Wednesday, February 19, 2020

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 19

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

38 U. students named Fulbright scholars

U. announces new residence hall plan

U. ranks second among U.S. institutions for 2019-20 award year, trails after Georgetown

Two buildings scheduled to begin construction this fall, will include 375 beds

BY THOMAS PATTI STAFF WRITER With 38 award recipients, the University produced the second-most Fulbright students among all U.S. institutions for the 2019-20 school year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Selected from an applicant pool of 121 Brown students, this year’s cohort includes 36 recent undergraduate students and two current graduate students. Georgetown produced 45 award recipients this year, breaking the University’s three-year streak atop the list.

But Brown has placed among the top 10 Fulbright producers for the past 10 years, The Herald previously reported.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for students to either teach English or conduct independent research in one of over 160 participating countries, according to Fulbright’s website.

Linda Dunleavy, the associate dean of the college for fellowships, said the University’s consistent Fulbright success is “a community effort.” Peer-re-

BY MAI NEWBURY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

USHA BHALLA / HERALD

view workshops and a team of graduate student fellowship advisors help applicants strengthen their essays before the applications are reviewed in early August, two months before the national deadline. Faculty on the University’s Fulbright committee then give feedback on all students’ applications.

Without any previous international research experience, Karisma Chhabria ’19 initially questioned whether she was qualified for a Fulbright award. But Dunleavy’s office gave her the confidence and resources to apply.

“I kept going to the workshops, and the fellowship office itself is very supportive,” she said. “I went in and talked one-on-one during those open hours. So many resources are available, like sample essays and the workshops throughout the summer. That’s when the project idea really started to take hold.”

Since late August, Chhabria has been researching the vaginal microbiome to predict maternal and fetal

SEE FULBRIGHT PAGE 3

On Feb. 18, the University announced a plan for a new residential community that will add an estimated 130,000 square feet and 375 beds to the University’s undergraduate housing inventory.

The new residential community is slated to stand on Brook Street just to the south of Stephen Robert Hall.

Building at this site will necessitate the relocation and demolition of businesses currently located on the lot, such as Bagel Gourmet, PieZoni’s and East Side Mini Mart. “We’re supporting the businesses currently in what their relocation plans look like,” said Michael Guglielmo, vice president for Facilities Management at the University.

The plan entails “two buildings across the street from each other,” Guglielmo said. The two buildings will house approximately 94 suite-

style dorms, with each consisting of “four singles, a common room and a bathroom,” Guglielmo added.

The dorms will be organized this way in response to the “Undergraduate Master Housing Plan” survey the University conducted in 2018, in which students indicated a strong preference toward suite-style dorms, said Koren Bakkegard, associate vice president for Campus Life and Dean of Students at the University. “The new halls will also have increased access to kitchen facilities,” Bakkegard added.

The need for the dorms became clear as the University recently failed to provide enough housing to ensure students can meet their “long-standing requirement that students live on campus for six semesters and guarantee that students will never be required to live off campus,” Bakkegard said. Some of the load of this housing overhaul will be alleviated by the construction of the new Wellness Center and Residence Hall to open in 2021, which will add 162 new beds.

The University has not added any new dormitories to the

SEE RESIDENCE PAGE 3

UNIVERSITY NEWS

SPORTS

RPLs receive raise, additional responsibilities

Bears split weekend trip to Penn, Princeton

RPLs receive 20 percent stipend increase for 2020-21 year, added duties

BY BEN BALINT-KURTI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Residential Peer Leaders will receive a 20 percent increase in their stipend for the coming school year, along with an added responsibility to assist students who have been locked out of their dorms.

The raise, which is the first major one since September 2017, comes after extensive feedback from RPLs that their compensation was inadequate.

But current RPLs are concerned that an ambiguous new clause in their job description stipulating that they must support residents “by assisting in … lock-outs and other critical functions, as needed” may cause them significant inconveniences.

The 20 percent raise to RPLs’ stipends is not specifically tied to the changes to the RPL job responsibil-

ities, according to Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students Koren Bakkegard.

When Bakkegard spoke with RPLs about how to improve their position last August, many advocated for increased compensation, especially as the University does not cover room and board like many other institutions do for their residential advisors. The RPLs’ concerns were “something that I took to heart,” Bakkegard said.

But Bakkegard wanted to restructure the current lock-out protocol, and since this has been incorporated into the RPL role for next year, she recognized “that was going to be an added responsibility” for RPLs, she said.

Since the specifics of the new system for assisting with lock-outs have not yet been determined by the Office of Residential Life, ResLife is planning on spending the semester deciding and solidifying plans on how exactly the system will work, Bakkegard said.

SEE RPL PAGE 4

Men’s basketball erases 11-point deficit against Quakers, falls short against Tigers

BY RYAN HANDEL SPORTS EDITOR The men’s basketball team rallied from 11 points down in the first half against Penn Friday to dominate the second half and emerge with a 75-63 road victory. But the Bears failed to make another comeback against Princeton Saturday, falling behind by 13 at halftime and eventually losing 73-54. With its 1-1 weekend, Bruno remains in the thick of the Ivy League playoff race, trailing leaders Yale and Princeton by one game apiece. Brown sits in a threeway tie for third place with conference rivals Penn and Harvard.

The men’s basketball team scored a win 75-63 against Penn on Friday.

They lost 73-54 against Princeton on Saturday.

Brown 75, Penn 63 Brown (12-9, 5-3 Ivy) entered Friday’s matchup looking to exact revenge on Penn (13-8, 5-3) for the teams’ previous meeting — in the final game of last year’s regular season, the Quakers defeated the Bears to eliminate them

from Ivy League Tournament contention. Bruno got its redemption, riding the hot shooting of Brandon Anderson ’20 (31 points) and Zach Hunsaker ’20 (21 points) to a 12-point win.

Jaylan Gainey ’22 made his presence known from the outset of the game. The 6 foot 9 inch forward scored

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

News

News

Metro

Commentary

Nick Cicchitelli runs for Ward 1 City Council seat on platform of affordable housing Page 2

Emily Hipchen named new director of English Nonfiction Writing Program Page 3

Children in low-income communities more affected by pollution and athsma Page 6

Ren ’23: Every student should take a math class in their University career Page 7

Brown’s first two buckets — both putback dunks. “(Gainey) is growing by the day,” said Head Coach Mike Martin ’04. “He’s really contributing to our team and we’re excited about how he’s played

SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 6

TODAY

TOMORROW

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

METRO

Fox Point Neighborhood Assoc. President Cicchitelli enters Ward 1 Race Cicchitelli focuses on affordable housing, managing large-scale developments

BY BEN GLICKMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Nick Cicchitelli thought his opportunity for public service had come in 2010, when he worked on the gubernatorial campaign of then Rhode Island General Treasurer Frank Caprio. Caprio lost.

In 2014, he again worked on a Democrat’s campaign — this time, for R.I. Secretary of State Ralph Mollis . Then Mollis lost, too.

Now, Cicchitelli will vie for a seat on the Providence City Council — and a chance at public service — in the April 7 special election for Ward 1. His top issues are access to affordable housing, managing high-end development and fair taxation for his constituents.

Ward 1 includes College Hill and parts of Fox Point, the Jewelry District and Downtown Providence. The ward’s long-time representative Seth Yurdin vacated the council seat in January.

Cicchitelli faces John Goncalves ’13 MAT ’15, a school teacher, and Anthony Santurri, a small business owner, in the primary. Because no Republicans have entered the race, the winner of the March 3 Democratic primary will be the only name on the ballot in April.

A real estate agent and president of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, Cicchitelli moved to the neighborhood nine years ago, but he has lived in Rhode Island his whole life.

With his background in real estate and two Masters degrees, one in political science and one in public administration, Cicchitelli takes a special interest in housing and real estate development around the city. Specifi-

cally, he says that a lack of affordable housing remains a prevalent issue in Providence and is worsened by ongoing gentrification.

Cicchitelli said that policy responses to an affordable housing shortage in Providence have “kind of been haphazard” and proposes expanding the Providence Redevelopment Agency — or PRA — a city project started in 1947 that aims to eliminate “blighted and substandard areas,” according to its website. Cicchitelli points to recently approved projects that will erect two new buildings in vacant lots and renovate an existing apartment complex on Pine Street as examples of efforts to expand affordable housing. Stop Wasting Abandoned Property, a local redevelopment organization, bought the properties from the PRA and will move ahead with both projects with the help of state and city tax-credits.

Such efforts can be applied to the nearly 300 derelict properties city-wide to provide affordable housing, Cicchitelli said, explaining that it would solve “a sizable chunk of the issue.”

While new housing is being created, most residential development in the city has been concentrated in higher-income areas like Fox Point. “We have the building costs of Boston, but the rents of Maine,” Cicchitelli said. “A lot of times the only way developers can make it work economically to develop here as opposed to elsewhere is to go after the high-end.”

Prompting developers to build affordable housing in lower income areas requires incentivization, according to Cicchitelli. Often, this comes in the form of tax stabilization agreements, which lower property taxes for developers over an extended period. “If you want a developer to put up private money, you have to make it worth their while,” he said.

Cicchitelli opposes high-end devel-

opments like the proposed Hope Point Tower, a would-be 46-story luxury highrise. Developments like the tower would be “stores of wealth … for people who don’t even live here,” he said.

Sharon Steele, president of the Jewelry District Association, said that this election is “a tipping point” because of the potential delayed or negative impact of increased development on the East Side.

“We are going to bear all of the pain, and it’s going to be years before we begin to see the fruits of that,” she said.

With the diverse interests in different neighborhoods in Ward 1, development must be about “what makes the most sense for what is needed,” Richard Pezzillo, president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, told The Herald.

“You’re not going to build a 20-story tower on Wickenden Street,” Pezzillo said.

Cicchitelli supports versatile “workforce housing” in Ward 1 and developments like a project on the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission’s Parcel 7, which will include mixed income housing, retail and incorporated parking. The parcel may also host a Trader Joe’s food market in the future, The Herald previously reported.

In addition to shielding Ward 1 from unhelpful or overgrown development, Cicchitelli hopes to protect East Side communities from what he believes to be unfair taxation.

He strongly opposes the Council’s proposed progressive income tax from June of last year, which he described as “not even a thinly veiled attempt to extract more money from the East Side.”

Goncalves also opposed the Council’s proposed income tax, The Herald previously reported.

Cicchitelli said the plan does not take into account ability to pay or many East Siders’ retired or fixed-income status.

COURTESY OF NICK CICCHITELLI

Cicchitelli works as a real estate agent and is currently the president of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association.

Alternatively, Cicchitelli proposes that institutions like the University play a larger role in the tax system. He says the University is “one of the biggest players in town.”

“It’s brutal when you have a very wealthy university a few blocks away from a crumbling school,” Cicchitelli said.

With regard to Providence Public Schools, Cicchitelli is happy with the state takeover. He says the condition of public schools is a “calamity’’ — and that it’s nothing new. Cicchitelli referenced a 1993 study on the school district that yielded results similar to the more recently released report from Johns Hopkins University.

Cicchitelli said good schools are important for attracting new families to the city — which would allow for a larger tax base and move the city towards “a place of fiscal stability.”

Pointing to an “untenable” pension system as the cause of significant pressure on the city budget in recent years, Cicchitelli said the city must reach a place of stability before it can address its deeper problems.

“It’s not just a housing problem. It’s not just a taxation problem. It’s not just an education problem,” he said.

But, “these things are all interrelated, which is the problem,” Cicchitelli said. “You’ve got to look at it from 10,000 feet.”

METRO

Childhood asthma burdens Providence’s low-income communities Hazardous housing, proximity to pollutants contribute to public health concern

BY CLARA GUTMAN ARGEMÍ SENIOR STAFF WRITER In November 2018, Mónica Huertas’ daughter, a pre-school student, was discharged from Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence after spending two days in the pediatric intensive care unit for asthma exacerbations.

The girl’s chronic asthma has sent her to the hospital seven times in her short life, although only two of those visits brought her upstairs to the “popsicle doctors” — the nickname her mother uses for the PICU, because of its staff’s practice of giving popsicles to sick children.

Huertas, who is a community organizer and climate justice activist, has three other children, including two sons and another daughter. Her other daughter also has chronic asthma and has been to the hospital four times because of it, although she’s never been to the “popsicle doctors.” But she has been to the “flower doctors” — the urgent care, walk-in clinic, named after its wallpaper, where Huertas takes the kids “if it’s not

a big thing.”

Huertas’ youngest child, still an infant, has started coughing at night for days in a row. “I know that cough,” his mother said. Only one of her children is asthma-free.

The issue of pediatric asthma in Providence spreads well beyond Huertas’ family.

A statewide concern that disproportionately burdens low-income, urban communities of color, childhood asthma is caused by multiple factors — with air pollution and hazardous indoor housing conditions being the main triggers for asthma exacerbations.

While some Rhode Island state agencies are taking steps to address the problem, experts say it is unlikely that the state will raise its current standards for ambient air quality to reduce asthma.

A statewide health concern Data from a 2019 presentation by the Rhode Island Department of Health show that asthma is a widespread condition affecting Rhode Island’s children, particularly low-income children of color living in cities.

Within the Ocean State, asthma is the most common chronic condition in children. Just under 11 percent of the state’s children have it, compared to 8.4 percent nationally, giving Rhode Island the ninth highest childhood asthma rate

in the country.

Urban children in the state are the most burdened by the illness. Asthma accounts for 12.2 out of every 1,000 children’s emergency room visits in the state’s four core cities — almost triple the 4.5 out of 1,000 visits in the rest of the state.

In addition, more than 70 percent of pediatric asthma emergency department visits in the state involve children enrolled in Medicaid. The RIDOH presentation also noted that “Black children and Hispanic children are more likely to visit the emergency room or be hospitalized due to asthma.”

Huertas, who lives in Providence’s Washington Park neighborhood, is Puerto Rican, and her children are of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent.

According to the City of Providence’s Climate Justice Plan, individuals residing in Washington Park, South Providence, Wanskuck and the West End — all low-income communities of color — represent “the majority of asthma-related emergency room visits” in Providence.

“All the kids have asthma around here,” Huertas said, referring to her neighborhood. “You could knock on any door and you could find someone with asthma.”

USHA BHALLA / HERALD

Indoor and outdoor factors can worsen asthma A combination of factors can contribute to chronic asthma and trigger asthma exacerbations, including indoor housing conditions such as mold, dust, pets or smoke, and outdoor factors such as harmful emissions.

According to the Providence Climate Justice Plan, areas that are closer to highways, ports, freight transportation corridors and industrial areas have greater “exposure to air pollution and the risk of health effects.”

Pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter can cause asthma, according to Dr. Nicholas Nassikas MD ’15, a University Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine fellow specializing in asthma and its relationship with pollution and climate change. “The studies that have been done so far support a clear link between air pollution and asthma exacerbations,” he said.

Particulate matter is a kind of pollutant produced by emissions from cars,

SEE ASTHMA PAGE 6

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Emily Hipchen appointed head of English Nonfiction Writing Program Hipchen’s interest in nonfiction writing spurred after meeting birth parents

BY AANCHAL SHETH CONTRIBUTING WRITER For years, Professor Emily Hipchen planned on becoming a surgeon. But late last year, she was appointed director of Brown’s English Nonfiction Writing Program.

Hipchen joined Brown as the program’s director and a senior lecturer in English December 2019. Her appointment is the result of the first national search for a Nonfiction Writing Program position by the English Department, wrote Richard Rambuss, chair of the English department and professor of English, in an email to The Herald.

The department was looking for an accomplished writer, versatile teacher and skillful administrator. “That’s asking for a lot, and we feel that we struck gold in landing Hipchen,” Rambuss added.

In addition to teaching, Hipchen founded and continues to edit the academic journal “Adoption and Culture,” which publishes scholarly work on the subject of adoption. Hipchen’s expertise in adoption studies is “foundational to this developing new field,” Rambuss wrote.

Hipchen knew that she wanted to teach at Brown after sitting in on a ENGL 1050E: “Sportswriting” class taught by Jonathan Readey, lecturer in English and co-director of the Nonfiction Writing Program. “I walked away from (Readey’s) class wanting to learn tennis … and wanting to teach here,” Hipchen said. While writing courses at

RESIDENCE FROM PAGE 1 campus for a few decades. “It has been about 30 years since we built a new dorm,” Guglielmo said, referencing Vartan Gregorian Quad A and B. By constructing these two new facilities, the University hopes to eliminate the need for off-campus housing for undergraduates. “We are really mindful of the impact our off-campus students have on the community,” Bakkegard said, adding that “Much of the off-campus housing is not as secure in terms of fire and public safety, etc.” She also described concerns that too many undergraduates living off-campus negatively impacts graduate students: “We are also really worried that because our graduate and medical students are renting as well, they are being displaced even further off-campus by undergrad-

FULBRIGHT FROM PAGE 1 health in Mumbai, India. Besides pursuing her research, Chhabria, who is of Indian descent, said she has also been able to explore a part of her identity; from the institute where she is based, she can even see her father’s childhood home.

In addition to using the opportunity to explore her background, Chhabria said her liberal education at Brown has allowed her to learn more from her Fulbright experience than science courses could offer on their own.

“The open curriculum really is con-

the University of West Georgia — where Hipchen taught for 14 years before coming to Brown — instruct students in how to argue effectively and write essays, Brown offers a more diverse selection of writing courses that can help students become better writers in a wide variety of fields, Hipchen added.

As Brown connects areas of journalism, creative nonfiction and digital nonfiction through the structure of the program, “it’s really nowhere that people do this (kind of writing program). It’s completely unique,” she said.

Until her junior year of college, Hipchen wanted to be a thoracic surgeon. When she became apprehensive of how the high mortality rate of surgery would change her as a person, she decided to study English instead.

Hipchen’s specific passion for nonfiction surfaced years later, when she began writing in order to deal with the disorienting experience of meeting her birth parents. In less than a year, she had written a memoir. “I don’t read fiction anymore because it feels like it doesn’t challenge itself enough for me in its representations. I’m much more interested in how you say a truth about the world,” she said.

Hipchen now teaches students how to create content out of intimate experiences in her class ENGL 1050Q: “Writing the Family.” To be considered for this writing workshop, prospective students had to write about a family secret. Hipchen promised to shred the secrets of any student who did not ultimately take the class.

Kyoko Leaman ’23, who is taking Hipchen’s class, recommends it to anyone who gets the chance. “She’s so nice, and she’s so cool, too,” Leaman said. Hipchen’s feedback is a “compassionate acknowledgment of the personal nature of (“Writing the Family”),

without any judgment,” she added.

After submitting her writing sample for the class, Leaman described receiving a page-long letter of observations and recommendations about her piece.

While Hipchen does not yet have a specific plan for the direction of the English nonfiction program, she “wants the vision to come from people who are already in or dedicated to the program,” she said.

Hipchen is aware that there is longstanding pressure on the program to provide more instruction, and is certain that people already in the program are working on this challenge.

The English department is trying to offer more sections to accommodate the increasing number of interested students while maintaining small class sizes, Readey said. “We want to maintain the seminar feeling, so that students can get one-on-one attention,” he added. Writing classes are often capped at between 17 and 20 students.

Readey often tells his advisees that it may be tricky to get into introductory nonfiction writing classes due to their popularity, but the intermediate ones may be more “doable,” as instructors may be willing to waive some prerequisites.

Bria Metzger ’20, who is concentrating in English nonfiction, says that the class limits and writing samples are intimidating, but all the professors she has encountered have been accommodating. “I absolutely love the nonfiction department,” Metzger wrote in an email to The Herald. “Every class is such a rich experience that pushes me as a writer in ways I wouldn’t be able to grow on my own.”

Many students get intimidated by the long waiting lists and writing samples and move on to other classes too quickly, Metzger wrote. If students

uate tenants.”

Ultimately, the goal of the construction is to balance meeting student needs with minimizing impact on the local community. “This project advances our commitment both to our students and to the local community by more effectively negotiating a range of current challenges,” said Eric Estes, vice president for Campus Life and Student Services.

In addition to reducing the need for off-campus housing for undergraduates, Guglielmo and Bakkegard expressed a University interest in lowering the density of on-campus housing. “Right now we have some triples in rooms that were meant to be doubles, some common areas that have been converted into bed space,” Bakkegard said.

Regarding the probability that the

ducive to multidisciplinary work,” she said. “So many times during this trip, I thought back to not only my STEM classes, but the South Asian history class or the comparative literature class in colonialism that I took.”

Yesenia Valverde ’17, who is pursuing ecological research on her Fulbright award on the island of Borneo’s Malaysian side, agreed the program is about more than research in a lab.

Like Chhabria’s, Valverde’s experience abroad has transcended science, including a “humbling” immersion in Malaysian culture. “I’m learning about things outside of (my research) in terms

DANIELLE EMERSON / HERALD

Hipchen came to the University after teaching writing courses at the University of West Georgia for 14 years. show genuine interest and are persistent, some professors may accept numbers beyond their limit on Courses@Brown, she added.

According to Metzger, the most difficult thing about studying nonfiction writing is that many nonfiction classes seem to occur at similar times, causing schedule conflicts for students who wish to take multiple classes in the program at the same time.

Readey mentioned that it is an exciting time for the creative nonfiction

department and that the founders are now moving toward retirement, paving the way for new possibilities.

The team is responding well to Hipchen’s “kindness and enthusiasm,” according to Readey. She has a “galvanizing presence,” and “is an incredibly wonderful colleague,” he added. “We’re lucky and grateful that she came.”

“It’s so good to be here. I really like it. It feels like a good start,” Hipchen said.

University will be able to accommodate all students in their first six semesters, as well as any seniors who might want to stay on campus with the addition of this new residential community, “we are as sure as we can be right now,” Guglielmo said. “When you think about the 6,600 undergrads and the housing we have right now, we will be able to at least meet the six-semester requirement,” he added.

Guglielmo also hopes that this new community will help the University reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. “Right now the target is LEED silver,” he said, referencing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design national energy efficiency building classification. “All heating and hot water will be supplied through electricity, without any fossil fuels burned within the building.” The electricity will

come from the national grid, but will be sourced in-state from a new solar grid in North Kingstown, which is set to be in service by January 2021.

The two buildings will be designed by the Deborah Berke Partners architecture firm. Guglielmo stated that he was drawn to this company by its strong connection to Providence — since Berke is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design’s Architecture program. Bakkegard appreciated the firm’s “sense of vibrancy, youthfulness and engagement … It really feels that they are designing for college students to live in this space,” she added.

The project is currently being funded by loans, but the University expects student housing payments to ultimately cover the construction. “Currently it is being funded through debt, but the bed revenue will more than cover

the associated cost,” Guglielmo said.

According to a release sent out by the University on Feb. 18, part of the cost will also be covered by renting out the ground floor (approximately 2500 square feet) as retail space. “We don’t know yet on a donor. There are some ongoing discussions,” Guglielmo said.

The University expects to break ground on the project this fall, when they plan to proceed with demolition and construction. “This is where the hard work begins,” Guglielmo said.

The University hopes to have completed the project by the 2022-2023 academic year “so that our current firstyear students will have the opportunity to live in these residence halls, and it will be part of our messaging to incoming and prospective students,” Bakkegard said.

of the culture, my identity, social skills and life skills,” she said. “There’s so much more you learn about life and your place in the world, … especially after finishing your education.”

On the Indonesian side of Borneo, Lucy Srour ’19 has served as an English teaching assistant in a high school in Sangatta for the past six months. While this work has been “a lot more challenging than (she) expected,” Srour said her Fulbright application and experience have paid off.

“Some people may be scared away by the title of Fulbright” or the length of the application process, she said. “But I

think that it has absolutely been worth it, even the periods of doubt and uncertainty leading up to my acceptance.”

Srour advises students contemplating a Fulbright trip to finish the application early. Leaving herself ample time to write the essays made applying enjoyable, she said. “It was kind of a nice process to reflect on who I am and how I got here today.” Waiting until her senior spring to learn the result of her application, however, was difficult, especially as her peers began securing jobs.

While Dunleavy said that the Fulbright award can appeal to almost any

Brown student, she added that applicants must be “willing to take a risk and step off the expected path” to pursue this kind of experience. She said the biggest mistake students exploring their post-graduation options make is ruling themselves out of an opportunity before doing their research and seeking on-campus support.

“Sometimes the term fellowship can seem off-putting; people are like, oh, that’s something out of another stratosphere,” she said, “that’s not really true, and it’s counterproductive.” Students should “be open and curious about” their opportunities instead.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

RPL FROM PAGE 1 Currently, the Department of Public Safety handles lock-outs. Students in need of assistance can call DPS at any time to be let back into their rooms or dorm buildings. This policy has come under criticism from students, with many questioning the necessity of police officers entering student residences during often vulnerable moments, and some citing concerns about racial dynamics between police and students in minority groups, said a current RPL who The Herald will refer to as Nico, because RPLs are discouraged from speaking with the media by the University.

The change to how lock-outs are handled is in line with policies currently in place at the vast majority of other universities, Bakkegard said.

At many peer universities, resident advisors take on a larger role, which includes rule enforcement and room checks. But the Residential Peer Leader program in place at Brown prioritizes trust between students and RPLs, so RPLs have not had access to students’ room keys up to this point. This policy could change if RPLs begin assisting with lock-outs.

Student residents and RPLs had been pushing for a change to the current system, but had not been advocating involving student staff, said a current RPL who will be referred to as Alex.

Many RPLs are concerned about the current ambiguity surrounding what their role will be in assisting with lock-outs. Some worry that, under the new system, they will have to be on call for 24 hours at a time, precluding them from being able to leave campus or attend to their other obligations as students, Alex said.

But Bakkegard rejected this possi-

SUMMER ZHANG / HERALD

bility. “They certainly wouldn’t have to be awake (all night). This comes back to that question of how we’ll ultimately enact and implement the plan.”

RPL applications for the coming school year closed on Feb. 5, before these questions could be settled. “It’s a major change to our job description, and for anyone that wants to return, the deadline to accept that new job is early March,” Alex said. “It was confirmed by (Bakkegard) that (the plan) will essentially not be ready by then, so we’re expected to agree to a job without fully understanding what the responsibilities would be,” and this factor may

be significant for students looking to become RPLs, Alex added.

ResLife decided to include the clause on assistance with lock-outs in the job description so that prospective RPLs would be aware of the upcoming change in responsibilities for the Fall 2020 semester, Bakkegard said.

But the Division of Campus Life did not initially alert RPLs directly to the changes in the job description. “If I had a do-over I would’ve been providing that information before the application” was released, Bakkegard said.

Bakkegard sent a Jan. 28 email to RPLs notifying them of the change. Later

that day, Bakkegard attended a previously scheduled meeting for all RPLs where she addressed them and fielded questions. Several RPLs were left dissatisfied with the meeting, citing the lack of plans in place for exactly how lock-outs would be dealt with. “The language that they used in the recent meeting with us is that we’ll be asked to assist with lock-outs, but that could mean a number of things,” said an RPL who The Herald will refer to as Casey. “They sent her out there to face the wolves, so to speak, and it was a very uncomfortable meeting,” Casey added.

Several RPLs told The Herald they

wanted to be part of the decision-making process for how lock-outs will be handled, but expressed skepticism. “I don’t have a lot of faith that they’re actually going to include RPL input, so whatever ends up happening, I and a lot of other RPLs are just thinking worst-case scenario,” Alex said.

Members of the professional staff team in ResLife and Residential Operations will develop several possibilities for how RPLs could assist with lock-outs, and those staff “will be working with the RPLs who are currently in place to assess and evaluate those different options and possibilities,” Bakkegard said.

The Presidential Faculty Award Lecture

February 24, 2020 4:30 p.m.

John Carter Brown Library

Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Humanities, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies

Shahzad Bashir Dwelling in a World of Poetry

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | TODAY

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Data Wednesday 4:00 P.M. 164 Angel Street

Claire Pentecost, Artist Talk 5:00 P.M. List Art Building Urban Environmental Lab

Guest Lecture: Robert Krulwich of Radiolab 7:30 P.M. List Art Building

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Coffee with CAPS 11:00 A.M. The Underground

TOMORROW

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Student Meeting with Former U.S Diplomat James Green ’92 12:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Hall

Charting Your Course: A Financial Guide for Women 12:00 P.M. South Street Landing Room 499

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Effective Interviewing 4:00 P.M. Career Lab 1st Floor

French Cinephlia: L’Argent 6:30 P.M. Rochambeau House

Q U OTE OF TH E DAY

“All the kids have asthma around here. …

You could knock on any door, and you could find someone with asthma.”

—Monica Huertas, community activist SEE ASTHMA PAGE 4

S CI L I SUN SET CR O S SWO R D

REBECCA HO / HERALD

Students who stayed on campus over the long weekend were able to enjoy their own on-campus retreat with beautiful weather. Why leave Providence when the Sciences Library offers these glorious views?

6

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

ASTHMA FROM PAGE 2 industries and power plants, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Particulate matter contains “very small particles that can be breathed into the deepest part of the lungs,” which causes asthma exacerbations, said Nassikas. Ozone can also contribute to asthma, he added.

The Providence Climate Justice Plan uses the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool to identify frontline communities that suffer “the greatest environmental health consequences of air pollution.”

Providence’s frontline communities include parts of South Providence, Washington Park, Olneyville, Manton, Silver Lake, Wanskuck and the West End — all low-income communities of color.

The report was developed in partnership with Providence’s Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, which Huertas helped lead. Learning about environmental racism and health inequities motivated her to get involved in the REJC. “We are affected the most by (pollution),” she said. “That’s not right.”

Huertas’ neighborhood, Washington Park, is the closest residential area to Providence’s port — a major fossil fuel

BASKETBALL FROM PAGE 1 to this point and his potential going forward.”

Despite Gainey’s early contributions, an accurate start from Penn’s Jordan Dingle got the Quakers out to an early lead. Dingle made three treys in the first half, all of which came during a 17-4 Penn run that put the Quakers ahead 21-10 just ten minutes into the contest.

Brown struggled from beyond the arc in the first half — the Bears did not make a three-pointer until Hunsaker converted one with 42 seconds left in the period. On the half’s final possession, Anderson was blocked on a layup, but sank the second-chance shot with two seconds remaining. The baskets by Hunsaker and Anderson sent Bruno into the locker room with a deficit of just six and momentum on its side.

transport hub causing “significant local health impacts,” according to the Climate Justice Plan.

“The emissions from oceangoing vessels burn some of the dirtiest fuel,” according to the report. “Heavy duty diesel engines in trucks and trains, and off-gassing from valves and storage tanks also contribute to local air pollution.”

Washington Park is also near the I-95 highway, Allens Avenue and Narragansett Boulevard. According to Linda Perri, cochair of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association, traffic from these roads is a noticeable source of contamination.

For example, cars avoiding I-95 traffic jams often opt for Allens Avenue, where “in the summertime, there’s a cloud of orange-brown dust on the road,” Perri said. “We cringe every time we drive down that stretch of land.”

A 2019 study by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management shows that areas near I-95 experienced higher levels of pollution than other areas in the state.

Julian Drix, asthma control program lead at the RIDOH, takes multiple causes into account when screening factors that might worsen asthma. “We look at environmental conditions, but also quality of housing,” he said.

Drix leads the Home Asthma Re-

sponse Program, a harm reduction strategy that focuses on reducing indoor asthma triggers. HARP sends professionals into the homes of asthma patients who sign up for the program, helping them identify triggers and ways to mitigate them, such as using mattress covers or keeping dust to a minimum.

So far, the program has produced positive results, bringing “a real change in conditions inside people’s homes,” said Drix. He added that “the most successful public health interventions … address the underlying environmental and socioeconomic determinants of health.”

According to Drix, community organizations are best positioned to introduce legislation to improve air quality. RIDOH can collaborate with these organizations by providing data from evidence-based research.

While Drix doesn’t know that any legislators are working on specific bills aimed at reducing the asthma crisis, he is “hoping there will be growing interest in this.”

“(Anderson and I) feed off each other,” Hunsaker said. “I love seeing (Anderson) get going … it gives me confidence to also be aggressive.”

Hunsaker found his shooting stroke as the second half began, knocking in a jumper for the first score of the stanza, then tying up the game on a three two minutes later. A jumper by Anderson gave Brown its first lead since the opening minutes, forcing Penn to call a timeout.

The timeout failed to halt Bruno’s run. Consecutive threes by Perry Cowan ’23 and Anderson followed by a fastbreak layup by Hunsaker put Brown up nine points. Another bucket from Hunsaker and a layup by Dan Friday ’23 gave the Bears their largest lead of the game at 13 points with 13 minutes to go. Friday’s layup capped a 28-4 run spanning both halves.

“It took us a couple minutes to get

Air quality standards are unlikely to change If Providence air pollution continues at current levels, “we’re going to continue to see … asthma exacerbations due

to these different pollutants,” Nassikas said. “If we start to install policies that try to reduce pollution emissions, then we should see a reduction in asthma exacerbations.”

An example of such policies might be increasing bike lanes, which would reduce the number of polluting cars on the road and promote exercise, Nassikas said.

Policy changes aimed at lowering the current standards for ambient air pollutants would also have a positive impact on health, but would be much harder to pass due to the interests of multiple stakeholders, Nassikas said.

“There are people who would say that it would be too harmful to the economy,” he said, adding that changing the standard “would definitely be better for health.”

According to Karen Slattery, supervising air quality specialist at RIDEM, Rhode Island abides by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards set by the EPA, and is not considering establishing its own, more stringent pollution standards. “That’s a very difficult task,” she said. “We’d have to have the science behind that, and the science … doesn’t show that we need a lower standard.”

Slattery added that “We don’t have

reason to set a lower standard in Rhode Island because we’re not even close to the federal standard at this point.”

The EPA has the authority to make the NAAQS more stringent, but lowering the standards at the federal level has historically been a complicated process.

Even the current NAAQS were established after decades of political battles involving multiple lawsuits.

Instead of focusing on the standards, RIDEM is increasing its air monitoring in areas with higher rates of pollution, as shown by the I-95 contamination study, said Slattery. This includes communities around Providence’s port.

“We can do our part: We’re going to look at what’s out there, making sure (pollution) sources are compliant,” said Slattery, adding that RIDEM has received grant money to plant trees along I-95 to filter particulate emissions, which would reduce harm to frontline communities.

For Huertas, any initiative taken to combat pollution and its adverse health effects on frontline communities must include neighborhood voices: “We can’t move forward unless the most marginalized and most affected are at the forefront.”

Pick up a copy of next week’s paper to read the second part of “A look into asthma in Providence.”

settled,” Hunsaker said. “But once we got into a groove, especially in the second half … that made the big difference as we had to close out the game.”

The Quakers refused to go away, and put pressure on the Bears as the clock winded down. Back-to-back threes by Penn’s Ray Jerome cut Brown’s lead to five with eight minutes to play. Each time Bruno pulled ahead, Penn clawed back to make it a close game. But five points was as close as the Quakers would get for the remainder of the contest, as Anderson scored eight points in the game’s final two minutes to help the Bears close out the 75-63 victory.

“This is my fourth year playing in the Ivy League, and I’ve been there before, so I knew what it takes to win,” Anderson said.

Anderson finished the win with a gaudy stat line of 31 points and nine

rebounds. Gainey led the Bears in rebounds with 12 and scored six points.

Princeton 73, Brown 54 The Bears fell behind by double digits once again in their Saturday battle against Princeton (11-10, 6-2), but this time they were unable to recover. Brown held its own early on — a Joshua Howard ’20 layup gave the Bears an 8-6 lead four minutes into the game, and a Hunsaker jumper put them up 15-13 nine minutes in. But that was Bruno’s final lead of the game, as Princeton started a 15-2 run to pull ahead by 11.

Princeton scored the half’s final seven points to enter the locker room up 37-24.

Rather than make the necessary defensive adjustments like it did against Penn, Brown continued to falter in the second half. Princeton’s Jose Morales came off the bench and

scored six straight points to extend the Tigers’ lead to 20 with 12 minutes to go. Princeton controlled the rest of the game and completed the comfortable 73-54 win. Anderson led the Bears in scoring again, but this time only put up 16 points. “(Princeton) was really good and aggressive,” Martin said. “We got some good looks that didn’t go down in the second half … but (Princeton) was the better team.”

Bruno will stay on the road next weekend as it continues to search for its first ever Ivy League tournament appearance. The Bears will look to capitalize on matchups against Columbia and Cornell, two of the bottom three teams in the conference standings.

“We definitely can’t overlook either of them,” Hunsaker said. “They’re both really good teams, even though their records don’t show that.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY

7

Why not take a math class?

BY JOHNNY REN ’23 STAFF COLUMNIST I was chatting with a friend the other day when I accidentally unearthed a source of deep psychological trauma — I asked her how math class was going. All the joy left her face in an instant, replaced with a curious mix of fear, panic and anger.

Though this story is anecdotal, it reflects a rather common sentiment I have observed at Brown. While I have met my fair share of the numerically inclined, a surprising proportion of students seems to truly despise math. For these people, the appeal of the Open Curriculum is apparently not just the opportunity to explore various academic domains. It is also the opportunity to avoid taking a math class ever again.

While everyone is entitled to their own intellectual preferences, at times animosity toward math is so acute that I cannot help but wonder if people are thinking about the subject in the wrong way. Restructuring our outlook toward math classes might make them more tolerable — maybe even enjoyable.

Of course, mathemaphobia is not exclusive to Brown, and I do not seek to trivialize the significance of the issue. Math anxiety is pervasive: In fact, it is so pervasive that there is an entire body of research dedicated to its study — and its effects are certainly nontrivial.

For example, one study from the University of Chicago showed how a fear of math can trigger parts of our brain associated with physical pain. And other studies have shown how the cycle of math evasion can be self-perpetuating: the very act of stressing about math can cause us to perform more poorly when solving problems. People who worry about math are by no means less competent. But the negative consequences of math anxiety can give people the illusion of their own inadequacy and cause them to fret about numbers even more. The

psychological repercussions of math anxiety ultimately alienate students from the subject; rarely do people develop a passion for subjects that cause them extreme emotional distress.

A number of broader, systemic issues further contribute to this crisis which currently deters countless Brown students from shopping math classes. Many have criticized the American approach to math education as rid-

we may only hate the way it has been taught.

Moreover, mathemaphobia can be self-fulfilling. Those who have been primed to dislike math are stuck in a loop of numerical loathing.

But it is worth trying to break this cycle and escape this mindset. At the end of the day, understanding math is fundamental, and I encourage all of us to give math another try while at Brown.

“And for those of you who are still in mourning this semester over your calculus requirement, I simply wish you the best. Remember that when it comes to math class, the only thing to fear is fear itself.”

dled with rote memorization and needless abstraction. New curricular programs, such as the Common Core, seek to remedy these shortcomings, though the extent of their success remains uncertain.

The problems aren’t limited to curricula.

Since math can be difficult, good math teachers are especially important — but as some education researchers have noted, there is also a lack of qualified math educators in our country. This phenomenon is not necessarily surprising. After all, the current generation of teachers may suffer from math anxiety as well.

Many of us have been taught by teachers who enjoy math no more than we do.

I bring these factors up to prove a simple point. We may not actually hate math itself;

Math is ubiquitous. Its applications in fields like physics, computer science and engineering are obvious. But in truth, we find numerical thinking in countless other fields as well, including those we may not initially think of as math-related. The budding sociologist needs math in order to make sense of shifting demographic data. Future political pundits will need to understand statistics in order to interpret election forecasting models. I could go on.

Indeed, the interdisciplinary value of math is immense.

Yet math also does not have to be immediately practical in order to be worthwhile.

I will admit that in our day-to-day lives, we rarely feel the need to find a derivative or solve a quadratic equation. At most, we might

perform some quick mental math when calculating a tip. But beyond the practical value of math, there can also be a kind of beauty in numbers, hidden within obscure equations with ghastly Greek letters. Oftentimes, people approach math strictly as a necessary evil, as an unfortunate degree requirement. Many value math strictly for its concrete applications.

In the process, they fail to go beyond the surface and forget to see the bigger picture: the profound, almost philosophical ideas at work within the numbers. Studying math with the sole purpose of finding overt usefulness is like reading Frankenstein as a pragmatic howto guide for resurrecting dead bodies: you’re bound to be disappointed.

What does it really mean to approach a limit? How can math, a field so seemingly deterministic, be rife with uncertainty and paradox? Why are there different kinds of infinity?

These are the kinds of questions that can make math more meaningful for the disillusioned.

So do I believe in a math requirement at Brown? No — though I will say that if we ever add another general education requirement, a math class would be my top candidate. I don’t believe in a math requirement because I think it would violate the ethos of the Open Curriculum: the somewhat cliche but profound ideal of being “the architects of our own education.”

In the end, it is up to us to recognize the intrinsic value and joy found in a subject. I only hope that more of us will consider math as a possible avenue for intellectual adventure.

And for those of you who are still in mourning this semester over your calculus requirement, I simply wish you the best. Remember that when it comes to math class, the only thing to fear is fear itself.

Johnny Ren ’23 can be reached at jiawei_ren@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Will the Dodgers finally win a championship in 2020?

BY GEORGE KLEIN ’20 SPORTS COLUMNIST

The Los Angeles Dodgers have experienced an unfortunate number of heartbreaking postseason exits over the past decade; while they have reached the playoffs in each of the last seven MLB seasons, they never have been able to secure a championship victory. And several losses have come in demoralizing fashion: A Game 7 World Series defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros in 2017 and last year’s Game Five Division Series choke against the Washington Nationals stand out especially. Yet, as always, the Dodgers have managed to adapt and retool, trading with the Boston Red Sox for superstar Mookie Betts; they now enter the 2020 season as National League favorites. Will this be the year when LA finally wins it all?

With a spectacular lineup, the Dodgers will certainly have a fearsome offense — on paper the best in baseball. They have plenty of star power, as the addition of Betts immediately adds a jolt at the top of Los Angeles’ order. In 2019, the right fielder hit 29 home runs, stole 16 bases and recorded a .915 OPS — and Betts was even better the year prior, when he ended the regular season with a .346 batting average and a 1.078 OPS, winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

Impressively, Betts isn’t the only Dodger hitter with an MVP campaign on his resume — Cody Bellinger won the National League award just last season, hitting 47 home runs, stealing 15 bases and amassing a 1.035 OPS. The pair of superstars will form a terrifying combination for any pitcher to face.

What makes this batting order really special is the tremendous amount of depth on the team be-

yond just Betts and Bellinger. The order contains no weak spots; LA will protect the two superstars with first baseman Max Muncy, a 2019 All-Star who hit 35 home runs, and third baseman Justin Turner, a consistent high-level performer with a .887 OPS over his last six MLB seasons combined.

Moving on toward the bottom of the lineup, the Dodgers boast two-time All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, the dependable A.J. Pollock, young catcher Will Smith (who had a .907 OPS in limited at-

continue to hang over him. Kershaw allowed two home runs in Game 5 of the NLDS, helping the Nationals to mount a shocking comeback victory.

2020 might be Kershaw’s last chance at postseason redemption. Walker Buehler will also have to step up and help make up for Riu’s absence. The 25-year-old amassed a 3.26 ERA in an All-Star campaign this past season, and Los Angeles needs him to take another leap forward in his development.

“Los Angeles will have to add more pitching before the deadline, or 2020 could be the Dodgers’ greatest disappointment yet.”

bats last year) and top prospect Gavin Lux, who received his first taste of the big leagues in 2019.

That is one impressive offense — every hitter is dangerous.

The major question for the Dodgers, however, will be their pitching. Lefty Hyun-Jin Riu signed with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, a loss that has gone under the radar (thanks to the excitement of the Betts trade) but will hurt Los Angeles throughout this year. Riu came in second in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2019, posting a 2.32 ERA, and the Dodgers simply cannot replace that level of production. Clayton Kershaw can still perform in the regular season, though he moves further and further away from his peak self every year and playoff meltdowns

Ultimately, the middle and bottom of LA’s rotation could decide the season. The Dodgers will need solid starters besides Kershaw and Buehler in the playoffs to make it all the way through October. David Price was acquired from the Red Sox as part of the Betts trade and will look to bounce back from a rough 2019, when he pitched only 107 innings with a 4.28 ERA. Price, like Kershaw, has experienced struggles in the playoffs — he was terrific in the 2018 World Series with Boston against the Dodgers, but has posted a career 4.62 postseason ERA. At the age of 34, Price faces questions about how much he was left in the tank, and LA will need him to be dependable even while running on fumes. Meanwhile, Ross Stripling (who has bounced between the rotation and

bullpen), Alex Wood (who missed almost all of 2019 due to injury) and Julio Urias (a reliever for most of last season) will contend for spots at the back end of the rotation. Not exactly an imposing group — LA must be a big player in this year’s trade deadline, looking for pitching help.

Watch out for LA’s bullpen as yet another major point of trouble. Closer Kenley Jansen has declined over his past two seasons and had the worst year of his career in 2019. He’s 32 years old and about to head into his 11th season, so Jansen could be nearing the end of his time as an effective closer for a contending team. The Dodgers signed Blake Treinen in the offseason, a reliever who could emerge as a big part of their bullpen. Treinen struggled last year but dominated in 2018 with a 0.78 ERA, finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young race. If he can regain his form, don’t be surprised to see him begin threatening Jansen for the closer role.

So while the Dodgers will have an incredible offense in 2020, there are plenty of questions that remain about the team. Pitching cost Los Angeles an appearance in the National League Championship Series last year, thanks to a blown Game 5 NLDS lead, and LA’s rotation has only worsened heading into this season. If the Dodgers face the Houston Astros in the World Series again, could David Price and a bunch of questionable performers limit George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and the rest of Houston’s lineup? Doubtful.

Los Angeles will have to add more pitching before the deadline, or 2020 could be the Dodgers’ greatest disappointment yet.

George Klein ’20 can be reached at george_ klein@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald. com.

Opinions pieces published in The Herald — which include columns, op-eds , letters to the editor and editorials — are written independently of news coverage.

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020

F E AT U R I N G

The Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2016-2019)

Politics, Populism and Polarization: Perspectives on the Global Economy

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 | 5 p.m.

Tickets Required For more information, please visit brown.edu/ogden

This event is free and open to the public.

Exact location provided with registration.

Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and close at 4:45 p.m.

Brown or government-issued ID required.

Backpacks, large bags and laptops are not allowed.

To request special services, accommodations or assistance for this event, please contact the University Event & Conference Services Office at universityevents@brown.edu or 401-863-3100.

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