about President Trump’s administration at its meeting Tuesday. The staff climate survey, conducted spring 2016, found that about 50 percent of staff members felt they were not respected by faculty members and do not believe the administration is interested in hearing their ideas and opinions, said Karen Davis, vice president for human resources. The survey otherwise proved generally positive, though there is “no doubt … a cultural issue” with respect, she added. The results of the survey, broken down by department, were shared with departmental heads, who are working to address concerns, Davis said. Plans are underway to begin additional qualitative studies, she added. Departmental Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans will also include a response to the survey results. The survey asked eight questions about the University overall and six similar questions specific to staff
members’ individual departments, Davis said. Questions addressed the University work and community environment, specifically asking whether respondents would recommend Brown as an employer. The response rate for all union and non-union employees was about 52 percent. There was a low response rate from the approximately 600 staff members with union contracts, Davis said. It can be difficult to reach staff paid on an hourly basis because their jobs do not allow for the necessary down-time to respond to a survey, she added. Challenges facing the human resources department include recruitment and retention of top talent, creation of manageable staff workloads and allotment of time for professional development, Davis said. Current initiatives to address these challenges include leadership certification programs and a new performance review program, she added. Before the discussion of staff climate, President Christina Paxson P’19 briefed the BUCC on discussions about the FY18 budget, the upcoming Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan annual report, progress on the new performing arts center and the new Trump administration’s effect on the University. Offering a preview of the upcoming release of the DIAP annual report, Paxson said that about 30 percent of » See BUCC, page 2
U. researchers encourage ‘The Mountaintop’ voices artistic protest play focuses on community-based studies New Martin Luther King Jr.’s In growing struggle to include low-income, minority communities, new techniques emerge By JONATHAN DOUGLAS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
When Alison Field, director of the Centers for Epidemiology and Environmental Health and chair of epidemiology, began working on the Growing Up Today Study in 1996, almost 17,000 children aged 9 to 14 enrolled. But as the study, which looks at the effects of diet and exercise on weight changes throughout a person’s life, progressed, she found that at around age 18, boys began dropping out of the study at higher rates than girls, which hurt the quality of the study’s results. To make matters worse, the researchers could not figure out how to improve the response rate of boys. And now? “We haven’t gotten any
INSIDE
firm answer,” Field said. Field’s problems are not unique: The struggle to obtain representative population samples continues to plague researchers. “Across the board, it is getting harder and harder to get people to return surveys in academia,” she said. Those from low-income backgrounds pose an especially difficult challenge. Middle- and upper-class families are more likely to have the time and means to participate in studies, increasing their response rates, Field said. And it’s sometimes difficult to track down low-resource individuals due to high mobility rates. Minorities can be difficult to reach as well, particularly in randomized trials, said Ira Wilson, professor and chair of health services, policy and practice. Surveys that are meant to reach a wide spectrum of people often do not, he added. Since researchers have faced increasing difficulties reaching certain » See STUDIES, page 2
last day, builds bridges to current political climate By CONNOR SULLIVAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Artistic protest is almost always an exercise in futility. It’s a medium that too easily devolves into one-track cliches which cease to uncover any greater truth. Books, songs and films explicitly produced to criticize needless foreign wars or affronts to human rights miss the point entirely. They are plagued by a dangerous and contrived hindsight, trading bold prescience for platitude-ridden intentionality. Organic urgency — not calculated sentimentality — is what produces good artistic protest. Playwright Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop” serves as a fine instance of artistic protest. Providence’s Trinity
ARTS & CULTURE
COURTESY OF MARK TUREK TRINITY
“The Mountaintop” explored the dynamic between Martin Luther King Jr., played by Joe Martin Jr., and Camae, a hotel maid played by Mia Ellis. Repertory Company’s recent production is an account of the last day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. After seizing a Memphis audience with his “I’ve
Been to the Mountaintop” speech, the reverend, played by actor Joe Martin Jr., retires for the night at the storied » See MLK, page 2
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
SECTION Rhode Island legislators reintroduce bill to protect reproductive rights
NEWS New university study shows previous climate models underestimated temperatures
COMMENTARY Rowland ’17: U.’s dependence on tuition dangerous, fails to impact issues important to students
COMMENTARY Cardoso ’19: Prohibiting hate speech does not impose upon right to free speech
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» BUCC, from page 1
JULIA ROSENBERG / HERALD
While the staff climate survey released by the Brown University Community Council generally returned positive responses, roughly half of all staff members felt that they were not respected by faculty members.
» GAY, from page 1 Setting the ambience, Gay then plunged into her talk — one that was politically charged from her first breath. “I’ve had the cause to write a lot of nonfiction recently, because what’s going on in this country is a horror that not even fiction writers can make up,” Gay prefaced. Her talk opened with her reaction to the election results, which went from feeling “stunned, and then ashamed of being so stunned, and so unprepared to face American reality.” “I kept wanting to scream, ‘Don’t you know what’s going on?’” She
» MLK, from page 1 Lorraine Hotel, where he is subject to the company of a particularly lively hotel maid, Camae, refreshingly portrayed by female lead Mia Ellis. The theatrical work revolves around dialogue between the quick-tempered Camae and a down-trodden King on the night of his assassination— a stylistic decision that imbues the story with humanity. Marked by no shortage of grace or subtlety, the extended encounter explores the pair’s interesting dynamic with rapid-fire, colloquial exchanges. The King on display in “The Mountaintop” is uncertain, battered and crass, a characterization seamlessly developed by the play’s strong and dialect-heavy script. Tongue-in-cheek existential musings over Pall Mall cigarettes and clear flirtation between King and Camae gave the play a honed humorous edge. The astute, hilarious aspects of the play are well juxtaposed with the more sorrowful elements; namely, King’s humbling concern regarding the success of his efforts to combat racism. “I don’t want to be a martyr,” King says, in an anguished delivery. “I’m just a man,” he mutters, disabusing the audience of his perceived infallibility as an esteemed civil rights leader. King, apprehensive about his ability to effect social change, meets his foil in the immensely confident and capable Camae. Knocking the reverend down a peg one second and consoling him the next, Camae is a positively wonderful character. Part-way through the play, at the height of King’s disquietude, the hotel maid reveals herself as an angel, a physical manifestation of the piety that pervades King’s activism. She is a living expression of the ineffable and uncompromising divine. “Evil is
expressed frustration at the abundance of supporters of the Administration as she witnessed actions such as Trump’s immigration ban, charge to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and lying to news media. Gay said she realized she had to figure out where to go from her initial reactions. From her perspective as a writer, she pointed out the importance of language and the misuse of certain sayings throughout the election season, such as “When they go low, we go high,” “Love Trumps Hate” and “Nasty Woman.” “Millions of people went on to parrot these words,” she said, explaining that these phrases were not always not under God’s jurisdiction; good is” Camae says, advocating the virtues of clinging to the heavens. Newly reaffirmed in his resolve to fight for equality, King dies, assassinated outside the Lorraine. The play ends with a series of clips illustrating the social progress made by black activists since King’s passing — an uplifting display that is hauntingly and evocatively capped by the New York Times’ recent headline declaring President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, a figurative end for so much of the progress made by King and others. The synergy between the play’s themes and the final film clips is powerful, underscoring the frustrating fragility of activist movements. In the emotionally-charged talk that followed the play, lead actor Martin mentioned the theatrical work was not constructed as an intentional act of protest, and that is precisely why it is so successful in conveying its nuanced take on civil rights and in effectively challenging inequality. The production’s poignancy emerges from, to use the actor’s words, a simple commitment to “empathy” and “listening.” It is a shame that the performance’s ending is not accompanied by Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” a song Rosa Parks herself turned to in the wake of King’s death. Analogous to King’s anguish, the ballad offers a sharp contrast to the smoke vainly blown by so much of politically-conscious art — a true in-the-moment translation of the raw desperation of Cooke’s own experience of being turned away from a whites-only motel. Similar to the poignant nature of Cooke’s anthem, “The Mountaintop” — astute, enjoyable and incredibly relevant — is a masterful work of theater.
applicable or effectively fighting for the right cause. “We needed to get uncomfortable, and that means moving beyond tidy words.” Gay also touched upon identity politics, describing them as “an accusation that implies we can somehow separate ourselves from the very things that make us who we are.” “My identity is political because so much of who I am is subject to public discourse,” she said. “The work I do is for the people who don’t have the privilege that I do: to stand, speak and fight with them.” In closing, Gay encouraged students to fight for change by participating in the 2017 local elections,
new faculty hired last year came from historically underrepresented groups. More work is needed to address disability, collect additional qualitative data on campus climate and develop consistency in departmental DIAP plans, Paxson added. Risks posed by the new Trump administration include potentially limited access to research funding for the humanities, arts, climate change and women’s reproductive health, Paxson said. Other related concerns include potential limits to academic freedom and government “regulations that would restrict people’s ability to do their research.” “I’m just reading the tea leaves,” Paxson said. “No one knows for sure what higher education policy will be under the new administration.” Briefly discussing the FY18 budget midterm elections, engaging in social and economic protests, running for office and “using words with care and intent.” In the question and answer session, Gay continued to speak with honesty, lacing her advice with humorous sarcasm that struck a note with many students, who responded with reverberating laughter, snaps and shouts of enthusiasm. “Don’t waste time with people who are unreachable,” she emphasized. “Racism isn’t a side, it’s an opinion. It’s hate, and we don’t have to listen to that.” When asked about her thought process in pulling from Simon &
approved at the recent Corporation meeting, Paxson said the decision to allow a $4.8 million budget deficit was made deliberately to allow for increased funds for research and infrastructure while reducing the endowment payout. Paxson and BUCC members also discussed ensuring high environmental standards for the new performing arts center, as it will replace the Urban Environmental Lab, a space currently known for its sustainable design. Upcoming renovations for Wilson Hall will begin over the summer, Paxson added. The building will be “gutted completely” and restored with highly-functional classroom spaces and complete accessibility from two entrances, she said. The next BUCC meeting will occur Mar. 14 in the Kasper Multipurpose Room and is open to the Brown community.
Schuster after they agreed to publish a book by alt-right author Milo Yiannopoulus, she said that she was proud of this action, adding that Yiannopoulus’ followers were believers in racism and could potentially commit acts of violence in his name. “I’m just one person and I can’t do a whole lot, but damn it, this is one thing I can do,” she said. Gay ended her session by answering a question about the pressures of body image that are placed on people, particularly females. “The choices you make for your body are yours,” she said, as the lecture concluded and the audience rose to a standing ovation.
DAPHNE ZHAO / HERALD
» STUDIES, from page 1 populations, they have adopted a variety of methods to account for uneven representation in samples and improve participation rates in research studies. Answers may be weighted to adjust for lower-than-expected response rates, said Joseph Hogan, professor of biostatistics and public health. As a result, an individual’s answer from a population with a low response rate will be counted more heavily than an answer from a better-represented population. Additionally, researchers have increasingly turned to community engagement, a new type of research that focuses on participation and involvement from the local population. In the last decade or so, researchers have looked to the community to discuss what issues should be studied, Wilson said. Researchers ask locals to take part in the research team as well, where they can encourage involvement and ensure
that the study is relevant to the community. “If the community doesn’t know why something is being done, they might not be interested. It might be quite hard to enroll people in the study,” he added. Wilson has been able to increase response rates to his studies through his use of community engagement, meaning that fewer groups are left out of research studies. Amy Nunn, associate professor of medicine and behavioral and social sciences, strongly advocates for community engagement research. “I’ve always found it to be rewarding and worthwhile. It’s the only way I do my work,” she said. Nunn has used the process while researching and creating programs for the Rhode Island Public Health Institute, including Food on the Move, which provides mobile, discounted food markets in a variety of neighborhoods, and Do One Thing, which addresses issues faced by those with HIV. But community engagement does
not come without problems. “One of the big challenges that researchers have is that they don’t know how to engage people in research studies,” Nunn said. The process is extremely time consuming as well, forcing researchers to deeply understand the community being studied, she added. Nunn spends a significant amount of time reaching out to locals, listening to their issues and working with them while conducting her research. “Sometimes that’s at the expense of my more academic responsibilities,” she said. Despite these challenges, Nunn and Wilson believe that community engagement is key to the future of research studies that involve a human component. “Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the issues,” Nunn said. “But if you focus on what communities need and tailor your grants accordingly, then you usually don’t go wrong.”
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
COURTESY OF THE IVY COUNCIL
Three Brown students —the president of the Undergraduate Council of Students and two representatives from Ivy Inspire — attended the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.
Ivy Council attends World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates Council launches new publication to expand impact on campus, clarify direction of organization By MALCOLM NASH STAFF WRITER
Two weeks ago, a delegation of Brown students attended the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Bogotá, Colombia. The three students in attendance — the president of the Undergraduate Council of Students and two Ivy Inspire representatives — attended speeches by past Nobel Peace Laureates, attended breakout sessions with the laureates and explored the city of
Bogotá for a week. Ivy Inspire is the new publication for the Ivy Council, an organization that brings together student leaders from the Ivy League. “Getting to know people from these other schools that we don’t get to see on a day-to-day basis is part of what the Ivy Council is all about,” said Ivy Inspire Webmaster Fabrice Guyot-Sionnest ’20, who attended the summit. The summit is intended to be the main focus of the first edition of Ivy Inspire, which will issue a print
publication every semester and regularly update its website with articles about the Ivy Council’s projects. Ivy Inspire “is a way to help Ivy (Council) students come together to better create social change and aid in volunteerism and social work,” said Ivy Inspire Section Head of Student Diplomacy and International Change Kriyana Reddy ’20. Undergraduate Council of Students President Viet Nguyen ’17 also attended the conference to represent the University and work with student body presidents of other Ivy League schools. “We share ideas about initiatives at our institutions and can go over
what worked, what didn’t work and hear feedback,” Nguyen said. He cited Brown’s new initiative to provide free tampons in all gendered bathrooms on campus as an idea that other student body presidents were interested in implementing on their own campuses. “The general idea (behind Ivy Council) is we talk about individual issues and how each issue is approached at different campuses, and if there’s particularly good policy on one campus, then we can bring it to another’s,” said Brown’s Ivy Council Policy Chair Naveen Srinivasan ’19. At Brown, the Ivy Council has spent this year focusing on “sexual
assault prevention and support for low-income students,” said Brown’s Ivy Council Vice President of Policy Yuki Inaba ’17. The council expects Ivy Inspire to help expand its impact and reach more students. By the end of the year, Ivy Inspire aims to coordinate events that will occur throughout the Ivy League. Brown’s attendees of the summit hope that Ivy Inspire marks a new focus in the Ivy Council’s initiatives. “Although Ivy Council … doesn’t play a big role in people’s day-to-day life, the goal of this publication is to … hopefully add a more specific and clear direction,” Guyot-Sionnest said.
U. researchers discover inaccuracy of previous climate models New study suggests current models underestimate temperature changes in high-elevation areas By GALEN HALL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
An analysis of past temperatures on Mount Kenya suggests that current climate models used to study climate change may not be as accurate as previously thought, according to a paper published in January by University researchers in the journal Science Advances. By comparing lake sediment cores from Lake Rutundu on the top of Mount Kenya to temperature data from lower elevations, climate researchers showed that mountaintop temperatures increased more than temperatures at lower elevations since the last ice age — about 20,000 years ago.
A comparison of these findings to past climates simulated by climate models showed that such models “significantly underestimate high-elevation temperature changes,” said Jim Russell, associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences and an author of the study. Such underestimation could lead to errors in predicting future effects of climate change and global warming, he added. “People talk a lot about how sensitive and fragile mountain ecosystems are … and yet there’s really not that much data out there” to show that they are more susceptible to climate change, Russell said. Organic compounds found in these
sediment cores provide a proxy for temperature, and the depth at which they were found indicate the period they were produced. “All cells have some sort of cell membrane. But bacteria and archaea actually change their structure based on temperature,” said Shannon Loomis PhD’13, lead author of the study. These organisms produce molecules that maintain their cell membrane fluidity in low temperatures, and these molecules can survive in the sediment for thousands of years, she added. “We extract these compounds from the sediment and then measure their relative abundances,” Russell said. The relative abundance of different types of molecules found in the cell wall of the bacteria correlates to a temperature at a specific time in the past. Tiny differences in the makeup of these compounds,
such as the addition of a carbon chain, can give meaningful data about past climates. Similar studies conducted by Russell’s lab have “observed temperature changes of around two to three degrees” in low-elevation African lakes since the last ice age, Russell said. Slightly higher elevations — around 2,000 meters above sea level — showed temperature increases of around five degrees. At Lake Rutundu — around 3,000 meters above sea level — the researchers observed a temperature increase of about six degrees over the same amount of time. “What (these findings) mean is that over the past 20,000 years, temperatures have warmed more at high elevations than at low elevations,” Loomis said. This phenomenon of greater temperature change at higher altitudes is called
a “lapse rate.” Models that attempt to simulate the climate during the last ice age incorporate a lapse rate, but not one as steep as the rate Russell’s team found in the study. “These are exactly the same models used to predict how the climate will be a hundred years from now,” Russell said. “The models all underestimated the temperature changes at high elevation” compared to what the data indicate, he added. “When we think about the climate problem, we really only have 130 (to) 150 years of observations,” said Baylor Fox-Kemper, associate professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences who was unaffiliated with the study. “What this paper shows is that our guesses — what the climate models do — are not as sensitive as the real system.”
U. files amicus brief in response to immigration ban Admins join with 16 other universities arguing ban prevents free exchange of ideas, harms student body By SARAH WANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The University joined with 16 other universities across the nation Feb. 13 to file an amicus brief — a legal document submitted to the court by non-participating parties — arguing that President Trump’s executive order on immigration obstructs the universities’ academic missions. The brief supports petitioners seeking relief from the Jan. 27 executive order in the case of Darweesh v. Trump, a U.S. district court case in the eastern district of New York. In the brief, the universities maintain that their campuses “rely on the ability to welcome international
students, faculty (members) and scholars into their communities. The executive order at issue in this case threatens that ability and creates significant hardship for valued international students, faculty and scholars.” The brief further argues that international students, faculty members and scholars play a vital role on campuses and within “the United States and the world more generally” through their academic and economic contributions. In the brief, the universities state they are committed to attracting these individuals. In addition to preventing universities from attracting foreigners, the order also
prohibits “persons from freely traveling to and from this country, … divides students and their families” and “inhibits the free exchange of ideas,” according to the brief. These arguments are in line with the University’s belief that its “strength is derived from the talent and dedication of its faculty (members), students and staff (members), working in concert with local and global partners,” according to the brief. The executive order banning individuals from seven countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — is currently suspended after a federal judge’s Feb. 3 ruling. However, the brief argues that “the uncertainty generated by the order and its implementation is already having negative impacts well
beyond persons from the seven affected countries.” The University itself “has 22 students and scholars affected by the order, including individuals from five of the seven affected countries,” according to the brief. The decision to join in filing the brief was made by the University’s senior leadership team, including President Christina Paxson P’19 and Provost Richard Locke. Paxson previously signed a Feb. 2 letter, alongside 47 other American university presidents, urging Trump to “rectify or rescind” his executive order. Paxson also wrote an op-ed in The Herald — “Paxson P’19: Supporting our students and scholars” on Feb. 3 — that reaffirmed the University’s commitment to providing a safe and secure
environment while also outlining resources available to students affected by the executive order. The last time the University filed an amicus brief was in February 2016 when the University urged the National Labor Relations Board to continue recognizing graduate assistants as students, wrote Brian Clark, director of news and editorial development, in an email to The Herald. Brown filed this most recent brief alongside the other seven Ivy League schools, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Chicago, Duke University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Stanford University and Vanderbilt University.
NEWS
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R.I. lawmakers reintroduce law to protect abortion rights Proposed bill, identical to one rejected last year, faces stiff opposition in House from Republicans By STEPHANIE REYES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Fearing an overturn of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade by a Supreme Court slated to lean conservative, Rhode Island lawmakers have reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Act to protect the right to have an abortion in the state. The bill is identical to legislation introduced last year, said Rep. Edith Ajello D-Providence, who reintroduced the act to the R.I. House of Representatives Feb. 2. The previous bill was introduced to the House Judiciary on Feb. 3, 2016 and was ultimately unsuccessful. Similar to its predecessor, the act aims to “prohibit the state from interfering with a woman’s decision to prevent, commence, continue or terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability,” according to the legislation. The bill also prohibits any restrictions on the use of medically recognized methods of contraception or abortion. The bill is co-sponsored by 33 of the
75 members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, but no Republicans were willing to sign as co-sponsors of the bill, Ajello said. Though the bill failed to pass last year, Ajello voiced her optimism of its passing this time around given the increase of pro-choice members in the R.I. House. “There are six new members of the House who replaced anti-choice representatives, which substantially increases the number of pro-choice members,” Ajello said. Monday marked a year since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. With Scalia’s vacancy and the Republican blockade of Merrick Garland’s nomination, the U.S. Supreme Court is currently divided between four conservative and four liberal justices. President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch last week, potentially tipping the court in favor of conservatism. At a Green Bay, Wis. town hall meeting Mar. 30, 2016, Trump also added to pro-choice advocates’ fears, saying the government should somehow punish women who have abortions, but he later walked back on that comment. With Gorsuch’s nomination and the resulting uncertainty of the court’s ideological makeup, reproductive rights in Rhode Island are threatened, Ajello said. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, some
HERALD FILE PHOTO
R.I. laws nulled by the Supreme Court decision could come back into play, Ajello said, including a law that requires spousal notification prior to abortion. “A woman has to inform her
husband, and the doctor needs to have proof that the husband is aware that the abortion is to take place,” Ajello said. Laws like this aren’t all that’s restricting access to abortion. Because of poor access to abortion clinics and
womens’ health resources, Rhode Island was awarded an F in reproductive freedom by NARAL Pro-Choice America — a national reproductive rights advocacy group. Gopika Krishna ’13 MD’17, a board member of Medical Students for Choice, said that students and community members should get involved in coalitions and organizations to protect reproductive rights — particularly for those most vulnerable in light of a possible overturn. Under current Rhode Island constitutional law, the right to have an abortion would not be guaranteed in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned, Krishna said, adding that women would have to travel to states like New York or Vermont in order to have access to such procedures like abortion. Those with limited financial means and time would be the most at risk, she added. “Our laws are ambiguous on the subject — we want to make sure that we’re in a place where we don’t have to be concerned that people would lose access to reproductive health care and abortion,” said Craig O’Connor, R.I. Director of Public Policy and Government Relations with Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. Though O’Connor does not anticipate an overturn of the Supreme Court ruling, he voiced his strong support of the Reproductive Health Care Act and continues to work with lawmakers like Ajello to protect reproductive rights. “At this point, overturning Roe v. Wade is a distant possibility; it’s not out of the realm of the unthinkable, but we want to make it clear and keep things the way they are currently under Roe v. Wade,” O’Connor said. O’Connor said he expects Ajello’s bill to be introduced to the Senate in the coming days.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 • PAGE 5
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menu
a l a b y r i n t h i n wat s o n
SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pizza: Mushroom’s Revenge, Spicy Sausage and Garlic, Miss Maple Gochujang Chicken, Udon Mushroom Noodles, Chicken and Broccoli JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowls, Santa Fe Salad, The Farmer John
Beef Chili With Beans, Hearty Country Vegetable Soup
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches, Steamed Jasmine Rice, Veggie Pizza, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Vegetable Egg Rolls, Lemon Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice, S’mores Cupcakes
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Black Bean Soup, Chicken Fajitas, Vegan Burritos, Malibu Blend Vegetables, Brownies
Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce, Broccoli Quiche, Yellow Wax Beans, Washington Apple Cake
sudoku
GUS REED / HERALD
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs holds events and programs relating to various world issues. The building’s bridged walkways mimic the connections the institute hopes to create among scholars.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
RELEASE DATE– Monday, January 23, 2012
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis
ACROSS 1 Thumbs-way-up reviews 6 Knocks with one’s knuckles 10 Not feral 14 Low-budget, in company names 15 Happily __ after 16 October birthstone 17 Hexes 20 Dined 21 Twosome 22 Heart chambers 23 Positive thinker’s assertion 25 Cleopatra’s river 27 Surprised party, metaphorically 32 Beelzebub 35 Oboe or bassoon 36 Baled grass 37 “Jurassic Park” terror, for short 38 Meanspiritedness 40 Home plate, e.g. 41 Above, in verse 42 Apple computer 43 Showed on television 44 Destination not yet determined 48 Detest 49 Oscar-winning film about Mozart 53 End of __ 56 Yard sale warning 57 British mil. award 58 Beatles song, and a hint to the hidden word in 17-, 27- and 44Across 62 Opera solo 63 Like a steak with a red center 64 “That is to say ...” 65 Double O Seven 66 “P.U.!” inducer 67 Willy-__: sloppily
4 USNA grad 5 Slight trace 6 Symbol of financial losses 7 State firmly 8 For each 9 Málaga Mrs. 10 Best-seller list 11 Mimic 12 West African country 13 Jazzy Fitzgerald 18 Indian bread 19 “To your health,” to José 24 Big-screen format 25 Russian rejection 26 “That’s clear now” 28 Angels shortstop Aybar 29 Sear 30 Operate with a beam 31 Kept in view 32 Halt 33 Zone 34 Alaska, once: Abbr. 38 Obscene material 39 Glazier’s fitting
40 Tough spot 42 Newton or Stern 43 Inundated with 45 Needle’s partner 46 Sadat’s predecessor 47 Leave out 50 ’50s Ford flop 51 Typical 52 Hot-headed Corleone brother in “The Godfather”
53 Moby Dick chaser 54 Fiddling emperor 55 “__ Brockovich” 56 Flying prefix 59 Gold, in Granada 60 Insane 61 Record label initials across the pond
“I’m just reading the tea leaves. No one knows for sure what higher education policy will be under the new
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administration.
— President Christina Paxson P’19
See BUCC on page 1.
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
CORRECTION Correction: A previous version of the story “Online voting proposal wins BrownThink” misspelled Laura Henny’s ’19 name. Her last name is “Henny,” not “Henney.” The Herald regrets the error.
xwordeditor@aol.com
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African Writers Festival 9:30 A.M. McCormack Family Theater
Women’s Improv Workshop 7:00 P.M. OMAC Hall of Fame
City Time: Nella Larsen’s Rooms 5:30 P.M. Pembroke Hall, 305
VSA Presents: Waffle Love 8:00 P.M. Sciences Library
TOMORROW Seeking a Good Path in the Anthropocene 4:00 P.M. Carmichael Auditorium
Cafe, te, y pan dulce 1:00 P.M. Rochambeau House
Anthropology Day 1:00 P.M. Haffenreffer Museum
“Science Denial” with Prof. Ken Miller 5:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno, 106
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
comic P-Branes and Bosons | Ricky Oliver
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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Questioning the budget LAINIE ROWLAND op-ed contributor The University released its budget for fiscal year 2018 this week, which unsurprisingly includes tuition increases that outpace inflation by almost twice as much. Because Brown is a tuition-dependent school, especially compared to peers with heftier endowments, this is to be expected. Indeed, reasons cited for the 4 percent increase in tuition included efforts to protect the “long-term health” of the University by growing the endowment to ensure more fruitful returns in the future, according to Provost Richard Locke. But the ways in which we decrease our dependence on tuition deserve scrutiny. This is especially salient considering student protests that call on the University to put its money where its mouth is, so to speak. And in this regard, the University Resource Committee report and subsequent communication on the budget can be misleading. First, the budgeting report released this week emphasizes the importance of continuing to increase financial aid, especially in order to strengthen the packages offered to middle class students. Given that financial aid for middle class families is a priority among students, it is ap-
propriate and important to channel money in that direction. But, while the University will receive a 6.2 percent increase in revenue from tuition, the financial aid budget will only increase by 1.32 percent. In dollar terms, the aid budget will grow by $1.587 million, while the University receives $20.136 million more in revenue from tuition than it did last year. That math doesn’t add up; someone is
lieve that the 57 percent of the student body paying the full price of tuition is not feeling strained by accelerating financial burdens. Relatedly, though the University announced a 4 percent increase in tuition, the report later shows that it is accompanied by a 6 percent increase in room rate and 6.5 percent increase in board rate, effectively increasing the cost of attending Brown by more
is almost twice that number. In other words, the extra tuition we’re paying does more than compensate for the endowment-protecting measures the University is emphasizing in this plan. To what ends? The counterpoint to this might be that this money is used to make important investments in target areas for Brown, such as in diversity and inclusion initiatives. Given the heated
In dollar terms, the aid budget will grow by $1.587 million, while the University receives $20.136 million more in revenue from tuition than it did last year. That math doesn’t add up; someone is paying the difference.
paying the difference. Of course, there is the question of who will be most affected by the tuition increase — it’s hard to feel bad about asking people who already pay the sticker amount to pay a bit more. Still, while the financial aid budget has grown by 7.3 percent on average over the last eight years, the percentage of students on aid has only increased by two percentage points: from 41 to 43 percent. It’s hard to be-
than 4 percent. By paying our tuition, we become a captive market for room and board, locking ourselves into an upward spiral of increasing costs. That is, at least until we can go off meal plan or move off campus. And while Brown has become less dependent on tuition in the long term by paying out $12.7 million less of our endowment to the education and general budget than last fiscal year, the increase in revenue from tuition
debate around the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, this budget is an important opportunity for students to hold the administration accountable to their financial commitment to the mission laid out in the plan. The report does in fact include new appropriations for DIAP implementation, but these funds can’t account for (and in fact, barely dent) the surplus of tuition revenue. As The Herald previously report-
ed, “The University will allocate $1.5 million toward implementing the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan,” including funding A Day on College Hill travel, boosting diversity in faculty hiring and increasing staffing at centers on campus. This is a sizable and respectable investment, and my argument is not that the contribution is underwhelming. Rather, this contribution to the DIAP is framed as a large use of funds that justifies increases in tuition and overall spending, when in reality, these increases occur in much higher denominations than DIAP funding. Without making assumptions about intent, I would point out that, unlike all the other charts in the URC report, the chart for investment in academic excellence and diversity and inclusion lists dollar amounts in denominations of thousands rather than millions. I applaud the University on its efforts to depend less on tuition in a quest to achieve longer term self-sufficiency. But, as I’ve learned at Brown, we should never forget to read between the lines. I’ve also learned that Brown students are incredibly invested in thoughtful critiques and analyses of institutions and authority. Here’s a chance to connect those dots.
Lainie Rowland ’17 can be reached at lainie_rowland@brown.edu.
‘Free speech’ isn’t a license to hate CONNOR CARDOSO staff columnist When protesters recently prevented Milo Yiannopoulos — a Breitbart editor and seasoned provocateur, a la Ann Coulter — from speaking at a scheduled event at the campus of University of California at Berkeley, free speech advocates were stirred into action from across the political spectrum, castigated the cancellation as a dangerous attack on constitutional rights and chided the protesters for what was probably a pyrrhic victory. In preventing him from speaking, the protestors played right into his narrative claiming that the left is opposed to free speech. After all, prohibiting hate speech is basically tantamount to clamping down on free thought, right? Well, not really. The underlying principle of this argument is that free expression gives us a peaceful and organized forum through which we can test our ideas. Indeed, Oliver Wendell Holmes once analogized free speech to “free trade in ideas” within “the competition of the market.” Many reasonable voices have held that though Yiannopoulos is nakedly racist, it is exactly because there is a right to free expression that his ideas can be shamed and marginalized. Other defenders seem instead to practically relish in the cruelty of making the argument that no matter how putrid or anathema to American values certain speech may be, it is sacrosanct according to the constitution. Yet, free speech is not an unqualified right. At least not in the legal sense. The metaphor of “shouting fire in a crowded theater” was used to justify limiting free speech that posed
an immediate threat to others by, incidentally, none other than Holmes. In Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire, the court held that fighting words — speech or writing meant to elicit violence — were not constitutionally protected either. While the court has narrowed the fighting
certainly does. Even if the victims of hate speech are procedurally protected equally under the law, they may not experience equality if their dignity can be demeaned with impunity. Many marginalized groups that find themselves on the receiving end of bigoted invective
When we begin to prioritize abstract philosophical principles over protecting human dignity, we’re no longer simply letting the “free trade in ideas” sweep away the undesirable ones. We’re rationalizing calls for oppression and violence.
words doctrine in recent years, the principle that free speech can be circumscribed when it violates the rights of others still persists, even if jurists have thus far refused to apply it to hate speech. And violate the rights of others hate speech
might technically enjoy equal legal protection, but that technical legal equality doesn’t protect them from a diminished sense of dignity and belonging. Indeed, when we begin to prioritize abstract philosophical principles over protecting human dignity, we’re no longer simply let-
ting the “free trade in ideas” sweep away the undesirable ones. We’re rationalizing calls for oppression and violence. Others will say that while morally reprehensible, the grandstanding of fringe elements, like the so-called “alt-right,” is generally innocuous. I physically recoil when I hear this argument. Hate speech doesn’t simply reveal that the speaker holds harmful views, but actually has consequences. Harmful ideas enter the discourse and encourage others to express them, making them prevalent and part of a new normal that readily justifies lashing out at groups that are blamed for the ills in society. For example, in 2015, two Boston men beat a Latino man with a metal pole and then proceeded to urinate on him. Their justification was that he was “homeless,” “Hispanic” and “an illegal immigrant” and that “Donald Trump was right.” Ultimately, free expression and thoughtful dialogue are among the essential tenets of a healthy liberal democracy, and you’ll be hard pressed to find many who challenge that notion in the mainstream or on the fringes. However, it is still necessary that we appreciate the need to balance that invaluable right to free expression with the need to protect human dignity and limit hateful ideas. In the end, while it is easy to reflexively rebuke the protestors at UC Berkeley for violating Yiannopoulos’ right to express himself, we need to ask ourselves if philosophical abstractions are more valuable than a pluralistic and tolerant society that guarantees all of its inhabitants respect for their dignity and safety.
Connor Cardoso ’19 can be reached at connor_cardoso@brown.edu.
ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
‘Writing is Live’ presents works-in-progress by MFA students Festival allows playwriting MFA students to share work through casual, spontaneous performances By ELIZABETH TOLEDANO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
“The last thing the world needs is another play,” said Julia Izumi GS, echoing a sentiment made by Professor of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Erik Ehn. With this in mind, TAPS organized Writing is Live, a festival of cross-genre theatrical exploration that seeks to go past the typical play format. The festival, which took place in Leeds Theater last weekend, showcased student playwriting through a series of works-in-progress. The event “gets everyone involved,” Maurice Decaul GS said. Writers from the Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting program work with actors and directors from the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA program. But with only 40 hours of rehearsal, editing continued until moments before the performance, plays ran over, actors read offscript and writers joined the audience, all leading to a casual, spontaneous atmosphere. “The great thing about this
(festival) program is it’s writing for performance — not limited to playwriting,” Decaul said. For example, a third-year MFA student created a hybrid of a board game and play for the festival last year. The event is organized by the Masters of Fine Arts in Playwriting, a program that accepts two students every year. These students work closely with Ehn and visiting faculty, who are often professional playwrights. Like the University at large, the program has few requirements and asks students to use the tools the program provides in pursuit of their own authentic voice, Ehn said. This enables an individualized progression over six semesters that aims to give students space to “become themselves in a more courageous and generous way,” Ehn said. Due to the incompleteness of the pieces, TAPS considers the program an exploration rather than a series of productions. Each class of MFA students is expected to produce something different. First-year students present a live reading of their scripts, called an articulation, while second-year students share an atelier, which incorporates elements of space and design into the performance. Third-year students produce an action, which is a collaboration with a theater in New York and does
COURTESY OF PAUL MARGRAVE
Run by the Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting program, ‘Writing is Live’ aimed to mix genres and break the boundaries of traditional theater through a series of plays in various stages of completion. not occur until later in the semester. This year’s Writing is Live featured four scripts, all in varying stages of completeness. Izumi’s performance, “Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea,” featured environmental activists, a cow, the Little Mermaid and a romance between a rain cloud and a human. “It’s been cool to watch people progress in the journeys of their pieces,” Izumi said. Kyla Searle GS explored dialogue and scene structure in her articulation, “Residue,” which is impacted by her childhood in the Bay Area and
background in dance, Ehn said. In Decaul’s articulation, “Honour,” he experimented with the interface of social media and traditional theatre, evoking questions about asylum in the United States. Beth Nixon GS, building off her background in activism and puppetry, tackled challenging questions about whiteness and the contemporary political climate in “The Ferry to the Isle of White.” Students in the MFA in Playwriting program are “all family,” Ehn said. “I can write in a hole by myself but that’s not theatre,” Izumi said. The structure
of Writing is Live reflects the program’s community-oriented approach to theater. The festival is “less about creating an object than about creating a conversation,” Ehn said. Following each production, the playwright gathered with faculty and organizers on stage to join in on an authentic conversation with the audience. Nixon implored the audience to speak openly about her work, making space to ask questions about themes present in her atelier, namely race and its presentation in art. “It’s a team sport” Ehn said. “We have got a good system.”
RoseLee Goldberg examines performance art Renowned art historian offers glimpse into Performa, fixture in NY performing arts scene By ETHEL RENIA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Opera productions set in the middle of Times Square. A twelve-hour performance of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. Giant horse costumes dancing in a circle and lavish, Futurist dinners. All these have been curated by Performa, a New York City-based institution founded in 2004 that uses biannual festivals to highlight the importance of performance art throughout the twentieth century and beyond. The founder, RoseLee Goldberg, a renowned art historian, critic and curator, gave a lecture Wednesday, focusing on her career as the founder and director of the nonprofit arts organization. The lecture was sponsored by the Brown Arts Initiative, whose “mission is to support all that is experimental, forward-thinking and cutting edge in the arts here at Brown,” said Butch Rovan, Faculty Director of the BAI. “I can’t think of anyone that better exemplifies that than RoseLee Goldberg,” he added. Goldberg influenced the discipline of performance art with her book “Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present.” The book, which was first published in 1988, “has been a key text for teaching performance in universities throughout the world, including here at Brown,” said Anne Bergeron, managing director of the BAI. Goldberg’s book has since been published in 13 different languages, she added. Goldberg said she is fascinated by the people who are put on the sidelines in the conventional telling of the twentieth century’s artistic history. Women,
for example, have often been omitted when looking back on the story of the twentieth century. Female artists had a difficult time piercing into the avant-garde art world — often their only way to break into the art sphere was through experimental dance. For this reason, performance art plays an important role in the narrative of twentieth century art. Performa studies performance art pieces of the past and brings them back into the spotlight. The aim is “not to recreate these moments but to do a contemporary version of what these pieces may be about,” Goldberg said. “In each discipline, we’re taking these historic moments, reaching back, talking about what that period was about, reinvestigating it and then finding ways to rethink of it in a contemporary vein.” Performa’s performance art festivals occur every two years, with the next one planned for November 2017. Each performance within the festival is set in a unique venue across New York City.
Beyond the study of performance art’s historic role, Performa invites contemporary artists to collaborate with them in the creation of modern performances. These commissions include artists with varying levels of performance art experience, often featuring artists from other disciplines. Past Performa productions include a puppet show put on by sculptor and painter Wyatt Kahn. The show featured puppet-versions of Kahn’s own paintings engaging in dialogue with each other. There have been dance productions where half of the dancers were painted in gold and the other half in black. During their show, as dancers moved and interacted with each other, their body paint mixed and blended so that each dancer appeared as a burnished golden statue come to life. Through its unconventional performances, Performa is “a celebration of the extraordinary imagination of the artist,” Goldberg said.
GUS REED / HERALD
RoseLee Goldberg, founder of Performa, discussed those that have been cast aside in art history, bringing women to the forefront of her discussion.