SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
VOLUME CL, ISSUE 44
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Grad student dies after fall from SciLi 8.5 percent admit rate for
2019 class breaks U. record
After Hyoun Ju Sohn’s GS death, over 300 community members grieve at evening vigil
History, English enter top intended concentrations, joining STEM fields, social sciences
By EMMA HARRIS AND EMMA JERZYK UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND METRO EDITOR
Hyoun Ju Sohn GS died Tuesday after falling through a 12th floor window of the Sciences Library just before noon. Sohn was a first-year physics doctoral student from South Korea, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in a community-wide email Tuesday evening. Lindsay Lague, public information officer for the Providence Police Department, told The Herald Sohn’s death was a suicide. Paxson called it “an apparent suicide” in an earlier email to the community Tuesday afternoon. Sohn fell to the area between the library and the Center for Information Technology after breaking the window. “Some students and staff walked by the body” before police officers roped off the area with yellow caution tape, said Thomas Doeppner, associate professor of computer science and vice chair of the department, who was in his office in the CIT at the time of the incident. Sarah Perelman ’15, a former Herald
By ALEKSANDRA LIFSHITS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
JILLIAN LANNEY / HERALD
Providence Police officers taped off the area between the Sciences Library and the Center for Information Technology after Hyoun Ju Sohn GS fell. science and research editor who was on the third floor when the student jumped, said police officers arrived at the scene within a minute and a half and covered his body. Jodie Gill, program director for the Science Center, who was also on the third floor, said Providence Police
officers were already at the library searching for a distressed student before the incident occurred. They told her they had been notified of a possible suicide attempt earlier in the day, she said. The Providence Police Department could » See SOHN, page 3
The University offered admission to just under 8.5 percent of applicants to the class of 2019, breaking last year’s recordlow acceptance rate of 8.6 percent, said Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73. Out of the 30,397 students who applied — the second largest pool in University history — 2,580 students were admitted. The 1,970 students accepted through the regular decision process will join over 600 students admitted in December. The percentage of first-generation college students admitted decreased from 18 percent last year to 13 percent this year, Miller said. Sixty-one percent of admits intend to apply for financial aid — slightly down from last year’s 67 percent, he said. Admitted students hail from all 50 states and 85 countries, according
to a University press release. Among domestic admits, the best-represented states are California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas. Among international admits, the top five countries represented are China, the United Kingdom, Canada, India and Korea. The diversity of the admitted class of 2019 is fairly consistent with that in the past few admission cycles, Miller said. Forty-five percent of admits selfidentify as African American, Latino, Native American or Asian American. Fifty-nine percent of admits attend public high schools, while 41 percent attend either private or parochial schools. Though the pool of accepted students is similar in many ways to the pools of previous years, this year saw a shift in intended concentrations. Though seven of the top nine intended concentrations — engineering, biology, computer science, biochemistry, international relations, economics and political science — were holdovers from last year, history and English also joined the list. Interest in concentrating in history increased by about 80 percent since last year, according to the press release. » See ADMISSION, page 3
U.’s female leadership a Three declare candidacy for UCS presidency symbolic win, but results hazy Sexual assault policy Administrators reflect on impact of gender on careers, recognize need for varied forms of diversity By SUSANNAH HOWE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
This series will explore the first 1,000 days of Christina Paxson’s presidency. This story, the second of three, will look at how the University’s female leadership team represents, motivates and responds to students.
1,000 DAYS: PAXSON’S PATH Brown is the only Ivy League school where both the president and the provost, the two highest-ranking administrators for academic operations, are women. In fact, almost three-quarters of senior administrators are women. Students and administrators appreciate female representation in university governance. But doubt lingers over whether President Christina Paxson’s P’19 administration will seize the opportunity to create more than a
INSIDE
symbolic victory on gender issues, as well as whether it is properly equipped to handle issues affecting women of color. ‘A place you fit’ “My children are actually spaced eight years apart, and I call that the tenure gap,” Paxson said. “I had the first one before I got tenure, and I thought, I am never, never going to become tenured if I have another child right now. So I waited until I was promoted to full professor to have my second child.” Provost Vicki Colvin said she waited until after getting tenure to start a family, having her children — who are now nine and 13 years old — relatively late in life. None of the administrators interviewed said their gender has held them back, but some said exceptionally accommodating colleagues and family members have played a large role in their successful careers. A Brown department chair supported Dean of the College Maud Mandel when she had her first child while working in a nontenure-track position without the benefit of formal parental leave policies, she said. Paxson said she has benefited from » See WOMEN, page 2
reform emerges as priority for all candidates for UCS leadership By NATALIE FONDRIEST SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Justice Gaines ’16, Sazzy Gourley ’16 and Zachary Nelkin ’17 will vie for the presidency of the Undergraduate Council of Students, while Alana Bhatla ’16 and Ryan Lessing ’17 will face off for the UCS vice presidency. Candidates submitted their official applications at a UCS Elections Board meeting Tuesday night. All UCS presidential and vice presidential candidates told The Herald that, if elected, they would prioritize sexual assault policy reform. Some candidates focused on the student movement Act4RJ’s demands, while others highlighted the Task Force on Sexual Assault’s scheduled release of official recommendations at the end of the semester. Gaines, a UCS general body member and member of the Task Force on Sexual Assault, stressed the importance of ensuring that the task force’s recommendations are implemented. Gaines’ platform centers on “oversight,
Justice Gaines ’16
Sazzy Gourley ’16
Zachary Nelkin ’17 COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATES
access and accountability.” As president, Gaines would hope to reevaluate financial aid based on student input and to standardize academic advising across all departments, in addition to pursuing sexual assault policy reform and additional mental health resources. To improve mental health resources on campus, Gaines pledged to increase access to Student and Employee Accessibility Services and develop more specific resources for students suffering from mental health concerns such as anxiety and eating disorders. “I’ve developed a lot of the work I’ve done outside of UCS, and I’ve developed a respect and trust, but also the ability to hold the administration accountable and be able to communicate with other students very openly,” Gaines said. Gourley, UCS vice president and
chair of the UCS Outreach and Advocacy Committee, said his platform focuses on student wellness, faculty diversity and transparent University governance. He also aims to advocate diversity support services and student representation at Corporation meetings. For campus life issues, he would prioritize pre-professional advising, performing arts space renovations and extended dining hours, he added. Gourley is the only UCS presidential candidate with UCS Executive Board experience, “which is critical in understanding the means to achieve institutional change,” he said, adding that developing working relationships with students and administrators in his current position would allow him to jump “headfirst into next year.” Nelkin, a former but not current » See UCS, page 3
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
METRO Conference highlights problems with, possible solutions for mass incarceration in Rhode Island
ARTS & CULTURE The Jabberwocks explored their musical identity over two week Hong Kong a cappella festival
COMMENTARY Asker ’17: The moderate conception of safe spaces fosters intellectual growth on campus
COMMENTARY Secondo ’16: American cultural practices leave little time for restorative leisure activities
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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
» WOMEN, from page 1 an “incredibly supportive” husband. “I know there are women out there who do it on their own … but I’ve always had somebody who was really a partner,” Paxson said. “Over the course of our careers, we’ve shifted back and forth — who needs more time at work, who needs less time at work, and it’s worked really well. If somebody were to ask me how I was able to do what I’ve done and still have a family, it’s that.” But speaking about whether more women colleagues make her more comfortable, Paxson said simply, “it doesn’t matter to me.” But other administrators have had more varied experiences. “While I didn’t face blatant discrimination or even obstacles,” underrepresentation of women “made it at times really difficult to have a voice and to be able to talk more freely about the challenges that women face in medical school,” said Liza Cariaga-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, who began her career at Wake Forest University. “It limits the way in which you have an opportunity to speak up for various policies and practices that may inherently affect women more so than men.” “There is a sense of being different” for women in male-dominated fields such as the sciences, said Colvin, a chemist, who said she “learned early on” to present herself differently. “I learned to smile less frequently. … When I was younger, I wore glasses to make myself appear older.” These attempts to “fit in” and minimize the ostensible differences between herself and male colleagues produced a “certain level of stress,” Colvin added. But Colvin said she wonders whether these changes actually affected others’ perceptions of her or merely how she saw herself. The relatively large number of women leaders at Brown was an unexpected perk of coming to College Hill, Colvin said. “It’s probably the first time in my life I’ve walked into meetings and it’s all women, and there’s one guy,” she said. Far from the stress of trying to fit into a male-dominated environment, “there are ways we have of interacting that are very familiar to me — that I don’t usually associate with the workplace environment,” she said. “I find it gives a certain level of comfort.” Mandel echoed Colvin’s sentiments. “It feels like a place you fit — that this is a place you’re meant to be,” Mandel said, adding that as a result, “you’re going to
be more comfortable sharing your ideas, pushing for your initiatives.” Leadership styles Some administrators rejected the idea of a universal female leadership style while still personally identifying with attitudes stereotypically associated with women leaders. Colvin has struggled to see herself as a leader because she never identified with the stereotypically male “followme” archetype, she said. “For me, leadership is … listening to a lot of different opinions and shaping conversations so that you collectively arrive at a vision that a lot of people buy into,” she said. “My version of leadership is definitely more collaborative, facilitative, adaptive.” “I think that that’s a different style — perhaps it’s gendered, perhaps it’s not,” Colvin said. “I like to work with groups. I like to work with teams. I tend not to be very hierarchical,” Paxson said. “It comes naturally to me.” Studies have shown that women tend to adopt more collaborative leadership styles than men. A 2007 meta-analysis of hundreds of studies on leadership styles conducted by Alice Eagly, professor of psychology and management and organizations at Northwestern University, found that, on average, women are more democratic and invite more participation from other group members, while men take on a more controlling, topdown approach. But the differences the studies identified were generally small. Gender differences are socially constructed, not innate, Mandel said. “As a woman, not surprisingly, I think about issues that affect women in a way that somebody who is not a woman wouldn’t,” she added, though not all women “think the same way.” Nevertheless, administrators were reluctant or unable to identify ways that their personal experiences as women have affected their decision-making. “I don’t know that it changes anything really global,” Colvin said of having women in leadership. Turning representation into action Colvin said the University should capitalize on its abundance of women leaders by using it as a starting point for campus-wide conversations on gender issues. “It’s an opportunity that we shouldn’t waste, and I think we should recognize that it’s kind of special.” Yet it is an opportunity that has largely not been seized, several students
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD said. Student activism, rather than administrative leadership, has been the driving force behind change on issues that affect women, they said. Students have been critical of the administration for its treatment of sexual misconduct — an issue that is not directly a matter of gender equality but disproportionately affects female students and has been taken up by feminist groups on campus. The Task Force on Sexual Assault has made significant progress, said Lauren Stewart ’15, a member of the task force, adding that the University has been taking policy reform seriously. But the University’s recent handling of a sexual misconduct hearing and a hearing for a student accused of serving a drink containing a date-rape drug has been criticized by many students, including Stewart, who see the way the case was handled as a failure to enforce existing policy and an impetus for further policy reform. Students also view administrative decision-making — not just concerning the two recent hearings, but on gender issues in general — as opaque. Despite their appreciation of female leadership, students were cautious about lauding the administration too much. Representation of women is “a very baseline thing,” said Britta Potter ’18. ‘A symbolic force’ “Having women in leadership positions at Brown has definitely served as a symbolic force,” said Alice Hamblett ’17, one of the leaders of Feminists at Brown. “The most profound way (it has affected me) is just knowing that it’s there.” “There are so few places in society where I can find women as leaders,” said Miriam Langmoen ’17, highlighting the benefits of having female leaders as role models. Administrators also underscored the importance of seeing women in leadership roles. Diversity “signals to other people, particularly younger people, that there is opportunity available for them,” Mandel said. “Young women coming up the pipe think, ‘I can do that.’” “It must be nice … for students to be able to look at the people who are leading their institutions and say, ‘Gee, I can see myself there,’” Paxson said. That concept matters for race and ethnicity as well as gender, she said, adding that Brown has made more progress on gender than race. “It’s great that there are women in high places in the administration, (but) we still need to represent the
intersectionality and diversity of women at Brown and in the world,” said Jo’Nella Queen Ellerbe ’15. Different perspectives Indeed, not all female students feel represented by an administration that is overwhelmingly made up of women who are white, heterosexual and cisgender — a term that refers to those whose gender identity matches their sex at birth. “Institutionally the University is not equipped to deal with issues that women of color face,” Queen Ellerbe said. “If you’re not a member of a community, you cannot necessarily know what that community is feeling.” Support for women of color comes largely from student groups and individual faculty mentors, as well as centers such as the Brown Center for Students of Color, rather than broad institutional policies, Queen Ellerbe said. “As a woman of color … I don’t feel that there’s institutional support,” she said, citing issues such as low faculty and staff representation of women of color as well as insufficient diversity training for incoming students. The University should make more of an effort to seek out and hire women of color, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals, for faculty and administrative positions, several people said. “It’s hard to talk about just gender” in isolation from other identities, said Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, adding, “It would be
nice to see a more diverse group of women” in the administration. At the recent “Cracking the Glass Ceiling” panel, which featured Paxson and three other current and former female university presidents, some students criticized the way white, heterosexual, cisgender narratives of womanhood dominated the discussion. All four women involved fit that description. Though Cariaga-Lo said women’s leadership “does send a strong message that this is a place that no longer sees women at the margins,” she added that administrators must not become complacent with current successes and forget about the many areas where gender equality still needs improvement. The perception that Brown is progressive may also diminish the urgency for improvement, Langmoen said. “It’s very easy both for administrators and for the wider community to become complacent.” “We are collectively stronger for having a broad range of kinds of backgrounds helping to solve problems,” Mandel said. “People from diverse backgrounds bring diverse perspectives, and the more diverse perspectives you have, the likelier you’re going to come up with creative solutions that we haven’t thought of before.” But the creativity on gender issues that one might expect of Paxson’s administration has yet to materialize fully in students’ eyes, which, coupled with a lack of racial diversity, leaves the University wanting in more ways than one.
MATTEO MOBILIO / HERALD
President Christina Paxson P’19 heads an administration in which almost three-quarters of senior administrators are women.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
» UCS, from page 1 member of UCS, said “it is crucial to implement Act4RJ’s demands and Imagine Rape Zero’s demands from last year.” If elected, he would aim to reconstitute the council to a fully elected body with periodic votes of approval as a check system. The council “should have to justify its existence,” Nelkin said. His platform also stresses campus safety, “pedestrian-friendly” streets and energy-efficient renovations, he added. Bhatla, UCS media director and former UCS treasurer, said she would
» SOHN, from page 1 not be reached by press time to confirm that they received such information. The 12th floor was closed following the incident and remained closed at press time, though all other floors remained open. Police cars and a truck from the Office of the State Medical Examiners lined Waterman Street, which was closed to traffic between Thayer and Brook Streets
» ADMISSION, from page 1 Over the last decade, there has been a gradual increase in students pursuing sciences, causing the number of students pursuing the humanities to drop, Miller said. This trend may result from the fact that the American economic climate has made students focus more on the practicality of their degrees. But this year’s increased interest in history and English “hopefully suggests a greater interest in liberal arts
prioritize student representation on the Corporation, mental health resource expansion and sexual assault policy reform. In addition to possessing two years of UCS Executive Board experience, Bhatla is actively involved in student groups such as Women in Science and Engineering, the Matched Advising Program, Meiklejohn peer advising and community service clubs, which she said give her “a good sense of campus climate.” Lessing, chair of the UCS Admissions and Student Services committee, said that in relation to sexual assault
policy reform, “the administration has said a lot of great things about wanting to do right by the victims, and UCS needs to make sure we follow through.” He said he would focus on student feedback for the administration, administrative transparency, mental health resources and council restructuring. The council’s low retention rate, especially between first-year and sophomore members, contributes to a “lack of institutional knowledge,” Lessing said, adding that the council needs to foster a more “rewarding experience for general body members … to be
a more effective body and serve our mission.” Lessing spearheaded the council’s new online feedback forum, What to Fix Brown, which has “already been a really useful way” to identify student concerns, generate ideas and provide the administration with student perspectives, he added. Dakotah Rice ’16 and Faith Moses ’18 will run unopposed for chair and vice chair of the Undergraduate Finance Board, respectively. Neither was able to attend the meeting Tuesday. Rice wrote in an email to The
Herald that he plans to increase UFB efficiency, funding for service groups and “most importantly” transparency. Moses wrote in an email to The Herald that she would also strive to boost the board’s transparency, especially with Category 3 groups. She hopes “to help student groups understand the processes, procedures and precedents of UFB,” she wrote. Candidates for UCS and UFB leadership positions will square off in a debate Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Solomon 001. Students can cast their votes online April 7 – 9.
for at least an hour after the incident. The street had reopened by 2:15 p.m. Paxson, Department of Public Safety Chief Mark Porter, Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 and Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn were all present at the scene. Klawunn asked students to clear the area around 12:30 p.m. and pointed those seeking support to Counseling and
Psychological Services and the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life. Paxson also publicized the support resources available to community members in her emails. Doeppner said the CS department asked CAPS representatives and deans from the Office of Student Life to “come over and talk to everyone who” witnessed the event. He sent an email to computer science students to let them know that support services were
available at the CIT. On Tuesday evening, more than 300 community members gathered for a vigil on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center to mourn Sohn’s death. After student volunteers distributed candles and note cards, administrators and University chaplains addressed the assembled community members. Audience members were encouraged to write down their fears, hopes and prayers on these pieces of paper, which were fed
into a small fire at the gathering’s close. Paxson struggled to speak to the crowd without crying. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” she said at one point during her address. But she did communicate her main hope for the University. “It’s a time when we have to think: how can we care for each other better as a community?”
generally,” he added. Brown’s special admission programs saw even lower admission rates. The Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program accepted just 3 percent of 512 applicants. The Program in Liberal Medical Education admitted 90 of 2,216 students, marking a 4 percent acceptance rate, Miller said. These two programs are “widely competitive with an acceptance rate consistently in the low single digits,” he added. It is hard to predict how many
students will accept positions on the waitlist, Miller said. “We do anticipate to take some students off the waitlist this year,” he said. The other Ivy League universities also released their admission decisions Tuesday. Their admission rates were fairly consistent with those in previous years — Columbia accepted 6.1 percent, Cornell accepted 14.9 percent, Dartmouth accepted 10.3 percent, Harvard accepted 5.3 percent, Princeton accepted 7 percent, Penn accepted 9.9
percent and Yale accepted 6.5 percent. Harvard had yet to release its admission statistics by press time. Many admitted students expressed surprise and excitement about their offers of admission. “I fully expected rejection,” said Scott Fogle, who hails from Pennsylvania and is currently taking a gap year in San Francisco. Fogle said he hopes to visit the University this month before making his final decision. Ann Tanaka from California said
she tried not to become too attached to any one school before getting accepted. “I’ve seen qualified people get rejected and surprising ones get admitted,” Tanaka said. All admitted students are invited to visit the University during A Day on College Hill, which will occur April 2123. “ADOCH is the University’s most important recruitment program,” Miller said, adding that the University expects about 800 admitted students and 500 parents to come to campus for the event.
- With additional reporting by Baylor Knobloch
METRO
PAGE 4 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Senator Reed brings foreign policy experience to Dems Reed delves into political maneuvering of ACA and budget, troubles with climate change bills By ELIZABETH CONWAY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
EMILY WOOLDRIDGE / HERALD
Judge Rogeriee Thompson, formerly incarcerated community activists James Monteiro and Luis Estrada and non-profit leaders Sol Rodriguez and Tenny Gross discussed the issues of mass incarceration and discrimination.
Speakers dissect R.I. mass incarceration Experts discussed possible solutions for reduction of U.S. prisoners, racial slant in sentencing By EMILY WOOLDRIDGE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
More than 300 law enforcement officials, politicians, students and community activists confronted the costs and racial disparities of mass incarceration and probation in Rhode Island— and the nation as a whole — at a conference March 27 entitled “Sounding the Alarm on Mass Incarceration: Moving Beyond the Problem and Toward Solutions.” The day-long event, held at Roger Williams University, also drew Rhode Island Supreme Court justices and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. “I am blown away by the diversity of people in the room,” said Marc Mauer, a national expert on the racial implications of mass incarceration, who presented at the conference. An event bringing together all of the different constituents in one state is “very unusual,” he said, adding that collaboration is the only way to change policy. Bryan Stevenson, a public interest lawyer famous for his TED talk about the costs of mass incarceration, gave the conference’s opening speech. He shared personal stories about his struggles as a lawyer in the United States “surrounded by a broken justice system and broken people.”
Jordan Seaberry, a student at Roger Williams, said he was particularly struck by a statement Stevenson made: “the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice.” In his presentation, Mauer traced back U.S. policies that contributed to the rapid rise of imprisoned Americans starting in the early 1970s, such as the war on drugs and the establishment of minimum sentences. These measures caused the prison population to soar from about 200,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people in 2013, he added. Mauer also cited the statistic that one in every three black adult males born in this country and one in every six Latino adult males can expect to go to prison, compared to one in every 17 white adult males. “When Mr. Mauer released his report in 1995 on racial disparity in the criminal justice system, the New York Times stated in an editorial that the report ‘should set off alarm bells from the White House to city halls.’ Why do we have to ‘sound the alarm,’ as the conference’s title suggests, two decades later?” a Roger Williams student said when she introduced Mauer. In the afternoon, Caitlin O’Connor, principal research technician at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, shifted the focus to Rhode Island as she presented the department’s report on mass incarceration and probation in the state. Though Rhode Island has a relatively
low rate of incarceration, it has one of the top-five highest rates of people on probation and parole in the country, O’Connor said. One in every six black adult males in the state is under probation and parole supervision, compared to one in every 14 Hispanic males and one in every 34 white males, she said. “Terms of probation can be years, and even decades in many cases, which can be very counterproductive,” Mauer told The Herald, adding that if most people on probation do not reoffend within the first year, they are extremely unlikely to reoffend at all. “To keep them on probation for five, ten, fifteen years, it’s just something hanging over their heads,” he said. Government officials, lawyers and police officers grappled with the issues raised in the report during the conference’s closing panel discussion. Rhode Island Public Defender Mary McElroy was one of the most outspoken panelists, accusing other politicians in the room of skirting around the issues. “We overuse incarceration and mass probation in this state. It doesn’t matter whether we are better than other states,” McElroy said. “When we go to the courtroom on Monday, are we going to keep doing things the way we always have?” Judge Judith Savage, the conference organizer, acknowledged the distance between rhetoric and action in her closing remarks. “We have established proximity today, and proximity is what changes people’s lives,” she said.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. addressed budgetary concerns, the Affordable Care Act and foreign policy issues in a speech to the Brown Democrats Tuesday night in Wilson Hall. Reed has served in Congress for 25 years — including 18 as a Senator — and is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has championed numerous pieces of reform legislation, including immigration, women’s reproductive rights, gun control and education. “These young men and women are going to be the leaders of our country in many different roles — academics, business, science, maybe even politics,” Reed told The Herald, referring to his decision to speak to the Brown Democrats. “But more importantly, they are committed to contributing to the community, not just on their own advancement, but for the advancement of something beyond themselves,” he said. Reed began by criticizing the Republican budget proposal, tying the proposal to growing income inequality in the United States and arguing that the current approach will only exacerbate the wealth gap. Continuing on the theme of economic parity, Reed emphasized the importance of affordable education. “Student debt is the second-largest form of individual debt in the country,” he said. “It’s going to prevent some students from going to school.” Rising education costs “slow down our economy, as well as individual progress,” Reed told The Herald, adding that community colleges and technical training offer crucial alternatives to four-year schools, making education available to more people. The Affordable Care Act took up a significant portion of the discussion.
“It’s a great achievement, but very underrated,” he said of the legislation, which has expanded Medicaid, extended coverage for young adults and eliminated exclusions for preexisting conditions. Though many Republicans criticized the bill, arguing that it would stagnate or deter job growth, Reed argued that it has helped promote the strongest job growth since the ’90s. Reed, who visited troops in Afghanistan and Iraq three weeks ago, stressed growing complications in foreign policy. Unlike during the Cold War era, when instability was largely unilateral, current foreign unrest is multifaceted and stems from “many different sources,” Reed said. These include Iran and North Korea, non-state actors such as ISIS and Al Qaeda and “non-status quo states” such as Russia and China, Reed said. Additionally, more sophisticated terror tactics, the expansion of cyberspace and fears of nuclear proliferation all pose 21st century challenges to foreign policy, Reed said. Despite the shifting post-Cold War landscape, Reed does not see U.S. power as threatened, even as countries such as China claim hegemonic clout in their parts of the world. Climate change and immigration are two areas in which Reed was not hopeful for what he considers necessary legislative progress. “Climate change is going to be awfully difficult to get through,” Reed said, adding that some senators swear it “just doesn’t exist” while others acknowledge its existence but “don’t see it as a compelling need.” An immigration bill similarly does not have the support to come to fruition, especially in the House, Reed said. “It was wonderful to have him speak about foreign policy,” said President of the Brown Democrats Meghan Holloway ’16. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world right now, so having someone with expertise and knowledge on the area speak to us and give us his invaluable opinions was a wonderful experience,” Holloway said.
MATTEO MOBILIO / HERALD
Sen. Jack Reed’s, D-RI, lecture drew dozens of students and addressed issues like economic equality, foreign policy and the Affordable Care Act.
TODAY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
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SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Mashed Potato Bowl, Gourmet Grilled Cheese BLUE ROOM Mediterranean Pocket Soups: Hearty Country Vegetable, Tomato Florentine, Baked Potato ANDREWS COMMONS Po’ Boys, Make-Your-Own Fried Rice Pizzas: Honey Boo Boo, Mushroom Madness, Thai BBQ Chicken
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
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Chicken Broccoli Pasta Alfredo, Meatball Grinder, Sauteed Greens, Brownies
Vegan Greek Beans and Vegetables, Haddock Veracruz, Grilled Boneless Pork Chop
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sudoku
MATTEO MOBILIO / HERALD
At a Tuesday evening vigil, President Christina Paxson P’19 shared a moment of silence with community members to grieve over the death of Hyoun Ju Sohn GS, a first-year physics doctoral student, earlier in the day.
Ampersand | Wasita Mahaphanit ‘18
comic
RELEASE DATE– Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” rhyme scheme 5 Govt. org. with a “Safety Compass” blog 9 Under-the-tree pile 14 Silly smile, maybe 15 Snack with a white center 16 Garnish 17 “Gotcha!” 19 Brawl 20 Menlo Park initials 21 Those, in Oaxaca 22 __ mater 23 Gear on a tour bus 24 “Gotcha!” 28 They blow off steam 30 Bugged by a bug 31 Like a twisted remark 32 Within: Pref. 33 Hive-dwelling 35 “Gotcha!” 41 College declaration 42 Feminizing finish 44 Icarus, to Daedalus 47 Snooze 48 Add to a scrapbook, say 51 Significance of this puzzle’s circled letters (gotcha again!) 54 Map rtes. 55 Drop-off point 56 Charlie’s fourth wife 57 201, on a monument 58 Carillon sounds 60 Today’s “Gotcha!” 62 Cookout spot 63 Willing 64 “A __ for Emily”: Faulkner short story 65 Not in a slump? 66 “Iliad” deity 67 Stops equivocating DOWN 1 Stir up 2 Military equipment
3 Designated park trail 4 DiFranco of folk rock 5 Greets wordlessly 6 Three-note chords 7 Have a feeling 8 Peat source 9 Leg, to a film noir detective 10 Model of perfection 11 Trail 12 Seismometer detection 13 Duplicitous 18 Self-produced recording, perhaps 25 Slangy golf term for nervousness while putting, with “the” 26 Everything-inthe-pot stew 27 __ Bator 29 Mary Oliver output 33 __ Lingus 34 Babushka’s denial 36 Actress Kaczmarek with seven Emmy nominations
37 Ventura County resort city 38 Keystone force 39 Kid-sized ice cream order 40 Price per can, e.g. 43 Stores in a farm tower 44 Vast grassland 45 “Goodness gracious” 46 Cancel out
48 “I have the worst luck!” 49 John Denver’s “__ Song” 50 Corporate emblem 52 Dig find 53 Wall Street phrase 59 Pink-elephant spotter, stereotypically 60 Ottoman bigwig 61 To and __
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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04/01/15
TODAY 6:00 P.M. BREAKING INTO FINANCE: A PROGRAM
4:30 P.M. THE PRESIDENTIAL FACULTY AWARD
FOR SOPHOMORES
LECTURE
CareerLAB will host a panel of undergraduates who have had a finance internship. CareerLAB
Nitsan Chorev will give a talk entitled “Making Medicine in the Global Periphery” as a part of a lecture series established to recognize faculty members involved in innovative research. John Carter Brown Library Reading Room
6:30 P.M. THE ART OF VOLUNTEERING
Barnaby Evans, the creator of WaterFire, will give a presentation detailing the role of volunteers in putting on
7:30 P.M. UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL OF STUDENTS
the WaterFire events. RISD Auditorium
DEBATE
6:30 P.M. AUDISM DEFINED: “AUDISM UNVEILED” FILM SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION
By Daniel Nierenberg ©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/01/15
TOMORROW
The American Sign Language program and the Center for Language Studies will screen “Audism Unveiled,” and panelists will share their experiences with discrimination based on hearing or speaking ability. Metcalf Auditorium
Candidates for UCS president and vice president will debate campus issues. Salomon 001 8:00 P.M. CAMP KESEM AT BROWN INFO SESSION
This meeting will inform interested students about open positions on its Coordinator Team. Camp Kesem is a camp for children affected by cancer. Salomon 203
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL
Tracks for the public health concentration The newly-coined public health concentration replaces community health for students in the class of 2016 and beyond. This public health concentration does not currently offer a selection of tracks to choose from, and students could greatly benefit from having this option. The program attracts a diverse group of students who may be interested in law school, health care administration, medical school or other paths. By adding different directions, the public health concentration would better fit and channel students’ individual interests. The public health concentration aims to “explore the ways in which the social, political, behavioral and biological sciences contribute to the understanding of patterns of population distributions of health and disease,” according to the University’s website. Though enticing, this description underscores the broad range of subjects the concentration aims to encompass. In practice, students typically find that their interests align with one particular area of the public health concentration. For instance, the public policy, biology, political science, or environmental law courses may hold different degrees of appeal to concentrators. Concentrations such as chemistry or science and society have already implemented a system that involves different tracks. Chemistry, for example, offers three tracks: chemistry, chemical biology and materials chemistry. Science and society, an interdisciplinary concentration like public health, offers three tracks: the thematic track, the science track and the science and technology studies theory track. By breaking down general goals into more specific paths, these concentrations allow students to more readily hone in on particular goals or passions. There are several options for tracks that the public health concentration could create and incorporate. For students who plan to pursue public policy or law that pertains specifically to community health concerns, there could be a legal studies track. For students who wish to manage a hospital someday, there could be a health care administration track. For students who wish to pursue the biological sciences or medical school, there could be a science track. Finally, students who are unsure of their particular interests could pursue a general public health degree. Giving students the option to narrow their fields of study is always preferable. Especially with such an interdisciplinary concentration, the choice of specific paths would really help students recognize and focus on their interests. These tracks would not dictate or limit the course of study, but rather allow for a more focused academic experience. By way of adding these tracks, the public health concentration could simultaneously attract more interested students and satisfy current concentrators.
M I R A N DA F R I E L
CORRECTION An article in Tuesday’s Herald (“Koenig sheds light on creation of ‘Serial,’” March 31) misquoted Sarah Koenig as saying, “Everything that went inside ‘Serial’ was very traditional, unglamorous, sloppy recording.” In fact, she said “reporting,” not “recording.” The Herald regrets the error.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“The opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice.” — Bryan Stevenson, public interest lawyer
See mass incarceration on page 4.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Alexander Kaplan ’15 and James Rattner ’15, and its members, Natasha Bluth ’15, Manuel Contreras ’16, Baxter DiFabrizio ’15, Mathias Heller ’15 and Aranshi Kumar ’17. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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COMMENTARY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
The importance of safe spaces NICHOLAS ASKER opinions columnist
Last week Judith Shulevitz, a contributing op-ed writer for the New York Times, wrote a column ridiculing the idea of safe spaces on college campuses. The problem is, she simply doesn’t do the concept of safe space justice. Saying that there are hypersensitive students on college campuses who push safe spaces too far, giving some extreme anecdotes to illustrate this point and then concluding that these students are ruining higher education is an unfair and unsound move. But I can see how it is comforting, even therapeutic, to feel like the older generation contains “hardier souls” than today’s students. Irony aside, I will argue that Shulevitz neglects to account for the invaluable thing the safe space movement has to offer — namely, a means to root out everyday oppression — but first I will make clear where I agree with her. To open her piece, Shulevitz mocks Brown for providing a literal safe space to students during the Janus Forum event last fall entitled “How Should Colleges Handle Sexual Assault?” The room was supposed to give students a place to recuperate if they became upset, and it was replete with childish things from Play-Doh to coloring books. I agree this is ridiculous. Anything beyond making sure Counseling and Psychological Services psychotherapists are available near a sensitive lecture seems like overkill. After all, people were not forced to attend the lecture and were free to leave at any point. I also agree that the choice to walk away from a debate should be made carefully. Leaving simply because people are expressing viewpoints that we disagree with precludes the possibility of growing intellectually. Moreover, I agree that pushing for universi-
ty-imposed censorship or speech codes is going too far. Certain expressions may offend groups of people in a diverse population like that found on a college campus, but officially banning such expressions is usually not a good idea. Universities choose to embrace robust academic freedom because it is overwhelmingly a good thing that helps them better achieve their missions. I agree that universities should generally avoid limiting freedom of expression. Now here’s where I disagree with Shulevitz: Certainly some college students are hypersensitive, and some demand that universities restrict speech not realizing the value of free expression. But just because some espouse a radical interpretation of safe spaces that requires the university to baby them or crack down on speech
I use the adjective “moderate” to distinguish this conception from more extreme, uncompromising ones, like that of speech code crusaders. Advocates of a moderate conception realize the crucial difference between banning language through university rules and socially condemning offensive speakers. Invoking Voltaire, they may disapprove of what you say, and quite vociferously, but they will defend to the death your right to say it. On this view, former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly should be allowed to speak on campus, but that doesn’t mean inviting him is a good idea. People will censure the invitation because he represents and endorses institutional violence. When participants adequately explain the reasons for their protest, social sanctioning of this sort is educa-
A moderate safe space strives to educate students on others’ feelings, histories of violence and the idea of inclusiveness so that when our generation steps off campus, we can contribute to and create a less oppressive real world. doesn’t mean we should overlook the importance of a moderate conception of safe spaces. By a moderate conception of safe spaces, I mean a conception that strives for social inclusion everywhere — a universal safe space. It is one that demands people consider others’ emotions, especially those of groups that have historically been and continue to be oppressed. This is similar to the conception that members of Columbia’s Everyone Allied Against Homophobia had in mind in their flyering campaign last fall. In an op-ed in the Columbia Spectator, Robbie Lyman, vice president of EAAH, stated that the flyer is “is about learning how to be kind to each other.” The flyer encouraged holding ourselves and others to a “higher standard” in which we critically reflect on our day-to-day interactions and do what little we personally can to fight discrimination.
tional. Advocating for safe space in this manner seems reasonable and even admirable. Shulevitz laments that, nowadays, professors and students feel reluctant to say things for fear of offense. But making people think twice before they speak is a good thing and precisely the point of the movement. The idea is to make people second-guess their unintentionally biased tendencies and word choice and to overcome them through a little mental effort and by putting themselves in the shoes of others. Reasonable safe space proponents don’t target people who have good reasons for using certain expressions, like those who believe using the actual n-word when teaching “Huckleberry Finn” has educational value. Instead, they criticize people who unreflectively say something stupid is “gay,” for example. They attack such speech because it is actually hurtful to a
certain group of fellow human beings, because it perpetuates discrimination against them and because requesting people use a less offensive word isn’t much to ask. Demanding a safe space means wanting to change the world for the better through a social conscientiousness, and it means persuading people to join the movement by appealing to reason and empathy. It’s about creating inclusive climates on campus and beyond through social regulation and moral condemnation, not official censorship. Shulevitz claims that safe spaces mean students will never learn “the discipline of seeing the world as other people see it” and make them “unprepared for the social and intellectual headwinds that will hit them as soon as they” enter the real world. But a moderate safe space does exactly the opposite. It strives to educate students on others’ feelings, histories of violence and the idea of inclusiveness so that when our generation steps off campus, we can contribute to and create a less oppressive real world. Shulevitz argues that engaging with ideas that make us uncomfortable is a good thing. I agree, and that’s exactly the purpose of a legitimate safe space movement: to make us reflect on our biased, exclusive tendencies and the negative impact our actions have on others. Grappling with these uncomfortable revelations about our own moral failings allows us not only to grow intellectually but also to become better versions of ourselves. It allows us to build a better society for our children and all children. We would be wrong to take from Shulevitz’s article that the very concept of a safe space is pernicious. In conflating the hypersensitive and fanatical with reasonable safe space advocates, she distracts us from understanding that a universal safe space as a social aim is in fact paramount to our time.
Nicholas Asker ’17 can be reached at nicholas_asker@brown.edu.
Spring break musings REID SECONDO opinions columnist
One of the most sacred weeks of the spring semester, spring break is a well-deserved respite from the daily grind and unpredictable March weather. Whether jetting off for a change in scenery or settling in at home, those few sacred days arrive just in time. Netflix and your mother’s best home-cooked dinner may spoon you back to functional human status, but a getaway has the instant restorative properties that alchemists could only dream of creating. I was lucky the travel bug bit me at a young age. Breaking away from the bubble of the normal environment to indulge in a fresh reality is one of life’s greatest enjoyments. But my need to travel is a consistent affliction, peaking during momentary periods of mental breakdowns and mundane existence in which it often cannot be fulfilled. A 10-mile drive or a 10-hour flight away, any form of travel elicits a sense of escape from the ordinary. When younger, I fixated on the concept of the destination, of going to a new place to say I had been there and done that. As I tally life ex-
periences and supposedly grow a little wiser, I now live to travel for the opportunity to sample and share in a different existence and hopefully learn something I can take back home with me. While writing this piece, I happily find myself nestled in the French West Indies, soaking in sunshine, salty seas and timeless sensibility. The former holistic elements have worked restorative wonders on my psyche and have neutralized my seasonal cynicism, at least temporar-
society to make us one of the most stressed demographics in the nation. The traditional American aesthetic of rugged individualism and rigorous education is proudly rooted in our cultural identity. But as we continue to build that shining city upon the hill, our Puritan work ethic has morphed into the all-encompassing workaholic attitude of mounting masochistic stress for the sake of our happiness. Happiness? This is a frustrating irony, but an unfortunate norm that defines
attitudes of our European counterparts and dismiss their whining over austerity as reflections of foundational laziness. We may also be empathetic toward Caribbean denizens for their limited access to bountiful opportunity and quality education. But both are doing something right that we often fail to do at home: live. Whenever transplanted at the crossroads of island time and French joie de vivre, I am able to dust away the residues of hyperactivity and calculation to clearly see what else exists
Whenever transplanted away, I am able to dust off the residues of hyperactivity and calculation to clearly see what else exists out there: presence, listening, being. ily. Yet opening my eyes and taking in what passes by reminds me of the importance of cultural relativity and helps to turn my self-important, fasttrack American outlook into a refocused perspective. We are all students in constant pursuit of success in a pressurized collegiate machine. Self-induced strain and the demands of our Brown microcosm combine with the greater angst of our over-stimulating, over-sharing, postmodern
our social and cultural paradigm with damaging effects on all aspects of life. Despite our economic and industrial prowess, we rank 37th in life expectancy, on par with Costa Rica and Cuba. The average American is at far greater risk of heart disease, obesity and stress-related illnesses than the average European. We spend less time sleeping and engaging in leisure activities than all other people in the industrialized world. We may scoff at the laissez-faire
out there: presence, listening, being. I envy the fixture of family as a central social crux, where time is spent with each other, not each other’s devices and screens, and the meal is not an archaic means for quick fuel consumption, but a gathering where fresh food is shared, conversation is conducted and life is appreciated. Somehow the average American spends a rapid 67 minutes a day eating all meals; with no time left for proper digestion and conversation,
no wonder we suffer from mounting obesity and impersonality. Time is a valued friend, not an ominous foe locked in eternal battle with you. Individuals are capable of engaging in many dimensions of their reality, as they are consciously aware of fulfilling more than personal roles, such as a citizen of the world and steward of the environment. There is radiant enthusiasm and energy in living with spirit and genuine joy in being one’s self. Perhaps I am generalizing too much from my observations, but who would not want to mix a bit of mindfulness with a taste of la dulce vita into their own life? It is important to rebalance perspective by taking one’s time and tuning down the four-cylinder engine, regardless of the day’s demands. Americans live to work. We need to work on how to live. Even a small addition of this philosophy can make the everyday feel more purposeful and fulfilling. Or if you’re looking for a more permanent fix, drop me a line and I’ll start packing.
Reid Secondo ‘16 enjoys living life and tries to experience mindfulness. Feel free to share how you feel fulfilled in life at reid_secondo@brown.edu.
ARTS & CULTURE THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
Jabberwocks hone musical talents during Hong Kong tour Two-week tour allows group to experiment with new venues, engage with fans abroad By SHAVON BELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Sunday, the jet-lagged yet appreciative members of the a capella group the Jabberwocks returned from a twoweek tour in Hong Kong, where they sang at the Hong Kong International A Cappella Festival. Out of the 16 group members, eight left for the tour on March 13, and the other eight met them when spring break began March 20. This marks the second time since 2006 that the Jabberwocks have performed at the festival, said Brendan George ’18, the group’s business manager. The festival was created with the aim of promoting the arts in Hong Kong, particularly to children there, said Reid McDuff ’16, treasurer for the Jabberwocks. The singers performed at several venue types throughout the tour, including schools, public squares and larger concert halls, said Robert Lee ’17, music director and tour manager for the Jabberwocks, who hails from Hong Kong. In addition to mobile stages and other outdoor venues, the group even performed from inside of a truck. “The door opened and it was just us inside,” McDuff said, noting the audience’s surprise at the group’s playful entrance. On the final two nights of the tour,
COURTESY OF THE JABBERWOCKS
The Jabberwocks performed up to three times a day while on tour, often drawing large crowds. Some fans returned to their concerts several times or presented the group members with origami hearts, notes and other small gifts, said Jabberwocks member Brendan George ’18. the group performed at a sold-out “A Cappella Extravaganza” that drew 3,500 attendees. The Jabberwocks were some of the youngest performers there, Reid said, adding that they learned from the more experienced a cappella groups in attendance. Deviating from typical a capella performance set-up, the Jabberwocks used individual microphones that night, leading them to make adjustments to their sound, Lee said. The variety of venues and equipment tested the group’s collective musicianship, as the singers were forced
to change their usual routines. “We started out not sounding our best,” Lee said. “Our final performance we absolutely nailed,” he added, beaming. While the Jabberworks were in Hong Kong, members of the Brown University Alumni Association of Hong Kong held a gathering and invited them to attend. Jabberwocks member Ben Gastevich ’16 learned Cantonese in preparation for the trip, garnering much appreciation from the audience during the Jabberwocks’ performances, George said.
The tour improved the Jabberwocks’ identities as artists, McDuff said. “The audience loved us for our energy and playfulness. We really played on that,” he said. Fans in Hong Kong responded with enthusiasm to the Jabberwocks’ appearance at the festival. Some sent the singers pictures with notes on the back and origami hearts, George said. Students at one school even made wallets for the singers, said Quinton Burton ’15.5. Many audience members returned to subsequent Jabberwock performances several times, McDuff
said. Lee said he began planning the tour in December after speaking with Jabberwock alum Jonathan Tam ’08, who currently resides in Hong Kong. Tam had family connections to the festival and was able to offer the singers flights and housing free of charge, Lee added. After group members found out they were going abroad, “everything we did from that point was in preparation for” the tour, Lee said. “Carrying the Brown University name forces us to keep our standards high if we want to represent the school,” he added.