THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 54 SOFTBALL
Bears end 28-game losing streak
For Paxson, presidency both challenges and inspires After two years in office, president strives to build bridges between admins, diverse U. community By JOSEPH ZAPPA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
With win over Dartmouth, previously 15-0 in conference, Bears earn first Ivy win
As President Christina Paxson sat down for lunch with the Student Athletic Advisory Board at her house last Wednesday, she assured her guests she had “no formal agenda” and encouraged them to drive the conversation. These opening remarks were reminiscent of her approach to the State of Brown address this year, which Paxson declared a “conversation” rather than a speech. Paxson has been doing a lot of listening recently, and her aptitude for conversation is evident. She was constantly engaged at the meeting with student athlete leaders, nodding her head and posing questions as they
FEATURE
By ANDREW FLAX SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The softball team dropped three of its four games against Dartmouth this weekend, but in the final game of the four-game set, it beat the first-place Big Green to end a 28-game losing streak. The first three games of the series were disappointments, as the Bears (331, 1-15 Ivy) lost by a combined score of 17-3. They were facing Dartmouth (26-14, 15-1), a juggernaut that entered the final game of the series 15-0 in the Ivy League and riding a 16-game winning streak. Dartmouth’s strength and consistency made the eventual outcome unlikely, but the Bears overcame the odds to defeat the Big Green 3-1. Leah Nakashima ’17 (W, 2-10) was the hero for Bruno, twirling seven innings and allowing just one run on four hits and a walk, striking out two. Nakashima has been arguably the best pitcher on the team this season, posting a 4.32 ERA, the lowest among any pitcher with more than two starts. The Bears’ offense did not deliver a barrage of hits, but it made its few base knocks count. Five hits — coupled with a Dartmouth error — allowed Bruno to score just enough runs to » See SOFTBALL, page S2
since 1891
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD
President Christina Paxson has found herself in the midst of several heated campus debates this year, polarizing student opinion.
presented information. Her willingness to participate in dialogue is a trait Paxson’s admirers acclaim. Accessible, engaging and collaborative were the descriptors that alums, students and professionals who have worked closely with her repeatedly mentioned in interviews. Paxson and Provost Mark Schlissel P’15 visit each other’s offices and talk half a dozen times a week, he said. In Schlissel’s first year at the University, Paxson’s predecessor, Ruth Simmons, walked across the hall to his office once the entire year. The president “brings the knowledge and value system of a department chair to the work of the presidency,” Schlissel said, noting her engagement with academic issues in particular. As Paxson nears the end of her second year in University Hall, she has been at the center of heated campus debates in which she has faced criticism for misunderstanding students’ concerns. In the wake of such heat, she has emphasized dialogue to connect » See PAXSON, page 3
LGBTQ Center celebrates 10th birthday with cake, reflection Center’s role in policy advocacy, fighting homophobia has stayed constant since founding By GADI COHEN STAFF WRITER
In the decade since the LGBTQ Center opened in 2004, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities have experienced several dramatic changes, both within and beyond the University. Rhode Island became the 10th state to legalize same-sex marriage last year, while at the University level, Brown started providing health care coverage for transitioning transgender students,
staff members and faculty members. The center is commemorating these changes with a month-long 10th anniversary celebration, with events including a keynote speech by the writer and performer Scott Turner Schofield, film screenings, discussions, a dance and an exhibit displaying the history of LGBTQ life at Brown. “The center has grown quite a bit in the last 10 years, just in terms of the programs we offer, the support we provide and the students who rely on the space,” said Kelly Garrett, the
center’s program director. “We wanted to acknowledge this 10th birthday, and we thought the 250th anniversary was a good time to place us into the history of Brown.” The celebration kicked off April 2 with an open house at the center featuring a birthday cake. Micaela Burgess ’17 said the opening reception has been one of her favorite moments of the celebration so far. “I saw a lot of faces that I hadn’t seen before, both students and administrators,” Burgess said. “It was really nice to see the three rooms that I spend almost all my time in packed with so many people.”
A central part of the celebration entails honoring how far LGBTQ members of the Brown community have come in the past several decades. On the third floor of the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, an array of photographs and artifacts showcases the historical presence of queer life at Brown since the first documented public appearance of an LGBTQ organization in the early 1970s. Walter Kikuchi ’16, the LGBTQ Center’s archivist, said he enjoyed his experience culling and organizing the exhibition. “It was very personally rewarding, as a queer person, to really fully » See LGBTQ CENTER, page 2
Gastronomic gasoline: Students compete with cars of food
By ANDREW JONES SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Most students see apples, pretzels and squash as typical items on Sharpe Refectory menus, but others see them as parts of cars. The Extreme Edible Car Competition challenged students this weekend to use gastronomy as autobody as they built miniature cars out of vegetables, fruit and candy, among other foods. A group of about 25 students
inside
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
gathered in Barus and Holley Friday for the fourth annual competition, hosted by Brown’s Society of Women Engineers. To kickstart the contest, six teams of food engineers were given an hour to design and build their cars. While the competitors could bring their own cutting and carving utensils, they could only build with food the hosts of the competition provided — which included eggplant, rice cakes and licorice. SWE held the competition to allow participants the chance to “learn more about engineering in a fun way,” said Lucy Duan ’16, an organizer of the event. In general, the organization aims to promote gender diversity in engineering, she added. The cars were evaluated on three qualities: appearance, distance traveled and speed. All teams’ cars followed the same general skeleton of an automobile
body — four round wheels and two cylindrical axles. But the food that made up the car parts differed widely, with some teams constructing wheels from orange slices and others using sliced potatoes. Each team developed its own strategy to impress the faculty judges — Dean of the School of Engineering Lawrence Larson and Professor of Engineering Allan Bower. The “Hotbodies” played up the aesthetic appeal of their vehicle, using a banana for the body and placing a top hat on it for flair. Their primary goal was to keep the design simple, said team member Angela Straccia ’14. After the hour of building expired, the cars hit the track: a ramp outside Barus and Holley leading to the brick walkway outside the building. Each team had one shot to impress the audience with the functional prowess of its » See EDIBLE CAR, page 4
Sports
DAVID BRAUN / HERALD
The “Kumquats” emerged victorious in the Extreme Edible Car Competition, in which students raced miniature cars made from a variety of foods.
Commentary
The baseball team takes two of four from Dartmouth, surpassing its Ivy win total from last season
The lacrosse teams are booted from playoff races as both drop fourth Ivy games
Isman ’15: Transcending big parties, Spring Weekend brings community to Brown
Sindhu ’17: Low taxes hurt the economy by widening inequality and expanding deficit
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
U. installs printing stations in eateries, Keeney Quad CIS expands PAWPrints to Andrews Commons, Sharpe Refectory through UCS initiative By CAROLYNN CONG STAFF WRITER
ASHLEY SO / HERALD
The new printing station in the Sharpe Refectory is part of an Undergraduate Council of Students initiative to place printers in common study locations.
» LGBTQ CENTER, from page 1 immerse myself in the history of queer Brown students,” he said. “We laid out (the exhibit) so many times on the floor to see where everything was going to go in the timeline, and to actually, physically see this representation of over 30 years of our history was so fulfilling.” While the center has grown, much of its original role on campus — to educate and support students, as well as provide advocacy on policy issues — still remains intact, Garrett said. “We’re busting at the seams,” Garrett said, noting that the center has expanded from two to four rooms, and from two undergraduate workers to three undergrads and one graduate student. Despite these gains, the center continues to grapple with educating the
» E(RACE)D, from page 8 Day Dayon ’15, one of the conference’s main organizers. Dayon emailed many potential speakers and asked the Brown community to contribute topics for discussion through a survey, she said. She said she hopes the conference
Students who resent last-minute runs to the Sciences Library to print materials before class may be in luck — new printing stations have been installed in the Sharpe Refectory, Andrews Commons and Arnold Lounge, Computing and Information Services announced last week. The expansion of the PAWPrints program was conceived last semester, said Ravi Pendse, vice president for CIS and chief information officer. Pendse said printing was one of the issues brought up to him in the “variety of conversations” he held with the Admissions and Student Services Committee of the Undergraduate Council of Students. The initiative comes in response to concerns that students lacked access to printing resources, said Sazzy Gourley ’16, UCS Admissions and Student Services Committee chair and UCS vice president-elect. The new locations will ideally offer students more freedom when choosing where to print, Gourley added. UCS provided CIS with a list of recommended locations, which it assessed based on accessibility, giving preference to locations that are open longer and are more convenient for students, Pendse said. CIS was ultimately “able to accommodate all requests” the committee
community about homophobia and other issues LGBTQ students may face. “There are a lot of people who are open-minded but don’t know a lot about LGBTQ issues,” Garrett said. “Many of them don’t know much about LGBTQ oppression, or they may not know how to support someone who’s coming out.” “There’s still a lot of homophobia out there, even at Brown,” she added. “I still meet with a lot of students who are struggling to come out, whose home communities are more conservative, whose families are more conservative — they are still experiencing homophobia.” The center will aim to tackle these issues by providing more training, education and support in future years, Garrett said. She added that the center will continue advocating for more University policies inclusive of transgender
students, such as designating bathrooms as gender-neutral. The center is working with less money than its founders envisioned when they proposed the center’s creation in 2004. “The University resources are definitely fewer than what our community had in mind 15 or 20 years ago,” Kikuchi said. Some students expressed surprise that the center is only turning 10 years old. “Before I started working as an archivist, when I found out it was only going to be the tenth anniversary in 2014, I was shocked,” Kikuchi said. “I thought Brown being Brown, the center would be a lot older than it actually is,” said Lorin Smith ’15. “But then I remembered that Brown is in the United States, a patriarchic society, and also a homophobic one.”
“sparks a conversation.” Several undergrads who attended the conference told The Herald they appreciated the opportunity to explore Asian-American history and issues. “I really enjoyed being in a space where everyone felt comfortable talking about the things they’d been
through,” said Hari Narayanan ’14. But he added that he would have preferred more emphasis on social justice. “I’ve done a lot of introspective thinking, but I think it’s definitely useful to talk to other people and see how others view themselves,” said Marimo Shioda ’14.
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made for locations, he added. Gourley said the committee tried to choose locations that would “together encompass as much of campus as possible.” “A lot of students spend time working in the Ratty,” he said, adding that as a “central hub on campus,” it is an effective spot for a printing station. The new printing station in Arnold Lounge aims to make printing more convenient for first-years living in Keeney Quadrangle, Pendse said. The former printing station in Emery-Woolley near the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall was moved to the renovated Andrews Commons to accommodate the Pembroke campus better, Gourley said. The three new locations could be the first steps in a larger expansion of campus printing depending on their success. The station in Arnold Lounge is a pilot for adding more printing stations to residence halls, Gourley said, adding that depending on the spot’s popularity, the committee may consider installing more printing stations in other dorms. “Once we have data on how these stations are being used and how many students are taking advantage of the retooled wireless printing platform, we will be able to see where new stations need to be allocated,” Gourley said. Each new printing station cost the University somewhere between $500 to $1,000 to install, Pendse said. The cost depends on the location and the technological resources, such as wiring, already available at various spots. Student opinions on the new printing stations varied from neutral to
supportive. Most students expressed support for the new stations in Arnold Lounge and Andrews Commons but remained ambivalent about those in the Ratty. “If there’s space, then why not,” said Deionte Appling ’16, adding that he had no complaints about printing before the installations and does not mind walking to campus libraries. Jake Kuhn ’17, who lives in Andrews Hall, said the new printing stations in Andrews Commons are much more convenient because he would otherwise have to walk to the SciLi or the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center to print. Placing new printing stations in Andrews and Keeney gives “incoming freshmen a big advantage,” said Giulia Nicita ’15, adding that CIS should consider installing new printers to Perkins Hall. Several students told The Herald they do not plan on using the new printing stations in the Ratty. “I would never think to print in the Ratty,” said Matthew Kelley ’14, noting that “it’s sandwiched between the Rock, the Blue Room and the SciLi.” Amy Phan ’15 said she doesn’t know how much she would use the printing stations at the Ratty because of its proximity to the SciLi. “The Ratty is not really a study destination,” Kuhn said, though he noted that “people might go there to do some work while they’re eating.” But some expressed a more optimistic outlook about how much use the Ratty’s printing stations will receive. Adding a printing station to the Ratty is “actually really convenient because a lot of people do work there,” Appling said.
B H A R AT N AT YA M A N D M O R E
COURTESY OF KAVIA KHOSLA
Badmaash, the South Asian fusion dance team, puts on its annual performance Saturday with a show entitled “Spice It Up.”
university news 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
» PAXSON, from page 1 with a greater number of Brown community members, seeking to develop understanding through conversation. From Pennsylvania to Providence In May 2012, a couple of months after being named Simmons’ successor, Paxson came to campus for an event celebrating 120 years of women at Brown. “She was already doing a lot of research,” Brown Alumni Association President Nancy Hyde ’80 recalled, noting that Paxson left a “great impression” and was “very knowledgeable” about the University’s history. Paxson is no stranger to consuming information quickly. She found her academic passion in a year-long introductory economics class her junior year at Swarthmore College, deciding to take nothing but economics senior year in order to graduate with a degree in the discipline. “I can see a lot of what I went through in college with some Brown students,” Paxson told The Herald, adding that she is glad Swarthmore afforded her the liberty to take an array of subjects, discover her true interest as a junior and still graduate in four years. Before stumbling upon her calling, Paxson had declared English and philosophy as her disciplines. When she matriculated, she first planned on becoming a doctor, but dropped the idea her first year after realizing she was “terrible” at chemistry. Paxson’s varied coursework left her with “some appreciation for the value of a very wide range of fields,” she said, adding that her only regret about her education is going directly from Swarthmore to graduate school at Columbia, where she earned a PhD in economics. Like many students, Paxson worried about the feasibility of pursuing
“We have to be much more sensitive about how things are going to be viewed by different communities.” Christina Paxson
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
research after her undergraduate years, even after switching from Columbia’s business school to its economics program. But Paxson realized as a graduate student that she loved researching and teaching and received a post as an assistant professor at Princeton in 1987. ‘Starting to understand’ At the meeting with student athletes, Paxson’s teaching experience manifested itself as conversation continued around her dining room table. When a student hesitantly leaned forward as if he had something to say but was then cut off by another, she came back to him, imploring him to contribute, like
a professor leading a seminar. Her tone was not pedantic, but it was clear that she was at the head of the table. Marguerite Joutz ’15, who organized a discussion hosted by the Brown Conversation in the aftermath of the former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly incident, noticed this duality when Paxson speaks with students. “She was definitely the president in the room,” Joutz said, but in a sense “she was like any other conversation participant.” The Kelly lecture’s shutdown and the Corporation’s decision not to divest from major coal companies have been among the most public controversies facing Paxson’s administration, drawing unparalleled scrutiny from the student body. Paxson announced the Corporation’s coal decision Oct. 27, and the Kelly incident occurred two days later. Following the events, her disapproval rating among undergraduates spiked from 9 to 28 percent, The Herald found in a poll conducted at the time. Paxson hesitated as she recalled her feelings in the moment she heard about the Kelly lecture disruption, trying to put them into words. “My immediate reaction was I, … how can I put this … I was very sorry that it happened,” she said. “I didn’t understand probably until the next night, when we held the forum, how important it would be to this campus. How intense, widespread the discussion would be.” When Paxson first heard Kelly was speaking, she figured it would be “interesting,” she said, and did not consider the vantage point of those who had personal experiences with the controversial stop-and-frisk policies Kelly implemented. “I don’t think that at the time she had any understanding of what was really going on with the students who protested,” said Justice Gaines ’16, who took part in the protest and has consistently conversed privately with Paxson privately as well as other students since the incident. Paxson said something similar of herself. “We have to be much more sensitive about how things are going to be viewed by different communities,” she said. “The fact that we didn’t get that means we didn’t understand a group of people at Brown.” Paxson said she and most faculty members think stop-and-frisk policies and racial profiling are “horrible.” But there is a difference between empathy and the visceral reaction engendered by direct experience with racial profiling, some students say. Though most white students and faculty members may oppose stop-and-frisk, they have likely never been presumed guilty for a crime based on their skin color. Gaines said a crucial misunderstanding between the administration and the student protesters was the dialogue about a free exchange of ideas that Paxson promoted in a campus-wide email after the incident. Paxson and the protesters “were not talking about the same thing,” Gaines said. “There was no contention about the need for free exchange of ideas. There were some issues related to identity and race that don’t fall under ideas. They fall under experiences. “Identity issues in regards to race … were a disconnect, which is why a lot of students, especially students of color, were very upset with her,” he added.
ARJUN NARAYEN / HERALD
President Christina Paxson said she has tried to understand the perspectives of different students this year, especially after the controversy around former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s canceled lecture. Paxson was born in Pittsburgh to a white, middle-class family with a father and mother, three kids, a car and a dog. In her early years, before her parents’ divorce, her father was an engineer, her mother a housewife — both were college-educated. There was some history of academia in her family, she said, as her maternal grandfather was an agronomy professor at the University of Tennessee, and two of her great-grandmothers went to Swarthmore, where she, her husband and her older son, Nick, also studied. Raised in a Quaker family during the 1960s and ’70s, when social justice movements around civil rights and the Vietnam War peaked, Paxson was introduced to activism at an early age. “Quaker meeting was talking about Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi,” she said, adding that these childhood experiences continue to influence how she sees activism. But Paxson did not anticipate the intensity of activists’ opposition to Kelly’s lecture, and the six months since have been a test of the communication skills her supporters laud, as she tries to include a wide range of constituents in discussions about University governance. “President Paxson has made steps since (the Kelly lecture) to become more sensitive to a greater percentage of the student body,” Joutz said, adding that the president has worked to reach out to more students on campus. She highlighted the fact that Paxson stayed an extra hour at a Brown Conversation meeting to answer student questions. Paxson is “starting to understand more how experience affects students,” Gaines said, adding that “she’s working hard to get to that understanding.” Conversations with students in the aftermath of the incident were “moving,” albeit “very difficult” at times, Paxson said. “It gave me an opportunity to connect to students at a level that normally would not happen.” Meeting with students is just one
part of a job “you don’t do,” Paxson said. “You live it.” A day in the life It is impossible to summarize an average day as president of the University, Paxson added. “There is no normal, but I have very full days,” she said, displaying her cal-
“I packed up my office, and I left, and I haven’t missed it at all.” Christina Paxson
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
endar, which is covered with events from 6 a.m., when she goes to the gym, until 9 p.m. But it is the irregularity of the presidency’s daily tasks that keeps Paxson going. “It’s so diverse, and it’s the diversity that I love. I’m in a lot of meetings. I go to a lot of events,” she said. Despite a packed schedule, Paxson holds regular office hours and makes time for students who reach out to her. After Elizabeth Weber ’14 wrote Paxson a letter asking to participate in the strategic planning process, she found a note from the president in her mailbox. Paxson agreed to take Weber on as an intern for the summer. “She offered her time to me every single week of the summer,” Weber said, adding that despite her position of power, “she was so willing to help me and to be my mentor.” As she has gotten to know students, Paxson said, she has realized they are distinct in several ways from students
at Princeton, where she spent her entire career as an educator before beginning her term at Brown in July 2012. The greatest surprise of the move from Princeton to Providence was the ease with which she adjusted, Paxson said. “I had been there for 25 years. I packed up my office, and I left, and I haven’t missed it at all,” she said, adding that the extent to which she enjoys working with the students was also hard to imagine before taking the helm at Brown. “I didn’t appreciate how much of a community this is in a way that Princeton isn’t,” she said, adding that “Brown students are just a little looser, more creative, and they love the flexibility that Brown offers, and it does show in these very intangible ways when I talk to Brown students.” While she now appreciates the sense of community among students, appreciating and understanding the many different people on campus are two distinct tasks. Paxson compared the role of a university president to that of a city mayor. “There are many different groups of constituents,” she said. “Sometimes they have very different views on what the University should be doing, and engaging them all in the life of Brown is very important.” As her conversation with the Student Athlete Advisory Board, which represents one of the largest student communities on campus, came to a close Wednesday, Paxson gave the students the floor. She asked them for “one piece of advice,” another example of her willingness to look to students for guidance. Paxson has more work to do to fully connect with every “constituent” at Brown. But her enthusiasm for leading is apparent, and she earnestly solicits students and faculty members’ counsel on how best to serve them. What she does with that counsel may ultimately define her administration.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
Science & Research Roundup BY ISOBEL HECK, SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR
Geological glass discovery could lead to increased knowledge about Mars When an asteroid or comet collides with Earth, soil and rock melt. Once these materials cool, they can form glass. A research team led by Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences Peter Schultz recently discovered that such glass can contain preserved plant parts that hold information about life forms and climate at the time of impact, according to a University press release. The team discovered glass fragments in Argentinian soil, Schultz said in the press release. One piece of glass contained plant parts from an impact 3 million years ago, while the other dated back 9 million years. The findings from this discovery, published online, will be featured in the May edition of the journal Geology. After finding the glass, the research team tried replicating this type of glass preservation to determine the necessary conditions for the process. They found that plant parts were preserved in glass most successfully when the glass was quickly heated to over 1,500 degrees Celcius, according to the release. This quick and extreme heating preserves the inside layers of the plant due to the water it holds. “Its a little like deep frying,” Schultz said in the release. “The outside fries up quickly, but the inside takes much longer to cook.” The findings also suggest that if the same process of preservation occurred on Mars, glass fragments in Mars’ soil could provide information about the planet millions of years ago. Soil on Mars is similar to that the researchers examined in Argentina, suggesting that areas of Mars may contain similar fragments, according to the release. “Impact glass may be where the 4 billion-year-old signs of life are hiding,” Schultz said in the release.
Medical marijuana legalization does not increase adolescent use
DAVID BRAUN / HERALD
Students gathered in Barus and Holley Friday for the Extreme Edible Car Competition, making miniature cars with bodies, wheels and axles made from an assortment of foods.
» EDIBLE CAR, from page 1 machine. One after the next, the tasty vehicles raced down the ramp, some of them falling apart in the process and others burning out and stopping before they hit the end.
The ‘Kumquats’ proved to be the superior edible car engineers, flaunting a car with rice cake wheels and a cucumber body. The team had arrived twenty minutes late to the competition and feverishly rushed to throw its vehicle together. The team’s car ultimately reached such a great speed as it rolled down the ramp
that its wheels fell off. Nonetheless, it traveled a greater distance than any other car, earning the team the win. For their makeshift but successful performance, they earned a $20 gift card to Antonio’s Pizza. Team member Adam Gottesman ’16 described their triumph as a “Cinderella story.”
T H E 20 T H D AY O F T H E F O U R T H M O N T H
The legalization of medical marijuana does not lead to an increase in use of the substance by adolescents, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study, led by Esther Choo, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Alpert Medical School, was conducted due to “raised concerns about increased accessibility and appeal of the drug” resulting from legalization of medical marijuana over the past few years, according to the study. Choo, along with her fellow researchers, aimed to evaluate these concerns by comparing the rates of adolescent marijuana use in states where medical marijuana has and has not been legalized, according to the study. The data used in the analysis came from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey between the years 1991 and 2011 and included data from over 11.5 million adolescents. Through these comparisons, the researchers found no statistically significant increase in the probability of adolescent marijuana use due to medical marijuana legalization.
Researchers examine link between compound presence and high blood pressure during pregnancy Organochlorines — organic compounds that may be toxic to humans — have been suggested to lead to high blood pressure and related disorders during pregnancy. But this alleged association had not been directly explored until University researchers published a study in the journal Environmental Research earlier this month. Hypertensive disorders, caused by high blood pressure, can cause harm to both the fetus and the mother. The study, led by David Savitz, vice president for research and professor of community health and obstetrics and gynecology, evaluated the potential relationship between these disorders and organochlorines, by looking specifically at the impact of the insecticidal organochloride DDE, the chemical PCB and other similar compounds, according to the study. Organochlorines occur naturally and can be found in some man-made substances, like pesticides. After examining the records of over 2,000 women, the researchers found the alleged association between these compounds and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy to be false. They obtained information for the study from the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a U.S. birth cohort study completed during the 1960s. This finding suggests that similar toxins are also not linked to hypertensive diseases during pregnancy, according to the study.
TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD
Students gather on the Main Green at roughly 4:20 p.m. Sunday to enjoy the warm rays of the sun and the smell of springtime grass in each other’s giggly company.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS BULLETIN
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
BASEBALL
After winless start, Bears split second straight series Bruno takes two from Big Green, now 4-4 in Ivy play since 0-8 conference start, coach’s departure By ANDREW FLAX SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The baseball team split its four games for the second straight weekend, this time sweeping Dartmouth Saturday but losing twice to the Big Green Sunday. In eight Ivy League games since the resignation of former Head Coach Marek Drabinski, the team is 4-4, as compared to 0-8 in the conference games that Drabinski coached this season. The Bears (10-20, 4-12 Ivy) swept their first conference doubleheader of the season Saturday, riding their offense to 12-3 and 7-6 wins. The first game was a blowout, as Bruno scored in every inning en route to a nine-run win. The Bears racked up 14 hits — six going for extra bases — and scored the most runs they have in any Ivy game so far, surpassing their eight in a 10-8 loss to Harvard. Dan Kerr ’15 led the offense with a 3-for4 day, while Daniel Massey ’14 went
2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Anthony Galan ’14 (W, 2-3) pitched well, limiting the damage from 10 Big Green baserunners. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings, striking out four. Taylor Wright ’15 allowed two hits in the seventh, but successfully closed out the game with a scoreless frame. Drama abounded in the nightcap, as the score was tied three separate times from the fifth inning onward. But the Bears grabbed the walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th thanks to an RBI single from J.J. Franco ’14. Bruno took a 2-0 lead before Christian Taugner ’17 surrendered four runs in the third to hand Dartmouth (1219, 7-9) the advantage. But the Bears tied it up in the fifth, leading to an exciting final few innings: Dartmouth took the lead in the sixth, Brown reclaimed it in the seventh and the Big Green tied it back up in the eighth. The ninth was scoreless before Bruno clinched the win in the 10th. It was another great offensive outpouring from Bruno, which posted 11 hits and drew four walks. Robert Henry ’17, Noah Shulman ’16 and Massey each went 2-for-5, and Kevin » See BASEBALL, page S4
KATHLEEN SAMUELSON / HERALD
Playing against Dartmouth, the baseball team won the two games in which its top two starters were on the mound Saturday, but the third and fourth starters had much less offensive support and took losses Sunday.
W. LACROSSE
M. LACROSSE
Bruno’s playoff hopes dashed Big Red topple Bears
with second-half rout
Class of 2014 will graduate without postseason appearance despite strong start to campaign
Molloy ’17 breaks twogame scoreless streak with hat trick, but can’t get Bears second Ivy win
By LAINIE ROWLAND SPORTS STAFF WRITER
The women’s lacrosse team lost its fourth straight Ivy League game Saturday, falling 12-6 to a strong No. 10 Penn squad. The loss eliminates the Bears (9-5, 2-4 Ivy) from postseason contention, making it impossible for them to crack the top four Ivy teams and participate in the conference tournament. Despite a strong start to the season, marked by a win over Ivy leader Princeton, two one-goal losses and two blowouts have sent the Bears spiraling down the conference ladder. At Saturday’s contest in Philadelphia, neither team broke into the scoring column through the first eight minutes of play, until the Quakers (8-4, 4-1) finally got on the board to take an early lead. This advantage gave Penn the momentum, driving the team to score twice more in less than two minutes to extend its lead to three. Hoping to shift the momentum to Bruno, Head Coach Keely McDonald ’00 called a timeout with 20 minutes left in the half, trying to regain control of the game — with some luck. Co-captain Bre Hudgins ’14 scored Bruno’s first goal of the game off a free position shot two minutes after McDonald’s pep talk. “We weren’t getting the draw and » See W. LACROSSE, page S2
By ALEX WAINGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
JESSE SCHWIMMER / HERALD
With Saturday’s loss to Penn eliminating Bruno from playoff contention, co-captain Bre Hudgins ’14 will graduate without a playoff appearance.
Despite a reasonably tight final scoreline of 14-9, the men’s lacrosse team suffered a trouncing at the hands of the Big Red Saturday. Cornell led by as many as nine goals on its home field late in the fourth quarter before it subbed in most of its bench players and the Bears scored a slew of garbage-time goals. With the final whistle, Bruno was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Bruno (6-6, 1-4 Ivy) came out of the gates aggressively, retaining possession for a couple minutes before opening the scoring. Dylan Molloy ’17 recovered the ball behind the net after an errant shot, beat his defender and fired a missile into the top corner of the cage to give Bruno the lead five minutes into the game. In the ensuing faceoff, Cornell’s Doug Tesoriero beat Tommy Capone ’14 and raced down the field with the ball. He dumped a quick pass to Matt Donovan, who ripped a sidearm shot past Jack Kelly ’16 to tie the game just six seconds after Molloy’s goal. The Big Red (10-3, 4-1) netted two more goals later in the quarter to take a 3-1 lead at the end of the first. Tesoriero won four of the five faceoffs he participated in, allowing Cornell to score and
quickly go back on the offensive. The Bears managed to uncork 10 shots on goal, but Christian Knight made four saves to hold Bruno to just the single goal. The second period began with another Big Red goal, this time in a man-up situation. Cornell stretched the Bears’ defense by moving the ball around the edges of the field until the defensive scheme broke down and left Cornell’s Dan Lintner, the league’s leading goal scorer, wide open in front of goal. Lintner received the ball and pushed a shot past Kelly to bump the lead to three. The Bears came right back, as Molloy scored his second goal of the game just a minute later. He started from a position nearly identical to that of his first goal and ran straight at his defender, who tried to keep Molloy from rolling outside. The first-year attackman hit the defender with a spin move and shoveled a shot past Knight to bring the Bears within two. Lintner responded four minutes later, slotting a shot past Kelly for the second time on the afternoon. The halftime whistle blew with Cornell leading 5-2. Most of the first-half statistics — besides the main one — would have suggested that the Bears had been dominant. They outshot Cornell 23-12, committed eight fewer turnovers and forced Knight to make 10 saves in the half. But the Big Red converted their opportunities and led at the half as a result. In the third quarter, Cornell busted the game wide open. It started with a goal from Joe Paoletta off a sloppy clear » See M. LACROSSE, page S2
S2 softball
THE SPORTS BULLETIN MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
» SOFTBALL, from page 1 back Nakashima up. After a scoreless start, Dartmouth took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth off an RBI single that drove in a runner on base due to a Brown error. But in the home half, Christina Andrews ’17 led off with a solo home run to knot the score. Andrews has been far and away the Bears’ best hitter this season, leading the team in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. With the score even, the Bears could have been complacent and simply counted their blessings for being tied with the conference’s top team. But they stayed hungry and went for more. Kelsey Williams ’14 reached on an error, and with two outs, was driven in by a Danielle Palms ’14 single that gave Bruno the 2-1 advantage. A wild pitch moved Palms to third, and Nakashima’s first hit of the season in seven at-bats tallied an insurance run for the Bears. Nakashima locked down the Big Green from there, allowing no hits over the game’s final two innings to secure the win for Bruno. Brown’s losing streak was monstrous, a 28-game black hole during which it was outscored 156-39, or by more than four runs per game. And while this season remains a lost one for Bruno, it will at least avoid the ignominy of a winless conference slate.
KATHLEEN SAMUELSON / HERALD
Corner infielder Trista Chavez ’16 waits for the pitch. She had hits in three of the Bears’ four games against Dartmouth this weekend, including one in the win that would snap the Bears’ historic 28-game losing streak. In Ivy play this season, Chavez is hitting .326/.380/.457 over 16 games.
» W. LACROSSE, from page 5 we were letting them get some feeds in,” McDonald said. “They were doing a really nice job feeding with just inches.” But the attempt to dent Penn’s lead would not go unanswered. The Quakers retaliated by doubling their total, claiming a 6-1 lead over the Bears with five minutes left in the half. McDonald then pulled struggling goaltender Kellie Roddy ’15, filling her spot with Victoria Holland ’16. The clock wound down to 15 seconds before Kerrianne Hunt ’17 scored her 14th goal of the season off an assist from Ivy League points leader Danielle Mastro ’14. Brown entered the intermission down 6-2. “Their offense played well,” McDonald said. “They executed well. Their pressure in the ride was strong.” In the second half, the Quakers continued to capitalize where Bruno faltered. Penn returned from the break to score three more unanswered goals, as Tory Bensen completed a
» M. LACROSSE, from page 5 by Bruno’s defense. A minute later, Kelly scrambled out of his goal to chase a loose ball. A Cornell player beat him to it, swung the ball to Connor Entenmann, who promptly placed the ball in the empty net. Three minutes after that, Sean Doyle collected a rebound off a Kelly save and pushed the ball past the diving netminder. Just like that, Cornell led 8-2. Molloy completed his hat trick a few minutes later, but Cornell responded with two more scores, both by Donovan.
hat trick for the Quakers. Hudgins responded once again with her 38th goal of the season to narrow Penn’s lead to 9-3. Hudgins’ goal made this season the highest-scoring of her career, but it would not be enough Saturday. Following Hudgins’ goal, the last 20 minutes of the game saw Bruno match Penn’s scoring. Both teams scored three more goals before the final buzzer, changing neither the outcome nor Bruno’s six-goal deficit. The Quakers scored twice more to lead by eight, after which McDonald put Roddy back in at goal. Co-captain Grace Healy ’14 pulled out two consecutive goals to clip Penn’s lead to six, 11-5. In the last 30 seconds, both teams found the back of the net again, with Lauren Toy ’16 scoring the final goal of the game. “I actually thought our defense played well overall,” McDonald said. But Penn’s tight offensive play ultimately did get the best of Bruno. The Bears committed 17 turnovers Saturday, forcing only eight from the
Quakers. Holland allowed six goals and made one save in her longest appearance of the season outside of Bruno’s 19-6 thumping of Sacred Heart Feb. 23. The team edged Penn on draw controls, but was vastly outshot in the contest. Even as the senior class lost its chance at the postseason, McDonald commended how much they have contributed to the program. “They’re amazing,” she said. “As women, as competitors, each one of them has grown so much as an athlete and a person ... I wish we could have been in the tournament with them, but I think everyone knows the impact they have made on the program … just the fact that they’re actually disappointed that we lost to a top ten team, shows how much progress the program has made, and I don’t think they even realize that.” The Bears travel to New Haven Saturday for their last game of the season against Yale (8-6, 2-4). A win over Yale would tie the program’s record for wins in a season, at 10.
The Big Red outscored Bruno 5-1 in the third frame and led 10-3 with another full quarter to play. In the fourth, Cornell once again bested Bruno’s defense multiple times, scoring four goals in the first 10 minutes compared to just two for the Bears. Cornell then emptied its bench to rest some of its starters, allowing Brown to net four goals in the dying minutes of the game. But the Big Red lead was sufficiently large to hold off Bruno’s last effort. Two of the numerous goals scored by the Big Red came just seconds after a previous goal. Throughout the game,
Tesoriero beat whomever Bruno sent out to compete in faceoffs. He won 15 of 22 faceoffs and was often able to push the ball past the Bears’ faceoff specialist, creating a one-man fast break. Winning faceoffs and, more importantly, containing an opponent’s faceoff specialist will be key for the Bears’ success in future games. Bruno has two contests remaining on its schedule — a showdown against Bryant University (11-3, 4-1 NEC) for the Ocean State Cup Tuesday, followed by a game that bears no significance for the Ivy League postseason against Dartmouth (1-9, 0-5) Saturday.
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commentary S3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
Predictions: Guide to the 2014 NBA Playoffs An Unconventional Playoff Preview
Picks by Sports Columnist James Cohan | Design by Graphics Editor Greg Jordan-Detamore
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
No. 1 Pacers vs. No. 8 Hawks
No. 1 Spurs vs. No. 8 Mavericks
Pacers in six
We begin with by far the least interesting series in the playoffs. This has to be the worst series since, well, Pacers-Hawks 2013. Actually, version 2.0 is worse. The 2013 teams weren’t all that exciting, but it wasn’t their fault. They suffered from being in smaller markets. Still, they were solid teams playing good basketball. This year … Jesus. The Hawks have no interest in being here — Danny Ferry admitted as much. They are six games below .500. I hate to keep harping on this (I actually really enjoy harping on this), but the fact that the Hawks are in the playoffs with 36 wins and the Suns are out with 48 is incredible and sad. The Pacers, on the other hand, might be playing the worst basketball of any team left standing. That is not an exaggeration. They’ve somehow morphed from a team that looked like it was ready to topple the Heat into a mix of the 76ers’ offense and the Knicks’ off-the-court drama. That’s a rough combination. Someone has to win, though. I’ll take the team that at least at one point looked like it might be the best in the NBA over the team that would prefer to be in the lottery.
Spurs in five The Western Conference can’t be that much better than the East, right? Consider this: in the No. 1 vs. No. 8 seed matchup, the 62-win Spurs are taking on the 49-win Mavs. That’s a combined 111 wins, or an average of 55.5 wins per team. If the Pacers and Heat meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, the average wins per team will be 55. You read that correctly. The team with the worst record in the Western Conference Playoffs is in a series with more total wins than the Pacers-Heat matchup we’ve been dreaming about since week one. So don’t let the little numbers next to these teams’ names fool you into thinking this is a throwaway series. Oh, and Duncan is 37 and leading a Spurs team that has the best record in the NBA, and Dirk Nowitzki is 35 and an MVP candidate, which is kind of impressive as well. That puts both of them in the dwindling group of athletes who were stars when I first started watching sports and are still, somehow, stars. All that said, I don’t think this is going to be a competitive series. Dirk is Dirk, and Monta Ellis has completely reinvented himself. But they still have to share a court with the Spurs. The Spurs might be the most efficient instrument ever assembled on a basketball court. Unless you have the brute athleticism and talent to disrupt it, it’s going to pick you apart. I’m not counting Dirk out, but unless he does something truly special, this is going to be a mismatch.
No. 2 Heat vs. No. 7 Bobcats
Heat in five Let’s just get this out of the way. I’m a LeBron James fan. Love him. I know — I’m the worst. Look, The Decision was four years ago. It’s time to get over it. Over the last month of the season, the Pacers seemed determined to hand over the No. 1 seed to the Heat and the coveted first-round bye against the Hawks that comes with it. Somehow, the Heat let that opportunity slip away. Now they have to face the Bobcats, and that isn’t going to be easy. The Heat are going to win this series. They’re too good to lose in the first round. The question is how much the Bobcats will take out of them on the way. The Bobcats make me nervous. The Heat don’t exactly make a living off their interior defense, and Al Jefferson is big enough and dominant enough to take over a couple of games in this series. Best-case scenario for the Heat: They play crisply from the start, their threes fall, and they wrap the series up in four or five. Worst-case scenario: They fail to knock the Bobcats out early, the series goes to seven games and LeBron is forced to add even more minutes to the already substantial sum he’s logged this season. The Heat have been here before. The Bobcats have not. If I had to take a guess, I’d say the Heat finish the Bobcats off relatively quickly.
No. 2 Thunder vs. No. 7 Grizzlies
Thunder in six
Another rematch. This one is a repeat of last year’s conference semifinals, when the Grizzlies took down the Thunder in five short games. But it’s not really a rematch. For it to be a rematch, the teams would have to be mostly the same. That Thunder team was without Russell Westbrook, one of the 10 best players in the NBA. Westbrook’s back, and with him the Thunder are a different story. Add in that Durant has somehow kicked his game into an even higher gear, and the Thunder are starting to look like they’re holding the giant sledgehammer in Super Smash Bros., with the other teams desperately attempting to scurry out of reach. The Grizzlies will need to be perfect if they want to avoid getting smashed. I don’t mean to be dismissive of the Grizzlies. Since getting Marc Gasol back from injury, they’ve been scary. Gasol and Randolph will beat the Thunder up down low, and that kind of physicality could take a toll on the Thunder as the series goes on. At the end of the day though, I’m not picking against a fully loaded Thunder team that looks poised to make a run to the Finals.
No. 3 Raptors vs. No. 6 Nets
Drake over Jay-Z in seven
Congratulations, Brooklyn. You successfully tanked out of a matchup against the Bulls. Well done. Guess what: I’m still not picking you. I’m not buying the Brooklyn hype. I know they have a good record since the All-Star Break, but I saw this roster play the Knicks last year in the first round. They weren’t good. Now they have Deron Williams instead of Rondo and Joe Johnson instead of Jeff Green. Great. Props to Paul Pierce for still managing to hit threes without taking his feet off the ground, but I’m taking the team with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. I think people are sleeping on the Raptors for being the Raptors. Put Knicks jerseys on them at the beginning of the season, and the media spends all year arguing about whether or not they can upset the Heat. That’s not happening, but they can take the Nets.
No. 4 Bulls vs. No. 5 Wizards
No. 3 Clippers vs. No. 6 Warriors
Clippers in six
Chris Paul. Blake Griffin. Stephen Curry. Perhaps more than any other matchup, this series exemplifies the whole “watching players vs. watching teams” thing. What I mean is, the majority of people who tune into this series will be more interested in watching Paul, Griffin and Curry do cool things than they will be in the results of the games. Myself included. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll probably talk myself into rooting for one of these teams. Maybe the Warriors, because I love Curry. Actually, definitely the Warriors. Okay, I’m all in on the Warriors. But when Paul makes a crafty pass to Griffin for a spectacular dunk, I’m going to enjoy it anyway. All that star power is going to make this a fun series to watch. The Clippers might have two of the top five players in the NBA — no other team can say that. And the Warriors have Curry, who is without a doubt the most exciting player in the league. Of course, there’s his shooting, but it’s more than that. Every move he makes looks like it’s part of some dance only he’s privy to. In an age when it often feels like every player is doing the same thing, it’s exhilarating to watch. Hopefully, Curry steals a couple of games, and this series comes down to the wire. But it would be foolish not to bet on the team with two top-five players. Add in the news of Andrew Bogut’s broken rib, and it’s not looking good for the Warriors.
Wizards in seven
It’s been a while since the Wizards’ last playoff appearance in 2008. The rebuilding process wasn’t fun. Ernie Grunfeld didn’t exactly speed things along by spending first-round draft picks on JaVale McGee, Lazar Hayward, Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton. But throw enough darts blindly at a wall, and eventually you’re bound to hit a bull’s-eye. First, the Wizards landed John Wall. Then Bradley Beal. And now, finally, they’ve arrived. The playoffs are coming to D.C. So here we are, facing a Bulls team that refuses to die. I know you’re sick of hearing it at this point, but how on earth are the Bulls still this good?! They lost Derrick Rose, their star player and former MVP, and traded Luol Deng, their leading scorer, and somehow remain the favorite for “best non-Heat/Pacers team in the East.” As long as Thibs has Joakim Noah to anchor his game plan, the Bulls’ defense will be good enough to win games on its own. Just plug in spare parts, and the machine keeps humming. There’s no better example of this than DJ Augustin. Augustin spent last season struggling to keep it together on the court when he came off the Pacers’ bench. The Bulls took him in this year, and he instantly became a reliable starting point guard. I’m aware the smart money is on the Bulls to win this series. And I couldn’t care less. Last year, the Warriors were just happy to be in the playoffs. Stephen Curry was a good offensive player, but he wasn’t part of the league’s elite. Until, all of a sudden, the Warriors decided to change the storyline. They punished the Nuggets in the first round, and then threatened to knock out the Spurs before succumbing in six games. Curry emerged as a superstar on the back of one jaw-dropping performance after another. See where I’m going with this? Sure, the Wizards are happy to be here. But they’re not just happy to be here. Wall’s a competitor, and he’s ready to break out on the national stage. If the rest of the squad gets on board, this team’s about to cause some wreckage.
No. 4 Rockets vs. No. 5 Trail Blazers
Rockets in seven Both teams finished with 54 wins. In the end, wins are how we judge teams, and these teams are great examples of how little of the story that metric captures. The Blazers came out of pretty much nowhere in the first half of the season and for a couple of months held the best record in the Western Conference. They then cooled off noticeably, as many expected, before finishing the season on a high note, winning nine of their last 10. Their success was baffling. The best explanation seems to be growth from their young stars and the chemistry that only comes from playing with the same guys for multiple years. The Rockets, on the other hand, built a contender with two blockbuster moves. Last season, they dipped into their vault of assets to trade for James Harden. He turned out to be the best shooting guard in the league. They followed that up by signing Dwight Howard this offseason. Now, they’re riding two of the most recognizable players in the NBA into the postseason. So which is better? As much as I love what the Blazers have done, I think they’re still a year away. The Rockets are all in on this season, which gives them the slight edge.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS BULLETIN
TENNIS
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
The Masters declawed MIKE FIRN sports columnist
TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD
Ashley Noyes ’16 returns a volley. Partnered with Ammu Mandalap ’16, she lost her matchup against the Crimson’s third doubles pair on a tiebreaker that would end up deciding the outcome of the overall match.
Teams fall to Harvard, Dartmouth Narrow losses to Crimson push both teams further down Ivy standings as season nears end By CHRISTINE RUSH SPORTS STAFF WRITER
The men’s and women’s tennis teams both fell to Ivy foes Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend in blows to each team’s conference record. The Crimson overpowered both teams Saturday. The men fell 4-2, while the women came up short 4-3. Sunday brought two more defeats, with the men and women losing to the Big Green 4-3 and 5-2, respectively. Women’s tennis Dayna Lord ’17, Hannah Camhi ’16 and Ammu Mandalap ’16 came out with wins for Bruno (13-9, 2-4 Ivy) in Crimson territory at first, second and fifth spot singles. But Harvard (11-7, 3-3) responded, snagging the doubles point and the three other singles points. Mandalap said the loss was a heartbreaker for the girls, but that it was a big improvement from last year’s 7-0 loss to the Crimson. “All of us matched up pretty well,” Mandalap said. She dominated at fifth
» BASEBALL, from page S1 Guthrie ’16 was 1-for-5 with two RBIs. Taugner was not as sharp as usual, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings. But his replacement, Max Ritchie ’17 (W, 2-2), was the savior for the Bears, tossing four innings and allowing just one run, making the Bruno comeback and eventual win possible. Saturday was the best day of the season for Bruno, with two wins over Ivy competition and some clutch hitting, both of which had been lacking earlier in the campaign. Assistant Coach Grant Achilles took pride in his team’s breakthrough, attributing its newfound success to a change in mindset. “It was a mentality from our guys,” he said. “They believed they were going to win the game.” Though Saturday was triumphant for Bruno, the Bears could not extend their winning streak into Sunday, dropping the first game of the second
spot singles, pulling away with a 6-2, 6-0 win. Unfortunately for the Bears, Mandalap and doubles partner Ashley Noyes ’16 got edged out in a tiebreaker at third spot doubles. Their 8-7 (4) loss “was the deciding factor for the doubles point,” Mandalap said. Mandalap and Noyes had a slow start, falling to an early three-game deficit. Mandalap said she believed they never fully recovered from falling behind. Harvard’s pair pulled ahead 7-5, but Brown’s sophomores closed the gap, tying the score 7-7. Despite the Bears’ battling, Harvard hit two good serves to finish off the tiebreaker, Mandalap said. Though Bruno failed to get the doubles point, the top doubles team of Lord and Camhi, a Herald staff writer, defeated its competition 8-4. The women face Yale (13-8, 5-1) Saturday for the last match of their season. Men’s tennis The men’s loss to Harvard (16-6, 5-1) at home brought their league record to 0-5. Gregory Garcia ’17 and William Spector ’15 scored both points for Brown (10-12, 0-6) at second and third spot singles, respectively. Garcia finished with a 6-3, 6-4 win at two spot singles. He said he was matched up against a player with good
groundstrokes, but he added that he was “returning the ball well.” Though Garcia had success at singles, he suffered a tight loss, 8-6, at first spot doubles with partner Daniel Hirschberg ’15. Garcia said Harvard was hitting some big serves, but that the “match could have gone either way.” Harvard snatched the lone doubles point, but Jacob Laser ’15 and Justin To ’15 fought for Brown at two spot doubles, winning 8-5. Garcia said Laser’s play brought the team a boost of energy. Laser “really put the team on his back,” Garcia said. Despite Laser’s efforts, the team “could have had more energy,” Garcia said. Bruno could not turn things around for Sunday’s match — Dartmouth slipped away with a 4-3 win. The Big Green (17-5, 4-1) swept doubles, getting all three wins for the doubles point. Brandon Burke ’14, Hirschberg and Lucas Da Silveira ’16 all stepped up in singles, grabbing three points for Brown. Burke pulled away with a tight 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 win, while Hirschberg dominated in two sets. Da Silveira went into three sets — eventually winning 6-0, 2-6, 6-4. Despite the final outcome, the match was full of tight games. The men have their last match of the season Saturday against Yale (12-9, 1-5).
twin bill, 7-0. Offensively, the slugging strength the Bears had the previous day vanished. Brown managed just four hits and three walks in the shutout, and three of those baserunners came in the seventh inning, when Bruno already trailed 7-0. Will Marcal ’15 was the only Bear to reach base twice. Dave St. Lawrence ’15 (L, 1-5), last week’s Ivy League Pitcher of the Week, fell back to earth after his complete-game shutout. He gave up seven runs on nine hits over seven innings, though he did strike out six and walk just one. In the final game of the weekend, Bruno failed to capitalize on its shot to claim its first series win of the season, falling to the Big Green 3-2. For the second straight game, the bats went limp, as Bruno could scrape together only five hits. Half the Bears’ offense came from Massey’s second home run of the series. Seven innings of two-run ball from Lucas Whitehill ’14 (L, 1-4) were not enough, as reliever Chris Smith ’15 gave up the
winning run in the eighth. Despite the two losses Sunday, Achilles said he was happy with what he saw out of his team. “The energy stayed high,” he said. “We gave ourselves a chance. … The outcome’s not always going to be what we wanted, but that’s baseball.” Grabbing its fourth win since Drabinski’s resignation, the team has found more success in every area of the game. But Achilles did not consider the coaching change the reason for Bruno’s reversal of fortunes. “We’re getting a bounce here and a bounce there, and key hits in key situations,” he said. “The end result’s been better, and I think guys are sticking to the process a lot more as the season goes on.” With the pair of losses, the Bears are officially eliminated from Ivy title contention. This may have seemed like a foregone conclusion just two weeks ago, when the Bears were 0-8 in conference, so the team’s ability to stave off elimination until Sunday was an achievement in itself.
As Jim Nantz tells us so often, the Masters Tournament truly is a tradition unlike any other. For golf fans, there is no better remedy after a long, golfless winter than the green fairways and greener jackets of the Augusta National Golf Club. We look forward to those trademark azaleas all year long, and for a millisecond, some even consider skipping Spring Weekend to go home and watch it on the big screen. With its iconic setting and rich history, the Masters is the pinnacle of golf. But this year, even high stakes and majestic beauty couldn’t save it from the loss of Tiger Woods. Like so many of the greatest athletes, Woods makes his presence felt. Any golf tournament takes on a whole new level of intensity when Woods is on the prowl in his traditional Sunday red. But, as we learned the hard way last weekend, Woods’ absence is felt just as strongly as his presence — this year, average ratings for weekend Masters coverage fell to its lowest point since 1993, back when Woods was still tearing up the Junior Amateur circuit. The hardcore fans don’t need him. We’ll watch anything golf-related as we rehearse our swings in the background. But flip to the Golf Channel and the commercial content will tell you that hardcore golf fans are pretty much limited to rich, white men with prostate problems about to tap into their retirement accounts (well, besides me). But the casual fans who watch just the four majors and know only the top names? They need Tiger in the field. They need the narrative of Woods’ desperate bid to end his major drought on golf ’s biggest stage. They need the possibility of witnessing history, the sort of greatness that only Woods can provide on a golf course. Without him, the casual fans turn their attention elsewhere. Tiger’s ruthless quest for 19 is a storyline that can captivate the average sports fan. “Adam Scott looks to defend title” definitely can’t compete with “LeBron eyes a three-peat” or “Jeter begins farewell tour.” Golf is forever rooted in tradition. But really, this is just a nice way of saying the game is stuck in its ways, fighting to stay relevant in an evolving sports landscape. More so than other professional leagues, the top-heavy PGA Tour is defined by its star power. And as far as superstars go, Tiger Woods is to golf as Bill Nye is to science. Woods doesn’t have to win. He just has to be there, and the headlines will write themselves. Some will blame the poor ratings on a lack of final-round drama. True, there were none of the late heroics or heartbreaks that Augusta so often produces.
Eventual champion Bubba Watson won by a comfortable three-stroke margin, but he only broke away on Sunday’s back nine. Entering the final round, the tournament boasted a compelling storyline: Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth locked in a duel. Masters veteran looking for a second green jacket versus Masters rookie looking to burst onto the scene. Watson’s personality is as bold as his game and his pink driver. Not even Woods had won a Masters at the age of Spieth, who will celebrate his 21st birthday in July. Watson is a worthy champion and Spieth a formidable runner-up. Together, they suggest a bright future for golf. But even someone as likeable as Bubba or as exciting as Spieth can’t put golf on the map like Tiger can. Golf ’s unfortunate reality is that there will never be another Tiger Woods. It’s not just that he’s won four times at Augusta. It’s the intensity that he brings, even in defeat. Woods the competitor is always locked in on any golf course. But at Augusta, in pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ revered major championship record? You better not blink. The players know it, too. Defending champion Scott: “It’s a huge loss.” Phil Mickelson: “It’s awkward to not have him here. … He’s brought increased ratings, increased sponsors, increased interest.” Rory McIlroy: “Having Tiger in a tournament definitely creates more buzz, more of an atmosphere.” Even Woods’ greatest competitors miss his participation. The PGA Tour has plenty going for it without Tiger. But the only way to prove it is to showcase the game to the world, and Woods almost singlehandedly drives that viewership. He’s got his share of both fans and detractors, but even the haters can’t deny that Woods’ presence elevates the intensity of a golf tournament. Whether he’s pulling off miraculous shots, taking illegal drops or hitting balls into the water, Woods is always a compelling watch. The notion that Augusta’s setting, heritage and drama would make us forget about Woods’ absence was always a bit too hopeful. The ratings speak for themselves. Masters weekend is a spring ritual that the golf world craves. We’re willing to ignore the rampant racism and patriarchy that blemish Augusta’s image because we can’t resist the tournament itself. So, of course, I still watched. I still checked the leaderboard every 20 minutes while I was jostled by a crowd of Lauryn Hill fans. I still blew off my paper to watch the Sunday drama unfold. But without Tiger inciting roars on the back nine, something just felt different.
Mike Firn ’16 wants to send Tiger a “get well soon” card. Contact him at michael_firn@brown.edu.
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today 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
menu SHARPE REFECTORY
diving for the disc VERNEY-WOOLLEY
LUNCH Roast Pork on a Bulkie Roll, Ginger Chicken Pasta, Edamame Beans with Tri-Colored Peppers, Frosted Brownies
Cavatini, Vegetable Stuffed Red Peppers, French Fries, Potato Skins Bar, Frosted Brownies
DINNER Chicken Helene, Roast Beef Au Jus, Roasted Herb Potatoes, Broccoli Rabe, Washington Apple Cake
Green Pepper Steak, Chinese Fried Rice, Asian Vegetables, Vegetable Egg Rolls, Washington Apple Cake
JOSIAH’S
THREE BURNERS
QUESADILLA OR GRILLED CHEESE
Crepes
Grilled Cheese
BLUE ROOM
SOUPS
DINNER ENTREES
Chicken Noodle, Fire Roasted Vegetable, Beef with Bean Chili
Naked Burritos
sudoku
EMILY GILBERT / HERALD
crossword ACROSS By Ian Everbach ’17 One big happy family 1 Sunny Caribbean island 6 Wide open as a mouth 11 Peak of a mountain 14 Harmonic 15 Eucharist wineglass 16 Just-mined metal 17 Gaia 19 With 68-across, conifers in folklore 20 Parisian subway 21 Catch 5 or take 40 22 Dysfunctional, informally 23 They look like upside-down W’s 24 Indian sunhat 26 Polish person? 28 “Darn!” 30 1930s Germany, to Nazis 32 Showboat power source 34 Old English magistrate 35 Monotonies 04/21/14 37 Boot up a computer 6 Card that’s either 41 Clue number 41- 59 Historically, 42 Velvety leather low or high down religious assassin 44 Jazz singer 7 Foundation 43 Set of table and from India Vaughan material chairs 61 Deli item, for 45 Cultural 8 Ambience 45 Hieroglyphic short counterpart 9 Cause of beetle 62 Helping verb 50 Actress Moore annoyance 46 I, on the periodic 63 Recording dev. 51 Mouse or chicken 10 Old English letter table 52 Recess locale 11 Japanese auto 47 Ikea’s country of 54 Burro company that origin 55 Arabian Sea Gulf owns Lexus 48 Sine over cosine, For solutions, contact: 56 Leading up to 12 Trail from 1840in trig. crosswords@ 58 Autoshop tool, 1860 49 Nostalgic signifier browndailyherald.com. informally 13 What a 26-across 53 Belief in effect For past crosswords, 60 Clear would do from cause see acrosstobear. 61 Religious order, 18 Apartment garden 57 It may be tied wordpress.com. perhaps variety 64 Suffix with meth-, 22 Zero Solution to the Apr. 7 puzzle: but- and prop23 Formerly, of old 65 Drachma bits 25 3.25 light years 66 Ceremonial hand 27 Women’s attire gesture 29 Two-pronged 67 Big London Japanese dagger attraction 31 To this matter, 68 See 19-across formally 69 Undercover ____ 33 One who says thoughtfully DOWN 36 Character in a 1 Money machine, mystery, perhaps abbr. 38 Mite 2 Dorm partner 39 It’s dialed first 3 Experimental 40 Freshwater snail 4 Thai dollar with a spiral shell 5 It may be red
With home-field advantage, ultimate frisbee team Brownian Motion managed to secure first place this weekend to compete in the South New England conference tournament and, with it, a berth in the regional tournament.
comic Against the Fence | Lauren Stone ’17
calendar TODAY
APRIL 21
4 P.M. THE TRAPS OF DEMOCRACY AFTER COMMUNISM
Adam Michnik, founder and editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, will discuss his experience as a detainee of the Polish communist regime and the implications for a post-communist state. Watson Institute 5:30 P.M. MINDFULNESS FOR BUSY PEOPLE
Gen Kelsang Jampa, an American Buddhist monk, will talk about the importance of clarity and peace amidst a busy schedule. MacMillan 117
TOMORROW
APRIL 22
5:30 P.M. A LIFE IN LETTERS — LETTERS AS LIFE
G. Thomas Couser, professor of English at Hofstra University, will speak about the value of writing letters as a form of communication. Building for Environmental Research and Teaching 130 5:30 P.M. LIVING IN IT: OPRAH WINFREY, GOLDMAN SACHS AND THE CONTEMPORARY STUDY OF RELIGION
Kathryn Lofton, professor of religion at Yale, will give a lecture about the relationship between religion and modern culture. Wilson 302
6 commentary
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
EDITORIAL
What we’re fighting for As we recover from Spring Weekend, prepare for finals and enjoy the newly beautiful weather, Emma Jerzyk’s ’17 April 8 Herald article “Adrift in the Ocean State” should be a wakeup call to us all. Jerzyk profiles several homeless Rhode Islanders and explores how so many remain affected by the 2008 recession and subsequent funding cuts. Brown students may spend the next few weeks finishing up coursework and preparing for the summer vacation, but we would all do well to read these tales and ensure that we do not forget those who are too often left behind. Almost 5,000 individuals in Rhode Island are homeless, a figure that has jumped by almost 950 since 2007. This figure is part of a larger dispiriting picture of the economy of Rhode Island, whose unemployment rate, 8.7 percent, is the highest in the country. It has been estimated that about 40,000 jobs were lost in the state during the recession, and only half have been subsequently restored. Currently, residents making minimum wage struggle to find decent living arrangements. The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless estimates that a single worker making minimum wage would need to work 102 hours every week to pay for a two-bedroom apartment. Even prior to the recession, one in four renters in Rhode Island spent more than half their income paying for housing, leaving them incredibly vulnerable to homelessness in the face of rent hikes or job loss. Further, funding cuts have besieged the nonprofit organizations intended to help those struggling in the downturn. In the face of such cuts, the Urban League of Rhode Island has been forced to close the men’s homeless shelter and temporarily shutter the Elmhurst women’s shelter. Similarly, state and city funding cuts have translated into less money for housing subsidies and food assistance. While stimulus funding intended to offset budget cuts expired in 2012, the passage of the Homeless Bill of Rights was a bright spot. The text of the law ensures that homeless Rhode Islanders are ensured the right to vote and prevents discrimination against them while seeking jobs and housing. The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless has distributed hundreds of bilingual cards to individuals to help them understand their newfound rights and how to protect them. The Coalition continues to operate the Homeless Legal Clinic, which serves homeless and at-risk clients free of charge. The clinic utilizes the services of staffers, volunteer attorneys and students. The Coalition has identified specific public policy initiatives to assist current homeless people and to help stabilize at-risk residents. These include discharge planning, emergency aid programs and tenant protection policies and laws. The only long-term solution, of course, is dedicated affordable housing with support programs. One organization in Rhode Island, Housing First, began in 2006 and demonstrated substantial benefits. Housing First had a success rate of 90 percent in providing supportive housing. As we students explore the world around ourselves and choose our longterm career paths, it is important that we remember to support institutions such as the Coalition for the Homeless in a variety of ways. Some of us may choose to enter the nonprofit world directly, working every day to design programs that benefit our fellow citizens. Others may volunteer or work on campaigns to ensure that these organizations are adequately supported. Whatever avenues we choose, we will have opportunities to assist and support the neediest around us. It is our responsibility to seek out these options beyond college when they are perhaps not as obviously accessible as, for example, the Swearer Center for Public Service. Homelessness in particular is a pervasive social issue that each of us bears a responsibility for and a common interest in fighting. However engrossed we become with our daily tasks, we must always step back and consider those who are too often left behind.
A N G E L IA WA N G
CORRECTIONS An article in Friday’s Herald (“Nine alums to receive honorary degrees,” April 18) misstated the year in which Arthur Horwich received his Doctor of Medicine. It was 1975, not 1965. The Herald regrets the error. A photo caption accompanying an article in Friday’s Herald (“Former Bears take NHL ice,” April 18) misstated the team for which Aaron Volpatti ’10 is playing in the photo. It is the Vancouver Canucks, not the Washington Capitals. The Herald regrets the error.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
““But then I remembered that Brown is in the United States, a patriarchic society, and also a homophobic
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one.
— Lorin Smith ’15
See lgbtq center on page 2.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Matt Brundage ’15 and Rachel Occhiogrosso ’14, and its members, Hannah Loewentheil ’14 and Thomas Nath ’16. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com. Editorial Leadership
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commentary 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
Spring Weekend: An opportunity for community SAMANTHA ISMAN opinions columnist
Just as in my first two years at Brown, I was not familiar with the Spring Weekend artists this year. I had heard of Diplo and Lauryn Hill before, but when asked to name one of their songs, I couldn’t. At first I was bothered by this — I always feel my experience of the weekend would be better if I knew something about the artists performing. But as the weekend began to pick up speed, I realized that what makes Spring Weekend memorable has little to do with who is performing. Baeble Music Blog named Brown’s Spring Weekend lineup the best college music festival of the year. Competing with other much larger schools that brought in bigger names in the music industry, Brown stood out as the most versatile and most likely to have something for everyone. But what’s important about Spring Weekend is not necessarily the quality of the performers. A significant portion of the Brown community comes to-
gether to celebrate Spring Weekend each year. In those moments, when we are all swaying to the music together, even dancing with strangers, we remember that the Brown community extends beyond our immediate group of friends. It extends beyond the students in our classes and those living in our dorms.
dents,” as Alex Oberg ’12 told The Herald earlier this month (“Spring Weekend ‘After Dark’ party announces lineup,” April 4), these events demonstrate the desire to continue the community bonding. Though the purpose of such events is perhaps debatable, large numbers of the Brown community continue to gather out-
the number of students socializing together in the area grew exponentially. Though this growth could be attributed to large numbers of people congregating on Wriston and trying to find space — or smelling the burgers — the students hanging out in this area were not limited to the usual groups of people.
Time and time again we remind ourselves that being part of the Brown community is not only about speaking our minds but also about knowing that our differences should not and cannot divide us.
This year, students gathered before and after the concerts to enjoy each other’s company and to continue celebrating the busy but exciting semester. The festivities extended beyond moments spent jumping up and down on the Main Green to events such as Ultra and Spring Weekend After Dark at Lupo’s. Organized “by Brown students (and) for Brown stu-
side of campus and create a convivial energy. Rather than attending smaller, independent after-parties, these events show a continued desire to gather in larger numbers, as a whole, distinctly Brown, community. Even pre-concert events demonstrate this feeling of community. As I sat on the Buxton patio last weekend, enjoying burgers with friends,
The sense of community at Brown during Spring Weekend exhibits something inherent to Brown students — regardless of our differences and disagreements, our student body still wants to socialize and experience each other’s company. It has been a turbulent year in terms of disagreements with both the administration and with each other. We have often ar-
gued opposing viewpoints on a range of issues. In particular, this year saw intense demonstrations against speakers and Brown-sponsored events, but in spite of this tumult, students are still able to put our differences aside and come together. Time and time again we remind ourselves that being part of the Brown community is not only about speaking our minds but also about knowing that our differences should not and cannot divide us. Some see Spring Weekend as an excuse to party, while others view it as a way to enjoy great music at a reduced price. But the event goes beyond the partying and music. The event demonstrates that we are part of a community that wants to continue to communicate and bond. Spring Weekend, regardless of which artist performs, has always been memorable and exciting. In the end, Spring Weekend is more of an excuse to remove our noses from our books and realize that we are surrounded by thousands of great people — and potential new friends.
Samantha Isman ’15 can be reached at samantha_isman@ brown.edu.
Death and taxes KUNAL SINDHU opinions columnist
Every year, Americans greet April 15 with a mixture of anxiety and revulsion. This year was no different, as millions rushed to post offices across the country last Tuesday to beat the Internal Revenue Service’s deadline for submitting individual income tax returns. Taxes, of course, are nobody’s favorite subject. In the 28 years since the federal tax code was last simplified, legislators, working closely with lobbyists, have ceaselessly worked to carve out an extensive and ever-growing array of tax credits, deductions and exemptions. The result of these efforts, besides costing the federal government nearly $1.1 trillion in annual revenue, is a notoriously complex tax code that has become nearly impossible to comply with — according to the IRS, the average American now spends 13 hours annually to properly file a federal income tax return. Yet the horror does not end there. Just as the federal tax code has become increasingly byzantine, individual state tax codes have followed in lockstep. And since each state requires its citizens to fill out a separate return, the work required just to hand over some of your hard-earned cash can quickly pile up. During a year in which you move, for example, it is likely that you will have to fill out at least three separate returns, one for the federal government and one for each of the two states you lived in that year. It is no surprise, then, that many Americans at times feel overburdened by their country’s tax regime. Americans for Tax Reform, led by Grover Norquist, has successfully sought to channel these frustrations by rabidly opposing any future tax increases. Since its founding in
1985, the group has become highly influential in American politics — the ATR’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” has become a cornerstone of conservative philosophy, underpinning much of the political power of the Tea Party. However, the truth about taxes is far more nuanced than Norquist and his cronies would have you believe. For one, taxes can have immense utility. By funding goods and services that no individual can provide on his or her own, like schools and infrastructure, govern-
Additionally, the United States collects far less tax revenue than most other industrialized nations. Countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 34 rich nations, on average collect taxes worth 33.8 percent of their GDP, significantly higher than America’s take. In fact, within the group, only Mexico and Chile cumulatively tax less than the United States does. So by both historical and international standards, taxes in the United States are low.
By worsening the deficit and exacerbating inequality, lower taxes have actually greatly damaged the American economy.
ment tax revenues hold the potential to significantly boost both the short- and long-term potential of the U.S. economy. More importantly, when viewed from a macro level, Norquist’s claims of an overtaxed society are suspect at best. For one, taxes in America are actually quite low by historical standards. The total tax collected at the state, federal and municipal levels, which peaked at just under 30 percent of GDP in 2000, dropped to just 24.3 percent of GDP in 2012. Moreover, the top marginal income tax rate on the highest earners has dropped significantly since Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency in 1981. From 1950 to 1963, the highest marginal tax rate in the United States was over 90 percent, and it remained as high as 70 percent through 1981. Today, by contrast, the top marginal federal rate stands at just 39.6 percent.
Has this benefited the country at all? Interestingly, by most objective measures, the answer seems to be no. Democratic presidents, who tend to favor higher tax rates, actually significantly outperform their Republican counterparts economically. In fact, under Democratic presidents, job growth has been 75 percent higher and annual stock returns have been over 22 times higher than under Republican presidents. Of course, correlation is not causation, but the point is still instructive — Republicans’ economic policies, while seductive to the ultra-rich, have not benefited the economy as a whole nearly as much as the Democrats’ economic policies do. If the anti-tax revolution has not benefited the economy in any noticeable way, has it harmed it? The answer here, unfortunately, is also quite clear. By expanding the deficit and exacerbating inequality, lower taxes have cer-
tainly damaged the American economy. At the end of 1980, shortly before Reagan took office, the national debt stood at just 33.3 percent of GDP. Now, after multiple rounds of tax cuts effected in large part by fiscally and economically irresponsible Republican presidents, the national debt stands at over 100 percent of GDP. While not all of this astronomical growth can be attributed solely to these cuts, a very significant fraction can be. The Bush tax cuts alone, for example, added $1.6 trillion, equal to nearly 10 percent of the nation’s GDP, to the national debt from from just 2001 to 2011. Additionally, while inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, increased by just 7 percent from 1947 to 1980, it has soared by over 15 percent since then. Tax cuts, which tend to disproportionately benefit richer taxpayers, have played a significant role in this development. The issue of fairness is one that often comes up in conservative counterarguments against higher taxes. Yet taxes in America are now at generational lows, and the tax cuts of the past 30 years have proved to be disastrous for the American economy. So rather than wasting time complaining about the fictional oppression that Americans face in the form of high taxes, maybe it’s time for Norquist and his cronies to focus on an issue that would actually benefit everyone: streamlining the tax code and eliminating all the credits, deductions and exemptions that benefit special interests at the expense of ordinary Americans. Not only would this simplify the process of filling out a tax return, but by increasing federal tax revenue, it would also greatly reduce the national debt and reverse the tide of rising inequality.
Kunal Sindhu MD’17 can be contacted at kunal_sindhu@brown.edu.
MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014
THE
BROWN DAILY HERALD university news English faculty greenlights concentration reconstructuring Changes would condense literary era requirements, add new courses on importance of literature By GABRIELLE DEE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Faculty members in the Department of English approved a proposal to restructure the undergraduate concentration last week. The changes must still be confirmed by the College Curriculum Council in order to become official, and no timeline exists for when the revisions will take effect, said Stephen Foley ’74 P’04 P’07, associate professor of English and director of undergraduate studies. If the changes are approved, the English concentration will require students to take one course in each of two literary eras — before 1700 and after 1700 — rather than two courses in each of three areas — Medieval and Early Modern Literatures, Enlightenment and the Rise of National Literatures and Modern and Contemporary Literatures, said Jim Egan, professor of English. Egan, who chaired the committee that developed the proposal, said the nonfiction writing track will require 10 instead of 11 courses, and concentrators in the track will no longer need to take a course in nonfiction literature. The department is working to create
a group of courses that will count toward a new requirement, tentatively named “How Literature Matters.” The concentration will also require students to take a class in the category “Literature Across Borders,” which will focus on how texts are construed across different cultures, Egan said. “It’s a version of a kind of multiculturalism course.” The department will aim to make the system of selecting courses clearer by making class descriptions more informative and overhauling the course numbering system, said Philip Gould ’83, professor of English and chair of the department. Faculty members designed the revamped curriculum to make English more welcoming to students, Gould said. “It’s a more manageable package.” Egan said the changes sprang from an effort “to reimagine the English requirements in light of the changes to the way we study literature and the way we study humanities.” Historically, students who have declared their concentration before changes became official have had the prerogative to choose whether to fulfill the new concentration requirements or the old ones, Egan said, adding that this will likely be the case should the new changes pass. The number of English concentrators has plummeted since the department’s requirements were last modified in 2011, Egan said, adding that feedback from undergraduates prompted
ALAN SHAN / HERALD
English faculty members have outlined a modified set of concentration requirements designed to be clearer and more contextualized, in response to student feedback since the concentration’s last changes in 2011. the new changes. There were 43 concentrators in the class of 2013, down from 66 the previous year, according to data from Focal Point. Several English concentrators said the new requirements would not drastically change the courses they plan to take. The current concentration presents a balance of requirements that provides enough freedom for students to study their areas of interests while ensuring
Conference probes Asian-American identities E(RACE)D provides context to discuss different social perceptions and cultural experiences By ANDREW JIANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“I came to Brown as a Hmong refugee and left as an Asian-American woman,” said former Minnesota State Sen. Mee Moua ’92 at a conference Saturday aimed at exploring AsianAmerican history and its cultural portrayal. The conference, entitled “E(RACE) D But Not Forgotten,” was organized by the Asian American Student Association and featured a keynote address by Moua followed by panels and workshops addressing various facets of the Asian-American experience. Before assuming her current post as president of the civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Moua became the first Minnesota state senator to identify as part of the Hmong ethnic group from Southeast Asia. Addressing an audience of about 30 undergraduates, graduate students and community members, she recounted her story of growing up in Wisconsin as a Laotian immigrant who had fled the rise of communism in Southeast Asia. Being an Asian-American “was a lot harder, in some ways, than being a refugee, because we were some of the first people of color” in the community, Moua said. Most other Asian-Americans in the area came from wealthy Filipino backgrounds and “kept saying they weren’t our type
of Asian,” she said. In an environment where white students spit on her on the way to school, Moua reached out to these other Asian-Americans. “I assumed that because (they) were Asian-Americans, they must have had similar experiences,” she said. “I imposed this higher level of obligation on these other Asian kids, and when they didn’t fulfill those expectations, I was very disappointed in them.” Society holds certain racial assumptions that can be hard to push back on, Moua said. “There’s this artificial Asian-American identity imposed upon us, and you can either say, ‘No, no, no, that’s not us,’ or work with it,” she added. Moua credited her time at Brown with giving her the words to express “the anger in my stomach.” At the Third World Transition Program, Moua “met other people of color whose life experiences reflected my own,” she said. Words like racism, bigotry and pluralism allowed her to frame her experiences in terms that are “essential” to the civil rights work she does today, she said. A frequent picketer during her college years, Moua brought the same mentality of fighting for the disenfranchised to her successful 2002 campaign for a seat in the Minnesota State Senate. As president of AAJC, Moua advocates for the rights of AsianAmericans across the country from her office in Washington. When asked whether she believed AsianAmericans have a sense of solidarity, Moua said they are the most diverse
minority group in the country, encompassing some of the most affluent and most impoverished individuals. The myth of the model minority creates “deep issues,” she added. “Within the broader Asian-American umbrella, we are an alphabet soup,” Moua said. “There’s this spectrum of Asian-Americans. You could choose to distance yourself, or you could choose to embrace it.” Following the keynote address, conference participants could attend different panels and workshops, including talks entitled “Asian Americans in Higher Education” and “Perpetual Foreigner: Where Are We From?” In a panel that sought to address Asian-American identity in the 20th century, Yoon Kyung Shim GS, who is studying anthropology, presented a paper chronicling the struggles of first-generation Japanese immigrants and the gradual assimilation of their children until the eve of Pearl Harbor. Yang Zheng GS, an American studies student, explored Asian-American representation in films and Broadway productions such as “Flower Drum Song.” Linking these two topics, Bee Vang ’15.5 discussed the difficulty of placing Asian-Americans on the traditional black-white binary, citing Richard Aoki, a third-generation Japanese-American and one of the founding members of the Black Panther Party, as an example of someone who transcended racial expectations. “At least here in Providence, we don’t really have the chance to have conversations with the AsianAmerican community,” said Sarah » See E(RACE)D, page 2
they explore literature beyond their comfort zone, said Lynette Lim ’16. Even without requirements, Lim would have forced herself to take classes outside modernism, which is her main interest, she said. “Nothing changes for me.” “Although it’s a pain, it’s useful to take two classes in each period” to provide a well-rounded experience within the field, said Hannah Smith ’16. Fiora MacPherson ’16 said studying
the original three tracks is important to gathering a holistic view of literature. “English, more than anything else, shows how works speak to each other across cultures and generations,” she said. A new selection of courses on why literature matters might present valuable information, but the department must make sure not to lose the interest of students who already love and appreciate literature, Smith said.
S U N ’ S O U T, F U N ’ S O U T
TOM SULLIVAN / HERALD
Dodgeballs soaked with paint fly through the air with impressive accuracy during Kappa Delta’s charity tournament Saturday, turning Wriston Quad into a muddy arena.