Wednesday, January 26th, 2022

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

VOLUME CLVII, ISSUE 1

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. extends test-optional policy through 2022-23 Data gathered from next admission cycle will inform “longerterm testing policies”

AKA sorority reestablished on campus

Columbia. The University’s admission policy decisions are “completely independent of our peer institutions,” Powell wrote in an email to The Herald.

The University’s announcement also came the same morning that the College Board announced it would make the SAT shorter and entirely digital.

“It is encouraging to hear the news that the SAT has found ways to evolve

BY JACK TAJMAJER SENIOR STAFF WRITER The University will extend its test-optional policy for all applicants through the 2022-23 admission cycle due to “extraordinary circumstances” that many students continue to face, according to a Tuesday announcement on the Admission Office’s website.

The University originally implemented a test-optional policy in June 2020 and later extended it through the 2021-22 application cycle to protect applicants’ health and address extenuating circumstances stemming from the pandemic, Dean of Admission Logan Powell previously told The Herald.

This year’s announcement did not offer a specific reason for the extension, but it aligned with similar announcements made by Harvard, Cornell and

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

to meet the needs of students,” Powell wrote. “We also welcome any change that allows for greater flexibility and security in the test taking environment.”

When asked how first-year applicants should think about their test score if they choose to send it in, Powell emphasized the “individual and contextual” nature of the University’s admission process.“What we have said from the beginning … is that for students who feel that their standardized testing helps demonstrate or showcase their academic ability in context, they’re welcome to submit those test scores,” he told The Herald in an interview.

“If a student feels like their test

SEE ADMISSIONS PAGE 4

Iota Alpha chapter reinstated after becoming inactive in 2012

BY KAITLYN TORRES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR The University’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated chapter, Iota Alpha, announced Dec. 8 that “Iota Alpha is back on the yard.” The chapter returned to campus with nine new members after becoming inactive in 2012.

The Iota Alpha chapter was chartered in 1974 by 14 Black undergraduate women and was the first Black sorority on campus, said Katelyn Starks ’23, a current member of the chapter.

AKA was founded to create a supportive and safe space for women, said chapter member Safiya Miller ’22. The organization itself was founded in 1908 when Black women were fighting to get into college, which caused the

COURTESY OF KATELYN STARKS

SEE SORORITY PAGE 4

The Iota Alpha chapter, chartered in 1974, was the first Black sorority on campus and continues to provide a space for Black women.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

BDS cashier Gail McCarthy retires

Tejal Desai ’94 appointed dean of engineering school

After 19 years in Ratty, Blue Room, McCarthy reflects on career with dining services

Researcher, professor at UCSF will begin position at University Sept. 1

BY EMILY FAULHABER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY STELLA OLKEN-HUNT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Gail McCarthy, a Brown Dining Services employee of 19 years known by students for her kindness while swiping Brown IDs, retired December 31. Before her retirement, McCarthy had taken a leave from work since Thanksgiving due to illness and fatigue.

Between December 2020 and December 2021, about 20 people retired from BDS, George Barboza, vice president of dining programs, told The Herald. The retirees had an average of 20 to 25 years of service.

“It definitely had an operational impact, but more than just that, they’ve been our family members for so many years, especially Gail,” Barboza said.

“She had a really student-facing position.”

“I was really sad to hear she was retiring,” Shira Stoller ’22 said. “She was a staple of this campus.”

McCarthy worked for 18 years at the Sharpe Refectory. She began working on

COURTESY OF GAIL MCCARTHY

McCarthy looks back on her time at Brown very fondly. She always enjoyed swiping cards and talking to students. the floor, moved to stocking the salad bar and then became a cashier. “There’s two registers at The Ratty and I would always go to Gail,” Stoller said.

Previously, McCarthy, who was born and raised in Rhode Island, worked as a waitress for 28 years at Newport Creamery.

McCarthy also spent time working in the Blue Room as a cashier where Barboza said students experienced service from her that was just as great.

“She has a wonderful personality — very welcoming to everyone that walks in the doors. Her great customer service care made her really excel in that area,” Barboza said. “We have different audi-

ences that go to those different locations and the feedback was always the same: very positive.”

McCarthy said she looks back on her time at Brown very fondly and saw it as an opportunity to help students.

“I felt like I had my college experience at Brown. It was just a wonderful opportunity for me,” McCarthy said.

“I found that freshmen really needed me the most. By the time they became seniors they were still friendly but didn’t need me so much anymore.”

McCarthy recalled one student who she struggled to form a relationship with

SEE DINING PAGE 4

Effective Sept. 1, Tejal Desai ’94, an engineering researcher, will assume the position of dean of Brown’s School of Engineering, according to the current dean of engineering Lawrence Larson.

Desai is currently a professor of bioengineering and therapeutic sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and director of the Health Innovations Via Engineering Initiative.

She has previously served in leadership roles at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Boston University, she told The Herald. In her past positions, Desai built departments as well as research and educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition, Desai “has led a National Institutes of Health training grant for UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering” and “has served in recent years as a member of

U. News

Metro

Arts & Culture

Commentary

RISD appoints Crystal Williams as new president Page 2

Thayer Street businesses see loss of activity amid COVID-19 Page 3

New Release ‘Drive My Car’ based on short story

by Murakami Page 5

Ranney MPH ’10: Brown can meet Omicron with confidence Page 7

Brown’s biomedical engineering advisory board,” according to a University press release.

Over the course of her career, Desai has published nearly 250 research papers and has been cited over 22,000 times, according to the press release.

“I’ve had a lot of different experiences, but Brown was such a pivotal part of my growth as a student,” Desai said. “I feel like I can come in and both understand the culture of Brown but also think about ... the new places we can go.”

Desai said that once she becomes dean, she’s excited to focus on three main areas: building new research directions, expanding educational aspects and adding engineering faculty.

“There are really exciting partnerships that can be built with public health and the school of medicine, as well as in areas such as environmental” science, Desai said. She added that she’s excited to explore what “our undergraduates (are) seeing as they go through the engineering curriculum.”

Desai is also passionate about focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion within the department.

As a woman in engineering and a

SEE DESAI PAGE 6

TODAY TOMORROW

DESIGNED BY RAPHAEL LI '24 DESIGN CHIEF

29 / 11

28/ 7

NEIL MEHTA '25 DESIGN EDITOR

2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

UNIVERSITY NEWS

RISD appoints Boston University VP Crystal Williams as next president Williams is first Black RISD president, hopes to make RISD “actively” antiracist

BY BRENDAN GARDNER METRO EDITOR The Rhode Island School of Design announced the appointment of Crystal Williams as its 18th president Dec. 16,

making Williams the first Black president of RISD. Williams, described in RISD’s press release as “a teacher, leader, advocate and poet,” is currently the vice president and associate provost for community and inclusion at Boston University. She will assume the role of president April 1.

In her messages to the RISD community following the announcement, Williams emphasized the importance of improving diversity and access at the school. Her appointment comes after

years of student protests urging RISD to make the school more equitable for marginalized students.

“I have long admired” RISD, Williams wrote in a December letter to RISD community members. “All the years spent enlivening student creativity, enhancing outcomes for students, faculty and staff and advancing equity and inclusion on campuses and in arts advocacy work of course led me to you and this incredible community of artists, designers and scholars.”

COURTESY OF RISD

Williams said one of her priorities is to make RISD accessible to historically underrepresented groups of students through increased financial aid and local middle and high school funnel programs.

“RISD has an opportunity to really play … an essential role in helping to catalyze more inclusion in the arts and in creative spaces in the world,” Williams said in a video interview that accompanied the announcement of her appointment.

Williams’ appointment is “a signal that we are not willing to follow anymore, that we are willing to be a leader in this discussion,” said Jessica Brown, assistant professor of industrial design and a member of the search committee that selected Williams. “We knew that in searching for a new president, we had someone who could answer the call for what’s happening today with racial injustice, equity and inclusion and marginalization.”

“We need someone who’s not afraid to step forward and say … that we are going to actively be an antiracist school, that we are going to address the issues that we see in the world head-on because we are creating the next leaders,” she added.

Brown said that one of William’s priorities was to make RISD accessible to certain groups that were historically unable to attend the school. She noted the importance of expanding financial aid so more students can afford to attend as well as establishing funnel programs in low-income middle and high schools in Providence.

Brown added that Williams “is going to listen” to calls by students of color and other students from marginalized backgrounds to achieve equity at RISD. Protests for a fairer RISD have taken place multiple times over the past decade, including a 2020 protest that demanded the school diversify its dis-

proportionately white faculty, reallocate funds from RISD’s Department of Public Safety to support mental health care and financial aid, take steps to diversify the student body and reduce tuition to make the school more affordable for low-income students.

Andrew Wang, a RISD senior and member of the student advisory council for the selection process, wrote in an email to The Herald that Williams “really left a good impression as a leader who was deeply knowledgeable, experienced and a great listener.” Wang also emphasized the importance of Williams’ appointment for equity at RISD. Williams will take over administration of the school from Dave Proulx, who has served as interim president of the school since July 2021. Reflecting on his time at RISD, Proulx wrote in an email to The Herald that he was most proud of the school’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, making progress on advancing equity, increasing access through financial aid and improving RISD’s financial stability.

Looking forward to the future, Proulx wrote, “I am hopeful that we will continue to work together as a community to ensure RISD is more accessible to students — regardless of their ability to pay; to continue to make progress on our social equity and inclusion initiatives … and to develop a long-term plan for financial sustainability.”

“I look forward to working with President-Elect Williams and the RISD community on these and many other initiatives,” he added.

STAY UP-TO-DATE. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK.COM/BROWNDAILYHERALD

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

3

METRO

Thayer sees hope for recovery despite staffing, supply difficulties Stores, restaurants have increased expenses, but business has improved since 2020

BY RHEA RASQUINHA SENIOR STAFF WRITER Amid the emergence of the Omicron variant, restaurants and businesses on Thayer Street face varying difficulties with supply chain issues and staffing.

Despite uncertainty regarding the pandemic and increased costs due to supply shortages, shop owners said business has improved since 2020. They are hopeful that students returning to campus will increase business activity.

“I am very grateful that Chinatown on Thayer continues to be busy and the business has thankfully been going really well,” said Chinatown owner Mike Boutros. Boutros also owns Mike’s Calzones and is opening a new restaurant called Mighty Mike’s Pizza, The Herald previously reported. Both restaurants are also on Thayer Street While Omicron has not had a significant impact on Boustros’s businesses, he has taken Rhode Island’s increasing cases into account when setting COVID-19 policies. His current policies include a mask requirement in the restaurants and a vaccine requirement for Chinatown staff. He also plans to increase indoor seating options soon.

Despite relative success with business, Boutros mentioned supply chain issues and trouble hiring. He has faced difficulties purchasing items such as paper goods, containers, Chinese sauces and spices — sometimes needing to pay double the pre-pandemic price. Boutros also noted “multiple issues with hiring,” especially for the fast-paced environment of the restaurant. “We have people apply, come in to train and never return or reply back,” he said.

Several restaurants and businesses

RHEA RASQUINHA / HERALD

Despite staffing issues when University students are gone and supply issues from the pandemic, Berk’s on Thayer Street saw its bottom line improve in 2021 compared to 2020, according to owner Lauren Berk. on Thayer are also looking to hire new workers, including Kabob and Curry, Baja’s restaurants, bb.q Chicken + Soban Korean Eatery, Berk’s and Abu Yarub Al-Shami, as seen on signs in the storefronts.

Tiger Sugar, a bubble tea franchise, is currently under construction at 288 Thayer St., according to the shop’s Facebook page. A Bank of America Virtual Banking Center recently opened at 271 Thayer St. Berk’s, a clothing and shoe store, has been able to remain open despite the pandemic, but it has faced staffing issues when students were gone, said owner Lauren Berk. “It’s not easy to get people to work right now,” she said.

Berk also mentioned supply shortages last fall due to production delays, though these have since improved.

Business in 2021 was better than business in 2020 but has not yet recovered to 2019 levels, according to Berk. For 2022 so far, “it’s tough to say because January is notoriously a slow month,” she said.

For Aroma Joe’s, which opened last fall, as the Herald previously reported, business “hasn’t been affected as much as I anticipated,” said barista Miniya Greene ’24. The coffee shop has not faced supply chain issues, and indoor dining policies have remained the same, as most items from Aroma Joe’s are grab-and-go.

Greene also mentioned that it is still difficult to say how Omicron specifically has affected business since students have only recently returned to campus.

Due to their large staff, Aroma Joe’s has not needed to close down when staff

members were sick, but it is sometimes “difficult to find people to cover shifts,” Greene said.

Business for Ten One Tea House improved significantly in 2021 compared to 2020, said owner Jason Yu. After opening in July 2020, the bubble tea shop struggled with a boba shortage last year, which has now improved. But the shop is still “suffering from international shipping costs,” which have now tripled for their supplies imported from Taiwan. Despite increased costs, its bubble tea prices have stayed the same for customers throughout the pandemic according to Yu. He also mentioned difficulties having a full staff last November and December, along with trouble hiring last summer at Ten One’s Boston location; both locations have seen improvement

since then. The Providence location has only had one staff member test positive throughout the pandemic, after which Ten One paid for all staff to get tested immediately afterwards. Masks have always been mandatory inside the shop.

Regarding Thayer Street as a whole over the past two years, Boutros acknowledged the loss of customers and fewer night rushes, along with restricted hours and capacity.

But he is hopeful that businesses will continue to recover. “Thayer Street continues to be a highlight street of Rhode Island… and I hope going forward we can continue seeing all of our students and customers back in the restaurant,” Boutros said.

“I feel like Thayer Street is still Thayer Street,” Yu said.

4

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

SORORITY FROM PAGE 1 founders to question how they could both exist and thrive in these spaces, Miller explained.

But while the chapter had been inactive for a few years, Ciara Sing ’22, a member of Iota Alpha, said that student interest in revamping the chapter has been growing. “Many Black women on campus … want to see the organization thrive not only at Brown but also in the greater Providence community,” she explained.

Alexalee Gonzalez ’23, a current member, said that before the chapter became inactive, it “was special on Brown’s campus and in the larger Providence community with all the service” it did to support both communities. She added that the members of the chapter, along with other Black women on campus, want to continue serving both communities.

Gonzalez added that having an AKA chapter at a predominately white institution like Brown creates a powerful impact on the Black community beyond Brown’s campus as well.

“Any time Black women can come together and create space for ourselves … with a mission of bettering other people (and) reaching out to other people can only positively impact this campus,” chapter member Sonna Obiorah ’22 said.

Sing added that the chapter creates a space for Black women who are like-minded and share similar goals.

The chapter allows its members “to be unapologetically bold, to be unapologetically Black and to be unapologetically loving in all things that they do.”

Chapter member Tosin Omolola ‘23 added that the active appreciation of Black history is important for Black diasporic communities. She said that having an organization like the Iota Alpha chapter on campus both preserves and respects that history.

Gonzalez said that the chapter builds a new possibility of “what we as college women can experience for ourselves” through the friendships built between line sisters ­— members who pledge together.

The chapter currently does not have a house on campus, but Sing said that creating one will be up to future members as the chapter expands. “The legacy continues as more women join, and the different goals and needs of the women on campus is ever changing.”

Omolola added that the chapter, along with other Black organizations on campus, has “a very carved-out space at Harambee House.”

The main focus of the chapter for now, according to both Omolola and Obiorah, is to rebuild the organization’s presence on campus and in the Providence community. Obiorah said that the chapter is looking forward to “doing work that is rooted in service and sisterhood” this upcoming semester.

The chapter is also looking to strengthen its alumni relationships.

Chapter member Emory Brinson ’24

said that Brown’s chapter has an alumni network of over 200 who have been supportive of the chapter’s reinstatement.

While rush for the chapter is typically kept under wraps, Cyprene Caines ’23 suggested that anyone interested in joining the organization should “put in the work” of learning about AKA and the Divine Nine — a council of historically Black fraternities and sororities — and attending the chapter’s events. Omolola added that interested members can watch the documentary “Twenty Pearls: The History of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated” and listen to the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women’s Oral History Project.

Sparks added that she had wanted to be a member for a while, as her mother was also a member of AKA while attending college. “All my life I’ve been able to witness the service and how much work AKA has put into the community,” she said.

Yosabel Tekeste ’23, a current member, said that being a part of the chapter allows her to set expectations for herself to uphold the organization’s presence on campus. “The organization is so powerful and I kind of feel the need to match that.”

For many of the women in the chapter, being a member is an honor. Caines said that it is a privilege to “step into such a beautiful legacy of Black women who are trailblazers in every sense of the word.”

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

DINING FROM PAGE 1 over his years at Brown. After she had knee surgery, she saw him on the street and he asked McCarthy how she was feeling. “I had broken through and that was really special,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also reflected on some pranks students played on her.

“There were some tall guys that would talk to me while one of their friends let other friends in on the other side (of the dining hall). I was flattered they were talking to me though,” McCarthy laughed. “The football team would come sing to me, little mischief-making.

I loved all of that.”

“It’s like a big family. I got to know students, the workers that I worked with, the professors and I got to meet the whole community,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also saw a few major changes during her time at Brown. She began her tenure when Ruth Simmons was president, and left under President Christina Paxson P’19. She also witnessed the introduction of Bon Appetit to Brown Dining Services as an outside consultant. McCarthy’s favorite part of her work was her two thirty-minute breaks a day — lunch and dinner. McCarthy would work forty hours a week over five days.

“I worked a lot of overtime as well. I had never worked at a place where they

ADMISSIONS FROM PAGE 1 scores are not representative of their best academic ability or if they didn’t take the SAT or ACT, they don’t have to submit it and it is not a disadvantage in our process,” Powell added.

The announcement clarified that the test-optional policy would “be evaluated again before the 2023-24 application cycle begins” and that

CA L E N DA R

pay you overtime for work,” and the University does, McCarthy said.

Barboza noted that most of the vacancies from retirements have been filled, including Gail’s, which BDS filled internally. Positions in BDS are determined by seniority in each job classification.

McCarthy said she also enjoyed swiping Brown IDs and talking to students.

“I had many interactions with Gail over the years,” Judson Utgard ’23 wrote in an email to The Herald. “She was my favorite cashier working at the Ratty and always brightened my day.”

“I always remember that Gail would swipe the card in one try,” Stoller said.

McCarthy noted that she got to know fewer of the students who came to the University after the COVID-19 pandemic began, due to safety protocols and take out procedures in dining halls.

Now that she’s retired, McCarthy is planning to move to a senior center and “find herself a husband.” She also wants to volunteer at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, where her brother serves on the board.

“I want to thank everyone for making my time here so nice and pleasurable,” McCarthy said. “It was a job I truly loved.”

“continued research and assessment is needed and will guide policy decisions in the coming years.”

It additionally noted that the data gathered from this year will inform “longer-term testing policies.”

“The Class of 2025 is the first to be admitted under the test optional policy,” Powell wrote, “and we can learn from their academic experiences at Brown.”

COVID -19 AT BROWN JAN. 15 TO 19

JANUARY S

M

Tu

W

Th

F

Confirmed Positives

S 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

44 Students in On-Campus, Designated Off-Campus Quarantine Housing

7* SINCE AUGUST 24, 2020** Completed Tests

604,948 Total Cases

1,470 *APPROXIMATE **AS OF JAN. 19

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

5

ARTS & CULTURE

Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ slowly burns into transformative film Japan’s entry for Academy Awards delivers interpersonal reflections

BY FINN KIRKPATRICK SENIOR STAFF WRITER As the opening credits appear 40 minutes into this film, the viewer may realize that not everything is as it seems.

In director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s hands, the delayed appearance of something as simple as a title card — a common feature in the beginning of films ­— pivots the viewer into a different kind of movie experience. The title card’s placement denotes that everything before it was merely preamble, and that there is much more coming in this 180-minute runtime. The film moves at its own pace — it decides how much time is enough to convey its message, and miraculously for a movie this long, it is never wrong with its decision. The movie is not a race to the finish nor is it a road trip where you ask “are we there yet?” every five minutes. It’s a smooth coast along a scenic road driven by the hands of someone you immediately put your trust in.

Based on the short story by Haruki Murakami, “Drive My Car” follows Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) a widowed theater actor who goes to Hiroshima for a two-month artist’s residency to direct a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.” This production is unique in that every actor speaks a different language and portrays a character of a different age from their own. Kafuku casts Koji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada), the former lover of Kafuku’s late wife who cheated on Kafuku frequently, as the titular character in the play. As part of the residency,

COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS

“Drive My Car” follows Yusuke Kafuku, a widowed theater actor who goes to Hiroshima to direct a production of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.”

Kafuku is given a driver, the young Misaki Watari (Toko Miura), to take him back and forth from the theater to his residence outside of the city each day.

The heart of the film is split between Kafuku directing his avant-garde production, trying to work through the language barriers among the actors, and the conversations between Kafuku and Watari as they work through their past traumas together. It is a dialogue-heavy movie and the script hits the perfect balance of every line being poignant to the film while also being incredibly naturalistic in its delivery.

As a literary adaptation, “Drive My Car” is a masterclass in capturing the essence of established works while also justifying itself as something unique.

Hamaguchi and Murakami differ greatly in the way they fill the contents of their stories — Hamaguchi is a filmmaker

often lauded for his portrayals of complex, well-developed female characters, whereas Murakami is near-unanimously criticized for his glaring lack thereof.

Hamaguchi strays from Murakami by highlighting female characters that were all but missing in the source material. Park Yoo-rim plays Lee Yoon-a, a deaf Korean actress, and her performance is easily one of the best of the past release year. Although her voice is never heard and she only converses by way of interpreter, her facial expressions and displays of emotion create an astonishingly honest portrayal. Park’s portrayal, alongside an equally spellbinding performance from Nishijima, creates a scene toward the very end of the film that is one of the most enthralling moments put to screen, even though it is just two people on a bare-bones play set. Park’s immensely convincing

performance ties up the film on a profoundly emotional note.

While Hamuguchi deviates from Murakami’s portrayal of women, he keeps the air of mystery and existential gloom that lingers in Murakami’s writing. Throughout the film, from the death of Kafuku’s wife to the past of Watari to the emotional instability of Takatsuki, this tone is what drives the intrigue within all the interpersonal dynamics. Many of these ideas are explored through the conversations during Watari and Kafuku’s time in the car together. These mysteries are not mysteries that are set out to be solved, but mysteries of life that are meant to be explored and ultimately accepted as constants.

But Murakami is not the only literary titan at play in this movie. Where Murakami serves as the establisher of

tone and plot, Chekhov provides much of the interpersonal psychology present throughout the film. Almost every time Kafuku is in the car, a tape of Vanya’s dialogue is playing . In the rehearsal scenes, long stretches of the play are acted out without much cutting. The way Hamaguchi selects scenes of the play to pair with pivotal moments in the film makes it seem as though “Drive My Car” is not only relying on “Uncle Vanya” — “Uncle Vanya” is relying on “Drive My Car.” It is a monumental feat that such a relatively new, up-and-coming director is able to expertly balance the style of two of the most revered writers of the past two centuries within a completely new medium.

The descriptors that can be used for this film — from enthralling to captivating to epic — are words you would expect from high-budget, high-octane action movies. “Drive My Car” can achieve the same sensationalized buzzwords just through its honesty and commitment to the craft. It is not that the movie doesn’t feel like it is three hours long, it is that you are so engrossed in this little slice of these characters’ lives that you don’t care how long it takes. In fact, you will probably wish it went on for longer.

“Drive My Car” is not flashy. It might not sound particularly remarkable nor entertaining, but once watched, it becomes all of those things and then some. When done properly, nothing is more impactful than reflections of real life. “Drive My Car” is about as honest and true as any movie can get. Kafuku never tries to find some new love to fill the void left by his wife’s death, nor does he try to punish the man who she cheated on him with. His arc is monumental in its mundanity. It might be a better world if there were more movies like “Drive My Car”out there, but it is still pretty great that one like it exists.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

6

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

Tejal Desai ’94 said she’s excited to focus on expansion of new research directions, educational aspects and engineering faculty, as well as bringing diversity, equity and inclusion to the engineering school.

DESAI FROM PAGE 1 first-generation student in her undergraduate years, Desai often questioned if she belonged at Brown.

“That experience and feeling like maybe engineering wasn’t the right place (for me) has definitely informed how I think about the field,” Desai said.

Desai’s work in DEI has been recognized by the Association for Women in Science and UCSF, according to the release.

As the new dean of engineering, Desai said she wants to integrate DEI into the field. “If we’re going to solve any of these really complex societal problems, we have to have those diverse perspectives at the table,” Desai said.

Dan Bernards, a senior researcher at UCSF who has worked closely with Desai, said she is “a great leader” who is “very caring for all the students and postdocs (who) are in her lab, and

does a great job of cultivating a very positive environment.”

Larson, who has been dean since 2011, will be on sabbatical for the 2022-23 academic year before returning to professorship and teaching the following year. He announced in September that he would step down at the end of the spring semester, The Herald previously reported.

Larson said he’s excited to see Desai assume his former role. “I’m a great believer in frequent and periodic refreshment of leadership in universities,” he said. “In the last year of my third term as dean, … I personally felt like it was time to bring in some new ideas, new perspectives and new energy into the role.”

Looking back on his time as dean, Larson said that one of his proudest achievements was the creation of the Engineering Research Center, a large extension of Barus and Holley. “Being able to get that building designed and built and have it (opened) early, …

and then to see all of the amazing stuff that is going on in there every day now, that’s really been the most exciting and perhaps most rewarding part of my job,” Larson said. He added that he was also proud of hiring new faculty and installing a new student-designed sculpture, “Infinite Possibility.”

“One challenge for the new dean is going to be to keep Brown at the forefront of all these new areas that are emerging scientifically,” he said.

“We’re competing for great faculty … and great students, … but all other great universities are trying to do the same thing at the same time.”

Continuing to grow the department will be key, he added.

Larson said that Desai is “perfectly positioned” for this role because of her scientific talent and administrative leadership experience. “She’s one of our nation’s top bioengineering leaders.”

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

132nd Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Ben Glickman Managing Editors Benjamin Pollard Caelyn Pender Senior Editors Katie Chen Gaya Gupta Jack Walker post-magazine Editor-in-Chief Kyoko Leaman Sections Arts & Culture Editors Rebecca Carcieri Irene Chou Laura David Metro Editors Brendan Gardner Oliver Kneen Liza Mullet Katy Pickens Sameer Sinha

University News Editors Corey Gelb-Bicknell Will Kubzansky Caleb Lazar Alex Nadirashvili Shilpa Sajja Kaitlyn Torres

Multimedia Photo Chiefs Danielle Emerson Victoria Yin

Science & Research Editors Kathleen Meininger Gabriella Vulakh

Illustrations Chief Loki Olin

Senior Science & Tech Editor Claire Liu Sports Editor Peter Swope Commentary Editorial Page Editor Johnny Ren Opinions Editors Augustus Bayard Bliss Han Jaehyun Hong Jackson McGough Matt Walsh

Photo Editor Elsa Choi-Hausman

Social Media Chief Alejandro Ingkavet Podcasts Chief Livi Burdette Podcasts Producer Da-Young Kim Production Design Chief Raphael Li

Copy Desk Chief Lily Lustig Digital News Graphics Chief Aanchal Sheth Director of Technology Jed Fox Business Office Manager Chelsey Barton-Keenes General Managers Alexandra Cerda Sophie Silverman Sales Directors Joe Belfield Amit Levi Finance Director Andrew Willwerth

Design Editors Patrick Farrell Lena He Neil Mehta Brandon Wu

@the_herald

facebook.com/browndailyherald

@browndailyherald

youtube.com/browndailyherald

88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com

Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds are typically between 750 and 1000 words, though we will consider submissions between 500 and 1200 words. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words.

While letters to the editor respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, op-eds usually prompt new discussions on campus or frame new arguments about current discourse.

All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media), and they must be exclusive to The Herald.

Submissions must include no more than two individual authors. If there are more than two original authors, The Herald can acknowledge the authors in a statement at the end of the letter or op-ed, but the byline can only include up to two names. The Herald will not publish submissions authored by groups. The Herald does not publish anonymous submissions. If you feel your circumstances prevent you from submitting an op-ed or letter with your name, please email herald@browndailyherald.com to explain your situation.

You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com and letters to letters@ browndailyherald.com. When you email your submission, please include (1) your full name, (2) an evening or mobile phone number in case your submission is chosen for publication and (3) any affiliation with Brown University or any institution or organization relevant to the content of your submission.

Please send in submissions at least 24 hours in advance of your desired publication date. The Herald only publishes submissions while it is in print. The Herald reserves the right to edit all submissions. If your piece is considered for publication, an editor will contact you to discuss potential changes to your submission.

Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only.

Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906.

Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.

The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community.

Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 one semester daily.

Copyright 2021 by Thwwe Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Ranney MPH ’10: U. community is ready to face Omicron Students are returning to Brown’s campus in the midst of a nationwide spike of infections with SARS-CoV-2. The volume and speed of new infections, driven largely by the Omicron variant, is greater than anything we have seen during our two years living with this virus. This variant, the arrival of which was announced just as most of us sat down to Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family, will shape the month to come in ways small and large.

It is normal to feel some fear. Fortunately, we now know that we are far better off than we were in the dark, fearful days of spring 2020, or even the disappointing summer of Delta in 2021.

As a community, Brown University is well prepared to meet Omicron with confidence. The near-universal vaccination of our staff, students and faculty with a primary series and a booster — combined with our proactive masking, ventilation and testing strategy — means that although there may be some outbreaks of cases, they will be limited; and for most of us, these infections will be quite mild.

But we can, and should, still take care.

Here’s why.

The Omicron variant has some concerning characteristics. It is significantly more infectious than the Delta variant, which was itself more infectious than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus that began infecting people at the end of 2019. It has also shown the capacity to evade our preexisting immunity, infecting more vaccinated people (as well as more people who’d already been infected) than any previous variant.

And because more people are getting infected, more people are getting hospitalized. It’s the simplest of statistics: a virus that is four times more transmissible, but one-fourth as dangerous, will land the same number of folks in hospital beds.

At the same time, the widely available Pfiz-

er and Moderna vaccines do decrease the risk of symptomatic infection. More importantly, vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness or hospitalization, even from the Omicron variant — especially for those who receive boosters. As an emergency physician, I can attest that hospital beds are primarily full of the unvaccinated.

The non-pharmaceutical protective tools

therefore, regardless of our own health, we must act to slow Omicron’s spread to protect our peers — our vulnerable classmates and the faculty and staff who could infect their families.

There is also the specter of long COVID, or post-acute COVID syndrome. We at the School of Public Health are creating a consortium of researchers and best-practice through a new long COVID Initiative funded by the Hassen-

“I know that it’s frustrating and exhausting to be facing another semester of COVID-19 precautions.

But although we might be done with the virus, it is not yet done with us.”

that we have used against the virus over the past two years — things like high quality masks and ventilation — also work to stop transmission of Omicron. Other communities’ data (and growing evidence from our own state of Rhode Island) suggests that the Omicron surge peaks and then subsides quickly. So if we can protect ourselves for the next few weeks, we will likely be out of the woods.

But not all members of our community are equally protected from Omicron. The new variant can still cause severe disease among those who are vaccinated but immunosuppressed, as well as those who are unvaccinated. And if a vaccinated person catches it, it is still possible to bring the virus home. Over the next month,

feld Family Foundation. We do not yet know the true incidence or timeline of long COVID after infection with earlier variants, and we know even less about long COVID among those with breakthrough infections or among those infected with Omicron. Promisingly, there are some characteristics of Omicron that differ from Delta and earlier variants, which therefore may make it less likely to cause long COVID. What we know clearly is that using existing tools to reduce the risk of infection is what matters.

On a practical level, then, what matters most to keep our community safe and healthy?

First, this goes without saying, but please follow the rules. Use rapid antigen tests as instructed, wear your KN95s (to protect others

and yourself) and isolate if you aren’t feeling well. Secondly, look out for each other. If a friend feels sick, get them help; we have systems set up to care for those who are feeling ill.

The same goes if they’re struggling emotionally. This has been a tough time for many, and we need to care for each other now more than ever. Thirdly, don’t lose hope. We are here, on campus, together. Just as we got through prior surges, we will get through this one too. Finally, think about how you can help the larger community. We at Brown are interwoven with our larger Providence and Rhode Island neighbors.

This moment is a good one to think about how you can play a role in supporting those who support us.

As Ed Yong, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist for The Atlantic, writes: Omicron “poses a far graver threat at the collective level than the individual one.” Our Brown University community has the opportunity to show the world what it looks like to responsibly navigate the evolving demands of keeping a community safe, even in the midst of a surge in infections. I am thankful for our increasing understanding of this virus and how to mitigate it successfully.

I know that it’s frustrating and exhausting to be facing another semester of COVID-19 precautions. But although we might be done with the virus, it is not yet done with us. Broad, responsible and effective use of vaccines, rapid tests and masks by our community means that we can return to life on campus, knowing that we are doing our part to keep both ourselves and our broader community as safe as possible.

Megan Ranney MPH ’10 can be reached at megan_ranney@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Simon ’25: Let’s press play on political fantasies My winter break was quiet, a blur of long walks and at-home COVID-19 tests. But what ended up defining it more than anything else were countless episodes of “The West Wing.” A political drama filmed mostly in the early 2000s, “The West Wing” follows the fictional administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet and his staffers as they navigate domestic and foreign crises, weather elections and seek to realize their policy agenda. Over a decade after its finale, it remains a critics’ darling and captivating to viewers. My occasional viewing quickly became a routine, then a fixation; I dove into the show’s history, its legacy and its influence on the genre. But I was surprised to discover that, amid the praise of the acting, directing and writing of “The West Wing,” there was also a recurrent critique of the show and others of its kind: that in its naive idealism, it has become unrelatable and irrelevant in our current times. Still, there’s another possibility: “The West Wing” is political fiction that acts not as an escape from reality, but as an opportunity to reflect on the values we hold and what we expect from our leaders and institutions.

Politics has always made good television.

“The West Wing” may have been one of the most well-known political dramas, but shows like “Madam Secretary,” “House of Cards” and “Scandal” continue to tap into the dramatic potential of an industry rife with secrets, arguments and unbelievably high stakes. These shows provide not just entertainment but commentary on their settings. Some, such as “House of Cards,” lean into tropes of government corruption to create a world of scheming politicians and foul play taken to their most extreme. Others, like “The West Wing,” take a more optimistic approach, highlighting values at the root of our political systems and imagining what it might look like if those principles

were more consistently upheld.

“The West Wing” may be committed to realistically depicting Capitol Hill — the giant flip phones, scattered folders and heels clacking down marble hallways tug on my own fuzzy recollection of an early-aughts D.C. childhood with parents who worked in politics — but the show doesn’t shy away from fantasy in the integrity of its characters. The staffers of the Bartlet White House are principled, impassioned and

If the politics of “The West Wing” were idealistic in 2000, they’re downright impossible in 2022. In the wake of the Trump presidency, with a bill to protect fundamental voting rights dead on the Senate floor and President Biden acknowledging a partisan stalemate that threatens the future of meaningful legislation, some argue that it’s irresponsible to escape into a fictional political world so blissfully functional. A 2020 reunion special of “The West Wing”

“Projects of political fantasy have the power to cause us to reflect on what we value and engage us in real-world politics.”

extraordinarily competent. Bartlet himself is almost inhumanly eloquent, and his ability to maintain near-constant moral integrity as the president of the United States is nothing short of fantastical. But that’s the beauty of it.

Free from the murky ethics and partisan gridlock of real-world politics, “West Wing” politicians could “hold positions that were untenable in real life,” as one Guardian reviewer notes.

Watching those positions — policies and decisions that prioritize justice, freedom and equality — play out on screen is undeniably satisfying. I can’t help but find myself craving the fade to black that marks the end of an episode — another crisis resolved, another day of honest, democratic work completed.

brought this tension to light once again, forcing audiences to reckon with the present political climate. In his review of the special, Hank Sutever of The Washington Post characterized nostalgia for the show as “a privileged form of zoning out — a detached state of denial at the very worst time to be detaching.” It’s true that there’s danger in using any work of fiction as an escape from the problems of the current day. Fiction that seeks to imitate reality can be an especially tempting replacement. There is so much we want to hide from, particularly at this moment in history, that we cannot afford to — a pandemic, disillusionment with our government and a crisis of conspiracies and misinformation. It can seem downright irresponsible

to find satisfaction in Bartlet’s speeches when there’s so much burning outside.

Yet there’s a crucial sense of nuance missing from this viewpoint. Engaging with fiction does not always translate to escape from real life.

Television does more than simply remove viewers from their reality. Instead, political dramas have a dynamic relationship with real-world experiences; they can influence how we interpret events and clarify our hopes and fears. Works of dystopian fiction, such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” are lauded for their ability to imagine the possibilities of present-day ideas and institutions carried to devastating extremes. Similarly, projects of political fantasy have the power to cause us to reflect on what we value and engage us in real-world politics. It’s a quantifiable effect. A Purdue University study on viewers of shows with female politicians like “Scandal” and “Madam Secretary” found that when viewers “felt connected to the shows’ characters … they paid more attention to politics and were more involved in political activities.”

“The West Wing” won’t cause every senator to build platforms and pass legislation based on principle. Television can’t remake our government or produce changes that require real effort and time. But our cultural relationship with political storytelling and the gap between what we see on screen versus in the news is still real and valuable. It’s in that space that I found myself this past month — curled up on the couch and trying to imagine something better.

Alissa Simon ’25 can be reached at alissa_ simon@brown.edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@browndailyherald. com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

8

METRO

Student, alum’s resolution language used in official U.N. resolution Intergenerational effort shows power of youth activism to have global impacts

BY MAYA DAVIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Last September, activists, including current student Zoey Fisher ’25 and alum Jamie Metzl ’90, released a draft U.N. General Assembly resolution addressing global health issues including water access, sanitation, hygeine and pandemic protection through Model U.N. Impact, which is dedicated to helping student resolutions reach members of the U.N. By November, language from this draft was included in the U.N. General Assembly’s Resolution 76/153: The Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation.

Over 600 students from 80 countries worked on the draft with public health experts, former diplomats and U.N. representatives. Together, they aimed to create a resolution that highlighted the connection between a lack of access to clean water and hygiene and the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft was brought to world leaders in September and was ultimately introduced to the U.N. General Assembly by the German and Spanish governments.

“This is the first time in history when language from a Model United Nations resolution was transformed into language in a real United Nations resolution passed by the General Assembly,” Metzl said.

Metzl emphasized that the resolution showed the power of youth voices to inspire change. He also hopes the accomplishment will inspire a new format of youth activism focused on empathy that takes “the step from consciousness-raising to specific problem solving.”

Fisher similarly noted the need for action-focused activism. Specifically,

she was disheartened by the “lack of empathy” she saw at Model U.N. conferences. At these conferences, students come together to debate and work on resolutions to global issues. These issues affect billions around the world; but, according to Fisher, many students “only cared about getting an award” and had “lost sight of the actual people behind the issues they were debating.”

It was this perceived lack of enthusiasm for tangible change that led Fisher to join Model U.N. Impact. Model U.N. Impact joined with Metzl’s organization OneShared.World in hopes of advancing the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal to improve health standards worldwide.

“Model U.N. Impact had the infrastructure and the access to all these young people,” Fisher said. “OneShared.

World brought the expertise and connections.”

Together, the two organizations provided a space for students around the world to debate solutions to issues of water access, sanitation, hygiene and pandemic protection. Students who excelled in debate then worked with experts to write the final draft resolution.

While U.N.-led plans were already set in motion to address these issues, the youth resolution aimed to expand policies. Participating students recognized the link between the U.N. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene campaign and U.N. efforts to improve pandemic protection, then combined the two to create a resolution focuing on water access, sanitation, hygiene and pandemic protection: WASHPAP. “Water, sanitation and hygiene services are an essential part of preventing illness and protecting human health during infectious disease outbreaks,” the resolution reads. The resolution calls for the recognition of the connection between water, sanitation and hygiene and protection from disease in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also calls for states to implement novel approaches to achieve “WASHPAP

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Over 600 students from 80 countries worked with public health experts, former diplomats and U.N. representatives to release a draft of a U.N. General Assembly resolution addressing various global issues. for all”— sanitation practices in disease prevention — by 2030. The resolution further outlines steps states would need to take to meet the 2030 goal.

These approaches include “establishing sufficient access to safe water resources for all people,” “establishing access to sanitation resources for every individual” and “pandemic response education for all citizens.” It also calls on private institutions to provide monetary support to “developing countries.”

The main goal, according to Fisher, was to “get the U.N. to recognize this idea of WASHPAP and the idea that helping the world’s most vulnerable populations makes a better place for everyone. Guaranteeing access to water, sanitation and hygiene and pandemic protection is not charity. It’s the smartest investment for every single person on this planet.”

The final U.N. resolution recognized the interconnectedness of WASH and the COVID-19 pandemic, but the process of getting there was not easy, according to Fisher.

“At the U.N., there is a lot of red tape and politics,” Fisher explained. According to Fisher, certain governments did not want to adopt language from the draft resolution. For example, language to increase access to WASHPAP for women specifically was an issue for some. Fisher described the process as “a pleasure” but also “difficult.”

To Fisher, the process highlighted the importance of youth voices in global politics.

This sentiment is reflected in the U.N., according to U.N. Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Aziz Haq. Although governments remain the key actors, youth serve as “an inspiration for movement,”

he said. Among the many groups within the U.N., youth act as a “counterweight” to forces working to preserve the status quo, Haq explained.

“The best thing is for (young people) to get involved,” Haq added. “There’s no alternative to speaking out.”

Climate change may become the focus of Model U.N. Impact and OneShared.World student activists in the future, according to Metzl. Metzl hopes for a “statement in the format of the Glasgow Statement from COP 26, articulating what young people around the world are demanding.”

“Young people are front and center with the climate issue right now,” Fisher said. “We think that this will be a really great new campaign. Hopefully we can achieve something even greater with it.”