Wednesday, September 15th, 2021

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

VOLUME CLVI, ISSUE XIV

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

METRO

METRO

‘Bitter farewell’ for Mini-Mart, Bagel Gourmet

Residents detail systemic issues at Fox Point Manor

East Side Mini-Mart, Bagel Gourmet to close Sept. 30 as University begins construction

Seniors living in the complex allege deteriorating facilities, “sheer intimidation”

BY ASHLEY GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER The plaza at 250 Brook St. is a roundthe-clock hub for the University community, with students grabbing late-night snacks from East Side MiniMart and easing into groggy weekend mornings with Bagel Gourmet’s hearty breakfast sandwiches.

But, after decades of business, East Side Mini-Mart and Bagel Gourmet will close by Sept. 30 to make room for the construction of new University housing on Brook Street. The plaza, which also includes the Providence Police Department District 9 substation, will be demolished in early October as construction contractors begin work on the development.

Although the shops will close in the immediate future, good memories and hope for the future make the closures more bittersweet than melancholy.

BY KATY PICKENS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

NAT HARDY / HERALD

East Side Mini Mart will close after 28 years of service on Sept. 30. The business is interested in returning after construction is complete.

All tenants have been “long aware” of the project, as formal plans for the residence hall and the end of leases were conveyed in February 2020, according to University Spokesperson Brian Clark.

The residence hall plan includes two buildings that will house approximately 350 students, The Herald previously reported. While the addition of planned retail space has been a source of contention, in July 2021 the University committed to including a retail component in the west building, according to Clark.

The addition of the retail space aims to benefit both the surrounding neighborhood and the Brown community, Clark added, while the increase of University housing will help alleviate the impact of off-campus students on the local housing market.

Dave Faria, the owner of East Side Mini-Mart across its 28-year history, recently put up a sign on his store window alerting shoppers to the Mini-Mart’s imminent closure in October. While this came as a shock to customers, Faria

SEE BROOK STREET PAGE 5

Fox Point Manor, a public housing apartment complex located at 575 Wickenden St., is known to some residents as “Purgatory Palace” and “Fox Point Penitentiary.” One resident described living there in no uncertain terms: “Never in my life have I lived anywhere as bad as this.”

The Herald spoke with four residents of Fox Point Manor on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retribution and jeopardizing their living situations. Each resident has been given a pseudonym in order to protect their identities. They described what they considered to be systemic issues in the buildings that have spanned years — including deteriorating facilities and “sheer intimi-

dation” from management — as well as specific problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fox Point Manor, which has 91 one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units, provides affordable housing to elderly and disabled tenants. The building is managed by Canning Management Group, which has four additional affordable housing developments throughout Rhode Island, according to its website .

The Manor falls under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 program, which helps low-income families, the elderly and disabled residents.

The Section 8 Rental Certificate program allows private landlords to rent to tenants, with HUD subsidizing rental assistance so residents pay roughly 30% of their income toward rent.

Tenants who had lived at the Manor for years described multiyear battles with mice, cockroaches

SEE MANOR PAGE 2

UNIVERSITY NEWS

ARTS & CULTURE

Faculty optimistic, nervous for start of fall semester

Met Gala underwhelms due to unoriginality

Faculty excited for start of classes, hesitant about semester plans

BY ALEX NADIRASHVILI SENIOR STAFF WRITER “I’m so happy to be standing up here before you and not delivering this lecture from home,” said James Kellner, associate professor of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology, to his class on Wednesday morning.

More than 200 students in a Salomon Center lecture hall suddenly erupted into a wave of applause, a moment of shared gratitude between Kellner and his students.

University classes officially began Sept. 8 for the fall term, the majority of them in person with a few online and hybrid classes.

Like many other faculty, Kellner has found himself lecturing to an in-person class for the first time since the pandemic first began impacting classes in spring 2020.

“If you had asked me before the

semester what was one word that described how I felt about the beginning of the semester, it would be optimistic,” Kellner told The Herald.

Other faculty members echoed this sentiment.

“I was very glad to be going back in person,” Ross Cheit, professor of political science, said. “I was certainly delighted to be in the same room.”

Looming beneath the feeling of overwhelming excitement, however, is a sense of hesitancy and nervous anticipation.

“There was some nervousness about the dynamics of the classroom, a concern about the different ways we’ll communicate because of the masks,” Cheit said. “It’s still unclear to me how well I can monitor my student’s reactions without the proper facial cues. … Do they look confused? Are they disagreeing? … I think we might want to adopt some hand signals.”

Both Kellner and Anthony Cheung, associate professor of music, expressed some concern about shopping period logistics and room capacity.

SEE FALL TERM PAGE 6

2021 edition of annual star-studded event was more about personality than fashion

BY CECILIA BARRON SENIOR STAFF WRITER While the Met Gala is usually an opportunity to indulge in the pure aesthetics of wealth and fame — the red carpet flooded with celebrities and ridiculous costumes — this year’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” demanded more than a quick glance.

The Met Gala is the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The Gala marks the opening of a new exhibit at the institute, this year’s being the double exhibit “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” While the Gala was canceled last year due to the pandemic, past themes and their corresponding exhibits have included “Camp,” “Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” “Fashion and Fantasy,” and “Jacqueline Kennedy.”

As much a spectacle of celebrities as it is one of costumes, this year’s Gala

COURTESY OF HUGO SCHNEIDER

The Met Gala took place last Monday ahead of the new Costume Institute’s exhibit, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” encompassed the past two years of pop culture. Kim Kardashian arrived without Kanye. Addison Rae and Dixie D’Amelio made appearances. The menu was plant-based. YouTube stars were some of the first to debut on the red carpet.

Vaccines were required.

Perhaps the biggest change to this year’s Met Gala was how celebrities’ personal lives have begun to overshadow their sartorial selections. Jennifer Lopez’s Ralph Lauren Western chic ensemble — complete with cowboy hat and faux fur — seemed secondary to her masked kiss with new (and old) boyfriend Ben Affleck. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

U. News

U. News

Sports

Commentary

Center for Middle East Studies hosts webinar on Afghan experience Page 2

Warren Alpert Medical School appoints new chief wellness officer, Kelly Holder Page 3

Governor McKee hosts press conference before Saturday’s Governor’s Cup Page 5

Gao ’24: Reform on confederate statues should involve creative engagement Page 6

arrived in a white gown with red “TAX THE RICH” lettering. And in perhaps the most memorable moment of the night, Nicki Minaj announced she would not be in attendance due to the Gala’s vaccine requirement, her absence making more of a show than any outfit could have.

Each outfit seemed to be an expression of each person rather than a remark on the (albeit vague) theme of “America.” The Gala did not compose a moving, intentional exhibit as it has in other years. Instead, it seemed like an awards show, with each nominee tailor-

SEE MET PAGE 6

TODAY

TOMORROW

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MANOR FROM PAGE 1 and bed bug infestations. According to Christine Levy, director of operations for Canning Management Group, a weekly survey is distributed to tenants asking if there are pests in their apartments. “The pest control company is on site every Thursday, at which time they inspect each unit and collect the surveys on that floor,” Levy wrote in an email to The Herald.

Tenants who spoke to The Herald explained that those inspections were at times invasive, and that in instances of infestation, they often had to deal with mice and cockroaches themselves.

“Their (extermination) stuff doesn’t work,” said a tenant referred to here as Robert. “I had to set my own traps.”

Each of the tenants interviewed said they had been trapped in the building’s elevator at least once, usually with no one there to answer the emergency call button. “I’ve been caught inside the elevator, so I grabbed the phone and dialed the number and I got the answering machine,” Robert said. “I had to bang and bang until somebody found out I was in there and they could call 911.”

“Any reports of elevator malfunctions are reported immediately to the elevator company. The elevator is shut down until the technician arrives, usually the same day or the following day,” Levy wrote. “There is always one elevator operational.”

Residents emphasized that elevator access was especially crucial for the many tenants in Fox Point Manor who have disabilities. Many people in the building can’t walk up the stairs, another resident referred to as Mary explained.

R ​ esidents identified other failures to accommodate people with disabilities.

There was previously a trash chute in the building, but now residents are responsible for compiling and transporting their trash to a dumpster adjacent to the building, which isn’t always a physical possibility. “There are people in the building that are disabled, having trouble walking, use wheelchairs — and now they have to go out to the dumpster,” said Patricia, a tenant in the manor. Robert explained that if they did not have a certified nursing assistant to help, garbage would simply take over their apartment.

“According to our House Rules, all tenants are responsible for placing their trash in the dumpster,” Levy wrote. “Anyone who reports they need help with their assisted daily living such as disposing of their trash” can work

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS with a member of the Canning Management team to “find the best option for maintaining their residency at Fox Point Manor.”

But several sources from the building said that their liaison often failed to accommodate the needs of disabled residents and could not be relied upon.

Though issues with pests or disability accommodations aren’t uncommon in low-income senior housing, the tenants explained that the building culture and relations with the management was what made living there especially difficult. When there are problems with the building or management, “many people are too afraid to even speak up” due to fears of potential retribution through eviction notices, one tenant said.

Retaliatory evictions of tenants who complain to the landlord or local or government authorities about code violations on the property are outlawed in the state of Rhode Island.

Several tenants reported that they had been subjected to extensive room checks by management, which are allowed by HUD protocol, and were told to decrease clutter in their apartments.

But this made them feel that their space and continued residency were at risk. “I was told I could not have anything in my apartment that I did not use every single day,” one tenant referred to as James said.

Throughout the pandemic, particularly in the early phases of lockdown, several seniors in the building said they struggled with a lack of support from building management. Residents said that building management had sent out a letter during the pandemic saying that they had checked on each of the residents, but each tenant interviewed said no staff had talked to them. “No one ever checked on me,” Mary said.

“No one ever called on me to ask, ‘Are you still alive?’”

Later on in the year, new problems arose: Summer heat waves made the apartments exceedingly hot, as they do not have built-in air conditioning. At a meeting between the tenants about problems in the building, one resident present said that when they asked management about whether air conditioning could be paid for by the building, they were told that tenants “all had stimulus checks, so if we were having problems with AC, that’s what it should have been used for.”

When assessed by HUD’s Real Estate Assessment Center Aug. 21, 2018, Fox Point Manor received a score of 76 out of 100 on their grading scale, which is 13.1 points lower than the

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

KATY PICKENS / HERALD

Infestations, poor management and deteriorating living conditions impact Wickenden Street residents. average for public housing in Rhode Island. On Nov. 19, 2019, that score jumped to 87.

Levy wrote that Canning Management Group’s “collaborative and team approach with our management team, maintenance team and residents is the token of our community and allows us to be proactive vs. reactive.”

“A lot of people just move. We’ve lost a lot of very good tenants, very good friends, because they were constantly intimidated by management until they left,” Robert said. Others don’t have

that option. “I have no place to go. I’d be homeless,” Patricia said.

Previously, tenants said they had trouble getting help from politicians and local government officials.

Recently, Ward 1 Councilman John Goncalves ’13 MA’15 said he has taken “a hands-on approach” toward Fox Point Manor. He has connected some tenants with legal services, and talks regularly with the residents and management.

Goncalves emphasized that the problems seniors are facing in Fox Point

Manor are not limited to one building.

“This is a microcosm of the bigger issues there,” he said.

“Unfortunately, a lot of elected officials have turned a blind eye to a lot of the challenges that are happening in that building,” Goncalves said.

“Moving forward, as we continue to compile some of the relevant concers in that building, we have to think about recourse.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

3

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Warren Alpert Medical School appoints inaugural chief wellness officer Initiatives to include wellness checks, embedding wellness into curriculum

BY RAHMA IBRAHIM SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR The Alpert Medical School appointed Kelly Holder as its inaugural chief wellness officer, according to an Aug. 27 University announcement.

Holder assumed the role in April and works to provide support for medical students in protecting their mental health.

Studies have shown that medical students are at a higher risk for depression and burnout than the general population. Holder’s appointment as wellness officer is a step taken by the Med School to nurture wellness on the campus.

Prior to assuming her role at Brown, Holder served as director of the Office for Professional Mental Health at the Penn State College of Medicine and Hershey Medical Center.

In her former role, Holder directed the provision of counseling and therapy services to faculty, physicians, residents and medical students while performing outreach to decrease mental health stigma within the medical community.

At Brown, Holder will offer 15-minute, one-on-one appointments to medical students. Distinct from the services provided by the Med School’s

COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

While the announcement of Kelly Holder’s appointment was in late August, she assumed the role in April 2021. designated Counseling and Psychological Services therapist, these optional appointments will offer an additional resource for students. They are “not

meant to be therapy or replace therapy,” according to Holder, who has also assumed the role of assistant director of CAPS.

“There has been this superhero myth around physicians that’s lasted over time … that in order to take good care of people, we have to really overwork ourselves to learn the most and know the most,” Holder said. “From my perspective, it’s just as important to learn how to care for yourself so that you can be a more compassionate physician but also sustain the lifetime of being a physician.”

While the focus on the importance of wellness has always been there, the addition of a wellness officer reflects the Med School’s commitment to giving the issue more attention, said Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the Med School Roxanne Vrees ’98 MD’03 RES’07.

Prior to Holder’s appointment, the Med School had in place a combination of faculty- and student-sponsored initiatives to “enhance medical student wellness, offering group-focused and individualized resources,” wrote Johanna Suskin MD’23 in an email to The Herald.

Suskin serves as a co-chair of one such group, the Student Health Council.

SHC is a student-led, faculty-supported group at the Med School that is “devoted to promoting student wellness” through various events, according to Suskin.

“Dr. Holder will be a much-appreciated resource of yet another AMS-affiliated provider who can provide students with advice, support and recommendations regarding mental health and wellness,” Suskin added.

A “huge reason” for Holder’s appointment was to ensure the formal

incorporation of wellness into the curriculum, Vrees said, adding that Holder will help ensure that wellness is “as important as the basic sciences.” The goal of formally embedding wellness into the curriculum is to ensure students learn how to “care for themselves as they’re learning how to care for patients,” Holder said.

By hiring a wellness officer and embedding wellness into the curriculum at earlier stages, the Med School hopes to “foster an environment where asking for help is the norm, not the exception,” Vrees said.

Holder has also been meeting with wellness groups around the Med School such as SHC to try to “centralize the services that are already available but scattered,” she said.

“Dr. Holder has already become one of the main advisors and advocates for SHC,” Suskin said. Suskin added she is looking forward to collaborating with Holder on wellness endeavors in the future.

The pandemic “amplified the importance of having this individual at the medical school,” Vrees said, adding she hopes having Holder in this role will help address burnout and ensure the overall well-being of the student body at the Med School.

“One of the things that really excited me about coming to Brown is the fact that they made the step to name a chief wellness officer,” Holder said. “And as someone who’s worked in the wellness space for some time, that’s a big deal.”

4

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Center for Middle East Studies panel sheds light on Afghan experience Speakers share research, personal stories in light of current crisis in Afghanistan

BY GRACE WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Tuesday, the Center for Middle East Studies sponsored a webinar that centered the experiences of Afghans during the ongoing crisis. The event, titled “Afghanistan Lives: Then and Now,” invited researchers Mejgan Massoumi and Valentine Moghadam and community organizer Arash Azzizada to discuss the historical and current conditions under which Afghan citizens lived. The conversation was moderated by Director

of Middle East Studies and Professor of Anthropology and Middle East Studies Nadje Al-Ali. Massoumi, a college fellow at Stanford University, kicked off the talks with a presentation on Afghan music,

of Afghanistan, it is also threatened under the new rule of the Taliban, said Al-Ali. “Part of dehumanizing people is (viewing them) either as victims or perpetrators, but they are people,” she added. “In Afghanistan, there are people

rebuilding the country did not have a lasting impact.

“Hardly any of it … went to social and economic reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,” she said.

Born to Afghan refugee parents,

and seized the presidential palace.

Since then, thousands of Afghan people have fled the country, terrified of what the country might become under Taliban rule. “I wish I could invite folks to come see and look at our

playing pieces that have historically demonstrated the history and context of the country. She discussed how various communities in Afghanistan use music to express their sentiments and advocate for their rights. After giving examples of different pieces of music, she ended with the song “My Land,” which has become an “informal anthem for both Afghans that have become new refugees outside of the country, and those who consider themselves physically and mentally displaced within the country,” Massoumi said.

While music represents the history

who love music, who love literature, theater, the arts, and it is not a coincidence that one of the first things the Taliban are going to do is to prevent people from playing and listening to music.”

Moghadam, a professor at Northeastern University and an expert in Afghan history, followed with a presentation that placed context around the current state of the country and the United States’ role. Through detailing the past forty years of Afghan history, Moghadam demonstrated that the majority of American resources put into

writer, photographer and community organizer Azizzada shared some personal experiences around the impact displacement has on the Afghan people, specifically among his own family, friends and broader communities.

Azzizada said that the World Bank has frozen aid to the country, and banks in Afghanistan are withholding money from citizens. In light of this turmoil, he describes his community work as doing the jobs that institutions and governments “failed to do.”

On Aug. 14, the Taliban invaded Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan,

inboxes…(with emails) from people desperate for evacuation currently,” Azzizada said.

Arrizzada ended his talk with a call to action for students, faculty and the American public: “Start valuing Afghan lives. There are 50 to 70,000 Afghan people coming to the United States.

Treat them like human beings, don’t treat them like Afghans, don’t treat them like refugees. Despite all the pain and tragedy, despite all the displacement, there are still Afghans fighting for a better tomorrow.”

CA L E N DA R

COVID -19 AT BROWN LAST 7 DAYS*

SEPTEMBER S

5

M

6

Tu

7

Completed Tests

People Tested

W

Th

F

S

13,961

11,639

1

2

3

4

Confirmed Positives

Positivity Rates

90

0.6 %

8

9

10

11 SINCE AUGUST 24, 2020*

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Completed Tests

People Tested

485,567

17,290

Total Cases

Prevalence

733

4.2 %

*AS OF SEP 15.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

5

SPORTS

Governor McKee hosts Governor’s Cup press event for Brown, URI Brown, URI football teams attend in preparation for Saturday’s matchup

BY RYAN HANDEL SPORTS EDITOR In advance of Saturday’s Governor’s Cup showdown between the Brown and University of Rhode Island football teams, Governor Dan McKee hosted a press conference outside the Rhode Island State Capitol Tuesday afternoon to promote the event. Brown Head Coach James Perry ‘00 and URI Head Coach Jim Fleming also spoke at the press conference.

Multiple players from each team, including Brown’s Allen Smith ‘22, EJ Perry GS and William Such ‘22, were in attendance. McKee was presented with custom Brown and URI football jerseys as part of the conference. The Governor’s Cup will take place Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Brown Stadium on the newly renovated Richard Gouse Field.

“The state of Rhode Island is so proud of the examples that our coaches and our players represent,” McKee said.

“As a Rhode Islander I’m just proud to have two exciting, elite football teams right here in our backyard. For me, it’s not about the wins and losses, it’s about

the spirit of the competition.”

Brown (0-0) will bring a veteran roster to their season opener against URI, but the Rams will present a stern test to the Bears. URI (2-0) started its season red-hot with a dominant 45-21 victory over Bryant University, followed by a gritty road win over University at Albany. In addition, the Bears have not defeated the Rams since 2017. In the rivals’ most recent matchup, URI won 31-28 at Brown Stadium. Bruno will need continued production from its offensive stars and an improved performance from its defensive unit to reverse that result.

“Rhode Island is 2-0. They’re a terrific squad,” James Perry said, acknowledging URI as an FCS championship-caliber team. “This is the type of challenge that’s in front of us. This is the type of challenge that we love to have.”

Still, Perry is optimistic about the Bears’ potential in the Governor’s Cup due to the improvements his team has made in the two years since their last game. “When I took over the (Brown football) program a couple years ago, building the roster was my number one priority. Literally, building the roster size,” Perry said at the press conference.

“We have done that… we’re a much deeper and larger team.”

Perry also commended his players for improving their conditioning de-

RYAN HANDEL / HERALD

Governor McKee receives custom jerseys from Governor’s Cup teams, the Brown Bears and the URI Rams. spite the COVID-19 restrictions of the past year and a half. “When we reported in August (for training camp), I was really pleased to see our team come back deeper, stronger and a little bit faster,” he said.

Fleming also recognized the improvements to his Rams squad and URI as a whole. “The development of our football program has been representative of what’s happening down there in Kingston,” he said. “The people that have gone away for some time and then come back down to campus have recognized an incredible evolution of the university in terms of the structures,

the buildings, the programs — everything has been on an upgrade. One of our goals as a football program is to represent the university as it is, as a school of excellence.”

The 2021 Governor’s Cup will have a veteran flair, as both teams took advantage of changes to collegiate eligibility rules to bring older players back for another year of competition.

Brown will bring back 12 fifth-year student-athletes this season, including quarterback EJ Perry. Coach James Perry thanked those student-athletes for showing their commitment to the football program by returning for an

extra year. “It’s really remarkable for (EJ Perry) and his classmates to look at the program, the state we were in — those guys were 1-20 in the Ivy League (from 2017-2019) — and say, ‘I think this thing is going somewhere,’” James Perry said.

The Governor’s Cup is especially familiar to James Perry, as he competed in it as Brown’s quarterback during his undergraduate years. “I have a great attachment to this game, having played in it, having been an assistant in it,” he said. Perry will look to guide Bruno to a victory this weekend in the newest chapter of this historic rivalry.

BROOK STREET FROM PAGE 1

joint.

“It was basically a staple of my year last year because I would, before class, almost every day, go to Bagel Gourmet because it was so conveniently close,” said Charles Levy ’24. “It was very easily accessible from (Vartan Gregorian Quad) because it was right behind it, so I always felt like it was something I could rely on.”

The police substation in the plaza will also relocate, according to Lt. Joseph Dufault, commander of the district.

“The nice thing about this location is we’re pretty close to everything that’s on the East Side,” Dufault said.

“We have a good spot here, so whatever spot we get is probably not going to be as convenient a location as we have now.”

With the help of the University, Dufault is hopeful the District 9 command will move to a location close to the original office. “I’m confident that Brown wants us here, too, because we do have a close working relationship with Brown University,” Dufault said.

Faria also emphasized his partnership with the University, sharing his gratitude for its assistance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last year and a half with COVID, we just got destroyed,” Faria said. “We had some government aid and cut our hours back. And (the University) reduced my rent tremendously … Without those things, I think I would’ve gone out a while ago. They’ve been really good to me.”

Still, Levy expresses regret at the demolition of the plaza. “I’m definitely sad because it was a big part of my freshman year,” Levy said. “I hope that somehow, hopefully the East Side Mini-Mart can move somewhere close by or be included as a bottom part of the new residence hall.”

confirmed that the potential development was communicated to him often and early on by the University.

“When I first signed my lease, there was always potential for development, they told me, so there were no surprises,” Faria said. “Actually, I’m happily surprised that it lasted so long.”

Although there were plans to temporarily relocate the Mini-Mart during construction, those plans fell through.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Faria, who has operated the store since 1992. “It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of responsibility, but I love it.”

Faria has formed relationships and rapport with his customers over his many years in College Hill. “I absolutely love my customers. I am going to miss them so much, and they’re going to miss the store so much,” Faria said. “A lot of these people … depend on us because a lot of them live nearby and it saves them from walking to Thayer Street at night.”

While the Mini-Mart will be closed during the construction, Faria said he is interested in returning to the original 250 Brook St. location when the designated retail space is available.

Bagel Gourmet, which has also leased the space from Brown for about 25 years, may relocate to a temporary location on campus, according to Clark.

“We have engaged in discussion with each tenant to support their relocation efforts, including discussion about potential relocation to other Brown-owned buildings,” Clark said.

“We identified a location on campus for Bagel Gourmet to continue to bake its bagels in support of its other retail operations in Providence, including one in our medical school building.”

Still, the loss of Brook Street’s Bagel Gourmet will be felt by students who often frequent the beloved bagel

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

6

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

MET FROM PAGE 1

VICTORIA YIN / HERALD

Masks have posed a challenge for in-person instruction, some professors finding it hard to read their student’s expressions.

FALL TERM FROM PAGE 1 Due to possible overcrowding, Cheung held his first lecture over Zoom, “which felt oddly familiar.” Kellner reached out to the University to help “efficiently move large volumes of people in and out of” the Salomon Center’s large lecture space in order to mitigate potential virus spread.

For Connie Crawford, adjunct lecturer in theater arts and performance studies, the first week of in-person classes has led to increased student engagement.

“People are excited, but they’re also anxious. There’s a lot of free-floating energy,” Crawford said. “But students really want to be live and interactive.”

Many professors are finding that in-person classes have allowed students to feel a better sense of community.

“It’s nice to teach in person, I think the students appreciate seeing what you’re talking about instead of just watching it,” Eric Chason, professor of engineering, said. “Having other students around is very important. … Students feel good they’re doing this with someone else instead of by themselves.”

“There’s an energy in the fact that we’re together,” Cheit said. “It was so nice to be together again, everybody’s been wanting it.”

For Cheung, who started teaching at the University last year, returning to the classroom has allowed him to

experience Brown as a whole, rather than just the “remote and displaced” culture of the pandemic.

“In one of my classes, singing is an important component and that was never possible in a meaningful way on Zoom,” Cheung said. “Being able to do activities like that, to make meaningful connections in person, will just be so satisfying.”

Faculty members voiced concern over the possibility of faculty burnout as they approach their third consecutive semester after the 2020-2021 school year.

“I think many faculty feel that the summer was not as restorative as it might have been, and last year was really draining,” Cheit said. “Uncertainty is draining, … and the faculty are not alone in the boat. But in a normal year, students don’t have to wonder if their faculty members are burned out, and I think a lot of people are near the end of their rope.”

Crawford emphasized the facilities staff and their non-stop work.

“They’ve got to be exhausted, they’re doing triple the cleaning!”

Crawford said. “Everybody’s tired — students, faculty, staff, facilities — but everybody’s doing the best they can.

Students have been especially conscientious, going above and beyond the University’s protocols to make the transition process smoother.”

Despite fears of burnout, some pro-

fessors have found solace in the University community with the return of in-person operations.

Cheit cited a “really good feeling” in seeing new faces at the first faculty meeting of the year that was held in person after a year and a half of only online meetings.

Chason, who lost his daughter in the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, was initially worried over how the University would respond to the ever-changing status of the pandemic. “I was very gratified and emotional (that) Brown responded so properly to the pandemic. They didn’t just ignore it because students were not getting sick,” Chason said. “I was really glad about that.”

While the rest of the semester remains shrouded in uncertainty, faculty members are making sure to stay flexible in case the University returns to remote learning in the future.

“The school leadership has been transparent and communicative about updates and procedures, and there’s a commitment to safety and science,” Cheung said. “I do worry, of course, and have hybrid plans in place should we need to make changes.”

Cheit echoed Cheung’s emphasis on adaptability.

“I just think the key is to understand that this year is gonna be somewhat different,” Cheit said. “And we need to be flexible to get through it.”

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ing their look to their own celebrity, desperately vying for a “Best-Dressed” (or an even more desperate “unforgettable”) title the next morning.

Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute, predicted the theme’s dissolution before the Gala began, stating, “American fashion isn’t just about clothes, it’s about the life you live inside them.” The clothes were just a hoop to jump through; the star’s presence — their being there, at the Met Gala, as a star — was the actual statement. Of course, this meant there were beautiful gowns on beautiful people — Hunter Shafer in a metallic Prada set and Lupita Nyong’o in a complex, denim Versacestand out — but there wasn’t much else.

The “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” theme becomes even more sinister considering this disparateness. If American fashion is about the lives lived within clothes, it’s about people. And if it’s about people, what falls outside of its purview?

Naomi Osaka, tennis star, wore an extravagant Louis Vuitton piece that featured Koi fish, a reference to her Japanese heritage. That would fall beneath the lexicon of American fashion. AOC’s loud political statement, a direct affront to a country that refuses to adequately tax the rich,

would belong to American fashion too. Kim Kardashian’s no-costume costume — a skin-hugging black gown that mummified and masked one of the most recognizable faces — is also American.

If all of these costumes fall under Bolton’s definition of American fashion, then is anything remotely anti-American? Does anything work against the American status quo, the Western beauty standard manufactured and dispelled by the very attendees? Can there be a counter-fashion, a new model of clothing that rejects conventions and reinvents the art of dress?

Judging from the Met Gala and its assortment of individualistic and uninspired models, fashion is suffocated by this empty corpse of “Americanness.” Bolton’s model, whether he is promoting or merely noting it, seems to have taken hold. All it would take for a revival would be a belief in something stronger than a nationalist theme, one that affirmatively creates rather than accepts. But the current celebrity apparatus seems more focused on making an appearance, staking their claim to the Met Gala inheritance, and promoting their individuality. Here, maybe Bolton is right. There’s nothing more American than that.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Gao ’24: Removing Confederate statues is not enough

BY JOYCE GAO STAFF COLUMNIST

Near my childhood home, there was a particular sculpture that I loved: It was a big, round, abstract sculpture carved out of black granite, depicting a seated mother raising her baby into the air. I remember blissfully running my hands over its smooth surface and feeling the gentle heat absorbed from the sun, as if the mother and child had come alive within the hard granite. I read no plaques, learned no author nor date, and until this day, I still don’t know the title of the piece — but I know it welcomed me and made me happy.

As a means of education, public art conveys these subtle messages through texture, general atmosphere and how they interweave into everyday life. As children grow up, these initial impressions pave the way to understanding the historical significance behind these pieces of art. Hence, it is important that we talk about what messages are conveyed to our children as they walk by these sculptures that merge into the landscape of their homes.

In recent years, Western countries have grappled with the future of statues that honor those who actively participated in or fought for the continuation of the slave trade. In the United States, the debate centers around statues of Confederates like Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Some suggest leaving these statues in place, arguing that changing or removing them would be equivalent to destroying historical monuments and history itself. Others propose removing and storing them in a sculpture graveyard that collects old Confederate monuments, with one artist even proposing to literally bury the sculptures underground and erect tombstones over them. In the midst of this debate, individuals and organizations have already begun to commission the removal of these statues, many of which are popular landmarks like the Roosevelt statue in front of New York’s American Museum of Natural History.

But despite good intentions, efforts to relocate statues that may be considered problematic can be ultimately shallow and generalized.

The work of reshaping the messages told by

these statues should capitalize on the strengths inherent in the medium: the impact a statue has on the observer standing at its feet, the opportunity for physical engagement presented by its size and presence and how a statue itself can serve as a component of entirely new pieces of art. Only by embracing these elements and inviting viewers to critically engage with these

ing it into a relic of the past, as would happen if it were relocated to a museum, it seems to take on the quality of an ancient, priceless artifact.

Second, only a fraction of the population will read the long, carefully worded labels. In a 2017 study by Smith et al, only around half of the participants chose to read the label alongside the artwork. For many museum goers, the

“Rather than hiding history, its artifacts should serve to encourage public discussion and foster a humanistic approach towards reevaluating history.”

statues and their context with a new perspective can we properly reckon with their position in modern art and discourse.

To productively engage with these statues, local governments must put in more consideration and effort than through simple relocation. Some propose to move these statues to museums and attach museum labels next to them, but the end product would hardly encourage a personal relationship between the viewer and the exhibit. Instead, cities need to address these statues in more meaningful ways, either through creative museum installations that interact with the viewers, or even by allowing artists to work with these statues without damaging them. Both options are means to the same end: To make each viewer feel personally engaged with the art piece.

There are two reasons why relocation cannot fully engage the viewers. First, picture the hushed atmosphere, bright lights and pristine glass of a museum exhibit, coupled with a statue of a Confederate general, perhaps on horseback or standing with his feet planted steadily on the ground, casting the same empty, heroic look at a crowd of visitors. The statue remains tall, authoritative and threatening, and by turn-

label will just be one of many that are too bothersome to read. For them, the statue remains just as aloof and honored as when it was standing on a high pedestal in its original position.

They see these statues the same way I saw my favorite childhood sculpture — a general impression without a title, theme or label, rather than artworks conversant with history and public debate.

If these statues are to be collected and exhibited in one place, it should be done creatively and interactively. One example is the Memento Park in Hungary, which collects and reframes the statues that were erected during Hungary’s communist period. These statues include a replica of Stalin’s Grandstand, which used to stand on Parade Square in central Budapest. During the revolution, protestors sawed off the body of the statue, leaving only Stalin’s boots on the pedestal. The two lonely boots convey a powerful message by playing on the absent yet looming presence of authority.

What I found most inspiring, however, is how Memento Park invites visitors to ascend the Grandstand and admire the scenery that Stalin once enjoyed himself. By actively engaging with the sculpture, visitors gain a concrete ex-

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perience instead of staring at the statue behind immaculate museum glass.

The other possibility is to grant artists the freedom to work directly with these statues.

They should be allowed to document, cast and interact with these statues however they prefer, albeit without damaging them. The restriction of not damaging the statues preserves historical artifacts and respects those to whom these statues hold a personal significance, such as direct descendants. In fact, in recent years, artists have already begun to riff on themes challenged by contemporary discourse. Portrait artist Kehinde Wiley created the statue “Rumors of War,” which places a young, contemporary Black man on horseback in the style of a classic Confederate statue. Dustin Klein, a lighting artist, chose to directly project Black Lives Matter messages onto a Confederate statue in Richmond. “Disgraced Monuments,” by Laura Mulvey and Mark Lewis, used film to document the process of dismantling communist statues and probes at the cyclical nature of revolutions.

In all of these works, the artists invite the viewers to look at the statues from a new perspective, either by adding subversive elements, or putting them in the context of history. In this process, they transform these statues from fixed narratives into open questions that creatively engage with the elements of their history challenged by modern debate. Unlike the innovative art mentioned above, a statue is expected to be interpreted in the same way by every viewer: As a statement of greatness made with an arrogant belief in immortality. The statues need not go; the question of how to deal with them shouldn’t be answered with the most obvious solution. Rather than hiding history, its artifacts should serve to encourage public discussion and foster a humanistic approach towards reevaluating history.

Like our public spaces, the interpretation of public art should also be open and varied. So bring in the artists, and let them communicate with the public.

Joyce Gao ’24 can be reached at xing_gao@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald. com.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

8

UNIVERSITY NEWS

U. professors remember 9/11, discuss its meaning for students today Four current professors share thoughts on commemoration, approaches to class

BY ANNA KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER While many students at Brown might not remember the events of the 9/11 attacks, some University professors still vividly recall the events of that day as well as its aftermath, carrying with them reflections 20 years later.

The Herald spoke to four professors about their recollections of that day and how those experiences inform their teaching of 9/11 today.

“It was an absolutely beautiful day,” said Daniel Kim, an associate professor of English and American studies, recalling the early Sept. 11 morning he spent in his home. “I hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to think about that stuff … I’ve been avoiding the coverage to be honest,” Kim said, visibly filled with emotion.

On Capitol Hill, working as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Sen. Carl Levin, Richard Arenberg, now visiting professor of political science, watched the events unfold from a TV in his office. “As we all were staring at the screen, we actually saw the second plane hit the second tower. At that point, it was immediately clear that we were dealing with some sort of terrorism.” Later that day, “members of Congress and a few staffers began to filter back to the Capitol and assemble on the Capitol steps … The entire group began to sing ‘God Bless America.’ It still chokes me up a little to think about it,” Arenberg said.

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the nation was overtaken by a sea of conflicting responses. It was a “true dividing point” in American history, Arenberg said. This past Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.

Reactions at Brown, UNC and Capitol Hill Professor of European History Omer Bartov was teaching a class of about 65 students at Brown on 9/11. When he asked if students wanted to talk about

LOKI OLIN / HERALD

what was happening, many of them asked questions like: “What did we do wrong? Why is this happening to us?

Why are we being attacked?”

Soon later, though, the general “moment of innocence” reacting to the attacks was “replaced by an urge for revenge,” Bartov said.

During the 9/11 attacks, Catherine Lutz, the co-director of the Costs of War project and professor emerita of international studies, was publishing a book at the University of North Carolina about the United States’ constant involvement in war during the 20th century. Fearful that the United States would overreact with a declaration of war instead of other alternatives, Lutz and other colleagues at UNC organized a teach-in a few days after the attacks, which around a thousand students attended, she said.

But “it was clear that a lot of people were extremely afraid and that fear also created a lot of anger, a desire for revenge and just lashing out,” Lutz said. In response to the teach-in, the organizers received death threats, she said.

Spearheaded by Lynne Cheney, former Second Lady of the United States,

the American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a report condemning critics of the war on terrorism, including a list naming 40 professors. Lutz and others on the panel were placed on the list after the teach-in, according to Lutz.

Meanwhile, Arenberg remembers a sense of unity on Capitol Hill: It was “a real sort of coming together … a sort of bipartisanship, a period of time when members of Congress saw themselves first in terms of representing the American people and second as Democrats or Republicans.”

Commemoration and lessons not learned As America commemorates the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Bartov warned that “we have to be careful about ... learning the wrong lessons from it,” because “the lesson is often a lesson of violence, rather than of humanity.” One-sided commemoration, which simply frames the United States as “in the right,” can “very often just slide into self-justification” and may lead to similar events happening again, Bartov said.

In celebrating the soldiers, fire-

fighters, policemen and others who put their lives on the line, Bartov, who is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, suggested “not just to talk about it, but to pay up” and “make sure that those families are taken care of.”

When Arenberg has been asked how he thinks the United States can return from its post-9/11 polarized state, he has usually responded that “it’s likely to take some sort of huge catastrophic event.”

But the partisan split following the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged his notion: “It’s a very profound disappointment to me, and really kind of depressing, to see the way that our country has responded,” he said. “If a pandemic with more than 600,000 people dead in our country is not enough to shock the body politic, it’s hard to think of what would.”

Current approaches in the classroom As most current undergraduates were too young to remember 9/11 or were born after the attacks, professors face a unique challenge when discussing the event in the classroom.

In discussing the subject, Arenberg

ties in his personal experiences. “Certainly everyone is aware of the event having occurred, but unless you experienced it, it’s hard to convey just how much it impacted everyone in the country,” he said. “I just think it animates that for students, to hear those firsthand stories.”

Kim plans on introducing a concept called “Postmemory” in his course ENGL 1710M: “Nationalizing Narratives: Race, Nationalism and the American Novel.” Though students will not have firsthand memories of the event, they can have “virtual” memories by means of the stories and experiences of the previous generation.

Bartov hopes that Brown students “try to understand these 20 years, their own first 20 years … in which this society went through a really profound and largely, I would say, troubling transformation,” he said. “Try and think (about) what your generation can do to turn things around, not by hating people ... but (by) thinking in more critical ways.”

There is hope in repairing a society “in dire need of repair since 9/11,” he said.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

University imposes new restrictions after uptick in COVID-19 cases Testing frequency for undergraduates increased to twice a week

BY KATIE CHEN METRO EDITOR The University will halt in-person dining, increase mandatory testing and restrict social gatherings among other temporary restrictions in light of an increase in positive asymptomatic cases in the undergraduate population over the past week, according to a community-wide email Monday from Provost Richard Locke P’18, Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91

MA’06 and Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes.

The three administrators attributed the uptick in cases to the higher transmissibility of the Delta variant, increased testing and more maskless social interactions among students.

There were 82 confirmed positive asymptomatic cases in the past seven days on campus.

All student organization events, activities and meetings must be held virtually, according to an email sent to student organization leaders by the Student Activities Office shortly following the campus-wide announcement.

Courses will continue in person, and instructors still have the option to remain maskless. There will be no new limitations introduced to library

or Nelson Fitness Center usage, Clark wrote.

Undergraduate students will now be required to get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly, regardless of vaccination status. Vaccinated students were previously required to be tested once per week, while unvaccinated students had to be tested twice per week.

With the halt to in-person dining, all campus dining halls will now offer takeout-style meals. The in-person dining area in the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center outside the Blue Room will also be closed. The re-opening of dining halls will be dependent on “testing results and other health and safety indicators,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.

All community members must mask when indoors, including in off-campus residences except when in private or in a non-shared space.

Students must also wear masks when outdoors at gatherings that include individuals outside of Brown, such as athletic events and campus admission tours.

University-hosted events will remain unrestricted, as long as mask protocols are followed. In instances of noncompliance or prohibited conduct, the Office of Student Conduct & Community Services will be responsible for resolving cases involving students, according to Clark.

Social gatherings among undergraduate students will be limited to five people, both on and off-campus, unless students live in housing with more than

five other individuals. Students are also encouraged and expected to socialize with the same five individuals, and are expected to refrain from visiting indoor bars and restaurants.

The University expects the new restrictions to be temporary and plans to adjust them as public health conditions change.

“A shared sense of community has kept Brown’s campus safe for the past 18 months, and if we continue the strong cooperation among students, staff and faculty to ensure the well-being of our community, we expect to be able to lift the short-term restrictions soon,” Locke, Carey and Estes wrote.