Friday, October 9, 2015 by The Brown Daily Herald

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

VOLUME CL, ISSUE 82

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Students of color condemn Applied math finds new home Herald, racist columns Statement from AAPI collective also pushes University to adopt ‘Indigenous People’s Day’ By DREW WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Black student leaders and a collective of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander students released statements Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, about The Herald’s publication of two racist opinions columns earlier this week. In the statements, the two groups expressed their solidarity with Native and Indigenous students. Fourteen black student organizations, along with 76 individual signatories, wrote the “Joint Statement to The Brown Daily Herald,” in which leaders of these organizations expressed “concern for and disgust of the decisions made by” The Herald. “As black students, we are deeply offended and personally harmed by ‘The white privilege of cows’ which advocated for eugenics,” the students wrote in the statement. “We particularly want to underscore the impact that the most recent article, ‘Columbian Exchange Day,’ has had on the Native and Indigenous community at Brown.” The black student organizations listed three demands of The Herald, including

that it “admit the role it has played in consistently giving a platform to racist ideologies; publicly apologize in print and online for (its) egregious mistake and the resulting harm on members of our community; and give the Brown community a concrete and transparent plan of action.” This plan of action would emphasize an increase in staff diversity, more stringent fact-checking for columns and a commitment to leave published columns online under all circumstances, according to the statement. Focus groups composed of students of color would review the plan of action before submitting it to the general student body for approval. The Herald published an apology in print and online Wednesday in an editors’ note. “Earlier this week, The Herald published two opinions columns that were not only controversial but also deeply hurtful. Errors in the editing process aside, we understand that these columns contained racist content that has no place in our paper or community,” the editorial board wrote in the note. “The organization’s editorial board will reexamine the editorial processes that allowed these mistakes and previous ones to happen.” In the final paragraphs of the statement from the coalition of black student organizations, the authors hold The Herald accountable for the harm caused on campus. “We rebuke the BDH, its » See STATEMENTS, page 2

SADIE HOPE-GUND / HERALD

The new building for the Division of Applied Mathematics opened recently on 170 Hope St. after 10 months of construction. Faculty members and graduate students appreciate the facility’s improved collaborative spaces.

Chalkboard walls, seminar rooms increase opportunity for discourse among faculty, students By HATTIE XU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Graduate students and faculty members have moved into the Division of Applied Mathematics’ new and improved building on 170 Hope St. The move marks the conclusion of nearly a year of construction.

The new three-story building features chalkboard walls, allowing students to solve problems wherever they go, said Madeline Brewster, administration assistant for the building. The space also contains several seminar rooms as well as a kitchen and common area on each floor, promoting collaboration between students and faculty members, said Björn Sandstede, professor of applied mathematics and chair of the division. While the new building would ideally be larger, the architects did the best they could under the budgetary

constraints, Sandstede said. 170 Hope St. replaces offices located at 37 Manning St. and 333 Brook St., which are being torn down to make room for new engineering facilities, Sanstede said. The construction process lasted about 10 months, and the architects designed the building with input from Sandstede, other applied mathematics faculty members and Facilities Management, he added. Anthony Cruz ’18, an applied math and computer science concentrator, said he appreciates that the applied math » See APMA, page 4

Title IX Office There and back again: Bruno journeys across the country develops Academic stress, physical Tracking sports teams’ travel grad student toll of traveling challenges Though most athletic events are close to Providence, some Brown athletes — including members of the men’s water polo and volleyball teams — have found their way across the country for competitions. athletes to balance resources course load, athletics SPORTS FEATURE

Office to consider further graduate student orientation session, unified complaint process

By MATT BROWNSWORD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Some students do little more traveling than going back and forth between Brown and home at the beginning and end of each semester. For others, their journeys may include a semi-routine trip to visit a significant other, the rare weekend city trip or the rarer, exotic trip over breaks. But for athletes at Brown, traveling is a part of every team’s week-to-week schedule. Once the season gets underway, the reality of long bus rides, inconvenient plane trips and conflicting schedules rears its ugly head. “No matter if it’s on a bus or a plane, it’s hard on your body when you travel,” said Payton Smith ’17, whose volleyball team took a trip to New Mexico early in the semester. “Especially after » See TRAVEL, page 4

INSIDE

By KATE TALERICO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Men’s water polo Volleyball

Source: Brown Athletics LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD

Graduate students responded to President Christina Paxson’s P’19 Sept. 21 community-wide email announcing the results of a campus-wide sexual assault survey, expressing disappointment that she did not highlight the various ways graduate students are affected by sexual assault. While there were areas of overlap in undergraduate and graduate student responses to the survey, the letter points out several prominent statistics unique to graduate students not mentioned in Paxson’s letter. The letter’s signatories include the » See TITLE IX, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, OC TOBER 9, 2015

UNIVERSITY NEWS Curious students from RISD, Brown take initiative to crossregister for classes

ARTS & CULTURE Every month, photography lovers flock to Rock for in-depth discussion of image archives

COMMENTARY Natives at Brown: The University should change ‘Fall Weekend’ to ‘Indigenous People’s Day’

COMMENTARY Scott, Jr. ’17: Recognize and celebrate the contributions of Indigenous people

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UNIVERSITY NEWS PAGE 2 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Cross-registration sees increase among RISD students Students at neighboring institutions encounter new perspectives, enrollment challenges By JACKSON CHAIKEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Only a select handful of students at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design are chosen to participate in the BrownRISD Dual Degree program each year. But hundreds of other students at both institutions choose to cross-register for classes at their neighbor on College Hill, getting a taste of both a research university and an arts school. The number of students electing to take courses at the other school — not including members of the Dual Degree program — rose from 361 in the 200708 academic year to 486 in the 2014-15 academic year, according to the Office of Institutional Research. The number of Brown students taking courses at RISD has remained relatively consistent at around 175, according to the OID. But the number of RISD students taking courses at Brown rose substantially from 186 in the 2007-08 academic year to 308 in the 2014-15 academic year. Cross-registration “works both ways — it gives students a different perspective and a different set of opportunities than

» TITLE IX, from page 1 Graduate Student Council, the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering executive board, the Graduate Students of Color Collective and the Medical Student Health Council. Paxson has since replied to the letter, though her response has not been made public. In line with the suggestions made in the letter, the Title IX Office is working on improvements — such as a unified complaint process — tailored in part to graduate students. Faculty harassment Of the 48.2 percent of graduate students who reported being sexually harassed, 28.3 percent reported the harassment coming from faculty, according to the Association of American University’s Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. In comparison, only 4.9 percent of the 71 percent of undergraduates reporting sexual harassment said they experienced it from a faculty member. “Faculty, whether they are aware of it or not, have an immense amount of power over graduate and medical students,” said Sara Matthiesen GS, a member of the Task Force on Sexual Assault. Faculty “are often our advisors and points of contact for academia beyond Brown,” said Joel Simunduch GS, president of the Graduate Student Council. Only 11.4 percent of graduate students experiencing harassment reported it to the University. Seventeen percent of graduate students did not report because they did not want the person to get into trouble, and 18.3 percent did not report because they feared negative social consequences. “Faculty may take advantage of the power they have,” Matthiesen said, adding that graduate students often depend upon faculty in their department to publish papers with them or write their letters of recommendation.

they have at their individual institution,” said Lisa Mather, associate registrar for operations management. “Brown is a terrific institution and has a much broader set of offerings in many areas such as languages, sciences, computers and engineering, which is an attraction for many RISD students,” said Steven Berenback, registrar at RISD. Whether going down the hill to RISD or up the hill to Brown, students encounter new disciplines and ideas. Ian Garrity ’16 has explored his interests by taking classes in the department of film, animation and video at RISD. He cited the “superior” facilities and equipment at RISD as one reason he chose to take RISD courses. “While Brown does offer filmmaking courses and equipment closets are available, the RISD film, animation and video department has a deeper and more specific set of studio classes that not only refines your technical skills but simultaneously stimulates your intellectual understandings of the concepts standing behind them,” Garrity said. Abby Levy-Westhead ’19 decided to take an analog photography class at RISD during her first semester. “I’ve done photography for four years and really wanted access to a darkroom, and I know that the RISD class is supposed to be really great,” Levy-Westhead said. “You’re definitely introduced to a

larger population” when taking classes at Brown, said Denna Ameen, a RISD senior. “Because RISD is so small, you get to know other people.” Studio classes at RISD often last six hours, causing “scheduling issues” with cross-registration, Ameen added. Prerequisites may also complicate the process of cross-registering. Before enrolling in advanced studio classes at RISD, Brown students must first take the prerequisite VISA 0100: “Studio Foundation.” A lottery determines entry into the course, and its 10 sections this semester are each capped at 19 students. But Levy-Westhead avoided taking VISA 0100 by emailing the analog photography professor, who then let her into the advanced course, she said. Brown students’ abilities to enroll in a RISD class are often up to the discretion of the professor, with or without VISA 0100 on their transcript, Mather said. RISD restricts first-years from taking classes at Brown unless they have the permission of Dean of Experimental and Foundation Studies Joanne Stryker. Otherwise, RISD students must fulfill prerequisites for each Brown course they are interested in, Berenback said. Garrity said once he figured out the process of registration, enrolling was easy. “Each department has their own particular method for cross-registration when it comes to their wait lists, so it’s on

This pressing statistic presents a further need for a universal complaint and resolution process for cases involving students, faculty and staff as either complainants or respondents, Matthiesen said.

Resources on campus Of graduate students who did not report experiencing harassment to the University, 7.9 percent did so because they did not know where to go or whom to tell, whereas 5.9 percent of undergraduates cited the same reasoning. As many graduate students live off campus, they may not feel the hours or locations of resources are as accessible, Walsh said. “The hours of (Counseling and Psychological Services), which might be very conducive to an undergraduate who lives on campus, might not be for a graduate student who lives off campus and might prefer to go at night or on the weekends,” Walsh said. Graduate students living off campus may also be more inclined to turn toward community psychiatrists or hospitals when dealing with issues of sexual assault or harassment, she said. Many graduate students hold the misconception that resources such as CAPS, the Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources and Education advocate and the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life “are undergraduate-focused and aren’t open to graduate and medical school students,” Matthiesen said. While the Title IX Office, CAPS and the SHARE advocate are available to all students, certain features may make them less appealing to graduate students, Walsh said. Matthiesen said she hopes to utilize the GSC’s newsletter — launched this semester — to remind students of access to resources. She said she will also encourage department managers of each program to send emails to their students explaining the resources to which graduate and medical students are entitled. SHARE Advocate Alana Sacks has also made herself available to students by attending several graduate and medical school events, Walsh said. Both CAPS and the SHARE offices are currently under strain due to high demand, and publicizing these resources could increase that strain even further,

A universal process Historically, the University has used a separate process for cases involving faculty and staff. When a student brings a case against a faculty or staff member, the investigation is turned over to Liza Cariaga-Lo, deputy Title IX coordinator for faculty and vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, Matthiesen said. Cariaga-Lo is responsible for investigating the case or delegating that responsibility to an external investigator, Matthiesen said. Cariaga-Lo then turns the results of that investigation over to Provost Rick Locke P’17, who makes a decision about the finding of responsibility and the sanctions against parties found responsible. “Two people who have an administrative position know about the case, and one person ultimately makes a decision about the case,” Matthiesen said. Many graduate students feel that the “deck is stacked against them” in this process, said Amanda Walsh, Title IX program officer. “Some have suggested a process that would allow the Title IX Council to also see the report,” Walsh said, though she added that the final decision would remain with Locke. “The problem in creating a centralized process is recognizing that the rights of students are very different from faculty and staff members,” Walsh said. Factors like faculty governance and employment laws may create complications in deciding upon an appropriate sanction, she said. “The closer we get to a unified process, the more likely graduate and medical students will be to participating in the process,” Matthiesen said.

LILLY NGUYEN / HERALD

you to find out what those processes are and get in touch with the departments and professors accordingly,” Garrity said. Humanities and sciences classes at Brown may require a different type of thinking than studio classes at RISD, forcing students to exercise different parts of their brains. Berenback said RISD students enrolled in Brown courses may face challenges “in terms of the reading, writing

and studying they may be asked to do,” while Brown students enrolled in RISD courses may struggle with “the time and effort and thinking that is involved in studio classes.” Despite these difficulties, Garrity said he sees value in taking classes at RISD. “You are introduced into an extremely proficient, intelligent and skilled set of young artists that challenge the way you think about art making,” Garrity said.

Walsh said. “The more reporting that happens and the more students who access these resources, the more robust these resources need to be,” she said.

» STATEMENTS, from page 1

Orientation Nearly 71 percent of graduate students who reported experiencing harassment noted that it involved sexual remarks, insulting jokes or stories. Approximately 44.4 percent reported someone making inappropriate comments regarding their body, appearance or sexual activity. Title IX policy changes have focused in part on prevention, Walsh said, adding that the University implemented a Title IX session during graduate student orientation for the first time this year. The session — held as a panel with Walsh, Cariaga-Lo, Sacks and several other administrators — outlined the Title IX rights and resources available to students, said Beverly Larson, communications director of the Graduate School and Office of the Vice President for Research. This year, 69 percent of graduate students attended the orientation, Larson said. While 77 percent of graduate students attended last year’s orientation, the overall number of attendees remained relatively consistent due to population growth, she added. An online training program in the summer acquaints graduate students with not only the University’s Title IX policy, but also the Academic and Student Codes of Conduct, she added. While there exists an online training program for faculty and staff — and now first-years — there is not one for graduate students, Walsh said. The Title IX Office is currently developing a comprehensive resource “from the ground up” tailored toward graduate students, she said. An online module and additional workshops specific to departments are also under consideration, she added.

editorial board and M. Dzhali Maier (’17) for propagating and proliferating racist opinions and erasure, delegitimizing the emotions and trauma of oppressed people and for issuing a subpar statement,” the students wrote in the statement. A collective of 21 Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander student organizations, along with 82 individual signatories, wrote a statement about The Herald’s decisions “to publish egregiously offensive and racist content.” “Among the many offensive claims made by the columns was a direct invalidation of Native and Indigenous students’ planned action to hold a demonstration on October 12th demanding that the University rename Fall Weekend to Indigenous People’s Day,” the students wrote in the statement. Like the black student leaders’ statement, the AAPI collective denounces The Herald for attributing the publication of the second column to an “internal error.” “A publication of such prominence and prestige is obligated to maintain a certain quality that includes, at minimum, factual accuracy and a meticulous editorial process,” the statement continues, adding, “The Herald is obligated to amplify the voices of marginalized students.” The students also warn of “AAPI complicity” in privileges gained at the expense of other people of color. “White supremacy broadcasts the economic success of a narrow subset of Asian Americans in the United States to justify the oppression of Native and Black communities,” the students wrote in the statement. The statement concludes with a call for AAPI students to participate in two events being held by Native Americans at Brown: a die-in Friday to “raise awareness of the indigenous genocide that Columbus Day celebrates” and an Oct. 12 protest of the University’s continued use of the name “Fall Weekend” instead of “Indigenous People’s Day.”

ARTS & CULTURE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Group rediscovers forgotten Lemon tells story of life in American South Lemon explores dynamics images through photos of racial relationships Photographic Archives Research group brings overlooked photos into lively discussions By REBECCA ELLIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For many, the words “photographic archive” conjure images of dusty books deep within a library, far removed from life and air. But Brown’s Photographic Archives Research Group breathes life into these archives, making them the centerpiece of planned conversations around five times throughout the year. “I felt that many people were interested in working with photographs but didn’t really know how,” said Ariella Azoulay, professor of modern culture and media and comparative literature, who founded the group last year. The group allows researchers to share and discuss the photo archives they are working on, as well as to interact with the guest speakers whom Azoulay recruits. “It’s a kind of combination between studying together, asking questions together (and) sharing procedures and methodologies,” Azoulay said. Every month, the roughly 25-person group — composed primarily of faculty members and graduate students — meets in the Rockefeller Library’s Digital Scholarship Lab to discuss and give presentations on photographs they are currently working on in their research. These photos feature a variety of subjects, including studies on Icelandic women and labor in the Soviet Union, with the hope of forming “a kind of research and teaching tool,” Azoulay said. Though the meetings run in fastpaced academese, Brown community members need not be fluent to join — an eccentric first-year with a passion for both archival research and photography can always sign up, Azouli said. The group is composed primarily of graduate students and faculty members because “it takes some time for undergrads to understand that they can be interested in photographic archives,” she added. But there are exceptions. Maria Paz Almenara ’16, a political science and MCM concetrator who is writing her thesis on post-Civil War reconstruction

in Peru, joined the group as a junior last year. “It’s intimidating, but I also really need to be there,” she said. “These people have a lot more background and a lot more theory (than I do), and it’s only been helpful.” On Tuesday, the group had its first guest speaker of the semester. Artist Maryam Jafri ’94, who specializes in research-based artwork, gave a presentation entitled “Independence Day 1934–1975.” The presentation is a collection of 57 images of the first moments of independence in various Asian, Middle Eastern and African nations. These images, culled from 30 different archives around the world, all depict the 24-hour period when a territory transforms into a nation state — a time Jafri has termed “the twilight period.” These images are then sorted into idiosyncratic categories such as “first speech to the nation,” “vip parties,” “signings,” “parades” and “celebrations.” Once categorized, the photos are displayed in what Jafri described as a “broken grid” pattern on a gallery wall. The point of these presentations is for the group members to reflect on the speakers’ practices, asking themselves questions such as “how do they work with images, what do they find, what is the journey with which they go from the moment they find (the image) until they start to produce?” Azoulay said. The group revolves around in-depth question-and-answer sessions, during which group members can and will ask anything on their minds to the speaker, with many prone to launching into fiveminute-long inquiries. During Tuesday’s question-and-answer session, Jafri’s fervent audience managed to touch on a myriad of questions, including: “How did you manage to get into archives when war hits the country, like in Iraq?”, “How do you access photos when the country doesn’t have official archives, like in Ghana?” and “How do you reconcile the artwork you create with the archives you use?” Attendees of these presentations can learn about the topic and how they can create the same type of work within a topic that interests them, Azoulay said. “Anyone’s encouraged to join, even if they’re just interested by an idea,” she added.

in Southern life through multiple mediums By COREY HEBERT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ralph Lemon, an internationally acclaimed artist whose medium spans dance, cinema and writing, came to Brown Oct. 6 to perform at the Ashamu Dance Studio. Called “Ceremonies Out of the Air,” his project merged storytelling and cinematography — Lemon narrated a story about life in the American South while a video in the background brought his words to life. Before the screening, Lemon spoke to The Herald about his role as a conceptual artist. The Herald: Your show was very unique; what inspires your art the most? Lemon: That is a good question. A simple question. I would say asking questions about existence. Is there a specific reason why your work often features the American South? How do places and art interact for you? Well, my family comes from the South, so there’s something immediate about it, just from a familial identity point of view. Also as a black American, there’s a sort of mythology that I find very charged and activating as an artist. Place may be the locus. Or it was the locus at one time of my artistic practice. This idea of how place helps generate a certain type of creative practice. How do young West African performers think about dance from that particular kind of geography versus how do I think about dance? Geography is culture, which demands a certain type of placement. So I think geography is key to art-making for me. What is your favorite artistic medium through which to explore these themes, and why? I don’t have a hierarchy. They’re like my children, and I love them all. I love my visual practice. I love my dance practice. I love my performance practice. They’re also all hard

JULIANNA LEE MARINO / HERALD

Ralph Lemon, who performed at the Ashamu Dance Studio Oct. 6, captivated the audience with his narration and accompanying video. and challenging in different ways. And I think that is also part of the nonhierarchal relationship I have with them. None of them are easy. So they all demand a part of myself that needs to be addressed. What were your struggles and triumphs when creating this piece? I think just the questions that it brings up for me. This attempt at collapsing past, present and future time with a very fraught historical point in time and material — one that I relate to as a human being. Yet using it as art material feels a little risky or dangerous, you know? Because it feels like it should be kind of sacred to me, and yet I’m experimenting with it. I am interrogating its sacredness, so to speak. I think just to have a conversation with

myself because I feel so removed as a human being, other than racial politics. Of course. Speaking in general about things that may seem socially taboo is often uncomfortable. Right. But that’s not a bad thing. I just think of how it makes me feel. My relationship to it, you know? What is it to be racial now? What is it to be black now? I feel like I’m living in a privileged black American sort of space. So I am trying to reconcile that, and yet I still experience prejudice. Nothing like black people did in the long, large part of being black in America. So I still want to honor that and interrogate that for myself. — This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

RISD exhibit explores the dark side of Modernism Scottish sculptor Martin Boyce warps 20th century Modernist icons, household ideals By ROLAND HIGH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Martin Boyce’s exhibition, “When Now is Night,” is a sobering reflection on the dark side of utopian 20th century Modernism, marking the first solo show in the United States by the contemporary Scottish sculptor. Boyce’s exhibit was realized in conjunction with Dominic Molon, curator of contemporary art at the museum, who first met Boyce at a studio visit in 2001. The show opened Oct. 2 at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.

Molon said he was impressed by Boyce and his work, paving the way for development of the show to begin in 2013. Boyce had “developed this international reputation as an artist” by then, Molon said. The exhibit draws significantly from the art and architecture of the 20th century, Molon said. Boyce “emerged alongside other artists that came out of the 1990s looking at two things: modern architecture and design, and how it’s a conduit for amazing things” as well as the numerous “complications that came with this modernist movement.”

One of the central themes of the exhibition is domestic life as it was imagined by prominent figures of the Modernist movement, especially designers Charles and Ray Eames. Boyce’s pieces take well-known forms from the early 20th century and distort them to uncover the darker aspects of Modernism. “We create structures that are there to help us function, but can turn against us,” Molon said. Most of the pieces in “When Now is Night” feature disfigured products of early Modernism, such as the Eames Storage Unit, a functional cabinet that reflects the movement’s streamlined and optimistic driving force, Molon said. Boyce shows shattered splints, painted splints carved into masks and boarded-over storage

units that reflect the sometimes grim outlooks of Modernist designs. “When Now is Night” opens with a room covered in dark, crisscrossed wallpaper adapted from the office boxfilled title sequence of Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” In the largest space of the exhibition, a giant, fluorescent spider web hangs from the ceiling. It is the primary source of light in the room, but its form is clearly menacing. The ominous web is probably the most overt symbolism in the gallery, though most of the time Boyce uses subtler means to express his ideas. One room is littered with identical, abstract paper leaves that might have come from a Modernist’s vision of the future. The leaves serve the same

purpose as Boyce’s masks, which “act as a portal between the real, inhabited space of the gallery and the imaginary interiors and landscapes that have been removed from them,” according to a museum description of one piece. Exhibit-goers noted that Boyce’s work was unique in the way that his sculpture represented his message. Kaya Salem ’18 said she appreciated how the curators put up temporary walls within the exhibition to complement the artwork, working in tandem with Boyce’s message of contrasts and distortion. “I just love how the curation created such different spaces to show the different works,” she said, adding that the lighting and shadows within the exhibition also seem carefully considered.

SPORTS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jette ’17 scores game-winning touchdown Bruno secures first win of the season against URI on the back of junior’s lategame heroics By TANEIL RUFFIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After struggling to generate enough offense in its first two games, the football team was finally able to notch its first victory of the season Saturday against the University of Rhode Island. The game marked the 100th meeting between the Bears and their Ocean State rivals, with the winner claiming the Governor’s Cup. Though Bruno trailed the Rams going into the fourth quarter, the squad’s fastpaced offense kicked into gear to pull off the thrilling win. Wide receiver Alex Jette ’17 played a crucial role in the team’s efforts over the weekend. Considered one of the best at his position in the Ancient Eight, Jette contributed two touchdowns against the Rams. After snagging his first touchdown late in the opening quarter, Jette pulled off an acrobatic leaping grab in the corner of the end zone with just over five minutes remaining in the contest for his second of the game. The Bears were trailing 31-27, but Jette’s incredible catch stole the lead and momentum from the Rams. For his incredible touchdown catch and last-minute heroics, Jette has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: When did you first start playing football? Jette: I’ve been playing ever since I was five years old, starting out with two-hand touch. I started Pop Warner when I was seven, so it’s been probably a solid 15 years or so. My dad was my coach growing up through Pop Warner and up until high school. So that’s kind of played a big role.

JOSH STERN / HERALD

Alex Jette ’17, who has made a seamless transition from electrifying AllIvy punt returner to wide receiver, scored two touchdowns against URI. What was it like having your dad as a coach? It was good. I have a twin brother who also played football through high school, and my dad was really hard on us, but I think it was good. He wasn’t one of those dads who was biased towards his sons. You kind of see that now in the younger ages, where the coach’s son gets favoritism. He was a good coach. We were able to play because we were good players and not because we were his sons. What is your favorite part of being a member of Brown’s football team? Just the family. You walk around campus and you have 100-plus other guys you consider your brothers. Everywhere you go, you are kind of surrounded by those guys. They are your buddies on and off the field. We all have each others’ backs. I think that is a big reason why I chose Brown: the family aspect. After being down going into the last

minutes of the fourth quarter, how did it feel to make that catch? Unbelievable. I think the whole drive was just unbelievable. I know Head Coach Phil Estes P’18 said it, but we were all on the sidelines ready to go. We were like, ‘We want the ball back in our hands. We know we’re going to drive down there and score a touchdown.’ And then we knew our defense was going to stop them, which they did with Jordan Ferguson ’17 picking that ball off to seal the deal. Surreal moment to me. Do you have any pre-game rituals? Not really. I’m not one to listen to the same music or wear certain socks. I guess when we come out of the tunnel before the game, I do kind of do the same thing over and over again where I run down to the end zone, do a little stretching and then sprint to the 50-yard line. That’s kind of my deal. Nothing really exotic. — This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

CareerLAB’s Project 2019 targets first-years Program aims to increase students’ engagement with CareerLAB resources earlier in college career By JENNIFER SHOOK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This fall, CareerLAB unveiled Project 2019, a series of programs specifically aimed at getting firstyears involved in the services and opportunities CareerLAB offers. Project 2019 was created over the summer by a group of CareerLAB counselors, said Ron Foreman, a CareerLAB advisor. CareerLAB’s increased focus on spurring younger students to engage with the department’s resources arose after counselors noticed students involved with CareerLAB earlier in their college careers typically were more capable of using those resources later on as upperclassmen, Foreman said. Though first-years have always been welcome to visit CareerLAB, Project 2019 differs from past efforts in that the programs are exclusively designed for first-year students,

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Foreman said. The hope is that branding the events as first-year specific will increase first-year attendance and interest in CareerLAB, he said. The goal is to “get every first-year in the office in some form,” he added. Project 2019’s five programs are being offered on a rotating basis throughout the school year. Though some programs — including “How to Find and Fund an Internship for First-Years,” “Careers and Concentrations” and “Effective Interviewing for First-Years” — offer a broad overview of a topic, others such as “Getting Started 101” introduce first-year students to the varied resources available to them at CareerLAB. “Getting Started 101” provides a setting in which first-year students will be introduced to Peer Career Advisors, upperclassmen specifically trained to aid students with the basics of creating resumes and connecting to CareerLAB’s resources. In the “Getting Started 101” sessions, PCAs offer a broad introduction to skills like building cover letters and conducting job and internship searches. Through Project 2019, first-years are also encouraged to connect to PCAs during weekly open hours, which are available to all students,

as well as additional Sunday open hours that are only available to firstyear students. So far, the Project 2019 programs have been well-attended, said PCA Vannida Lorn ’16. “Our first ‘Getting Started’ workshop had over 70 people come,” she said, adding that the room designated for the program was “overfilling.” After students have met with PCAs and learned foundational skills, they can meet with career counselors for a more in-depth conversation. This requirement allows career counselors to better serve the needs of the large number of students seeking out CareerLAB services, Foreman said. More students can receive support if career counselors are able to have conversations beyond “helping students with resumes,” he added. PCA Elena Saltzman ’16 said Project 2019 has already accomplished its goals of raising first-year involvement with CareerLAB, noting a definite uptick in the number of first-years attending open hours. Saltzman said she hopes Project 2019 will be successful in showing new students that “not only can you come to CareerLAB, but you should come to CareerLAB.”

» TRAVEL, from page 1 you play a lot of games, coming home, it’s always a tough trip.” The men’s water polo team also regularly takes long in-season trips. Every year in late October, the Bears spend about four-and-a-half days in California for the Rodeo Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. Brown takes on several Golden State-based teams during the tournament — as does Harvard, which also makes the long flight out. “It’s definitely difficult,” said Henry Fox ’15, who was a member of last year’s team that earned a bid to — and another trip to California for — the NCAA tournament. “On those trips you miss one-and-a-half days of classes and usually take red-eye Sunday flights.” The academic side of being a Brown student-athlete faces its biggest challenge during road games, especially long-distance ones that require players to miss at least a day of school for traveling and on-site preparation. For men’s water polo, an NCAA berth at the end of the season meant another trip to California right as most Brown students were preparing for finals. “The NCAA tournament game in California was definitely an unexpected surprise,” Fox said. “We worked really hard to achieve that. It was in late November, so that was really difficult for people and preparing for finals, but we have to deal with that.” In the case of women’s volleyball, a trip to New Mexico for the NMSU/ UTEP Invitational came at the beginning of September — when students are still in the early stages of shopping period. Missing classes due to trips can make athletes feel as though they are falling behind their peers. “We do the best we can — we hear from the teacher (over email) and watch online lectures,” Smith said. “But it’s different than going to the classes, and that’s something we have to balance and give up as athletes. We have to deal with that the best we can.” But some professors are better at accommodating student-athletes and their schedules. The water polo team’s NCAA tournament trip was one of the most highly anticipated trips of the year, and Fox said professors were willing to work with his suddenly changing schedule. Professors are typically “good about understanding and allowing an extension or something if necessary,” he said. “I try to email the professors before the class starts to let them know I’m an athlete and that I might be missing

» APMA, from page 1 offices are now centralized rather than scattered around campus. The modernity of the new building is also a major draw, he added. While other applied math buildings were converted from residences and were limited in their ability to house offices and classrooms, “the new building is designed to be an academic department,” Sandstede said. “It’s a huge advantage over what we had.” “It’s much more flexible,” he said. “You can sit down at a table to work, or you can just as easily get up, go anywhere and do math on the chalkboards.” Tong Qin GS and Guo-Jhen Wu GS, both graduate students in applied mathematics, relocated to 170 Hope St. from 182 George St. — the only

classes,” Smith said. “If that’s an issue with the professor, then I steer clear of that class, but in my experience I’ve had no issues with it.” For many student-athletes, limited study time due to travel enhances their academic focus or forces them to do homework in unique settings. “It’s part of the season, and I think people are good about preparing before or doing work on the plane rides,” Fox said. “My grades tend to be better during the season,” said Will Klein ’16, another member of the men’s water polo team. “Time to study is so limited that guys typically are in the library or at home doing work if they’re not training.” It’s not just Klein — the men’s water polo team was honored in 2014 for achieving the best grade point average among Division I water polo teams. “It’s tough to do work on a bus or anywhere when you’re traveling,” Smith said. “It’s my junior year, so I know how to handle it. I try to stay up later during the week and get all my work done prior to the trip. I try to wake up early on Sunday and do work all day because we usually have games on Fridays and Saturdays.” Klein is no stranger to working on bus rides. With two papers due the Monday after a trip to the Ivy Championships at Penn in 2013, he found the bus ride back to Brown Sunday night “one of the most stressful academic moments of my time at Brown.” “We get our schedule before and try to make sure we do work before the academics are going to kick in,” he said. “I’m usually good about getting ahead, but some guys can get pretty overwhelmed.” Despite the myriad of challenges posed by team travel, athletes expressed appreciation for the memorable experiences it provides. Annual trips to California were “always one of the highlights of the season,” Fox said. “We get such a great experience out of getting to travel and having the opportunity to go to places like New Mexico or the other Ivy League schools,” Smith said. “It’s tough on our bodies; it’s tough to miss school, to miss a class and do work on the road,” she added. But “there’s a positive in that, like the team bonding experience and how we can hang out together. We do our work together and grow as a team in those hours that we have on a bus or on a plane.” “We wouldn’t sacrifice those trips for anything,” Fox said. applied math building that will not be torn down. They are already enjoying their new workspace, Wu said. “Our (previous) office was underground, with no sunlight and no air,” Qin said. Though the majority of their applied math classes are still located in other buildings, some undergraduates are already planning to make use of 170 Hope St. Emma Byrne ’17, president of the Applied Mathematics Departmental Undergraduate Group, said she hopes to use the space to host DUG meetings and activities and foster community within the applied math division. “You more naturally interact with faculty and graduate students when you’re in this collaborative workspace,” Byrne said.

TODAY

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

1 , 1 00 t o o m a n y

menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizzas: Buffalo Chicken, Harvest Bacon Cheeseburger JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Made-to-Order Quesadillas

Naked Burritos

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Ginger Pasta with Chicken, Vegan Chinese Stir-Fry, Green Beans with Tomatoes

Italian Chicken Parmesan, Macaroni and Cheese, Brownies a la Mode with Hot Fudge

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Vegan Nuggets, Sticky Rice, Summer Squash, Baked Beans

Chicken Marsala, Cheese Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce, Pound Cake with Blueberries

sudoku

RELEASE DATE– Friday, October 9, 2015

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c rNorris o s sandwJoyce o rNichols d Lewis Edited by Rich ACROSS 1 Stirs 5 He wrote about “a midnight dreary” 8 Gobble (up) 13 Die, with “out” 14 Blog entry 15 Capital of India 16 Capital __ 17 Colorful fish 18 Took the wrong way? 19 Old Tokyo 20 Haul to the kitchen, as groceries 22 Word before or after dog 23 High-five relative 24 Poison remedy 26 Poison test site 27 Steamy stuff 30 Queen of the Goths in Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” 32 *Vandalized, in a way 33 Romantic activity 34 Words of wisdom 35 Country on the Strait of Hormuz 36 Ravel classic 39 *Head of the produce section? 43 Old-style warning 44 Rather little 45 Understand 46 Deli staple 49 Like Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony” 50 Horse show concern 52 They’re graphically represented three times in this grid ... and the answers to starred clues are the six longest common words than can be spelled using only them 53 2000 World Series venue 54 Yearbook, e.g. 56 Bakery buy

57 Newspaper fig. 58 Little garden party? 59 Mazatlán Mrs. 60 End in __ 61 Facilitated 62 Suffer 63 Squealed

25 Fruit named for a Turkish town 28 14-Down’s need, at times 29 Legendary flier 31 “Morning Joe” airer 33 Like Congress 36 *Emotional burden 37 1992 Mamet play 38 Fast-growing U.S. ethnic group

40 Reigning emperor of Japan 41 Regan’s poisoner, in Shakespeare 42 *Wiped out 47 “__ luck!” 48 Asteroids maker 51 Subdue 53 “Buzz off!” 55 Went first

DOWN 1 *Yielded 2 “Is it worth the risk?” 3 Knowledgeable about ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 4 Word before or after blue 5 Online annoyances 6 Oklahoma county in which a 2008 Pulitzer-winning drama is set 7 Work __ 8 Many AARP mems. 9 “Darn it!” 10 Ill-fated 1967 mission 11 Brush up on 12 *Place for oats 14 Member of the force 21 Darwin, for one 10/09/15 xwordeditor@aol.com

ELI WHITE / HERALD

Active Minds, a student group aiming to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness, placed pinwheels on the Main Green — one for each of the approximately 1,100 college students who kill themselves each year.

comics Cat Ears | Najatee’ McNeil ‘17

calendar FRIDAY OCTOBER

10/09/15

TRANSATLANTIC LEGACY: FULL CIRCLE 3:00 P.M. Granoff Center

KOREAN LANGUAGE DAY 4:00 P.M. Wilson Hall, Room 309

SATURDAY THE TEMPEST 2:00 P.M. Pell Chafee Performance Center

BROWN SOCCER VS. PRINCETON 3:30 P.M. & 7:00 P.M. Stevenson Field

SUNDAY RMHP WOMEN’S ROAD RACE 8:00 A.M. Brown Stadium

THE SEAGULL 2:00 P.M. Ashamu Dance Studio

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Exchange Columbus: The case for Indigenous People’s Day these opinions columns have the impact that they do. We want to stress upon the student body, administration and faculty the tangible impact that racist ideologies have on Native students at Brown and beyond.

NATIVE AMERICANS AT BROWN guest columnist

Native Americans at Brown’s demonstration Monday is a fight for visibility and a call for the University to oppose the acts of genocide against Native peoples. By changing the name from Fall Weekend to Indigenous People’s Day, we aim to turn this holiday into a celebration of the cultures and histories of Indigenous living and dead, on campus and beyond. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, The Herald published the column “Columbian Exchange Day,” which asked Native students on campus to celebrate the so-called benefits of Columbus’ arrival while ignoring the contemporary realities that Indigenous peoples and black people at Brown, the United States and the rest of the Americas face as a result of Columbus’ arrival. In the days after the publication of the column, Natives at Brown has received an outpouring of support from students and faculty members in the Brown community, and it has been a moving experience for which we are very thankful. But there are still antagonistic structural and social forces on campus that led to the release of this article that neglect the support of students of color on campus and that refused to rename Fall Weekend to Indigenous People’s Day during the first petition in 2009. So we release this statement to provide history, Native student experiences at Brown and a reason for why

A history lesson Bartholome De Las Casas describes Spanish soldiers under Columbus’ control as motivated by “insatiable greed, killing, terrorizing, afflicting and torturing the native peoples” with “the strangest and most varied new methods of cruelty.” He recounts soldiers testing the sharpness of their blades by cutting off the legs of children who ran away from them. Columbus oversaw the selling of Native children as young as nine into sex slavery. After his arrival in the Americas, Columbus made his living through the slave trade. This legacy of sexual and physical violence towards Native peoples with genocidal intent so that Europeans would be able to bring over “Old World” comforts has been echoed throughout American history and continues to this day. The Doctrine of Discovery written by Pope Alexander VI in 1493 established the idea that Native peoples were not human as they did not practice Christianity. It stated that those who inhabited this land did not have a legitimate claim to it, rendering it conquerable for European settlers and justifiable to kill Indigenous people. This document was later used by Chief Justice John Marshall in the early 1800s to state that Native American tribes were “domestic dependent” nations and thus could not hold their own land. These

court cases, known as the Marshall Trilogy, set the precedent for land claims in the United States. It led to ruthless wars, the Indian Removal Act, the continued killing and raping of Indigenous women, the eradication of beliefs on two-spirit identities (and their roles in Native societies), destabilized food systems, language loss and atrocious religious discrimination. Its impact on Native peoples is still felt today in the form of continued policies and historical trauma. Why ‘Indigenous People’s Day’ It’s true that the seemingly neutral title ‘Fall Weekend’ halts an active celebration of Columbus’ torture, genocide and the dawn of the transatlantic slave trade. But this is asking the bare minimum of the Brown community while quietly contributing to the erasure of Indigenous peoples. Renaming the holiday Indigenous People’s Day has the power to transform the day into a celebration of the cultures and histories of the original inhabitants of the Americas. This is not just a symbolic or political stance that we are taking. Our continuing fight for Native visibility on campus has consequences for us as students, Native communities and the greater campus community of students of color. We are living testaments to Native resistance, and we are requesting a celebration of ourselves and millions of others like us, rather than a University erasure of the genocide that we had to fight back to get here. This renaming of Fall Weekend is just one small step in longer walk towards institu-

tionalizing real support for Native students. This protest will not be the end of this discussion. Our voices will continue to sound upon this campus. Native student experiences In a school where there are few formal institutional mechanisms to support Native students on campus and where our numbers as admitted students are uncertain at best, Natives at Brown is often the de facto meeting place for the few Native faculty members, undergraduates, graduate students and staff members to provide each other with an informal substitute for the support we lack. When our efforts and presence are diminished by explicit opinions that target the efforts of Natives at Brown or by bystanders who are complicit in this targeting, and by University indifference to our repeated attempts at making our needs known, the legacy of erasure and invisibility continues, and we become further isolated on this campus. We are a small population on campus, but we’re here to stay, and we’re demanding that today the University hear our voices. The impact of ideology What is in an opinions column today can permeate into policy tomorrow. The columns The Herald published in the name of the “free exchange of ideas” ignore the repeated ways in which racist ideologies have resulted in real-life violence. Giving poorly researched, obviously racist “opinions” a platform does not simply cause “hurt feelings,” but rather contributes to the ongoing re-

alities of racism for Native people today. It is time to stop entertaining ideas that have proven to enact only violence on communities of color. It is time to stop celebrating the arrival of a rapist, slave trader and mass murderer. Right now, the University has a clear decision in front of it and an opportunity to make positive change in the student body and the Brown community. It has the ability to contribute to a larger movement that seeks to reconcile past acts of violence against people of color and stop the acts of violence that continue on our communities today. At a school that seeks to “serve the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding,” we are simply requesting that Brown celebrate the Indigenous community of its campus by preserving the knowledge, history and understanding of our perseverance. This is a demand for the celebration and recognition of collective resilience instead of brutal genocide. You tried to get rid of us before, but today, when you see us on the Main Green, we are there to tell you that you’ve failed. We’re still here, and we always will be. We’re not changing for you anymore. Indigenous People’s Day is a call for change: From now on, you will need to change for us. Native Americans at Brown extends its gratitude to the Black Student Union, Collective of Asian American and Pacific Islander students, Latino students at Brown, the Undergraduate Council of Students and others who have stood against racism on campus.

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

“ Our (previous) office was underground, with no sunlight and no air.” — Tong Qin GS

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Indigenous People’s Day

RONALD CHARLES SCOTT, JR. guest columnist

Disclaimer: This piece represents the writer’s views on Indigenous People’s Day. It is in no way representative of all Native Americans at Brown or Indigenous peoples across the world. Yá’át’ééh, shí éí Ronald Charles Scott, Jr. yinishyé. Naasht’ézhí Tábaahá nishłí, Tsénjíkiní báshíshchíín, Áshįįhí dashicheii, dóó Kiis’áanii dashinalí. Ch’ínílįdéé naashá. Hello, I am named Ronald Charles Scott, Jr. I am of the Zuni Water Edge Clan, born for the Honeycomb Rock People of the Cliff Dwellers People Clan, my maternal grandfathers are of the Salt People Clan, and my paternal grandfathers are of the Hopi Sun Clan. I am from Chinle, Arizona, which is in the middle of the Navajo Nation reservation. By this traditional introduction I am showing you who I am, who my relatives are and who I represent. I am currently studying abroad for the fall semester at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. As many of you are aware, or I hope that all of you are aware, on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, The Herald published “Columbian Exchange Day,” an opinion piece by M. Dzhali Maier ’17 that argued for Native Americans to “celebrate the Columbian Exchange, not the man.” In her column, she stated, “It is the right of every person to interpret a holiday any way she chooses, but sitting down in the Sharpe Refectory and plotting an ‘Indigenous People’s Day’ demonstration over an egg and bacon breakfast is hypocrisy at its finest.” In addition, she argued that individuals today exist in a “modern world glimmering from stem to stern with Old World trimmings, atop foundations established by Columbus.” The article has been deleted after it was published due to “an internal error,” and an apology has been published on The Herald’s website, but an apology for whom? I do not want apologies. I want action. Regardless of this “internal error” and the apologies from The Herald’s editorial staff, The Herald has contributed to the continuous erasure of Indigenous students on Brown’s campus and has promoted

an ideological framework that Indigenous peoples have no legitimacy for their emotions, for their trauma and, it seems, for their existence on Brown’s campus. This article has made a negative impact on those of Indigenous heritage, and an apology will not fix that. The Herald needs to be held accountable, and it needs to be thinking about how to better reach out to voices who have been historically excluded from all forms of media. I am aware that The Herald does not “tolerate racism” and is “committed to fixing the shortcomings in (its) editorial process that allowed this” opinion piece to exist. Yet I ask again, how did this piece get published and posted through The Herald’s current editorial process? And what of the writer of the “Columbi-

who should feel grateful for Christopher Columbus ‘discovering’ the so-called ‘Americas’ and introducing invasive non-Indigenous species. Rather, those who largely benefit from settler colonialism should acknowledge the forced and sometimes willing sacrifice of our ancestors, their resistance from and their resilience to a foreign power that seeks to dominate them. For far too long, the United States and many of its fellow Eurocentric countries have apologized for their colonial history and influence. Yet there is no systematic support in place, nor any structural action being taken to fully cater to the needs of the Indigenous population. These colonial powers do not recognize the structural violence of settler colonialism and that my le-

cas. Below are a list of some of these contributions to ‘America’: • The current system of federal government, in which certain powers are given to a central government and all other powers are reserved for the states, was largely borrowed by the system of government used by the Iroquois League of Nations. In addition, the bald eagle, the symbol of ‘America,’ was adopted from them. • More than 8,000 members of Indigenous nations volunteered and served during World War I before they became recognized citizens of the United States in 1924. Later 24,000 members of Indigenous nations served in World War II. In addition, the Navajo language, an Indigenous language, was used as a code that was never broken and

Indigenous nations exist on the periphery, yet they have contributed so much more to society than Christopher Columbus. And that is what needs to be acknowledged with Indigenous People’s Day. Much of whitecentric American society and beyond has been strongly influenced by traditional teachings and practices of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. an Exchange Day”? From what I am aware of, The Herald intends to address the column with Maier, and I ask when and how will that happen? The University needs to be held accountable as well for being silent and complicit in these events. The University has consistently contributed to the erasure of Indigenous students on campus. For years, the Native American Heritage Series has asked to host their Annual Spring Thaw Powwow on the Main Green, but it has not been allowed because it will supposedly ruin the grass. In addition, the University has continued to ignore and avoid developing any formal relationships with either the Narragansett or the Wampanoag nations upon whose land the institution was built. Instead they have forced the Indigenous students at Brown to develop these kinships on their own. Despite what Maier and her defenders believe, it is not my people nor the ancestors of the Indigenous nations of the ‘Americas’

gitimacy as an individual hinges on laws constructed by a government that has desecrated my ancestors’ burial grounds, distorted my history and continues not to acknowledge the consequences of its actions. Despite my community and other Indigenous communities being portrayed as struggling, they are also thriving in constructive and meaningful ways as we respond to the internalized trauma and violent history forced upon us. Indigenous nations across the world are developing forms of political, religious, cultural and economic interchanges and interrelationships. Indigenous nations exist on the periphery, yet they have contributed so much more to society than Christopher Columbus. And that is what needs to be acknowledged with Indigenous People’s Day. Much of white-centric American society and beyond has been strongly influenced by traditional teachings and practices of the Indigenous peoples of the Ameri-

is credited with securing a win in World War II. • The Navajo code talkers did not get official recognition from the Pentagon until Sept. 17, 1992. • Many of the roads and railroads used in ‘America’ today were originally trails made by a network of Indigenous tribes across the land. Indigenous people, like Sacagawea, selflessly guided early colonial settlers without asking for recognition or payment. • That wonderful pumpkin spice flavor that everyone is obsessed with comes from the Indigenous nations of the ‘Americas.’ Pumpkin originated in the Western Hemisphere, as did potatoes, tomatoes, corn and so forth. • The fashion industry is obsessed with traditional geometric designs unique to the Indigenous nations. Just look at Urban Outfitters trying to sell authentic Navajo designs. • Twenty-six states’ names (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkan-

sas, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming) originate from Indigenous languages. • Lacrosse, canoeing, relay races, tug-of-wars, ball games and other sporting games came from traditional games from various Indigenous nations. • Indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere, unlike the early European settlers, had long understood the importance of bathing and hygiene. Indigenous People’s Day is about solidarity and the resilience of my people, my ancestors and all of those who have ever been oppressed. Indigenous People’s Day is the acknowledgment of our history, our heritage and our contribution to society. It is about breaking our chains of isolation and communication to attain an international community. In my culture, we have a traditional teaching, K’ézhnidzen, which means in English: acknowledging and respecting kinship and clanship. Brown prides itself on being a community, and that it is one of the reasons I decided to attend. When I arrived at A Day On College Hill, I found a community in which I could invest myself, a community that I knew would stand in solidarity with me when I am in need of it. Acknowledging and changing Fall Weekend/Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day is an occasion to strengthen the Brown community, the process of unity and the recognition and celebration of resistance and resilience. Maier and others who are opposed to changing the name of Fall Weekend to Indigenous People’s Day may believe that I and those who stand in solidarity with Native Americans at Brown are tearing apart the Brown community, but we are not. The truth is that it is they who are tearing apart the Brown community by reinforcing a history of violence, of disunity and of oppression.

Ronald Charles Scott, Jr. ’17 can be reached at ronald_scott@brown.edu.

SPORTS COMMENTARY THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015

The NFL’s technology problem BY MIKE FIRN sports columnist

As the NFL grows ever popular and cements its status as an American cultural icon, the league is constantly looking to improve its product on and off the field. Anything that captures eyeballs and brings in revenue is on the table. We’ve seen equipment changes in the wake of player safety controversies and administrative changes in the wake of disciplinary controversies. We’ve seen rules altered, brands transformed and new markets explored. We’ve got football in London and football on Thursdays. Extra points finally matter. Los Angeles may even finally get back its piece of the action. As measured in dollars and cents, the league’s strategy appears to be working — profitability and viewership are through the roof and show no signs of slowing down. Football is as quintessentially American

these days as obesity and apple pie. But even as the competition committee tweaks the rule book and the marketers unveil new color schemes, the NFL has surprisingly resisted integrating new technologies onto the field of play. The teams are doing it. They have to — fierce competition rewards and demands any competitive edge. Tablets and headsets have replaced binders and printouts on the sidelines. But for whatever reason, the NFL has lagged behind. In an age defined by mindboggling technological capabilities, the league is missing out on concrete opportunities to improve the fan and player experience. Instead of changing the rules, the NFL should change the technology. Of course, controlling costs is always a chief concern, but many potential changes are strikingly simple. For starters, each stadium should project a laser beam to mark the location of a first down directly on the field of play. Television viewers have this luxury; so should players and attendees. Cheap, convenient

and easy. There are others. Put mics on the players and include sounds of the game in each broadcast (of course, with a delay to control for obscenities). Take a few referees off the field and put them in a video booth. Patriots Coach Bill Belichick argued vehemently this past offseason for the installation of goal line cameras in every stadium to enhance video replay. Shockingly, he was met with steadfast resistance from the owners on the basis of cost. Surely America’s richest sports league can afford to invest in the quality of its officiating. If not, can’t it at least reposition a few of the 30 cameras at every stadium? If the league ever changes its reactive tune and places itself on the forefront of technological applications, it could dream even bigger. Installing a microchip tracking device in footballs could determine exactly where on the field a ball is at the time a player is downed. A team of engineers at Carnegie Mellon developed such a “smart football” that

it says can be produced for as little as $10. Clearly, this technology has a place in the NFL — in 2011, ESPN’s K.C. Joyner found that referees incorrectly spot the ball 7.1 percent of the time. In one game alone, spots were off by at least a yard on 12 instances. This level of imprecision is astonishing. In a game of inches, it’s also quite problematic. Watching officials bring out the chains and measure to the millimeter is as comical as it is ridiculous, considering that the spot itself is as arbitrary as a guess. Technology has three potential roles in the game of football: making it easier for players to play, for officials to officiate and for fans to access the game. None of these three channels has been even close to optimized. But the broader point goes beyond the impact of technology. The NFL needs to start investing its billions in the game itself instead of pocketing its tax-free dollars and fiddling with inconsequential rules. Each NFL owner is incentivized to invest his share of league profits

in the team’s local monopoly. The Cowboys boast a 160-foot jumbotron that weighs 1.2 million pounds, but the league can’t afford a couple of cameras on the goal line? If the owners were as willing to plow back revenues into the league as they are to invest in their own teams, everyone would benefit. A rising tide lifts all team-chartered planes. Let me be clear — there’s nothing wrong with football. America is addicted to the sport, and no amount of tinkering seems likely to change that. But it’s naive for us to think that the game is now as good as it ever will be. I’m a Patriots fan. I’d love to see my team equipped with the latest and greatest facilities. But I’m also an NFL fan, and in the name of increased competition, better fan experience and an overall higher quality football product, I’d rather see the league invest in itself.

Mike Firn ’16 is a classic millennial. Contact him at michael_firn@brown.edu.

Picking an English Premier League team — part three BY JOE DIEHL sports columnist

Here begins part three of my pick-yourEPL-team series. 13. Southampton NFL team comparison: Indianapolis Colts A few years ago, Southampton was in League One, equivalent to a thirdtier league. The year Peyton Manning got injured, most of America wanted to export the Colts to the same league. Now both teams have climbed their way to respectability within both of their leagues powered by young, promising cores. But both lack the complete rosters to contend for the titles at the moment. Sports-hipster category: Man bun bearer Man buns are still cool, and a lot of people wear them. But they will never be “the” haircut, and they apparently pull out the roots of your hair. Supporting Southampton is cool right now, as they’re moderately successful, but expecting anything big out of them will also leave you pulling out the roots of your hair. 14. Stoke City NFL team comparison: Chicago Bears Stoke is a cold and miserable part of England, and it has a relatively mediocre squad. Chicago is pretty miserable for most of the year too, and it has also produced a sub-par NFL team. And they both need to get rid of something: The Bears need to get rid of Jay Cutler,

and Stoke needs to get rid of its terrible location. Both look unlikely in the near future. Sports-hipster category: The gloomy meditator The gloomy meditator sits in the corner of the youth hostel, sipping his beer and occasionally muttering that he “meditates” and knows the real purpose of life. You wouldn’t know it if you saw it, though, because you’re busy playing drinking games with everyone at the hostel bar. Supporting Stoke will keep you in the corner.

In Swansea, which is in Wales, the main sport is rugby. In San Diego, the main sports are surfing and fake tanning. Both cities have decent teams that their residents don’t pay too much attention to. Sports-hipster category: Beanie-wearing gym frequenter Someone who wears a beanie to the gym shouldn’t even bother trying to be a hipster. After all, you’re going to the gym. If you’re American, don’t try to support a Welsh team. You’ll stand out in a bad way.

15. Sunderland NFL team comparison: The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, if they played in the NFL In what is becoming a common theme, Sunderland is also a terrible squad that plays in a sub-optimal climate (hint: lots of rain). Somehow it just survives every year, even though it doesn’t belong in the EPL, just like the CFL’s Blue Bombers don’t belong in the NFL. If only Sunderland could also be prevented from playing in the Premier League. Sports-hipster category: The comparative literature major who became a hobo You studied comp lit in college, decided to go into consulting, couldn’t break in and said “screw it” and became a hobo. You don’t have a home and you’re barely getting by. Sunderland shouldn’t have a home either because it doesn’t belong in conventional soccer leagues.

17. Tottenham Hotspur NFL team comparison: San Francisco 49ers In the past few years, each of these teams has been oh-so-close to being consistently elite. Unfortunately, following the loss of Gareth Bale for Spurs and Jim Harbaugh for the 49ers, both teams have taken a step back. Sports-hipster category: Proprietor of an online balsamic wood glasses shop that only accepts bitcoin If you were to start this business, you would be trying way too hard to be trendy, and you would surely be broke and depressed by the end of the year. Picking Spurs as your team is way too trendy these days — they’ll never be what you want them to be.

19. West Bromwich Albion NFL team comparison: New York Jets We’ll keep this simple: Both are unexciting, struggling teams that somehow have good fans. Yes, a recent study listed Jets fans in the top five. Meanwhile, West Brom manages to have some of the most loyal supporters around. Sports-hipster category: The joyridden, impoverished yoga enthusiast She lives on her sister’s couch, she’s been unemployed for two years and yet she wakes up every morning feeling on top of the world. Or at least that’s what her Instagram tells us. Eventually, you begin to wonder: why is she happy? Can 5 a.m. exercises, tea and Instagram likes really make her this happy? The same thought process occurs when you see a West Brom fan turn on a game that results in a 3-1 defeat for the fourth week in a row.

18. Watford NFL team comparison: Cleveland Browns Watching the Browns trying to play football is cuter than watching your five-year-old nephew’s peewee game. New boys Watford will also run around this year in their cute yellow uniforms attempting to play soccer.

20. West Ham United NFL team comparison: St. Louis Rams Both clubs are hoping to move into new stadiums that exceed the quality of the teams they house. West Ham and St. Louis both have plenty of young talent and exciting players, but the production still needs to meet potential with

16. Swansea City NFL team comparison: San Diego Chargers

Sports-hipster category: The dad who gave his four-year-old clear Ray-bans and an undercut Yes, his kid is probably adorable. But c’mon, undercuts and clear Raybans exist to make young adults, not toddlers, look dumb. It’s a mismatch of categories, much like Watford and quality soccer.

both squads. Sports-hipster comparison: The person who reads “Catcher in the Rye” once a year and lets everyone know about it At the beginning of each year, your friend announces he is going to actually try to live a productive life. Three job rejections later, his mind returns to Holden Caulfield land. The amount of angst in his every life decision leaves you astounded. West Ham’s inconsistent form will leave you equally confused, hurt, angry and frustrated as your J.D. Salinger pal. Now you might ask, “Why even bother picking a team if they all have such glaring faults?” The answer, simply put, is because it’s an opportunity to create a unique sports experience. Being able to choose a new team to root for as an American should be a treasured opportunity to mess something up that isn’t your midterm or job interview. The Premier League is full of faults — not the least of which is a competitive imbalance that Americans scoff at. But I challenge you to pick a team and watch a few games. Pretty soon you’ll be waking your roommate up at 8 a.m. screaming “bloody wanker!” at your goalie as he is beaten for the third time in the first half. This all probably sounds ludicrous if you’ve never watched, but I’ll take the maddening chaos, nonsensical results and downright absurd antics that characterize the EPL over any peace, tranquility and sanity I once had in my life.

Joe Diehl ’18 sports a pretty stupid undercut himself. Send haircut suggestions to joseph_diehl@brown.edu.

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