Friday, February 13, 2015

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 18

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

A joint proposal: married to teaching, teaching while married BY ELANA JAFFE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

F

alling in love with your work occasionally takes on a whole new meaning for academics. Married professors are not a rarity, said Kevin McLaughlin P’12, dean of the faculty. “It happens a lot.” “Sometimes I’m surprised and will learn couples are married in places such as holiday parties,” said McLaughlin, whose wife teaches at Boston College and who has spent 15 years commuting

‘A pretty good deal’ Pamela Foa, senior fellow in gender studies, and Paul Guyer, professor of philosophy and humanities, were both

they decided to carpool to New York, and all the leaves were turning. “He and I spent six hours arguing about why leaves change their colors in the fall. Neither of us would budge the whole ride,” she said. Foa said though she does not remember what position she took in the debate, “neither of us has forgotten that ride.” Recently, they were in the

car again on another beautiful fall weekend, and they learned that their theories both “have some basis,” while listening to a National Public Radio story. “Marrying an academic is a pretty good deal,” Foa said, especially “if you want to have a family.”

“He is the best valentine. … Valentines need to stick together.” UNIVERSIT Y CHAPLAIN JANET COOPER NELSON

from Boston. Married academics often face a “twobody problem”: Teaching positions at universities are not often a package deal, and multiple opportunities at the same institution can be scarce. Moving schools and advancing in academia become complicated when there are two people looking for professorships, and these situations often require them to commute, move and make hard decisions. But many faculty members at Brown have learned to balance marriages with individual academic pursuits.

young professors of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh when they “fell in love and married,” Foa said. The story began one fall weekend when

As a former federal prosecutor, Foa relied on her husband to pick up their daughter from daycare, due to her “much longer, incompatible hours.” Guyer came to Brown in 2012, and after finishing up several cases in Philadelphia, Foa joined the Pembroke Center a year later. Patricia Barbeito, professor of American literatures at the Rhode Island School of Design and Vangelis Calotychos, visiting associate professor of comparative literature at Brown, met while studying comparative literature in graduate school at Harvard. Barbeito » See MARRIAGE, page 3

A N G E L IA WA N G / H E R A L D

Campus embraces Valentine’s Day Left to their own devices, students swipe right

Brown looks back on holiday’s history, forward to celebrating love over the long weekend

Despite reputation, Tinder sparks relationship success, everyday amusement

By ALEKSANDRA LIFSHITS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Valentine’s Day — the heart- and cherubfilled holiday that inspires love, dread and excuses for chocolate — is just around the corner. From planning romantic getaways to buying tickets to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Brown students are prepared for Feb. 14. Though people have celebrated Valentine’s Day since the fifth century, the holiday was not connected with passionate love until the 14th century, when English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem called “Parliament of Foules,” according to the Huffington Post. Courtly love in the West became fashionable during the 12th century for the cultural and social elite, said Virginia Krause, professor of French studies, who teaches the first-year seminar FREN 0720A: “From Courtly Love to Postmodern Desire.” During this period,

INSIDE

By SUSANNAH HOWE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Even local businesses are getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit, adorning their window displays with hearts and other festive items. there was a consensus that romantic love was reserved for a “small, enlightened portion of the population” and that it could happen outside of marriage, she said. Marriage was seen as an obstacle to courtly love because rather than “placing a woman on a pedestal,” husbands gained

authority over their wives, she added. There was no equivalent day to the modern Valentine’s Day in the 12th century, because love was perceived as “the antithesis of public celebration,” Krause said. » See VALENTINE’S, page 2

For some students looking for love on Valentine’s Day, Tinder, the popular mobile dating app, seems an unlikely source. “Most people think Tinder is just for hooking up,” said Mary Martha Wiggers ’18. “I usually use it as a joke,” sometimes sending strange messages to see how people will respond, she added. “A lot of people just mess around with it but don’t actually use it,” said Sheena Raza Faisal ’18, adding that she rarely talks to people on the app. Instagram accounts and Tumblrs such as “Bye Felipe,” “Tinder No Filter” and “Straight White Boys Texting,” which catalog bizarre, rude or

hurtful messages received by female users, paint the app as a joke at best and a hotbed of misogyny at worst. In December, BuzzFeed published an article titled “27 Times Tinder Proved 2014 Was The Year Love Died.” Despite the app’s negative reputation among some students and bloggers, other students have had more varied Tinder experiences — some have even found relationships. Game, set, match Andrea Chin ’15 said she downloaded Tinder while studying abroad in France and used it to practice her conversational skills. She deleted the app once she returned to the United States, but friends from Brown who told her of their good experiences with Tinder persuaded her to reactivate it. Within the first day of reactivating the app, Chin matched with her current boyfriend, who is not a Brown student. The two have been dating for » See TINDER, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE “Writing is Live!” presents platform for students to share screenplays early in development

ARTS & CULTURE One-man play explores IsraeliPalestinian conflict with multiple characters

COMMENTARY Mitra ’18: Brown should learn from Duke’s mistake and embrace religious pluralism

COMMENTARY Fossil Free Brown: Students should attend protests against University’s fossil fuel investments

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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

»TINDER , from page 1 the past five months. Chin was the first person with whom her boyfriend, who had just downloaded the app, had ever matched. Vivien Caetano ’15 had a similar experience: She had been on Tinder for “two weeks, max” before matching with the man she has been dating since August, she said. Both Caetano and Chin said that the most common reaction when people find out how they met their boyfriends is surprise or disbelief. “It’s usually sort of an incredulous ‘Wow, it actually worked,’” Chin said, adding that people often ask, “How did you get it to work for you?” The reaction Caetano receives is “never really negative,” she said. She and her boyfriend, who is not a Brown student, are “very open about being on Tinder,” she said, and the conversation usually “moves on very fast.” Even students who haven’t found relationships through Tinder reported that the app can be a confidence booster — seeing all the people who have indicated interest in you can be gratifying and fun. “Tinder can be a social experience,” said Will Allen-DuPraw ’15. “I’ve definitely just sat and Tindered on the couch with my buddies before,” asking for friends’ opinions on whether to swipe right or left, he added. Deepening the dating pool Tinder has expanded many students’ dating pools beyond College Hill.

“A lot of people sort of find it refreshing to not be dating somebody at Brown because our community is so small,” Chin said. Sam Hillestad ’15, a Herald opinions columnist, wrote a November column denouncing the now-defunct “Brown Hookups” Facebook page and portrayed Tinder as a better option. “You get stuck in the same circle of people, so something like Tinder helps you get out there and meet new people,” he told The Herald. The app can also be useful when students are away from campus. Allen-DuPraw said he began using Tinder as “a way to broaden my horizons” while at home in Washington, D.C., for the summer. He dated a woman he met through the app until returning to Brown in the fall. While in Providence, Allen-DuPraw has met students through Tinder who attend nearby universities. His encounters with matches have included awkward dates, “one-night stands” and even a relationship with a Rhode Island School of Design student. “I feel like Mitt Romney with binders full of women,” Allen-DuPraw said. “It’s kind of strange to be able to literally scroll through a catalog of women.” But other students see the app as a diversion with little connection to real life. It’s a game that can be just as addictive as Candy Crush or Trivia Crack — several students reported using the app at least weekly and as often as multiple times a day. According to data provided by Tinder for an

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Oct. 29 New York Times article, the average Tinder user logs into the app 11 times each day. “It’s mostly been a game of swiping left and right. There’s not really an end goal in mind. It’s just something to do when you’re bored,” said Andre Vogel ’18. The app is “an interesting social experiment” and a “people museum,” he added. Missed connections Despite some students’ success with the app, not everyone has a positive experience. Lucy Zhou ’17 said she initially enjoyed using Tinder and met up with several people after messaging through the app. But soon the appeal wore off. “After a while you realize that the connections are, in the end, kind of hollow and meaningless. … With Tinder there’s a ton of hits or misses. I’ve definitely had my share of fun, but I’ve definitely also had my share of misses.” One big miss was a man who was “the classic example of someone with yellow fever,” Zhou said. While the man had seemed normal while chatting through the app, Zhou said that when they met in person, he expressed disappointment that she did not “have an Asian accent,” even though she had previously told him she was from the United States. “As an Asian-American woman obviously I’ve experienced my share of microaggressions in my daily life, but it was definitely the first time I’ve felt so blatantly fetishized because of my race, and that was one of the experiences that definitely turned me

off from Tinder.” New tech, old school charm Though several students said sexist and offensive comments and over-thetop pickup lines often associated with Tinder are not the norm, they noted that behavioral differences based on gender are very apparent on Tinder. For male-female matches, men are usually expected to initiate conversation, students said. Many also said female users may be more selective, while men may swipe right on nearly everyone in the hopes of accruing as many matches as possible. The data back up their perceptions: Men swipe right in 46 percent of cases, while women do so just 14 percent of the time, the New York Times reported. While Tinder may have a reputation as a hookup app, most students interviewed said they do not use it in that way and consider it largely irrelevant to Brown’s hookup culture. When in-person meetings of Tinder matches do happen, they tend to take the form of dates rather than hookups, students said. Tinder is strikingly traditional in some ways: People meeting their matches in person often go on the kind of dates that are otherwise rapidly dying out in the college hookup culture, students said. Caetano said her Tinder dates usually involve very little physical contact and are more about getting to know each other, adding that her friends had similar experiences. Tinder helped Caetano find a

» VALENTINE’S, from page 1 Mark Cladis, professor of religious studies, offered a different perspective. One theory suggests that in many ways, romantic and passionate love stems back to love directed at God and was only afterwards readdressed toward human beings, he said. Cladis’s class RELS 0050: “Love: The Concept and Practice” investigates the idea that love for God is only fulfilled in death, and how that idea contributed to “the notion that true love is ultimately passionate, painful and culminates in death,” he said. “Cupid’s arrows are sharp and lead to madness. Not much for Hallmark cards here,” Cladis added. Brown undergraduates also took their chance at defining what they believe love is. At an event in the Blue Room held by Alpha Chi Omega Thursday, students used white boards to express what love means to them. Responses included “mutual respect,” “healthy communication,” “putting someone else first” and “friends.” “We do this event around Valentine’s Day every year to spread awareness about domestic violence,” said AXO member Ah Young Choe ’15. The University and different student groups have planned many events around campus this Valentine’s Day to keep spirits high and to show affection and appreciation for others. For those who forgot to make reservations for candlelit dinners or chose not to, Brown Dining Services will keep up its tradition of providing holiday-themed meals with a Valentine’s Day edition. The Sharpe Refectory will be decorated in a red-and-white Valentine’s Day theme Saturday, said Bobby Machado, assistant manager for residential dining. There will be candy in addition to surprise special desserts, he added.

partner who is interested in a serious relationship, she said. As someone “who likes being paired up,” she had been “frustrated” with Brown students’ reluctance to commit to longterm relationships. Tinder enabled her to find someone like-minded. It is what you make of it Though there might be stigma surrounding Tinder, there is far less than with other online dating platforms, students said. Most reported they had never used any online dating platforms other than Tinder. The app feels more natural than traditional online dating sites, Vogel said. “My theory is that Tinder bridges the gap between online dating and meeting people in real life. So in the same way that you meet somebody in real life — you look at them, size them up and say, ‘Okay I’m interested in them or not,’ and then you go talk to them — Tinder gives you that opportunity.” Ultimately, users’ attitudes and intentions determine what they get out of the app, students said. “Tinder’s just a platform that people can use to do whatever they want,” Hillestad said. “There’s a way to Tinder where you’ll actually meet people, and there’s a way to Tinder where you’re just playing the game,” Caetano said. “People’s success or not with Tinder 100 percent depends on their attitude toward it.” — With additional reporting by Grace Yoon Mariachi de Brown offered students and faculty members an opportunity to spread the love by sending a passionate serenade of traditional folklore music to a friend or loved one. “We have a serenade coming up in one of the dining halls and a few private ones on Saturday,” said group member Silvina Hernandez ’17, adding that because the holiday is during the long weekend, they have gotten fewer serenade requests than in previous years. Brunothon, the University’s first annual dance marathon, fundraised for Hasbro Children’s Hospital by selling Teddygrams. “Brown students are more excited about Valentine’s Day than I thought,” said Naz Akyol ’17, adding that Teddygrams was their most successful fundraiser thus far. While many undergrads have made dinner reservations at restaurants on Federal Hill, some students are taking advantage of Valentine’s Day falling on the long weekend and going on romantic getaways. Mikala Murad ’16 and her boyfriend planned a Valentine’s Day weekend trip to a “really cute, cheap place in Maine,” she said. Both of them are looking forward to getting away from campus for a few days, she added. Some students are traveling even further than just out-of-state: Beth Anne George ’17 and her boyfriend are going to Jamaica. “We organized this trip because of the long weekend, but it falling on Valentine’s Day is an additional plus,” George said, adding that she always celebrates Valentine’s Day in one way or another. “It became a tradition that my mom would send me a package on Valentine’s Day every year while I was at boarding school,” she said. There are different types of love and Valentine’s Day is more than just about the romance, she added.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Interdisciplinary research blossoms at environmental institute New concentration track adopts social approach to focus on human side of environmental research By BAYLOR KNOBLOCH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

As sophomores prepare to declare their concentrations by the April 1 deadline, those considering environmental studies or environmental science will need to take into account the concentrations’ new requirements, which were implemented in July as part of the formation of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. The institute, now in its second semester, will offer more opportunities for students and faculty members to collaborate on research that takes a social approach to environmental issues. IBES evolved from the Center for Environmental Studies in response to President Christina Paxson’s P’19 call in her strategic plan to “build an academic program focused on the relationship of the environment to human societies.” “What we’re really thinking about with IBES is our focus on the most vulnerable people,” said Amanda Lynch, director of IBES and professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences. “It’s a focus that is very much in keeping with the Brown ethos.” Concentrators in environmental studies and science choose one of four tracks in IBES: air, climate and energy; conservation science and policy; land, water and food security; and sustainability in development. In addition to track-specific courses, all students in the two concentrations are required to complete core introductory courses in environmental science, environmental social science, economics and research methods. The core courses are designed to unite students across the concentrations and “ensure continuity,” Lynch said.

» MARRIAGE, from page 1 and Calotychos both teach literature, but since their primary focuses do not overlap, they have never vied for the same position at a university. “People say that sometimes it’s better for your partner to be in some other field, but I love sharing this,” Barbeito said. “In some ways we have all the benefits without what can get strange and competitive.” They have collaborated on projects in the past, such as translating a book from Greek to English together, she said. “It’s a blessing. It’s a benefit.” Moving up and holding on Balancing professional opportunities with those of one’s spouse is a significant challenge for many academics. The University sometimes attempts to recruit a married couple, but often recruitment at the full professor level does not include any personal information until the candidate is already selected, McLaughlin said. He added that this issue was “one of the largest challenges of recruitment.” Vacancies in both of the spouses’ departments are a rare occurrence, and it is “very hard to commute,” he said.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

At the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, which evolved from the Center for Environmental Studies, environmental studies and science concentrators can pursue any of four tracks, including air, climate and energy and sustainability in development. “The old structure was very loose,” said Leah Vanwey, professor of sociology and senior deputy director of IBES. The purpose of the new structure is to provide students with “the foundational concepts from introductory courses and methods from research courses,” she said. The core courses also present an opportunity for IBES to partner with several departments. Partner departments currently include ecology and evolutionary biology, economics, engineering, history, pathology, planetary science, public health and sociology, Lynch said. The institute plays the role of a matchmaker, “helping the departments do the kind of work they want to do,” Lynch said.

Sophomores declaring a concentration in environmental studies or science last spring were given the option of following the old curriculum or the new, said concentrator Andrew Vann ’17. “It was encouraged that we take the new one,” he added. Of the 40 students to declare a concentration in environmental studies or science last spring, 11 chose to do so under the new IBES structure, Vanwey wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. This spring, all new concentrators must adhere to the new structure. “The old program was very broad. You didn’t get to specify much, but now you can really get into one topic as opposed to knowing a little bit of everything,” said Vann, who is

currently concentrating in the sustainability in development track of the new IBES curriculum. “The curriculum is also designed to connect the students with research so that there are more opportunities for them to work in labs,” Vanwey said. The lab work in IBES aims to connect faculty members’ areas of focus with student interest, she added. Lynch said the institute has begun to develop several research projects “to get our feet wet and see what works.” Vanwey is leading one of these budding projects: an initiative that addresses the social and environmental components of deforestation in Brazil. Working with both graduate and undergraduate students in environmental studies and science as well as

sociology, Vanwey is conducting “a series of experiments and observations to figure out the best way to grow new forests,” she said. “At the same time, we are going to go out and do a lot of social surveys and interviews to find what it is that is keeping people in poverty.” The project will culminate in a proposal for “the best outcome for the forest and the best poverty alleviation,” Vanwey said. “We’re using cutting-edge science to inform policy,” she said. The restructuring of the undergraduate programs in IBES “has given us time and space to learn how to talk to each other and given us support in putting these projects together,” she added.

Some candidates turn down positions at Brown because of spouses, and others leave the University altogether. University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson and Stephen Nelson, associate professor of educational leadership at Bridgewater State University and a senior scholar in the Leadership Alliance at Brown, have been at the University for 25 years, longer than they have stayed at any other institution. Before coming to Brown, the couple had already made three moves together for professional reasons — decisions that often led to working at separate universities in the Northeast. “We were commuting weekends and summers. It’s a pretty crazy world that goes on all the time in universities for couples and families,” Cooper Nelson said. Immediately prior to Cooper Nelson’s appointment at the University, both she and her husband were working in New York, he at Bard College and she at Vassar College. “We were happily ensconced in one house,” she said. Yet they decided the best professional decision was to move to Providence when the University offered her a job in 1990. “He would say he was the person who followed Janet to Brown,” she said, adding

that it is wonderful to have a partner who supports her career choices. “He’s the best valentine,” Cooper Nelson said. “Valentines have to stick together.” Barbeito and Calotychos are teaching in the same city for the first time in their married careers. Calotychos has taught at Harvard, New York University and Columbia and commuted to work from Providence until the couple moved to New York City, at which point Barbeito had to take on the longer commute. The couple never ventured to Providence until Barbeito received a job offer from RISD in 1998. “It has been challenging finding a job in the same place,” she said. Though they both currently teach in Providence, they commute from New York, where they live with their two children, who attend middle school there. “We spend most of the week up here, but take turns” going home, she added.

of education, economics and public policy and associate dean of the graduate school. Tyler met his wife, Elizabeth Tobin-Tyler P’12 P’16, assistant professor of family medicine and health services, policy and practice, while working on her father’s farm in West Texas. The couple came to Rhode Island in 1998 through a joint decision about what would be best for them, he said. They have three children, one of whom graduated from Brown in 2012. The second is a member of the Class of 2016, and the third is in high school. Sometimes they guest lecture in each other’s classes, Tobin-Tyler said, adding that getting lunch on campus together is another nice perk of teaching in close quarters. Working at the same institution, especially one with such an intellectual scholarly environment is “fodder for interesting discussions at the dinner table,” she said. Luther and Kathryn Spoehr met in graduate school at Stanford University, where they began their “interdisciplinary romance,” said Luther Spoehr, senior lecturer in education and history. Kathryn Spoehr ’69, professor of cognitive, liguistic and psychological sciences

and public policy, attended New Trier Township High School in Illinois before coming to Brown. Incidentally, one of Luther Spoehr’s high school teachers had lauded New Trier as better and more rigorous than his high school, and the lesson stuck. “Kathy was the first New Trier graduate I had ever met, and so I figured that I had better marry her,” he joked, adding that he decided to “undermine generalizations” and marry a woman who is smarter than he is. Luther Spoehr taught history at the Lincoln School between 1977 and 1996, after two years at the University of Rhode Island. Almost 20 years after they had moved to Rhode Island, there was an opening in the Brown education department, and Luther Spoehr joined the faculty. While the Spoehrs do not often overlap in strictly academic settings, they do serve together as the academic advisers and liaisons for the men’s basketball team. Quoting Mark Twain, Luther Spoehr said his wife “knows all that can be known, and I know the rest.”

Work is where the heart is For faculty members lucky enough to secure posts at the same institution, there are many benefits and few downsides. “It’s a long journey to Brown,” said John Tyler P’12 P’16, professor

— With additional reporting by Emma Harris

UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

RISD presidential search draws from international applicant pool Preliminary interviews underway to narrow down field of more than 100 nominees By ELIZABETH CONWAY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The international search for the Rhode Island School of Design’s 17th president — which began following the sudden departure of President John Maeda in December 2013 — has reached the preliminary interview process. More than 100 members of the RISD community have been nominated, some of whom will interview for the position in addition to other contenders,according to a Jan. 20 RISD press release. “As we have stated from the beginning, we remain unwaveringly committed to the principle that (the search) will take exactly as long as it needs to identify the right next leader of our cherished institution,” Michael Spalter, chair of the search committee, said in the press release. “But we have every confidence that it is moving toward a successful conclusion.” The search committee comprises RISD faculty members, staff members, alums and representatives, and has enlisted the support of search firm Isaacson, Miller along with eight advisory groups. The goals of the search committee include recruiting from a “large, diverse pool of candidates” and interviewing “a significant number of candidates to identify a group of three to five final candidates who best match the position profile,” according to the RISD presidential search website. The committee hopes to release progress reports on a regular basis and keep the RISD community informed, according to the site. But not all students feel they have been kept abreast of the process.

“We feel a little bit detached,” said Nic Scholz, a senior at RISD. “We get emails on updates and changes in administration, but not so much specifics.”. “If there are goals, and you achieve those goals, you can talk about them. The intangibles and the processes are kind of difficult to update the student body community of,” he added. Some specific details of the search process remain undisclosed, and the names of candidates being interviewed have not been released. The committee pledges to “observe strict confidentiality with respect to candidates and the internal deliberations of the committee,” according to its website. Following the preliminary interviews, a small group of finalists will be chosen and evaluated with additional interviews before the committee begins to deliberate. Maeda’s sometimes controversial tenure may hold lessons for RISD’s ongoing presidential search. “One thing Maeda wasn’t particularly good at was instilling a confidence in the faculty at RISD,” Scholz said. I would really like to have a president that can be trusted by the RISD community.” Faith Baum, RISD senior critic, wrote in an email to The Herald that she “loved (Maeda’s) stance that artists do not need to be starving, that the business world can benefit by collaboration with the creative thinking that RISD students are capable of,” adding that she also welcomed his hiring of new administrators. But Baum wrote that Maeda pursued his goals in a manner that was often perceived as offensive, characterizing Interim President Rosanne Somerson as more of “a listener.” Somerson, a 1976 RISD alum, began serving as interim president Jan. 1, 2014. A well-known furniture designer, she joined the RISD faculty in 1985, founding the school’s furniture

COURTESY OF STEPHANIE EWANS

Rosanne Somerson, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1976, has acted as interim president of RISD since December 2013. She founded the school’s furniture design department in 1985. design department. Somerson also served as provost prior to Maeda’s exit, according to the school’s website. Scholz said he appreciates Somerson’s work as the search process continues into its second year. “It’s taking a while, but it goes to show that Rosanne is clearly doing some things right. If she totally botched the job, it would be a quick change,” he said, adding that he is not surprised by the

search’s duration. “These things take time. Finding the right person to fill that position is tough.” Somerson “seems to have been what RISD needed after tumultuous Maeda,” Baum wrote, but there has been no mention as to whether Somerson is being considered for the long-term post. Scholz said he hopes to see the next president advance some of

Bill proposes overdose treatment drug for public schools Legislation aims to introduce emergency treatment drug Narcan to middle, high schools By MATTHEW JARRELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rep. David Bennett, D-Warwick, introduced legislation Jan. 28 that would require nurses in public middle and high schools to be trained in the use of naloxone, marketed and sold as Narcan. The substance, which is already used by state police, can temporarily relieve potentially fatal respiratory depression caused by overdoses from drugs like heroin and certain painkillers until the patient can be transferred to hospital care. School nurses in Rhode Island are already permitted to administer certain kinds of emergency aid, such as epinephrine, in life-or-death situations. By adding naloxone as an available resource for school nurses, the proposal aims to combat the state’s growing drug epidemic as it threatens to reach the educational system.

METRO

Bennett crafted the bill in response to medical research that identified a growing trend in opioid usage among teenagers statewide. “Since April, emergency rooms have used Narcan 10 times on people under 18, and emergency services have had to use it 41 times on people under 18,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time before it reaches the schools.” The Rhode Island Association of School Committees initially expressed concerns over funding the initiative, said Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick and Cranston, and chairman of the House Health, Education and Welfare Committee. But at a price of around $35 per school, the costs of introducing naloxone to public schools would be far outweighed by the potential benefits, Bennett said. “I myself hope that it sits in the nurse’s office and expires year after year, but that one time you need it, you want to have it. I want to get this into schools as soon as I can.” In response to its rising rate of drug use, Rhode Island has attempted to increase access to Narcan, stocking pharmacies and equipping law enforcement officers with the drug. But the state has yet to provide schools with similar

resources, said Traci Green, assistant professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology. “As we were doing our training, we did realize that school nurses did not have access to naloxone on site, and the solution of ‘just go to Walgreen’s and get it’ didn’t make sense for a health professional who can administer other medications” such as epinephrine, she said. Broader effects on society arise from dealing with drug abuse in the educational theater, Green said. “Schools are a reflection of the community,” she said, adding that Rhode Island has the highest illicit drug use per capita in the country, with rates that are “unfathomable.” Naloxone is regarded by the medical community as a safe and reliable substance. Jef Bratberg, a clinical professor at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island, said it is among the most utilized emergency agents by medical responders. “Naloxone is an antidote, meaning that if you don’t have opioids in you and you receive an injection, nothing happens,” he said. “From that perspective, it’s perfectly safe. Either it works, or it doesn’t cause

a problem.” Bratberg also spoke to the ease of the drug’s usage. “I could teach you how to use it in ten minutes,” he said, adding that the bill’s requirement that school nurses and school personnel will be trained in the procedure will reinforce its overall safety. The bill has gone through an amendment process, with some concerns about implementation raised by school nurses themselves. “There was a fear that school nurse teachers would be given this extraordinary extra duty” without sufficient background knowledge and training, McNamara said. One of the proposed amendments would require school pediatricians to produce a “standing medical order” that clearly lays out the procedure for the usage of Narcan, as well as training the nurses themselves. Naloxon “would be treated like every other medication that is already authorized,” he said. Neither Bennett nor McNamara offered a timeline for the bill’s vote, but after the concerns of outside groups were assuaged, the bill received no significant opposition from members of the legislature during debate, McNamara said.

Maeda’s ideas, such as blending technology with art. Baum wrote that she would like Maeda’s successor to be a successful fundraiser — “a money magnet that grows our endowment.” RISD is a breeding ground of “fabulous students and brilliant faculty,” she wrote, but “in order to realize our potential we need endowment and funds to develop, or we will go downhill.”

METRO

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Full-day kindergarten funding could increase Seven Rhode Island communities would be able to use funding to expand programs By ALON GALOR STAFF WRITER

A bill introduced in the General Assembly last month would increase funding for new full-day kindergarten programs beginning next fall. Seven Rhode Island communities — Cranston, Johnston, Warwick, Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown and Tiverton — do not offer full-day kindergarten programs to all students. Four of those districts — Cranston, Johnston, Coventry and Tiverton — offer none of their students full-day kindergarten. Under current law, full-day kindergarten programs that will start in the 2015-2016 school year will receive baseline funds, which differ by district, during their first year. The amount will gradually increase over a three-year period to a maximum. The new legislation, sponsored by Sen. Hanna Gallo, D-Cranston and West Warwick, would accelerate funding to these kindergarten programs so that they receive the maximum during the first year. About 1,100 students would be affected by the bill if it passed, the Providence Journal reported. Current funds come from the state’s education aid, said Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston and Warwick. “If the bill passes, the existing funds would be distributed across all of Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns, rather than just the subset of them that have full-day kindergarten programs,” Miller said. “This would provide for a more fair distribution of the money,” he added. The program would cost about $3 million in its first year of implementation and would wane in cost gradually, Miller said. Gallo’s proposed bill is introduced during a time when more young children are enrolling in preschool programs and full-day kindergarten. An estimated 75 percent of four-year-olds in the U.S. are enrolled in some type of preschool program, according to the 2013 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook. In Rhode Island, 68 percent of kindergarteners were enrolled in full-day programs during the 20122013 school year, an increase from 18 percent in 1999-2000. But the state’s current fraction of kindergartners enrolled in full-day programs is lower than the national average of 77 percent. “Early childhood education is much more in the discussion than it was so 10 years ago,” said John Tyler, professor of education, economics and public policy and associate dean

BRITTANY COMUNALE / HERALD

If passed, a bill would grant terminally ill Rhode Islanders access to experimental drugs that are in their final test phase.

Bill would let terminally ill access experimental drugs Rhode Island among 23 states considering laws expand access to nonFDA approved drugs By ANICA GREEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER EMMA JERZYK / HERALD

of academic affairs at the Graduate School. The increased emphasis on early childhood education may be largely due to a heightened awareness of its benefits. Tyler cited the findings of brain scientists and the work of Nobel Prize laureate Jim Heckman as central to illuminating the cognitive, social and economic benefits of early childhood learning. “Investment in K-12 enhances quality of life — we will have consumers who are able to appreciate diversity of culture and art, and at the same time the outlook for the state will be improved,” said Kenneth Wong, professor of education and chair of the department. Tyler stressed two overarching explanations for the importance of early childhood education. “One is that we are having an educational impact at a point where a child’s brain is very pliable and able to learn things,” he said. “Second, there is a longer time horizon to reap the benefits from these educational investments.” In spite of the overwhelming evidence demonstrating the benefits of early childhood education, it is important to approach policy proposals critically and ask the “hard-nosed questions,” he said. Tyler questioned whether highquality learning would take place, noting the need to focus on who would be affected if the bill passed.

“We wouldn’t want to think we are providing high-quality education but instead provide expensive day-care,” he said, adding that he’d “rather spend money on a high-quality math afterschool program than a low-quality kindergarten program.” Wong also emphasized the importance of eligibility criteria in ensuring the support of underrepresented and low-income groups. “There are standards in place that address learning quality. In particular, there is a curriculum requirement,” Miller said. To minimize costs in the state education budget, Wong proposed some options that could cut expenses. “Rhode Island is not a large state in terms of student enrollment. Some of the services could be incorporated across the system so that it could be more efficient,” he said, adding that charter schools should get more involved in early childhood education. “They already have a school community. It is only logical for them to include the early childhood piece.” “We are very optimistic this year, because people are talking about it not only in an education dialogue but also in a workforce development context, which hasn’t been the case in the past,” Miller said. People are excited by the bill’s potential to create new jobs in the districts affected by the policy, he added.

A “right to try” bill introduced to the General Assembly Feb. 3 proposes allowing terminally ill patients in Rhode Island to have access to experimental drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As of 2014, five states had passed similar legislation: Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan and Missouri. An additional 23 states are considering adopting comparable laws. Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick and Cranston, and chairman of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, introduced the bill. He has lost a brother and a close friend to cancer. “It was difficult dealing with the despair and the lack of hope that really impacted the quality of life and the mental state of those individuals,” McNamara said. The law aims to provide a sense of hope to patients suffering from terminal illnesses, as well as to their family and friends, he said. The bill’s primary goals are “giving people that hope of trying something that may prolong their life and possibly even cure them, and giving physicians a new tool to use in their repertoire for healing terminally ill patients,” McNamara added. After exhausting traditional courses of treatment, patients currently have limited options. They can attempt to enroll in clinical trials, but space in these trials is often limited, and patients are ineligible if they do not meet

the proper criteria. Only 3 percent of patients qualify for the clinical trials that may represent their only hope for recovery, Kurt Altman, national policy adviser and general counsel for the Goldwater Institute, told USA Today Feb. 3. Expanding access to experimental drugs is “really a good thing — highly ethical to do and very important,” said Timothy Flanigan, professor of medicine. Addressing potential safety concerns, McNamara said these drugs are in their“final test phase,” adding that, “These drugs have already been tested for toxicity and negative effects, so for the most part they are pretty safe.” Patients also have the option of petitioning for access to experimental drugs. But this process is time-consuming and inefficient, McNamara said. It takes a physician more than 100 hours to fill out the necessary paperwork for access to unapproved medications, and most patients do not have the time or money to pursue this option, he added. Flanigan stressed the importance of the historical precedent that bolsters his support for the law. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, experimental drugs were made available to AIDS patients facing a high morbidity rate, and the results were extremely effective, he said. More recently, an experimental Ebola medication was able to save lives, said Flanigan, who spent time last fall working to fight the outbreak in Liberia. Given the relatively low risk of expanding access to experimental medications and the potential for saving many lives and providing patients with a source of hope, passage of a “right to try” bill would be a positive development for the Ocean State, Flanigan said.

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Play wrestles with sociopolitical tension of Israeli-Palestinian conflict One-man show ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ aims to engage students in greater global perspective By EMILY PASSARELLI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Following the footsteps of one man as he investigates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Aaron Davidman will perform as the solo actor in his selfwritten play “Wrestling Jerusalem.” The performance will make a pit stop at AS220 in Providence Tuesday as part of a nationwide tour, addressing the complex nature of social justice and identity in the context of history. While the play has only one actor, audience members will see multiple personalities depicted on stage as Davidman performs. “By transforming into the people that I meet (on my journey), I can best understand them,” Davidman said. Davidman believes many people today have trouble learning about and understanding people from different backgrounds. “I demonstrate one person holding all the perspectives to show that we can go beyond the polemic in this conflict and in conflict in general,” he said. “We’re all wrestling.” Davidman’s use of the solo performance style to tell his story is only one of many reasons that the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies chose to include “Wrestling Jerusalem” in its program of events this semester, said Marcus Gardley, assistant professor of TAPS.

Many theater students must do a solo show at some point in their career, and bringing an artist to campus who does solo work gives them the chance to converse with an expert, he said. Each year, TAPS highlights a particular educational experience through the performances it offers, Gardley said. This year, the department is attempting to be more diverse and to give students a broader, more global perspective, he said. Davidman’s play “aligns with the notion of subject matter that is difficult to approach but important to discuss,” Gardley added. The TAPS department also took into account President Christina Paxson’s P’19 Transformative Conversations initiative when selecting plays for this year, said Paul Margrave MFA’14, marketing and box office coordinator for TAPS. Theater can facilitate these conversations by providing a safer, more open space to explore profound questions, he said, adding that “theater literally gives the space to play.” Immediately after Tuesday’s performance, Gardley will facilitate a discussion between Davidman and Brown students. The discussion will start with attendees expressing their initial reactions to the show and transition into a question-and-answer session, Gardley said. In the past, such discussions after performances have been very successful in facilitating meaningful conversation, he added. Gardley said he hopes the additional interaction with Davidman will give students a greater understanding of their global responsibility after

COURTESY OF AARON DAVIDMAN

Aaron Davidman plays multiple roles in his one-man show, “Wrestling Jerusalem,” to help audiences understand the characters on both sides of the conflict. The single performance will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at AS220. watching the performance. Davidman will lead a separate workshop Wednesday for TAPS students titled “The Personal and the Political.” The workshop will invite students to explore their personal stories of political and social tension and transform them into theater pieces. Gardley said he hopes the workshop will help students “take their craft and be artists and activists.” Just as Davidman embodies many

personalities on stage in “Wrestling Jerusalem,” so he involves himself in many aspects of show business — acting, directing, writing and producing. Though he began acting before he started writing, Davidman said he does not have a preference for one role over the other. “I’m a storyteller,” he said, adding that each of his jobs lets him tell a story from a different perspective. Davidman said he tailors his involvement to how he can best

make an impact, given the material and the project. After Tuesday’s performance, Davidman said he hopes attendees “walk away with more of an open heart and generosity for people living with the (Israeli-Palestinian) conflict. “Wrestling Jerusalem” will start at 7 p.m. in AS220’s Black Box Theatre. The discussion to follow will be held in the same space immediately following the performance.

Audience suggests what should survive at ‘Writing is Live!’ MFA students benefit from audience feedback at interactive TAPS showcase last weekend By GRACE YOON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Department of Theater Arts and Performance Studies showcased works in development by first- and second-year MFA students as part of the “Writing is Live!” workshop Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. Showing the early stage of the creative process of playwriting, the program aims to provoke a conversation between the writers and

the viewers, inviting the audience to become part of the process, said Paul Margrave, publicity and box office coordinator for the TAPS department. First-year MFA students presented their works for the first time, giving them a chance to sound out their scripts to a live audience, Margrave said. During the program, Diane Exavier MFA ’17 workshopped her play titled “We Have Everything You Need

for the Problems You Might Have,” which tells the story of an underwater city’s inhabitants trying understand how to love in the midst of an apocalypse. “One of our assignments for our playwriting workshop was to create a play based off of a map of a fallen city,” Exavier said. Exavier said she wanted to experiment with the technique of presenting texts, even in unfamiliar forms. Playing with language, translations and poetry, she explored how to present texts without explanations.

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Diane Exavier MFA ’17 rearranged her actors in response to audience members’ feedback at the “Writing is Live!” workshop last weekend held by the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies.

“I wanted to let the audience imagine for themselves, even if they don’t know what each word exactly means,” she said. Though the focus was on the readings, Exavier also incorporated film features in her work. She first had her actors try to narrate a silent film, a compilation of shots she made using her iPhone. In her first reading, the actors faced each other with the screen in between them, causing some confusion among the viewers. Taking this audience reaction into account, Exavier had all of the actors face the screen with their backs to the audience. This lack of interaction with the viewers better emphasized the sense of disconnect in the reading, she said. “I just wanted to experiment and see what it’s like,” Exavier said. “Now I’m thinking, ‘what if the projections were on the bodies of the actors?’ It’s something I wouldn’t have imagined if I had not made those changes.” For the next step, she plans to focus on set design, considering what kind of space the play should inhabit. “I’m thinking more of an installation or gallery space where audience can move around and even grab things… and make everyone feel like they’re underwater — we’re all submerged.” As an extension of the first-years students’ staged readings, secondyear students develop their works by considering elements such as stage, costume and lighting. Though they do not yet create a fully realized production, they “see what it looks like

away from the page and on the stage,” Margrave said. Richard Burkhardt MFA ’16 said his work, “Above the Noise,” co-written by Jermaine Golden, serves as an exploration of a cappella music. The piece focuses on a boy entering college and hoping to join an a cappella group. The musicality and theatricality of the piece accentuate the absurdity of the story, he said. Burkhardt said his actors face the challenge of constantly switching “back and forth from speaking and singing,” he said. Exavier and Burkhardt agreed on the advantages of having the audience give feedback to the writers. Usually, working with friends or acquaintances who are not actors is less helpful because “they already know me,” Exavier said. In contrast, she welcomes conversations with groups of people who are unfamiliar with her work. The audience at the workshop rendered it “easier to see what parts were working.” “We got more feedback than we could possibly use,” he said, adding that he and Golden plan on sorting through the audience responses to see what they could apply to their work. Unlike in previous years, the third-year students’ full productions will be pushed back to May, around Commencement, Margrave said. The production will take place at AS220, positioning the thesis productions in a theater setting within the local community, he added.

SPORTS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

SPORTS COMMENTARY

Okafor and Kaminsky: The NCAA’s two towers DEREK LEVINSON sports columnist

The back-to-the-basket game is alive and well, at least in college. The two best offenses of this year are led by the two stars who will compete for the Naismith Award — centers Jahlil Okafor of Duke and Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin. Those of us who watch too much ESPN might be tired of hearing Okafor classified as an old-school center, but it is an important point to make. Prior to Okafor, Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski had not had a dominant big man in years, and his offense shifted dramatically toward the perimeter. Krzyzewski’s teams used to emphasize post-ups, a fact easily forgotten when watching them jack threes over the last several years. But in the past, Duke’s post-ups frequently resulted from the high-low passing in Kryzewski’s vaunted motion offense. Okafor’s post-ups are of an even more endangered breed: stagnant isolations on one side of the floor, often without any misdirection. Okafor cannot always establish position deep in the paint and often does not try. But he will post up on either side, even preferring the right block, which is odd for a righty. Okafor’s game plan is pretty simple. He has a soft bank shot with a quick release, which forces defenders to get into his body whenever he is within a dozen feet of the rim. He backs down defenders until he has a foot in the paint, and then he goes to one of three moves. He can angle toward the middle of the paint and finish over his own defender as well as anyone helping from the weak side. It is not a great move, but he is good going to his left and has a soft enough touch to finish some weird shots. If the defense overplays that, he breaks out a picture-perfect spin move, finishing with a dunk or on the other side of the rim. If neither of those options is available, he has the height to go straight up over his defender. There is no one in the NCAA capable of guarding Okafor one-on-one. But Duke has struggled adjusting to a double team on him. If the second defender comes late, Okafor has the skill to finish against both guys, but games against Wake Forest and Virginia exposed his susceptibility to hard doubles as soon as he touches the ball. The Duke players know that the double team is coming and do their best to exploit it, but most college teams just do not have the ability to take advantage of the momentary four-on-three. Okafor is an aggressive passer out of the post, but he turns the ball over too much, and Duke’s guards have not consistently been able to attack the scrambling defense once they receive his kickout. They ping the ball around the perimeter NBA-style, and while point guard Tyus Jones has thrown some transcendent passes on plays like these, the rest of the Duke guards do not get the ball out of their hands quickly enough to succeed. The spacing gets especially tricky when Okafor shares the floor with Amile Jefferson or Marshall Plumlee, neither of whom is threatening except from arm’s reach of the basket. But these issues are minor — Duke has one of the best

offenses in the country. Opponents are not doubling Okafor because the rest of Duke’s roster is bad, but instead because Okafor is terrifyingly good. If there is an offense scarier than Duke’s, it belongs to Wisconsin, which scores at a higher rate than any other team in the country. Some basketball traditionalists seem to think every center should be like Okafor, and that a big man working on his perimeter game only detracts from ability to bang in the paint. Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky proves that claim false. Kaminsky weighs less than Okafor and does not boast a strong lower body. As a result, he has trouble muscling through the biggest guys on good teams. Fortunately, opposing centers have an even harder time keeping up with him on the perimeter. Kaminsky may have the best outside shot and the best handle of any center in the country, so instead of forcing their centers to run all the way out to the three-point line, many opponents let a smaller forward guard Kaminsky. Against guys several inches shorter than he is, Kaminsky can go to work in the post. He lacks Okafor’s strength, but he shares his quick first step and soft touch. And Kaminsky’s game has a lot more subtlety than Okafor’s. Wisconsin reverses the ball early and often, allowing Kaminsky to seal defenders who try to front for easy baskets. And unlike Okafor, who finishes over everyone with his superior length, Kaminsky uses shot fakes extremely well. Kaminsky’s signature has become the up-and-under move he uses to punish defenders desperately trying to stop him from driving to the middle of the floor. While Okafor is often double-teamed, opposing teams are terrified of doubling Kaminsky. Every Badger can shoot threes, and Bo Ryan’s teams are famous for their elite passing. Wisconsin has by far the lowest turnover percentage in the country, and its turnover percentage has been one of the five best each of the last seven years. This year’s team actually does not pass quite as well as those of recent years, and its assist numbers are down this year. Forward Nigel Hayes is still a ball stopper, and Sam Dekker drifts into ruts in which he looks for his own shot too much. But Wisconsin can afford to have those players shoot a lot, as they both rank among the most efficient scorers in the country. Hayes is a brute in the post with an elite face-up game and phenomenal strength. Dekker is a 6-foot-9 mismatch problem who should be a firstround draft pick. Wisconsin’s offense is not a problem. But the Badgers, like the Blue Devils, have struggled on defense. Both teams play conservatively, fouling at rates lower than most teams in the country. And both clean the defensive glass — another hallmark of good, fundamental defense. But neither team is very aggressive, which means they give up a lot of decent looks and rarely force turnovers. Tournament history is not too kind to teams as poor defensively as Wisconsin and Duke. Though both boast elite offenses, they will need the defense to match it.

Derek Levinson ’17 can be reached at derek_levinson@brown.edu.

M. BASKETBALL

JOSH STERN / HERALD

Cedric Kuakamensah ’16 dribbles past an opposing guard. The reigning All-Ivy defensive player of the year has taken a larger role since the departure of Leland King ’17 and hopes to get two wins this weekend.

Bears visit middling Ivy foes in trip to Keystone State Bruno looks to escape Ivy cellar in Saturday games against conference foes Penn, Princeton By CALEB MILLER SPORTS STAFF WRITER

The men’s basketball team captured its long-awaited first Ivy win last weekend and will look to carry that momentum into two tough road tests against Princeton Friday and Penn Saturday. Co-captain Rafael Maia ’15 said the victory against Dartmouth (8-12, 1-5 Ivy) last Saturday, which lifted Bruno (10-13, 1-5) out of last place in the league standings, would only make the squad work harder to claw up the Ivy ladder. Guard Patrick Triplett ’18 confirmed the heightened determination. “Practices have been pretty competitive,” he said. “The guys have been really pushing each other.” The Bears will need to show some resolve — while middlings in the Ivy standings, Princeton and Penn possess talent that demonstrates the depth of the Ancient Eight this season. Princeton (10-11, 3-2) The Tigers run arguably the most efficient offense in the Ivy League, and it seems to be hitting its stride in conference play. Princeton controlled Columbia (11-9, 3-3) on the road and disposed of Penn and Dartmouth earlier in the season. Its only league losses came to first-place Harvard (15-5, 5-1) by three points and Cornell (11-11, 3-3) on the road by eight points. Despite possessing the conference’s second-highest scoring offense, which averages a league-best 44.7 percent shooting, Princeton does not have a player in the top seven in the league in scoring. Instead, the team features one of most balanced attacks in the country, with seven players averaging six or more points per game and nine averaging three or more. “You have to play solid on everyone,” Triplett said. The Bears feature a similarly balanced attack, as any of the five starters can lead the team in scoring. Tavon Blackmon ’17 has been the best offensive

weapon recently, scoring 13.2 points per conference game. J.R. Hobbie ’17 led the squad with 17 points against Dartmouth, Steven Spieth ’17 had a team-high 17 points against Yale (16-7, 5-1) and Cedric Kuakumensah ’16 powered the offense with 13 points against Columbia. Given the quantity of scoring options on each team, fans can expect shots to come from anywhere in Friday’s battle at Princeton. In lieu of a focal point, the Tiger offense stresses passing and leads the league in team assists. A Tiger’s share of the production comes from beyond the three-point line, where the team shoots a stellar 38.6 percent. Spencer Weisz — last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year — has upped his game for his sophomore campaign, leading the Tigers in points and ranking second in rebounds, assists and steals. Weisz paces the team of sharpshooters by hitting his threes at a 42.6 percent clip. Six-foot-8 forward Hans Brase is a major scoring and rebounding threat inside, but steps out to chuck more three-point attempts than any other player. The Bears may need to give special attention to guard Ben Hazel. The Princeton senior scored only three points per game through the non-conference schedule but has come alive against the Ivy League, averaging a team-high 13.4 per contest. Bruno’s best man-up defender, Spieth, will likely spend most of his night across from Weisz or Hazel. Offensive rebounds and secondchance points, which plagued Brown against Harvard, should not be a problem Friday in a matchup of the best and worst rebounding teams in the conference: Brown and Princeton, respectively. Bringing the ball up the floor and getting shots off can be a struggle against a Tiger defense that is second in the conference in takeaways. But Princeton allows the highest opponent shooting percentage in the league, so if Bruno’s backcourt can avoid turnovers, the Bears have a good chance of scoring a lot of points. This puts the onus on ball-handler Blackmon — exactly where Bruno wants it, given his tremendous recent play. Penn (7-12, 2-3) Like Princeton, Penn is not

dependent on one or two scorers to generate offense, but the Quakers do have a true go-to playmaker in Tony Hicks. Seven players on the Penn roster pour in five or more points per night, but when the Blue and Red need a basket, the ball goes to Hicks. That principle was on display Friday when a Hicks floater fell at the buzzer to topple Cornell in Ithaca. After struggling against a tough non-conference schedule, Penn’s wins over Dartmouth and Cornell showed the Quakers’ fight. Returning leaders Hicks and forward Darien Nelson-Henry form a 1-2 punch, but the emergence of sophomore Matt Howard is key to Penn’s attack. Howard has upped his average to 11.4 points per game since starting Ivy play, showing an ability to score inside, outside and at the free-throw line. Penn’s attack does not present nearly the potency of Princeton’s. The Ivy League’s lowest-scoring team has been prone to turnovers this season. Triplett said the team focused on Princeton in practice and has not set matchups for Penn, but Howard likely poses another test for Spieth. Maia expects to defend Nelson-Henry while Blackmon will be charged with containing Hicks. A Blackmon-versus-Hicks matchup should be an exciting Valentine’s Day treat, with two of the league’s best floor generals squaring off. Bruno could exploit an often-overlooked but critical source of offense: the free throw line. A hack-happy Penn defense leads the league in fouls, and Bruno draws more than any other Ivy. Spieth and Blackmon are two of the conference’s best free-throw shooters and can inflict quite a blow from the charity stripe. The Palestra can be a tough place for visitors to play. As road losses to Yale, Cornell and Columbia illustrated, Bruno has trouble in the game’s final minutes. But Triplett did not give much credence to a late-game curse and expects results to differ next time. “We just need to take it one possession at a time,” he said. While the Bears are no longer in last place, they are still in the Ivy basement, and two road wins would change that. Friday’s contest tips off at 7 p.m.

SPORTS

PAGE 8 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

W. BASKETBALL

Crouching Tiger, hidden Quakers: Bears to battle No. 17 Princeton Brown to take on undefeated Princeton in effort to spoil impressive run By TANEIL RUFFIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Having seen every other Ivy League team at least once already, the women’s basketball team will return home to the Pizzitola Sports Center this weekend to face its toughest opponents yet in conference heavyweights Princeton and Penn. “We are just really pumped coming off of two great wins this past weekend,” said Jordin Alexander ’16. “And we are excited to see what we can do this weekend.” In last weekend’s matchups against Harvard (9-11, 2-4) and Dartmouth (10-10, 1-5), Bruno (9-11, 3-3) managed to eke out narrow victories, largely due to the team’s balanced contributions on offense. Notable efforts were made by Ellise Sharpe ’16, who scored a career-high 19 points for the third game in a row, and Sophie Bikofsky ’15, who set a new program record for career three-pointers. Though not much was expected of the Bears this season, the team has made several changes in its style of play and the relatively young squad seems to be improving with each game. “I believe our greatest strength right now is the fact that we are coming together as a team,” said Rebecca Musgrove ’17. “We have better chemistry now than we have had all season, and it’s starting to show in the win column.” Nonetheless, Bruno is not the only Ancient Eight team that is exceeding expectations. Undefeated Princeton (21-0, 5-0) is currently ranked 16th in the nation and sits comfortably in first place in the Ivy League. Princeton’s 21-game winning streak is due in large part to the squad’s potent offense — arguably one of the most fearsome in the country. The formidable Ivy foe scores the most points and holds its

opponents to the fewest in the conference. In addition to points per game, the Tigers also lead the league in field goal percentage, accuracy from behind the arc and assists. In order to stay in the game with Princeton, the Bears must be very aggressive on the defensive end from tipoff. “We really need to be able to defend well,” Alexander said. “Both teams put up a lot of points, and if we are not ready to go on defense, they will definitely exploit that.” The squad’s backcourt struggled earlier in the season but has made strides in refining its defensive capabilities with every game. Though a win seems unlikely for almost any squad that goes up against Princeton, if any team were to miraculously end Princeton’s remarkable run, it would be Bruno. Last time the squads saw each other, the Bears unexpectedly derailed the Tigers’ quest for a fifth consecutive Ivy title. The contest saw a fierce offensive blitz by Bruno, including three treys from then-junior Bikofsky, which fueled the upset. The Bears must again summon that intensity on offense to be competitive this Friday. “We just really want to focus on playing together and as a unit,” Alexander said. “We all know that everyone doing their job and playing their role is going to be the factor that gives us our best chance at giving these teams some good games and potentially pulling out some wins.” While Princeton will be Bruno’s toughest opponent of the season, it is unlikely that Penn (12-7, 3-2) will surrender to the Bears without putting up a fight. Though the team currently sits in fourth place, the Quakers are the reigning Ivy champions. In contrast to the Tigers’ offense-driven style, Penn is a defensive powerhouse. The Quakers grab the most defensive boards per game and block the most shots in the conference. Leading the charge is sophomore forward Sydney Stipanovich, who was last year’s Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and averages about three blocks per

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

It was a rough week for the men’s and women’s squash teams, as they both fell to Harvard and Dartmouth. The men remain at No. 16 in the nation.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

The five starters for Brown huddle on the court. Despite being picked to finish last in the Ivy League, the Bears have three wins in conference play so far and look to add to that tally this weekend.

DAVE DECKEY / HERALD

Sophie Bikofsky ’15 drains a three over an onrushing defender. The Bears are playing Princeton — the last undefeated women’s team in the nation — and Penn this weekend in Providence. game, in addition to being the team’s leading scorer. If the Bears are able to continue to coax great offensive performances

from the entire roster, the squad may be the perfect opponent to solve the Quakers’ defense. “It will be a fun weekend, and we

» SQUASH, from page 12

in a few individual matches but still failing to pick up a win. “We’ve played some really good teams and represented ourselves well,” Blasberg said. “Right now we’re really looking forward to going down to Hartford (for Nationals) and doing some damage.” The men have a week off before their national team championships, where they will undoubtedly continue to face stiff competition. They will spend the next week resting nagging injuries and preparing for a demanding match-per-day schedule. “Whatever happens is going to happen,” Blasberg said. “We can only go out there and play as best we can. … If we do that, we’ll get a lot of good results.”

Both Bruno teams will be competing in the bracket of teams ranked from nine to 16, where their experience playing top-tier teams will pay off. “We’ll see some teams with very good players at the top of their line up,” Blasberg said. “But we can shine and play well with our whole lineup.” The men’s squad most recently fell to Dartmouth (6-7, 2-5) and Harvard (8-3, 7-0), dropping 9-0 decisions to both schools. The Crimson men were hard to beat for the Bears, who fell in three games in all but one contest. Bruno showed more fight against Dartmouth, mounting more competitive campaigns

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look forward to the challenge,” Musgrove said. “I know if we continue to play smart basketball, we can play with anyone.”

TODAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 • PAGE 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

menu

up the alley

SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Gnocchi, Quesadillas Made-to-Order BLUE ROOM Naked Burritos, Soups: Clam Chowder, Minestrone, Beef with Bean Chili ANDREWS COMMONS Asian Tacos, Pizzas: Bacon Cheeseburger, Buffalo Chicken, Harvest

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Sesame Chicken Wings, Buffalo Style Chicken Wings, Pasta with Pink Vodka Sauce, Onion Rings

Red Pepper Frittata, Vegan Brocolli, Orange Teriyaki Haddock, Tortellini Provencale

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Roasted Yukon Potatoes with Shallots, Curried Chickpeas

Chicken Saltimbocca, Zesty Orange Pork Sautée, Roasted Red Potatoes with Herbs

sudoku

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Providence was coated in yet another layer of snow Thursday. A winter chill is set to hit campus over the long weekend, and more snow Tuesday may cause a problem for students returning home.

comics Cat Ears | Najateé McNeil ‘17

Comic Sans | Neille-Ann Tan ‘18 RELEASE DATE– Friday, February 13, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Word with cake or meal 4 Doctrinal suffix 7 Pat Nixon’s real first name 13 Classic sci-fi play 14 Tres equivalent 15 Clinton’s birth name 16 Bush spokesman Fleischer 17 Part of DAR: Abbr. 18 Busy enterprise? 19 *Site of preserved ancient gaucho weapons? 22 Grouse 23 Humana option 24 Cut (it) 27 Blitz 31 MLB “minors” 32 *Hip curriculum? 36 Banned chem. pollutant 37 Protective bauble 38 Capital SE of Tallahassee 40 GPS datum 41 *Second-hand seat? 45 Canadian sentence enders? 46 Worse 47 __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band 49 Andalusian aunt 50 Emerald City princess 54 *Heroine in a reprised fairy tale? 59 “Ditto” 61 Thought 62 French handle? 63 Modernize, in a way ... and when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues 64 Functions 65 One of quarterback Archie’s boys 66 Lover’s request 67 Stylish, once 68 Symbiont on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”

DOWN 1 Colgate competitor 2 Halos 3 8-Down, e.g. 4 Culinary author Rombauer 5 Sexy, in some ads 6 San Diego Marine Corps station whose name means “sea view” 7 Trick 8 Arizona natives 9 Archie’s wife 10 Himalayan canine 11 Spoil 12 ’70s White House daughter 14 Indian lentil stew 20 Taking everything into account 21 Versailles rulers of old 25 Evergreen bean 26 Capital where Pashto is spoken 28 Rhyme $yndicate Records founder 29 Certain IRAs 30 Driller’s prefix?

32 Biblical spy 33 Home of the Beef, an indoor football team 34 Makes more baskets than 35 Fund drive appeal encl. 39 Eponymous brewer Bernhard 42 Roast, in Rouen 43 Atomic number 77

44 “‘Tis true, sorry to say” 48 Certain choristers 51 Subdivided 52 Scratch 53 Blend 55 Not a happy fate 56 Function 57 Mandatory item 58 It can be natural 59 Vex 60 Agnus __

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

calendar FRIDAY

FEBRUARY 13

12:00 P.M. “JAM ON THE VINE” BOOK READING

LaShonda Katrice Marnett will read from her debut novel, an early 20th-century tale of a woman fighting for equality in the Jim Crow South, at an event hosted by the Department of Africana Studies. George Houston Bass Performing Arts Space, Churchill House 1:00 P.M. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE: THE IMPORTANCE OF LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS DISCIPLINES

Four Royce fellows will present how love plays a role in each of their research projects, including relationships between advocates and the community and the bond between a trainer and horse. Petteruti Lounge, Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

xwordeditor@aol.com

02/13/15

SATURDAY

FEBRUARY 14

12:00 P.M. BEGINNER SWING DANCE LESSON

The Swing Dance Club will offer a free beginner lesson for those wanting to learn West Coast-style swing dancing. Nelson Fitness Center, Studio 2 8:00 P.M. PRINCESS BRIDE SCREENING AT TECHNOLOGY HOUSE

The Technology House will host its annual screening of “The Princess Bride.” The Cliffs of Insanity and the Fire Swap will both make appearances. Harkness House

SUNDAY

FEBRUARY 15

12:00 P.M. I <3 KHOP

King House will transform into the “International King House of Pancakes,” fire up the griddle and serve up some bacon, eggs and heart-shaped pancakes. King House 4:30 P.M. GUY TALK

By Mark McClain ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

02/13/15

The Queer Alliance will provide a “safe space” for discussion about masculine identity for LGBT individuals. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, 321

COMMENTARY PAGE 10 • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Brown Bites: Feb. 9–13 BY MARCY HUANG, ONLINE EDITOR

Sorority recruitment reached a new high this year, showing Greek life’s enduring presence on campus. A total of 207 female undergrads sought bids — a 48 percent increase from the 140 students who did so last year. A total of 135 students were ultimately offered bids from one of the three sororities on campus: Alpha Chi Omega, Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Delta. According to Theta’s President Meredith Heckman ’16, the increase in new recruits might come from the sisters’ community involvement, as all three sororities are “extremely involved on campus.” Meanwhile, the snow continued to make headlines this week with the collapse of the Pizzitola roof early Wednesday morning. Though no one was injured, the collapse marks the second time the Pizzitola has suffered snow-related failures. Roofing contractors worked for eight hours to remove the snow and prevent any possible water damage on the court floors, while cranes have been on site to remove snow from the roof. Andrew Commons also suffered a pipe burst from the cold weather, but luckily for pho eaters everywhere, the dining area has since been successfully repaired. Students have also been facing accessibility issues as a result of the storms. While Facilities Management has extensive strategies in place for clearing the ice, the heavy snowfall makes plowing all the more difficult. Despite efforts to clear sidewalks, students told The Herald they were unable to get around campus because of the build-up of snow, with some unable to get to class even when the University is open — a much better reason to miss class than most of us usually have. Plans to implement a survey about campus attitudes toward sexual assault are on the agenda for this April, as Brown acquired the use of a survey by paying the Association of American Universities, $87,500. Many researchers have critiqued aspects of the survey, citing its lack of transparency and potentially troubling effects on students. They argue the survey limits definitions of sexual assault and sexual harassment, inadequately addressing survivors’ experiences and ultimately breaking the second Belmont principle which seeks to protect participants from harm. President Christina Paxson P’19 also announced plans to dig a little deeper into students’ pockets Sunday by announcing that the Corporation approved a 4.4 percent rise in tuition for the upcoming year, making the total cost of attending Brown a whopping $62,046 — a cost that students may lament does not even include textbooks. We also learned from last weekend’s Corporation meeting that Brown is looking at a projected $4.4 million deficit for fiscal year 2016. The Corporation also accepted $63 million in gifts — more than most students get during the holidays.

Z AC HA RY N E L I K I N

CORRECTIONS An article in Wednesday’s Herald (“Spring theater to provoke dialogue, innovate,” Feb. 11) misstated that “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” was written before Shakespeare’s era. In fact, Director Paul Martino ’17 was applying a theatrical style from before Shakespeare’s era. The Herald regrets the error. A Jan. 27 Herald article (“Talks underway for Ratty renovation,” Jan. 27) misstated that the cost of renovating Andrews Commons was $56 million. In fact, that figure is the total amount for a two-year renovation of residence halls and dining facilities. The Herald regrets the error.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“I feel like Mitt Romney with binders full of women. ... It’s kind of strange to be able to literally scroll through a

”

catalog of women.

— Will Allen-DuPraw ‘15

See tinder on page 1.

Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 • PAGE 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Separate and (un)equal BY MILI MITRA opinions columnist

This year marks the 51st anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which heralded the end of de jure segregation in the United States. The phrase “separate but equal” is now an infamous but distant memory in our collective psyche, synonymous with a darker era. Unfortunately, movements to reinstitute subtle divides still exist in society and on college campuses. They now seem, however, to be geared toward separating religion as well as race. In January, I watched in amazement as Duke University yielded to political intimidation and surrendered its commitment to religious tolerance. Initially, the Duke Chapel and the Muslim Students Association had announced a plan to broadcast the Adhan — or Islamic call to prayer — from the Chapel bell tower every Friday. This plan was designed to enforce ideals of religious pluralism and support the university’s growing Muslim community. But the announcement was greeted with anger and fear. Many criticized it as a desecration of Christian faith. Some interpreted the move as an unnecessary concession to a “radical” minority — illogically linking radical Islam to the whole faith — and felt it would undermine the school’s religious identity. In the face of considerable backlash and threats to the Center for Muslim Life, the Duke administration decided to re-

verse the decision, CNN reported Jan. 16. No Adhans have been broadcast from the Chapel bell tower. The criticism against the weekly call demonstrated a new resurgence of explicit campus inequality. The Adhan is not a new and suspicious practice but an established ritual recited quietly before prayer on Fridays. It would not have interfered with Christian practices, as it was scheduled for Friday afternoons. Moreover — like Brown, which has held Hindu and Buddhist cer-

decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson. Protesters argued that though the Muslims were free to pray, they couldn’t possibly use a Christian structure in a Christian university. In other words, they were meant to be “separate” but of course “equal.” In comparing the opposition to the Muslim prayer with the Jim Crow laws, I am not trying to belittle the enormous scar left behind by this nation’s murky past. The controversy at Duke cannot rival the scale of the atrocities committed during the time

The anti-Islamic rhetoric also sets a dangerous precedent for hostility and violence. The Feb. 10 killing of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is an unfortunate product of this marginalization and hate. The Duke administration also responded poorly after canceling the scheduled Adhan due to alarming threats. Duke’s subsequent treatment of members of the Muslim Students Association bordered on inconsiderate. Delaying the broadcast would

The controversy at Duke provides an opportunity to reexamine secular principles on campuses across the country.

emonies in the Manning Chapel for years, according to the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life — Duke has a strong tradition of holding a multitude of diverse religious ceremonies in a traditionally Christian building. The Adhan should not have been considered an unwanted encroachment on the sanctity of the Duke Chapel, but rather a simple way for Muslims to fulfil the requirements of prayer. Having grown up in Singapore and been taught the ideas of secularism and tolerance, I was taken aback by the vehement rhetoric against religious expression. And the objections on social media bore a suspicious likeness to the U.S. Supreme Court’s

of institutionalized segregation. If we have truly learned from our mistakes, however, we should not condone anything akin to discrimination, and the arguments put forth by the protesters were Islamophobic in the extreme. As I read the comments of protesters, I was struck by the poorly disguised hypocrisy hidden behind a veneer of tolerance. Duke is a Methodist university, but, like any other American institution, it is bound by the secular principles that govern the nation. By rejecting the right of Muslims to pray publicly, protesters disrespected an aggrieved community and disregarded the fundamental freedoms they claimed to promote.

have been understandable given the potential for violence, but dismissing the entire proposal added insult to injury. Duke officials failed to offer an appropriate alternative and unceremoniously reverted to the earlier system, in which the call to prayer was recited privately. This calls into question their priorities and their commitment to the more than 700 Muslims in the Duke community. But from a more objective standpoint, the controversy at Duke provides an opportunity to reexamine secular principles on campuses across the country. The basic premise of religious equality ensures freedom of expression and assembly and prevents any religion from gaining con-

trol of the state. Yet religious equality should also promote a spirit of collective integration and cooperation among religions. Yes, the Chapel is a sacred place that should be treated with the utmost respect, but it shouldn’t be sacrilegious for another religious group to use the building to pray. Nor should it be blasphemous to announce a call to prayer from the bell tower. And it certainly shouldn’t be offensive for passers-by to hear a handful of Arabic words once a week. Instead of threatening the Center for Muslim Life, protesters should have respectfully raised their concerns and, if necessary, found a suitable alternative. Could such a crisis occur on Brown’s liberal and inclusive campus? I would like to think that Brown is exempt from the growing religious intolerance I see around me, but I am not so sure. It seems naive to think that Brown can escape the religious divide apparent in many other towns and on many other campuses. In the coming months, I would love to see Brown set a positive example and succeed where Duke shockingly failed. Let us proudly take part in events like the recent World Hijab Day. Perhaps we can celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali with lights and fireworks in the center of the Main Green. If nothing else, let us embrace religious pluralism and prove that it is not tantamount to the end of religion.

Mili Mitra ’18 can be reached at mili_mitra@brown.edu.

Global Divestment Day at Brown FOSSIL FREE BROWN guest columnist

Today and tomorrow, fossil fuel divestment campaigns from around the world will call on universities, cities, banks and other institutions to pull their investments from the fossil fuel industry as part of Global Divestment Day. On these two days, united by the knowledge that keeping our economies so heavily dependent on fossil fuels is incompatible with avoiding catastrophic climate change, people around the globe will join together and continue to push against the industry’s lobbying, greenwashing and political arm-bending that has become the status quo. The movement has grown immensely since our campaign started three years ago. Today, there are more than 700 fossil fuel divestment campaigns calling for action on climate change. More than 180 institutions and municipalities have committed to divest a combined $50 billion from fossil fuels, including Pitzer College and the city of Providence. The global effort to stigmatize the fossil fuel companies that are blocking action on climate change has the power to reshape the

political landscape. The effects of these political changes, like those of divestment from Apartheid in South Africa, can have profound results, influencing emission reductions far more than any one institution could through its energy choices. Brown’s current investments in the fossil fuel industry are a gamble, like all other stock investments. It is a particularly risky gamble because the stock prices of fossil fuel compa-

willing to make this bet? As a global movement, divestment gives us a platform for confronting the reality that we simply cannot maintain the status quo in energy consumption and production methods without having to face severe global consequences. These consequences — which are projected to include sea level rise, ocean acidification and innumerable ecological and climate impacts — will not affect all of us uni-

Brown’s current investments in the fossil fuel industry are a gamble, like all other stock investments. nies are based on a tacit acceptance that these companies can burn all of their existing reserves — which would raise the temperature of the planet far beyond the internationally agreed-upon limit of 2 degrees Celsius. In short, the University’s investments in fossil fuel stocks signal that we are decidedly confident that no action will be taken against climate change and that we are willing to bet our endowment on it. With the integrative theme in President Christina Paxson’s P’19 of “Sustaining Life on Earth,” is Brown truly

formly. Many of the most vulnerable nations are ones that are already racked with poverty, instability and poor resource distribution. These conditions will only compound when environmental catastrophes, such as drought and seawater infiltration, destroy arable land and sources of potable water. This has already begun to occur in countries such as Bangladesh and the Marshall Islands. By continuing to build short-sighted, fossil fuel-dependent infrastructure, these problems cannot be solved. The solution ultimately re-

quires a global collaborative effort toward climate-resilient and renewable systems. The racism that allows the West to sacrifice low-lying island nations in the name of GDP growth allows those who profit most from climate change to be least affected by it. There is a long history of these grievances, which cannot be solved by any one tactic. Divestment is just one of many ways people are working to address this tangle of issues. It accompanies rather than excludes the policy changes, civil societal actions, technological developments and community-based interventions that are occurring around the world. We hope that this campaign and the growing global fossil fuel divestment movement will continue to spark important conversations and shape attitudes. This campaign is part of a broader story — one that we wish to be about human ingenuity and tenacity in the face of political, socioeconomic and infrastructural obstacles. We hope you can come out at noon Friday on the Main Green and be part of helping to build a more sustainable and equitable future.

Fossil Free Brown welcomes any questions, comments or ideas and can be reached at fossilfreebrown@gmail.com.

Got something to say? Leave a comment online! Visit www.browndailyherald.com to comment on opinion and editorial content.

SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015

M. HOCKEY

Bruno visits struggling conference foes Union, RPI After win over Harvard, Bears look to carry momentum into New York road trip By MATTHEW BROWNSWORD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last weekend’s victory over No. 6 Harvard (12-8-2, 8-6-2 ECAC) was only the men’s hockey team’s second conference win of the season but, remarkably, its third over Harvard in two years. Heading into weekend matchups against middling ECAC teams Union and Rensselaer, the Bears (5-17-1, 2-13-1) hope the win will be a step toward a strong end to the season. “I think we gained a lot of confidence after that win against Harvard,” said Mark Naclerio ’16. “We know we can play and beat anyone, and it’s just a matter of being mature and consistent in what we do.” The Bears travel to Troy, New York, for a Friday game against RPI (9-20-1, 7-9-0) — the only conference opponent Bruno had beaten before its triumph over the Crimson. But despite holding the tiebreaker, the Bears still trail RPI by nine points in the ECAC standings, which means overtaking the Engineers at this late stage in the season is a near impossible task. Unburdened by Ivy League gamesplayed restrictions, the Engineers lead the ECAC with 30 games played this season. But they have only scored 55 goals — fourth fewest in the conference, tying them with the Bears for the secondfewest goals per game. Leading goal scorers Jacob Laliberte and Drew Melanson have just six goals each. “RPI is always a challenging team to beat in their rink,” said Matt Lorito ’15.

“They have a great atmosphere, and they feed off their crowd, so it’s going to be key for us to try and take them out of the game early.” While the Bears do not have a player who has reached double-digit goals, each member of the first line trio of Naclerio, Lorito and Nick Lappin ’16 has seven goals on the year. After getting two assists against the Crimson, Lorito needs only two more points to reach 100 for his career. “It would mean a lot, but I’m trying not to focus on that,” Lorito said. “Right now I’m just focused on doing whatever I can to help the team win.” The Engineers’ defense has not been much better, as Jason Kasdorf — whose rights were recently acquired by the Buffalo Sabres in their trade for NHL star Evander Kane — ranks 10th in the ECAC in goals against average. RPI has allowed three or more goals in each of its 20 losses, including a recent 8-3 loss to Union, the only team that separates the Engineers and the Bears at the bottom of the conference standings. Rensselaer comes into its matchup against Brown on a four-game losing streak after breaking up a nine-game losing streak with three ECAC wins in a row. RPI has been streaky this season, as exemplified by quality wins against Dartmouth (11-8-4, 8-6-2) and Colgate (15-10-3, 7-6-3) and a couple of bad losses, including one to Brown. After facing RPI, Brown travels to Schenectady, New York, to take on defending national champion Union (1412-2, 6-9-1). The matchup between these two teams earlier in the year was the exact opposite of the Bears’ matchup with RPI: Brown lost 7-1 in what was quite possibly its worst defeat of the year.

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Zach Pryzbek ’17 takes the puck around some Harvard defenders. The Bears’ historic upset over the No. 6 Crimson could propel Bruno into a decent playoff seeding and offer hope heading into the postseason. “There’s some extra motivation coming into this game, and Union has been a strong team for many years now,” Naclerio said. “We are all very excited for the challenge, but first we are focused on RPI.” Union, unlike RPI, is a prolific goal scoring team, leading the ECAC in goals per game. The Dutchmen top the conference in most of the main offensive categories — goals, assists, shots and power play goals — and are close to the top in power play percentage. That statistic that does not bode well for Brown’s penalty kill, which ranks fourth to last in the country. “The key to stopping any team’s offense is to be sound defensively and to make sure we’re managing the puck well,”

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Lorito said. “Obviously Union has a great top line that we’re going to have to be aware of, but I think if we play how we did against Harvard, we should give ourselves a chance to have success.” Union’s high-flying offense is led by sophomore Mike Vecchione and senior Daniel Ciampini, who are tied for the conference lead in points. Vecchione has the most assists in the ECAC, while Ciampini has the most goals and the best plus/minus rating, at plus 23. Those two are among eight Union players who rank in the top 50 in the ECAC in plus/ minus, while Brown has no players in the positives. “Both players are extremely talented, and we are going to be aware when they’re on the ice,” Naclerio said. “We

can’t give them time and space, but we aren’t going to focus on one or two players. We are going to focus on our game and doing what makes us successful.” But Union’s struggles this season — particularly in the ECAC, where it has accrued nine of its 12 losses — have come on the defensive side of the puck. Union has allowed the third-most goals in the ECAC, and its penalty kill is tied with RPI’s for second to last in the conference. After the Bears took down Harvard by a score of 2-0 in February of last year, they ended the season on a four-game losing streak, which started out with two 3-0 losses against the Engineers and the Dutchmen. Bruno will hope that a similar pattern does not repeat itself come this weekend.

SQUASH

Lappin’s ’16 goal lifts Bruno over Harvard Bears flounder in Honorable Mention AllIvy last year, junior firstline forward tied for team lead in goals with seven By NIKKO PASANEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The men’s hockey team may have been a sizable underdog against No. 6 Harvard last weekend, but it certainly did not look that way come game time. Thanks in large part to Nick Lappin ’16, the Bears turned in their best performance of the year, taking down the Crimson by a final score of 2-1. It was an impressive team-wide effort by Bruno, but it was Lappin who tallied the decisive goal in the second period. After receiving the puck in traffic, the standout junior netted an impressive backhanded shot to give the Bears a two-goal lead. It was the seventh goal of the year for Lappin, who has played a key role on the team ever since he first donned his uniform as a freshman. Last year, Lappin was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy, and this season, he has been looking to build upon his past success. For his efforts in beating Harvard this past weekend, Lappin has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Herald: How did you first get into playing hockey? Lappin: My dad played hockey professionally for a couple of years out of school, so he kind of influenced me to play hockey, in a sense. I first started learning how to skate when I was three, and then I was on my first team when I was four. And ever since that, I have been playing.

Why did you choose to come play hockey here at Brown? Well I chose Brown for several reasons. One, I wanted to get an Ivy League education. Education was important to me, and I thought Brown offered one of the best educations in the world. And two, I thought Brown had the potential to win a national championship. Whether it’s this year or next year, I think we have a shot. What does it mean to beat a team like Harvard, which was ranked sixth in the country at the time? Obviously Harvard is a huge rival for us — for Brown in general — so any time we play them it’s a huge game, and the fact that they were ranked made it that much better. It was just a big win for us. Can you describe what was going on in your head when you scored that goal to go up 2-0?

I saw (Mark Naclerio ’16). He had the puck near the wall — and then I saw that he saw me. He got the puck into a good area, and I was able to go to my forehand and then my backhand and get a quick shot off.

If you played any other sport, what would it be? It would definitely be golf. I played golf in high school my freshman and sophomore years, and I continue to play in the summer. What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Well, hopefully I’m playing hockey. I want to play professionally after school, and hopefully that’s going to be in the NHL. But if not, I’m fine with playing overseas in Europe or something — I just want to be playing hockey. Do you have any cool pregame routines? I always put on my left stuff first. Always my left shin pad first, and then my right one. My left skate first, and then my right one. And tie my left one before the right one. And so on. What is your favorite place to eat on Thayer? I would have to say Mike’s Calzones.

competitive conference Brown proves no match for prestigious Ancient Eight opponents Dartmouth, Harvard By LAINIE ROWLAND SENIOR STAFF WRITER

A tough Ivy schedule has left both the men’s and women’s squash teams reeling. Neither squad has notched a conference win to date, dropping most matches by large margins, most recently to Dartmouth and Harvard. In their seven conference matches, both teams have won just four games, for an individual winning rate of about 6 percent. But the stats only paint part of the picture. According to the College Squash Association, the men’s team (5-8, 0-7 Ivy) is the sixteenth best in the country and the women’s team (5-8, 0-7) the eleventh best. The rest of the teams in the Ivy League are also nationally ranked, mostly in the top ten. The Ancient Eight has historically dominated national rankings, with Harvard, Princeton and Yale capturing the majority of national championships for both men and women. “It can be tough, particularly within the Ivy League, since all these schools

have rich histories of having really good teams,” said Jack Blasberg ’16, captain and a Herald sports columnist. While teams like Princeton won their first championship in 1942, Brown’s program is relatively new. The women’s squad is coming off of two losses last week, suffering a 9-0 sweep against Harvard (10-1, 6-1) Thursday and dropping a 6-3 decision to Dartmouth (6-7, 1-6) Friday. Many players had tough matches against their Crimson rivals. Isabel Scherl ’17, Skylar Murphy ’16 and Alexandra White ’15 each won at least one set, but no player was able to capture a win over the elite players on No. 2 Harvard. In Hanover, Murphy, Quincy Beck ’18, Mina Shakarshy ’15 and Katherine Pisani ’18 succeeded in capturing individual matches. The Big Green’s defeat of Bruno was its first Ivy win of the season. This weekend, the women will compete at the Kurtz Cup, the national team championships for squash. Their first match will pit them against Franklin and Marshall (men 13-6 and women 9-7), which is ranked just below Bruno. The teams have not yet met this season, which promises an exciting and potentially tight matchup. » See SQUASH, page 8