SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 88
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
CCC proposes moving drop deadline Students provide support for Puerto Rice after hurricane As community grapples with aftermath, students, faculty form group to fundraise, advocate By CELIA HACK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SIMONE ZHAO / HERALD
A recent study revealed that nearly 40 percent of dropped courses were dropped in the last two weeks of the semester. The College Curriculum Council discussed putting a motion forward to change the drop deadline.
College Curriculum Council proposes moving course drop deadline to middle of semester By DYLAN CLARK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The College Curriculum Council held a public forum in the Underground Oct. 16 to discuss putting a motion forward to change the drop deadline for undergraduate students. The CCC is proposing moving the drop date closer to the middle
of the semester, said Dean of the College Maud Mandel. This decision, which the CCC has been considering since spring 2016, came as the result of a joint study conducted by the Office of the Dean of the College, Undergraduate Council of Students and the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. “This is a proposal. The (CCC) doesn’t decide this. … If the CCC votes in favor of the motion, it then goes to the Faculty Executive Committee, … and if the Faculty Executive Committee approves it, it goes to the full faculty for a vote,” said Mandel. “All the CCC is
doing is considering … whether or not to put a motion forward to change this. It’s a process.” The CCC has been considering this change since the study revealed that “nearly 40 percent of the courses dropped were dropped in the last two weeks,” Mandel said, adding that students who drop after the fourth week of classes are significantly more likely to end up with academic warnings. Students who drop courses later in the semester are often sticking with the classes until the end, dropping before » See DROP, page 2
Ten days after Hurricane María hit Sept. 20, Rafael Gonzalez Cruz GS heard from his mother for the first time. For Irelys Cordero ’19, it took two weeks. Laura Bosque ’19 has not yet spoken with her grandparents. About one month later, Puerto Rico is still reeling from the aftermath of María, and Puerto Rican students at Brown have been coping with spotty communication and the knowledge that their hometowns are lacking vital resources, according to multiple students with families affected by the hurricane. Puerto Rican students and faculty have formed the Asociación Puertorriqueña of Brown University to provide a place of comfort for each other and support for their homeland. The Asociación provides a space to talk about the hurricane and the emotional toll that comes with it. “A lot of my friends’ families have lost completely everything — have lost their homes, their cars,” Cordero said.
“A lot of people are thirsty and hungry … every day. Three weeks after the hurricane, the situation is just as bad as two or three days after it passed.” Cordero’s family lives in Camuy and Quebradillas, towns far from San Juan. Aid does not reach them as quickly, and they are less likely to have working electricity or cellphone service. She said she struggled during the two weeks before she heard from her family, feeling virtually powerless to remedy the situation at home or contact her loved ones. “It was a huge, huge, huge emotional crisis for me,” Cordero said. “At the same time, they’re a lot worse (off) than I am. But I had no idea if they were okay, I had no idea if they were alive.” Gonzalez Cruz has yet to make contact with his brother. “(The Federal Emergency Management Agency) will look for him because that’s (all) you can do at this point,” he said. He heard from a Facebook friend that his brother was okay, but he has not reached his phone yet. Gonzalez Cruz brother lives on the east coast of Puerto Rico, which bore the brunt of the storm, but most of his family is located two and a half hours away from San Juan in Aguada. » See MARIA, page 2
PW’s ‘Melancholy Play’ Motorcyclists camp out on Thayer St. discuss stories reframes reflective sadness Bikers behind hobby, draw of Shade Au ’19 directs thought-provoking, comedic, beautiful performance By SANYA DEWAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce,” Production Workshop’s new play, is anything but what its name implies. With humorous one-liners, unique twists and a surprising number of references to almonds, the play is hilariously loud and fun. Directed by Shade Au ’19, “Melancholy Play” was originally written by playwright Sarah Ruhl. The show is centered around Tilly (Tara Sharma ’20), a bold and unashamed woman whose friends fall in love with her and her melancholy throughout the play. The play strives to demonstrate that “melancholy is reflective; it is a mood”
ARTS & CULTURE
INSIDE
rather than a characteristic or description, Au said. “It took a lot of work to reframe melancholy as something that is about human connection and … allows others to empathize with each other,” he added. The show succeeds in showing the beauty in the main character’s sad and wistful take on life. One of the most defining moments in the play is when Frank, Tilly’s friend, asks her, “Are you happier now?” to which she replies “Yes, I think so.” This exchange highlights the turning point in the play when Tilly begins to feel happy, and — surprisingly — where the problems begin. Her friends start to feel differently about her. “The problem is that when Tilly becomes happy, she stops listening to her friends,” said Au. This is illustrated when Frank pleads with her, “Can you even see me?” One couch, two chairs and two mobile frames are all that comprised the minimalist set. As Au directed the show, he was “thinking about showing » See PW, page 3
neighborhood, favorite late night eateries By BAYLOR KNOBLOCH SENIOR REPORTER
On a Tuesday night in October, Thayer Street is quiet, interrupted only by a sound that has become a staple around campus: motorcycles. The bikers, who hail from across Providence and nearby towns, park $20,000 motorcycles on the curb in front of an abandoned Thayer storefront. The older Harley riders look at some of the ramshackle bikes that roll through. The Thayer Street bikers are one of the many groups of locals that students often come across at Brown but don’t bother talking to. Though many students consider Thayer an extension of campus, the bikers treat Thayer as their own. “Mostly, it’s a place to hang out, look at bikes, talk about bikes and get a bite to eat,” said Sonny, a lifelong
BAYLOR KNOBLOCH / HERALD
Known to many students as the “Thayer Street Motorcycle gang,” the bikers frequest Thayer for food and company with fellow riders. Providence resident who grew up coming to Thayer Street to skateboard. The bikers declined to give their last names — some cited previous arrest records. On warm fall evenings, up to a dozen motorcyclists can be found with their bikes at the corner of Thayer Street and Euclid Street. Students often refer to these bikers as the “Thayer Street motorcycle gang,” but the bikers say there is no set crew. It is a rotating slew of bikers, some who
know each other well and others who are just meeting for the first time. It’s a mix of older riders with laidback Harleys, optimal for cruising, and younger riders with loud sports bikes, fast for racing, Sonny said. One of the oldest of his comrades at 42, Sonny still hasn’t traded in his racing bike for a Harley. The bikers are mostly men, with a few exceptions. » See BIKERS, page 2
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, OC TOBER 18, 2017
ARTS & CULTURE DIASPØRA rap group blends various musical influences, demonstrates musical creativity
ARTS & CULTURE John Carter Brown Library hosts an exhibition examining Latin American colonialist history
COMMENTARY Renshaw ’20: Campus cliques prevent inclusive conversations, connections with people
COMMENTARY Kim ’19: Weinstein case reinforces necessity to speak out against sexual harassment
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» DROP, from page 1 finals to avoid getting a ‘C,’ Mandel said. It’s “a grade management strategy, which is really not what the Open Curriculum was meant for. … It was meant to encourage students to take risks and to explore, (which is) the opposite of grade management. … The last minute drop to avoid a ‘C’ … has this cascading negative impact,” she added. This “cascading negative impact” can have serious financial implications for students, who might feel obligated to take classes over a winter or summer session to avoid receiving an academic warning. Within the landscape of higher education, Brown has one of the latest drop date deadlines, Mandel said. According to their respective academic calendars, other Ivy League schools have drop dates anywhere between the first four to 10 weeks after classes start, whereas Brown’s drop date is approximately 14 weeks after classes start.
Of the approximately 20 students who attended the forum, many cited concerns about mental health, grades and applicability to graduate programs. Many believed that the mid-semester deadline would be too early to be able to decide to drop a course, citing a lack of grade feedback from their professors. Some students were also worried that losing the ability to drop a course late in the semester could cause them to get a grade that could hurt their chances of graduate school acceptance. Others were worried about the impact that moving the drop deadline could have on students’ mental health. Members of Project LETS, a mental health advocacy group, and others at the forum said moving the deadline earlier could induce stress from being trapped in a course they’re struggling with. Those that attended the forum also discussed moving the S/NC deadline later in the semester if the drop deadline is moved earlier. This change could
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SIMONE ZHAO / HERALD
Approximately 20 students attended the CCC’s public forum on Monday. The University’s current drop date deadline is one of the latest in the Ivy League, but students expressed concerns about moving the date forward. encourage students to stick with a particularly difficult class that they might otherwise drop. Ultimately, students suggested that, should the drop date deadline be moved earlier in the year, students still have the ability to drop a course after consulting their advisors.
Forum attendees indicated they would like to have more information behind students’ reasonings for dropping courses before a decision is made. “It’s still very much a discussion. … Should we take this up or should we vote on it,” Andrew Kutscher ’18, a student representative on the CCC, told The
Herald. “There will be a conversation in about three weeks or month … where we will be talking about this forum and about other feedback that we’ve gotten in the interim,” Raphaela Posner ’18, another student representative on the CCC, told The Herald..
DIASPØRA spreads reach to city venues Rap group of nine students balance U. scene, growing popularity on Providence stages By CONNOR SULLIVAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
NICK DENTENMARO / HERALD
Students sold piña colada and tostones on the Main Green to raise money for Unidos Por Puerto Rico, a relief fundraiser.
» MARIA, from page 1 Cellphone communication is limited — Gonzalez Cruz has spoken with his parents four times since the hurricane — but supplies like food have been getting easier to find as the weeks progress and more aid arrives. In Aguada, FEMA took a week and a half to arrive, he added. His grandmother’s fridge failed during the storm, and her insulin went bad, so he had to use social media to ask people back home to help her. “People were able to reach her and nothing happened,” Gonzalez Cruz said. “But there’s people in my Facebook that have unfortunately reported that their relatives died.” The Asociación is also working to raise funds and advocate for Puerto Rico. Bosque and Cordero — before the creation of the Asociación — raised $3,000 for Unidos Por Puerto Rico, a relief fundraiser coordinated by the Puerto Rican governor’s wife, by selling tostones and piña coladas on the Main Green. Gonzalez Cruz met with Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the Provost, to discuss the University’s effort to bring students from the University of Puerto Rico to the University for one to two semesters. They are also planning a teach-in about Puerto Rican political and economic problems, which have been magnified by the hurricane. The teach-in, which is tentatively planned for November, will offer insight into Puerto Rico’s debt crisis and the downfalls of the lack of statehood.
This includes the Jones Act, which mandates all shipping traveling to or from Puerto Rico must stop first at a U.S. port, making imported and exported goods more expensive, Bosque said. Gonzalez Cruz and Bosque hope to distribute flyers at the teach-in asking students to call their senators, asking them to repeal the act. “A lot of people … were expecting the (United States) to come to our aid immediately, because we are part of the (United States),” Gonzalez Cruz said. “That didn’t happen. And then every help that we get seems to come with a fine print … It shows you the second-class citizenship very clearly.” Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and has one non-voting delegate in Congress. On Thursday morning, President Trump tweeted that they could not “keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders … in P.R. forever!” “When Harvey hit Texas and Irma hit Florida, he had tweets saying he would help them no matter what,” no matter how long the recovery effort took, Gonzalez Cruz said. Students said they have felt powerless at times since the hurricane hit, but they believe Brown students can take action. “Don’t stop being interested and don’t stop posting about it online,” Cordero said. “Don’t let this issue go quiet in the media. Advocate for it and don’t stop talking about it, and donate if you can. Even the smallest amount counts.”
Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com
An ineffably talented posse is sweeping the University’s and Providence’s rap arenas: the formidable musical collective DIASPØRA. Collated from an array of artistic disciplines, the group’s nine members coalesce behind an undying commitment to music. Like the term from which the group derives its name, DIASPØRA reconciles the grand dispersion of its individual parts with deeply-rooted creative origins. Enter the nine chambers The group’s membership includes Dustin “KNOHISRY” Abadie ’18, Antone “TONE” LeBlanc ’18, Nadir “PonyboyPearson” Pearson ’19, Sanoj “Bondyé DJAB” Allen ’18, Saleka “Saleka Night” Shyamalan ’18, Javon “SO4P” Stephenson ’18, Tim Taliaferro ’18, Mohamed Mohamed ’18 and Felege Gebru ’17. “The reason that DIASPØRA works so well is that everyone does a bit of everything. We all play an essential role in each project that comes out,” Stephenson said, emphasizing each member’s idiosyncratic artistry, including his own expertise in acting. “Saleka sings and plays classical piano, Felege does graphic design and Nadir handles our branding, management and cinematography,” he said. In a similar respect, the collective maintains a broad array of academic interests, which merge to uniformly complement their musical production. For some members, music is their explicit academic focus, as evidenced by
» BIKERS, from page 1 Tammy and Maggie are two female bikers from Fall River, Mass. They come to Thayer because it’s warmer than their home just 15 miles away. Tammy said she was in a motorcycle accident 15 years ago and has only recently gotten back into biking. When she re-entered the world of motorcycles, she brought her neighbor Maggie along with her. The two venture to Thayer Street together to hang out
Abadie’s concentration in music production. Others study subjects more loosely — but still vitally — related to DIASPØRA’s output. Tali, for example, is pursuing an A.B. in engineering — a concentration that cultivates his overarching interest in making things, music production included. “The most important thing is that, as a group, we’re able to compensate for gaps in each other’s networks or artistic talents,” said LeBlanc, fresh off the release of his solo EP, “Nothing in Return.”
Homecoming Since their fateful formation, the group has made waves across innumerable Providence venues, dropping forceful bars and enthralling beats
throughout the Ocean State’s spaces most recognized for music. “Because of how small and tight-knit Providence is, we’ve had the chance to play at all the big venues,” LeBlanc said, including Aurora, The Met, AS220, Fete and Colosseum. “At this point, we’re fortunate enough to have people just reach out to us when they want us to play a show.” “We even got to open for Denzel Curry,” LeBlanc added, alluding to the renowned rapper’s September 2016 show at The Met. But even in light of this widespread success, DIASPØRA remains committed to playing music at Brown. This October, the group performed at “Gigs on the Grass” on Wriston. “We’ve also gotten to do shows at Pembroke Field, Sayles Hall and Faunce’s Leung Gallery,” Abadie said. Some University professors have also taken interest in the group, including Colin Channer, assistant professor of literary arts. Channer “is a great writer and has served as a mentor for taking my writing even deeper,” LeBlanc said. The group embeds itself into the University’s emerging tradition of successful hip-hop artists, joining recent graduates Eric Axelman ’13 (of The Funk Underground) and Dolapo “DAP The Contract” Akinkugbe ’16. “DAP served as a mentor for DIASPØRA’s members,” Stephenson said. “Our time at Brown overlapped by two years, so he was crucial in integrating us in the scene here.” “As for future plans, we just always have new projects on the horizon,” Stephenson said. “But I know Sanoj is making like two beats a day and that Saleka has something huge coming up. We’re just all most comfortable when we’re pursuing an artistic mindset.”
with other riders and people-watch. “You see some crazy sights around here,” Tammy said. And the culinary attractions are undeniable. “I’ll put it this way: My father owns a pizza place, and I still come here,” said Omar, a motorcycle rider in his twenties, as he stood next to his bike outside of Antonio’s. Other popular late night favorites include Baja’s, Mike’s Calzones and East Side Pockets, said Chris, Omar’s friend
and fellow motorcycle rider. They come to Thayer “whenever hunger strikes,” he said. Bobby and Steve, both motorcycle riders from Warwick, reminisced over Nice Slice as the former pizza alternative to Antonio’s. But they are thankful for the late hours kept by Thayer eateries, which are a step up from the late-night fast food options in their neighborhood. “At least here you can get a decent bite after hours,” Steve said.
PVD state of mind “Our sophomore summer, (Dustin) and I lived in a house together in Providence. We took a visual arts class while Antone worked as an RA,” Stephenson said, detailing the group’s formation over summer 2016. “We just worked non-stop on music and ultimately made our first big track, ‘Sailor Moon’ — a song mastered and recorded by InHouse Studios here in Providence,” a studio that has recorded artists ranging from D. Valor to The Funk Underground. “It’s hard to come by young people as motivated as DIASPØRA,” said InHouse Studios proprietor Alex “Taki” Mazz. “The talent oozing from their individual and collective brain(s) is apparent upon first meet. I’m excited to see their growth continue.” “That summer really got things started for DIASPØRA,” LeBlanc said. “It just consisted of … meeting local musicians and playing with them,” referencing musicians like InHouse’s KelKeyz.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
U. to establish new Master’s of Science in Global Public Health Once approved, program will focus on public health issues in low, middle-income countries By ARJUN GANGA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A motion to establish a new master’s degree program in global public health was passed at a University faculty meeting Oct. 3. Housed administratively in the School of Public Health, this new program will take an interdisciplinary approach that looks at issues related to wellness, disease, disability and death in low- and middle-income countries. Pending final approval from the Corporation, the master’s program is expected to initiate its first class of about 10 students in fall 2018. Financially underwritten by the School of Public Health, the program aims to “examine the role of power, privilege, inequity and disparity in global health” and “develop the next generation of diverse global health scholars,” according to the proposal presented at the faculty meeting. Students of the new program are expected to complete nine required courses, three electives and an eight-week summer research
practicum following their first year. According to Terrie Wetle, dean of the School of Public Health, the new master’s program in global public health differs from the existing global health track in the master’s in public health. The new program is more focused and frames the coursework around global health issues, Wetle said. She called the new master’s option a “deep dive into issues related to international health in vulnerable populations.” The new program is also different from the traditional MPH because it incorporates a summer practicum experience in which students participate in research in places where University faculty have active collaborations. Students will join the “robust international research activities that our faculty is involved in,” Wetle said. In the planning of the new master’s degree, Don Operario, professor of public health and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Public Health, emphasized the program’s different perspectives on global health.
The program draws from the biomedical sciences, social sciences, medicine and economics, he said. “The aim of this,” Operario said, “is to show the drivers of disease, death, health and wellness are multilayered and quite different.” The program will not operate through a “colonialist, northern lens,” Operario said, adding that the organizers “want to write a new paradigm that emphasizes the role of all partners to make a truly global health program.” Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the International Health Institute Stephen McGarvey will teach the required first-semester seminar that incorporates interdisciplinary
perspectives that the program aims to offer its students. McGarvey, who was also involved in the planning process, said the program will prepare students to work in both academic and nonacademic environments. According to the program proposal, “graduates of the program will be prepared to join a growing global health workforce in research, government and non-government organizations and industry, with the goal of a more seamless connection between northern and southern global contexts.” The faculty involved in planning researched global health programs at other universities. As opposed to the other programs, the University’s program “has
this strong social science and implementation aspect in it,” McGarvey said. He also added that other programs are studying global health within a MPH program, whereas the new program at Brown will solely focus on global health. The master’s program expects to recruit up to 10 students for its first year and plans to expand to accommodate 20 students, as the current faculty resources are a limiting factor. According to the proposal, faculty members of the program “will evaluate the program after a five-year period to see if there is broader market demand that would recommend scaling-up the program.”
SIMONE ZHAO / HERALD
Conductor relieved of orchestra duties Brown, who served as orchestra director since beginning of fall semester, received student criticism By EMILY DAVIES AND PRIYANKA PODUGU SENIOR STAFF WRITERS
MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD
Director Shade Au ’19 presented an otherwise minimalist set by writing out the show’s quirky and comedic scene titles on the backdrop wall.
» PW, from page 1 the downspace as what it is, which is … an empty room, and showing that you can still make theater in just that,” he said. The frames served as windows, doors and invisible walls, which tie together the two worlds. Possibly one of the most distinctive features of the show was the background wall that featured the titles of each scene, such as “Tilly asks Frank why is he like an almond,” “By the bedside of Frances the almond” and “Joan reveals a terrible secret to Tilly.” With each character wearing a
different colored shirt, each personality was visibly individualized. Each costume also had accessories such as aprons or pockets that were stitched on the costumes to reflect each character’s profession , such as a bank teller or hair dresser, Au said. The tone of the play was kept simple but significant with Julian Gau ’19 playing all the background music on a cello. At one point, the characters broke the fourth wall and acknowledged the cellist and his music, asking him to play happier tunes. Gau told the actors, “It’s a little difficult on a cello.”
The mood changed in Sayles Hall Tuesday night when orchestra students learned that Conductor Brandon Keith Brown, who was hired by the University for the 2017-18 academic year in May 2018, will no longer serve as their director. With a concert set Friday, one may expect a sudden transition in leadership to bring panic, but orchestra students described a different feeling — relief. “We’re really relieved in general,” said Evan Browning ’18, vice-president of the orchestra, of Brown’s departure. “The atmosphere in this rehearsal is a lot more relaxed and happy.” Daniel Harp, teaching associate in music, will conduct the orchestra’s concert Friday. “I was given some warning that this was going to happen,” Harp said. “This was a very sensitive thing. … It’s almost unheard of, especially before a concert,” he added. But Harp remains focused on guiding the orchestra through a successful concert. “I’m just so happy to be able to make this concert a positive experience. (The students) want and need a positive experience.” Brown’s departure follows a series of student complaints that criticized his leadership. Katerina Rademacher ’19, president of the orchestra, said that while Brown had the technical skills of a good conductor, he “interacted with students … in an intimidating manner that made students fearful and anxious to approach him.” His behavior caused “a lot of anxiety in the orchestra and made rehearsal something that students would dread,”
EMILY DAVIES / HERALD
Though Brown was removed as director, the orchestra will perform Friday under the leadership of music teaching associate Daniel Harp. she added. Brown’s behavior also led several students to quit the orchestra, according to multiple students. Brian Clark, director of news and
editorial development, declined to comment on the status of Brown’s position at the University. Brown could not be reached by press time.
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PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
‘Global Americana’ showcases New World discoveries in age of exploration Parents, students explore colonial American history, artifacts at John Carter Brown Library By BONNEE NIE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Saturday morning, the John Carter Brown Library held an exhibition and a faculty-led panel on Latin American colonial history. The artifacts exhibited part of the “Global Americana” collection, a series of works written about innovations, discoveries and observations made about the New World during the age of exploration. Library staff hoped that families would understand the various resources accessible to their students through the lecture, said Neil Safier, director of the JCB. Prior to the gallery opening, the library hosted a panel featuring Assistant Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World Felipe Rojas Silva, Associate Professor of History Robert Cope and Assistant Professor of History Emily Owens. They discussed the value and limitations of historical artifacts and writings for evaluating histories, focusing on the professors’ experiences with their undergraduate classes. Owens, in particular, expressed her appreciation for primary sources. They force her students to think about and determine the voice and audience of a piece of writing and how those factors affect its message, she said. The goal of her first-year seminar was not to
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The John Carter Brown Library featured pieces from its extensive “Global Americana” collection of primary resources and artifacts, including letters and medical diagrams, in an exhibition last weekend. teach history but how to “think like a historian,” Owens added. Rojas Silva was more wary in his assessment of the value of primary sources. He claimed that even artifacts dating back hundreds of years could be forged, though counterfeits themselves could offer a perspective about cultural values of the time. Especially in a setting of
discovery and exploration, timelines and points of view can be inconsistent and hard to follow, Cope added. After the panel, students and parents were invited to explore the collection, which included a variety of maps, books and charts representing the cross-cultural understandings and colonial experiences of the time.
Among the works present were a table of death records, a counterfeit Galileo and a small book that supposedly belonged to a child studying early colonial history a century ago. In one short passage, the captain Francisco Xavier Ribeiro Sampaio described his first experiences seeing, touching and tasting pineapple, which
was the “most beautiful fruit I have seen in all the world … beauty of aspect, sweetness of scent, excellent taste,” as he described in a travel journal. Other indigenous foods described included the potato, the cacao bean and vanilla. The exhibition also featured meticulously documented medical techniques of the era. This included a diagram of an intestinal tract surgery, which is presumed to be the first anatomical engraving in America. Perhaps the most representative of the sociological dynamics of the era was “A Letter to Philo Africanus upon slavery,” a letter by Candidus arguing for the continuation of slavery and its benefits. Written at the time of Somerset v. Stewart, a landmark case in the abolitionist movement that ruled that chattel slavery could not be supported by English common law, the letter sought to repair the foundation of slavery after it was shaken by the controversial ruling. This, among other pieces that mention integration of Western and European cultures — such as a Portuguese play about exploration that featured the Tupi language — are physical evidence of the Americas’ complicated and diverse past. The exhibit and panel was attended by students and their parents during Family Weekend. Diana Thompson, a family member visiting for the weekend, said that the pieces regarding medicine and the environment interested her most, and she appreciated that the University provides students with access to such articles.
Sheridan Center to introduce Problem-Solving Fellows for STEM departments Problem-Solving Fellows to mirror role of Writing Fellows, assist classes with peer-to-peer teaching By LYDIA DEFUSTO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
There will soon be a Writing Fellows equivalent in STEM departments next fall: Problem-Solving Fellows. As part of the Brown Learning Collaborative, the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning will train the incoming fellows with a new course called the “Theory and Practice of Problem Solving” in spring 2018. Current and future undergraduate teaching assistants with STEM backgrounds may take this class to improve their teaching skills and potentially become a Problem-Solving Fellow in fall 2018, said Christina Smith, assistant director for undergraduate instructional development and developer of the course. This initiative is based on the Writing Fellows program, in which undergraduate fellows are paired with a course and collaborate with faculty and undergraduates to improve students’ writing. The Writing Fellows program “is a national leader, so we were interested in developing that in other … skill areas as well,” said Mary Wright, director of the Sheridan Center. “The goal in the long run is to create a similar program around research, oral communication, data analysis and critical reading,” which, with writing and problem solving, are the “six key skills traditionally honed in a liberal arts education,” according to the
BENJAMIN TORUNO / HERALD
Christina Smith, assistant director for undergraduate instructional development, will teach the course, “Theory and Practice of Problem Solving” to train students to teach problem-solving skills. Sheridan Center’s website. The Brown Learning Collaborative aims to scale its peer-to-peer teaching. “We’ve learned that students learning from other peers is one of the most powerful ways that students take in information,” said Dean of the College
Maud Mandel. The University researched the effectiveness of peer mentor sessions thanks to two grants awarded by the American Association of Universities and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for a pilot in physical and
life sciences, respectively, Wright said. “The data from the (undergraduates) who participated in these courses … showed that students who engaged in the problem-solving sessions did better on assessments for the class than students who didn’t,” Mandel said.
Smith will teach the “Theory and Practice of Problem Solving.” She holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and researched engineering education for her dissertation. Smith broadly defines problem solving as “communicating with people, understanding an issue and then determining (if) what you’ve come up with needs to change in the future.” Students in the problem-solving course will write teaching statements at the beginning and end of the course, Smith said. For other assignments, students will videotape themselves teaching; observe faculty members; talk through a problem using “alternative forms of communication (such as a) narrative, an allegory, a written word piece, a poem, maybe a dance or a song”; and participate in “thinkalouds,” in which students will narrate their thought processes as they solve problems. Smith said she hopes that students will “be able to cultivate reflective processes in how they approach teaching … (and build) the skills necessary to be able to examine and think about their own teaching and ways that they can improve it in the future.” The class can only accommodate 24 students, but Mandel anticipates that its effects will be widespread. “Over time, I expect a kind of snowball effect where those TAs (in the problemsolving course) can be used to help teach other (TAs).” The Sheridan Center is also “developing a parallel initiative for faculty and graduate TAs,” Wright said. This initiative will prepare participants to teach similar problem-solving skills and will launch in late spring.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
right on, whiteboards!
menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pizza: Pepperoni, Spicy Sausage & Garlic, Mushroom’s Revenge JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Chicken Alfredo Bowl, Mushroom Swiss Burger
Build Your Own Burrito Bowl
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Pizza, Hot Roast Beef Au Jus, Cream Cheese Brownies
Chicken Gumbo Soup, Pumpkin Ravioli With Spiced Crem Sauce, Boston Cream Donuts
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Cream of Broccoli Soup, Herb Marinated Chicken, Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies
Chopped Sirloin With Mushroom Sauce, Pastito, Pumpkin Pie
sudoku
crossword
GUS REED / HERALD
Students bring personal embellishments to residence halls by decorating the whiteboards on dorm doors with doodles. Artists here demonstrate their skills with some interpretive line art.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“We wanted to … get people exposed to the incredible variety of music that there is in Latin America.” — Joshua Tucker, assistant professor of music
See PA’LO MONTE on BACK.
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Wellness at Brown!: Mindfulness Meditation 11:00 AM Brown/RISD Hillel
How Politics Shapes Development 4:00 PM Watson Institute, McKinney
Photoshop for Animation Workshop 6:00 PM Granoff Center, N320
“Conlanging” Film Screening 7:00 PM Salomon, 001
TOMORROW There’s Blood on the Cassette 12:00 PM Rhode Island Hall, 108
Contemplative Practice in the Pursuit of Justice 5:30 PM Smith-Buonanno Hall, 106
Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Women’s Event 6:30 PM Brown/RISD Hillel
Athletes in Action Prime Time Gathering 8:00 PM Pembroke Field House
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Capital, class and college cliques LENA RENSHAW staff columnist
On my freshman year move-in day, I found myself with nothing to do. My parents had left and gone back home, my roommate hadn’t yet moved in and I was hungry for dinner. My texts revealed a few options: hit the Sharpe Refectory (as I knew it to be named at the time) with my two friends from ADOCH, wait for my roommate to arrive or get dinner with a couple of New York City kids whom I tangentially knew. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this NYC dinner offer was actually the beginning of a rapidly forming clique of students who were all connected through various Manhattan social networks. Similar groups of students from Washington, D.C., the Bay Area and various suburbs were doing the same thing. In all these cases, they’d either gone to high school together, played each other in sports, had parents who worked together or, in my situation, lived in the same building as each other. As the school year progressed, I began to notice that though location and high school social networks brought students together, wealth and class solidified their friend groups. Brown students are on average undeniably wealthy, with more students coming from the top 1 percent of the income scale than the entire bottom 60 percent. Not only is this unrepresentative of the wider population as
a whole, but even more distressing is that these students tend to immediately befriend each other and stick together. While Brown tries its best to create a diverse student body, it’s really up to the students to take advantage of it and break out of their own social bubbles. College was the first time I had friends my age who didn’t grow up in the Northeast, who grew up in the suburbs and could drive and, truth be told, it was the first time I had friends
Brown. This surprised me at the time — my parents had come with me to visit plenty of schools I didn’t even end up applying to. My friend was really excited when she got a job as a grader that made her enough money to pay for her mom’s airfare. Being able to do that, she said, was such a joy. As students, we can actively work to bridge the divide and expand our social circles beyond those who come from our own income bracket. At least as first years, we all eat in the Ratty
aware of the range of wealth that exists both within Brown and beyond. Having friends of diverse wealth is an experience that simply can’t be overlooked. In some respects, Brown can be a social equalizer. When we graduate, we will all be a part of an elite group of Brown alums, and we can tap into the connections we can offer to one another, regardless of our socioeconomic background. It makes sense that people want to
As the school year progressed, I began to notice that though location and high school social networks brought students together, wealth and class solidified their friend groups.
who were completely outside of my parents’ income bracket. I didn’t realize how sheltered I’d been in this regard before I came to Brown. Here, I met students whose parents owned islands they could go to over spring break. I also met students for whom it was a challenge to get home for Thanksgiving or even winter break. One friend of mine told me her mom had never gotten to visit
and live in the same dorms, no matter our wealth. Though it can be easy for wealthy people to eat off campus, there’s a greater variety of people in the dining hall. Taking advantage of these common spaces presents the opportunity to meet other students who come from different backgrounds. In addition, befriending students in socioeconomic classes different than my own made me much more
stick with those who are in the same income bracket and share similar experiences. I see myself doing this all the time out of sheer convenience. Something as simple as grabbing a meal can vary widely between friends who don’t have the same resources, and everyday activities like this often dictate who you spend the most time with. Naturally, people want to engage with those they feel comfort-
able around, which includes avoiding issues of wealth differences. It’s also completely understandable that students don’t want to hang out with vastly wealthier students because they feel out of place. But the point of college is not to stick to the social groups you have always known. It’s on those wealthier students to be more accommodating. And as a University, Brown has done a pretty good job of trying to level the playing field by taking actions such as eliminating the suite fee, providing loaner Mac laptops (along with PCs) and encouraging professors to scan readings so students need not buy as many books, to name just a few. There are many more things Brown can and should do, but much of the work in embracing the diversity that exists here at Brown lies with the students. In her commencement address last spring, President Christina Paxson P’19 urged Brown students to take what they’d learned from Brown and “live courageously.” I believe we should exercise that while at Brown. To live courageously to me means stepping outside of our comfort zones. It means confronting our differences, even when they can cause things to get awkward. It means befriending people we wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to meet. By doing that, we’ll get the most out of our college experience.
Lena Renshaw ’20 can be reached at lena_renshaw@brown.edu.
Hollywood is complicit, and we can do better ZANDER KIM staff columnist
By now, you have probably heard of the news that rocked Hollywood. On Oct. 8, the Board of Directors of the Weinstein Company fired its co-founder and namesake, Harvey Weinstein, after several allegations of sexual assault and harassment came to light. The allegations, come from current and former employees, as well as multiple folks within the film industry. A New York Times investigation uncovered that Weinstein, cofounder of Miramax and the Weinstein Company, has reached at least eight settlements with women whom he has harassed. These settlements were meant to ensure their silence. Weinstein’s exit has since been the talk of Hollywood, spoken in hushed tones and in exclamations in bars, streets and film sets everywhere. For at least three decades, Weinstein has been making unwanted advances on women. That Weinstein’s misdeeds have taken this long to reach the public is evidence of a culture of complicity in Hollywood and beyond. This episode has merely strengthened the stereotype that members of the film industry protect and cover each other. Since the New York Times piece first publicized these allegations, many have condemned Weinstein. Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, Léa Seydoux and Ashley Judd are just a few of the people
who have since shared their encounters with Weinstein. Fellow actresses Lena Dunham and Mayim Bialik have written columns in the New York Times following the news. Other columns have been quick to point out that Hollywood consistently condemns Trump for his behavior toward women, but even as one of their own has behaved similarly for years, Hollywood has been silent. It’s not often that a mogul like Weinstein
these measures seem to be motivated just as much by PR as by genuine disgust with Weinstein. The reports highlight a tolerance for this behavior so long as it takes place behind closed doors. Yet despite all the fierce criticism, Weinstein still, surprisingly, finds defenders. In another controversial response to the news, fashion icon Donna Karan had this to say: “You look at everything all over the world today and
It’s not often a mogul like Weinstein falls in Hollywood. But it’s clear that these systemic issues of sexual harassment must be addressed instead of staying under the rug.
falls in Hollywood. But it’s clear that these systemic issues of sexual harassment must be addressed instead of staying under the rug. The public backlash has prompted a third of the all-male board of the Weinstein Company to resign. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hollywood’s highest governing body, also expelled Weinstein recently. With reports that people within the Academy and the Weinstein Company knew of his actions,
how women are dressing and what they are asking by just presenting themselves the way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble.” Actress Lindsay Lohan posted an Instagram video in support of Weinstein, saying: “I feel very bad for Harvey Weinstein right now ... He’s never harmed me or done anything to me. We’ve done several movies together. And so I think everyone needs to stop.” Both Karan and Lohan miss the mark with their statements.
Lohan believes Weinstein can’t be guilty of harassment because he never harassed her, which is appalling. These incognizant and naive mindsets excuse the behaviors of people like Weinstein. Given that Hollywood has been hiding these assaults for so long, celebrities should not try to rationalize or defend them any further. As students and citizens, it is our responsibility to voice our concerns against sexual harassment. Actress Alyssa Milano has restarted a massively popular movement on social media, first coined by activist Tarana Burke 10 years ago, by using the phrase “Me too,” which gives a platform for victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out. Lohan has since deleted her video and said, “As someone who has lived their life in the public eye, I feel that allegations should always be made to the authorities and not played out in the media.” The problem is not that allegations aren’t being made to the authorities — allegations aren’t being made at all, which is why movements like “Me Too” are extremely powerful. While it’s not the only way to cope with sexual harassment, movements like “Me Too” are one option for people to have a platform and a voice. Nothing excuses Weinstein’s behavior or the silence of people who knew of it, and it will take more time to deconstruct the culture of complicity within Hollywood and beyond, but it is a step forward.
Zander Kim ’19 can be reached at alexander_kim@brown.edu.
ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017
CLACS, music department host Pa’lo Monte workshop, concert Pa’lo Monte features Afro-Dominican, Haitian influences, blends saxophone, keyboard By JACOB ALABAB-MOSER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The nippy air last Thursday night marked the arrival of autumn in Providence, yet audience members in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts’ Martinos Auditorium didn’t seem to care as they soaked in the warm sounds of the music group Pa’lo Monte. The 11-person ensemble demonstrated their performative prowess during the 90-minute concert, incorporating pieces heavily influenced by AfroDominican and Haitian rhythm and drums and the sounds of the electrical guitar, saxophone and keyboard for a distinctive fusion of styles. The audience loosened up throughout the course of the night. People started by swaying in their seats before a growing number rose to dance on the sides of the auditorium in clusters. “This is something that I grew up listening to,” said Ana Marx ’18.5, who lived in Cuba for several years. “It’s difficult to not move. … (The music) compels you out of your seat.” Most of the group’s members hail from the Dominican Republic or Haiti, but now live and work in New York or Los Angeles, said Marlene Mercedes, a producer, vocalist and percussionist in the group. Beginning as a production society and later developing into a teaching and performance group, Pa’lo Monte has
championed social activism since its inception, Mercedes said. During the performance, the performers were also in flux, constantly exchanging instruments and entering and exiting the stage. The concert had been accompanied by a workshop earlier that day, in which Osvaldo Sánchez, Pa’lo Monte’s founder and director, taught attendees about the history of the Dominican Republic before inviting them on stage to dance to the Palo and Congo genres of music, said Assistant Professor of Music Joshua Tucker, co-organizer of the event. The group is the first of three Latin American musical groups invited this year by the Department of Music and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies to stage performances, workshops and public talks, said Jessaca Leinaweaver, director of CLACS, professor of anthropology and a co-organizer of the event. “We’ve had a number of Latin American musical events in the last few years, but they seemed kind of confined to a narrow slice of Latin American music,” Tucker added. “We wanted to broaden that … and get people exposed to the incredible variety of music that there is in Latin America.” Leinaweaver also cited the CLACS’ desire to provide an inclusive cultural outlet, which meant consciously selecting performers that represent local Colombian and Dominican communities, two of the largest Latin American groups in Rhode Island, she said. The organizers promoted the Pa’lo Monte events by hanging up posters on Broad Street and in various spaces at Brown, she added.
MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD
Last Thursday, the ensemble Pa’lo Monte performed an hour and a half long concert in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts. The concert included instruments like the guitar, saxophone and keyboard.
The C.D. Wright Lecture Silent Letters, Talking Pictures, and the Punchdrunk Gospel of the Bone a presentation by Man’s Dictionary Elizabeth Willis Elizabeth Willis’s most recent book, Alive: New and Selected Poems, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her other books of poetry are Address, recipient of the PEN New England / L. L. Winship prize for poetry; Meteoric Flowers;The Human Abstract;Turneresque and Second Law. She is also the editor of Radical Vernacular: Lorine Niedecker and the Poetics of Place. In 2015 she joined the faculty of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
C.D. Wright received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry in March 2011 for One With Others: [a little book of her days], which was also a finalist for the National Book Award and recipient of the Lenore Marshall Prize from the Academy of American Poets. Born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, she published over a dozen books, including Rising, Falling, Hovering, Like Something Flying Backwards: New and Selected Poems. With photographer Deborah Luster, Wright won the Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize for One Big Self from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.
Wednesday, 18 October 2017 at 7 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street, Providence [please use Fones Alley entrance] Sponsored by Literary Arts at Brown and made possible by contributions made to honor the life and art of C.D. Wright