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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 61

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CAPS eliminates limit of seven sessions CAPS aims to increase accessibility, flexibility by meeting student needs on case-by-case basis By ROSE SHEEHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Office of Counseling and Psychological Services has removed its sevensession limit on appointments in order to increase flexibility and accessibility, said Steven Rasmussen ’74 MD’77 P’13, chair of the Mental Health Community Council as well as a professor of psychiatry and human behavior and the chair of that department. While CAPS will still deliver short-term care and focus on connecting students with long-term specialists outside of the University, the number of appointments provided will be decided on a case-by-case basis rather than determined by an arbitrary limit, said CAPS Interim Co-Director Jackie Twitchell. “We really didn’t want to create a problem in terms of flexibility when someone needed two or three more visits and the timing was critical,” Rasmussen said. With the removal of the term limit, students will not feel pressure to transfer

to an off-campus specialist during an inconvenient time or if they are having trouble finding a long-term therapist who meets their needs, he added. Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Eric Estes also wrote in an email to The Herald that the removal of the appointment limit will make CAPS a more attractive resource to students. “Talking about a specific session limit creates an obstacle to more accessible ways of talking about mental and emotional health resources,” he wrote. Maddy DiGiovanni ’17, former copy desk chief for The Herald and president of the Active Minds chapter at Brown — a group “dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental illness and changing the conversation around mental health” — also said that the removal of the seven-session limit will make a difference to students across campus. The removal of the session limit occurred as a result of student feedback, recommendations from the community council and efforts within CAPS to fine-tune its process of providing mental healthcare on and off campus. Active Minds members and members of Project LETS, particularly its founder and executive director Stëfanie Kaufman » See CAPS, page 2

MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD

Following the New York City initiative to supply free sanitary products in its public schools, UCS members started planning a similar program at Brown. To expedite the process, UCS funded the program independently.

UCS to provide pads, tampons Council hopes to promote inclusivity with sanitary products in nonresidential buildings By ROSE SHEEHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In an effort to provide “a necessary and long-overdue service” and to set a standard of inclusiveness both at the University and at other institutions of higher education, the Undergraduate

Council of Students began stocking non-residential men’s, women’s and gender-neutral restrooms with tampons and pads Wednesday, said UCS President Viet Nguyen ’17. “In the most immediate sense, it makes some people’s lives a little bit easier and alleviates some concern that they might have had otherwise,” said UCS Chief of Staff Molly Naylor ’19. The project is intended in part to address some of the challenges that “low-income students or students who are living at the intersections of

CSREA debuts new Waterman Street location

MEN’S SOCCER

Center kicks off revitalized mission with ‘Rising/ Uprising in Baltimore: A Beautiful Ghetto’ By MELISSA CRUZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

James Myall ’18 completes a pass during Bruno’s game against Bryant Friday. The team expects strong play from two starting first-years, Jackson Goebel ’20 and Rodrigo D’Andrea ’20.

Bears dictate pace in season-opening win Goal from Pomeroy ’17 in 63rd minute, strong defense lift Bruno over Ocean State rival By EMILE BAUTISTA STAFF WRITER

The men’s soccer team kicked off its campaign Friday night with a dominant 1-0

INSIDE

other marginalized identities face,” she added. By providing tampons and pads in all non-residential bathrooms on campus, UCS wants students to be able “to use these products while also using the bathroom in which they feel most comfortable,” Naylor said. UCS hopes other schools looking to expand access to tampons and pads will follow its example of inclusivity in remembering that “this is also a trans issue,” Nguyen said. » See TAMPONS, page 3

victory over Bryant at Stevenson-Pincince Field. Though the margin of victory was small, it certainly could have been greater, as the Bears (1-0) were in control of the match from the start of the game. The lone goal, scored by newly elected co-captain Nate Pomeroy ’17 in the 63rd minute, was enough to clinch the match. “We put together good attacking play,” said co-captain James Myall ’18. “It looks really promising for the season.”

With the new season comes a new crop of first-years eager to make their mark. Jackson Goebel ’20 and Rodrigo D’Andrea ’20 both made their competitive collegiate debuts in the starting lineup for the Bears, while Joseph Lee ’20 started the second half on the pitch. Justin O’Brien ’19 also made his first career start for Brown, and Tyler Long ’17 returned to the field after missing » See M. SOCCER, page 3

The Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America held an open house Thursday to celebrate the center’s new location at Lippitt House on 96 Waterman and its 2016-2017 art exhibit, “Rising/Uprising in Baltimore: A Beautiful Ghetto.” Prior to this semester, the center was housed in the Brown/RISD Hillel building. Members of the Brown community swarmed inside the pale purple interior of Lippitt House and wandered from photograph to photograph. “Rising/Uprising” features black-andwhite images taken by self-taught photographer Devin Allen, who covered the community response to the death of Freddie Gray. Allen’s work was featured in a New York Times blog, and one of his photographs was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine.

“From a public humanities perspective, this exhibit embodies the idea that art can not only generate conversations about vital issues, but also give meaning to humanity itself,” wrote Brigitte Santana, CSREA curatorial fellow, in an email to The Herald. Tricia Rose MA’87 PhD’93 P’14, director of CSREA, associate dean of the faculty for special initiatives and professor of Africana studies, welcomed visitors at the entrance. The exhibit is representative of CSREA’s larger “mission to use art as a way of creating critical reflection and creative responses to issues of injustice and inequality.” Rose praises the exhibit’s presentation of members of the black community in their mourning of tragedies as well as their everyday lives. Too often the black community is seen as loud, angry and hurting, she said. To further contribute to CSREA’s artistic and educational mission, Rose hopes to invite poets and serious researchers alike. Kevin McLaughlin, dean of the faculty, spoke to the crowd of visitors and thanked key players in the » See CSREA, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

NEWS New protein interaction discovered by U. researchers may impact cancer treatments

SPORTS Bolstered by new coach, strong freshman class, women’s soccer develops lead early in season

COMMENTARY Steinman ’19: With incredible internet access, users must stay mindful, try unplugging

COMMENTARY Kumar ’17: During trying times, students must stay optimistic, tackle global issues

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» CAPS, from page 1 ’17, participated in discussions over the last year about how CAPS could “adjust to meet the demands of the students,” DiGiovanni said. The term limit was “frustrating to students who may be having their first encounter with mental healthcare, and they are not quite ready to make the transition from short-term care to longer-term care off campus,” she added. CAPS and the Mental Health Community Council took student feedback into account while planning the removal of the term limit, said Rasmussen. “About two years ago we started talking when we were looking at our mission, creating a vision for the center,” said Allyson Brathwaite-Gardner, who is the CAPS interim co-director and also sits on the community council with her colleague Twitchell. “We talked about accessibility — making sure that students didn’t experience barriers to coming and to help-seeking.” CAPS looked at national standards of collegiate mental health and examined different systems of care when deciding to remove the term limit, BrathwaiteGardner added. “When we benchmarked other institutions, it was clear that many of them had moved to a more flexible policy,” Rasmussen said. Certain changes had to be made within CAPS to ensure that the office would be able to keep pace with student demand after the removal of the term limit, he added. “The issue is that you can’t provide unlimited services, so certainly some of the concern was assuring that we had enough staff to be able to actually allow the limits to be raised,” he said. As a result, new staff members have been hired,

and the hours of existing staff have been modified, he added. CAPS has also instituted a system to assess the urgency of student needs when scheduling appointments, Twitchell said. “We started having a system up front to determine what was a crisis and needed to be seen immediately, what was urgent and needed to be seen relatively soon and what is standard care,” she said. In 2015, Jorge Vargas was hired as the first student care coordinator within CAPS to facilitate the transition between short-term care at the University and long-term specialists outside of CAPS, said Unab Khan, director of Health Services. “If you already know that you want to see somebody on a long-term basis in the community, you don’t have to come through us as a gateway,” Khan said. “You can utilize the service of the coordinator.” CAPS has also expanded its web of outside specialists in an ongoing effort to provide students with diverse options for off-campus care, Twitchell said. “We also worked on increasing our network of referral providers to make sure that we’re covering all the different issues that people are coming in for,” she said. “(We need) to make sure that we have a diverse group of people to refer to.” One future goal will be to increase the accessibility of CAPS and decrease the stigma associated with mental health through the integration of staff into the Brown community, Rasmussen said. Community and faculty training in aspects of mental healthcare will also be a focus in the future, Khan said. Such training will “really build capacity not just within CAPS but within all of campus life in helping all of us take care of the students’ emotional wellbeing,” she added.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» CSREA, from page 1 development of CSREA, including Evelyn Hu-Dehart, professor of history and American studies and former director of the center, and President Christina Paxson P’19, who was present at the event. “Without her commitment and support, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” McLaughlin said of Paxson. Rose echoed the easy relationship with administration in revitalizing CSREA. “I never had a problem accessing information, resources, help or creativity,” she said. CSREA, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, “is becoming a dynamic hub bringing together a lot of

people to talk about important issues of race and ethnicity and offers an opportunity to advance scholarship and create a public impact,” Paxson said. “It integrates social science and art, which is a powerful combination,” she added. Its central location on campus will make CSREA a more accessible and welcoming place, Rose said. With the extra space, CSREA can invite scholars and speakers, hold exhibitions and offer lectures to the Brown community, she said. “It’s a beautiful building, and its central location befits its significance within the context of the university and beyond,” Santana wrote. Chinyere Agbai GS, a PhD student

studying sociology, hopes to see talks discussing how racism functions today, she said. “Pop culture often depicts historical racism, but it’s important to keep talking about structural racism today,” Agbai said. “Rising/Uprising” encouraged Matt Martinez, a postdoctoral research associate in population studies, to consider questions like “What is power?” and “What is it to be free?” and “How do we define black identity?” CSREA, with a group of graduate, postdoctoral and faculty fellows, will bring together issues of race, ethnicity, immigration, culture and more to collaborate with and educate the public, Rose said.

MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD

A photograph hanging in Lippett House — the new home of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America — is part of an exhibition that documents the response to the death of Freddie Gray.

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 • PAGE 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

» TAMPONS, from page 1 The initiative was inspired by the announcement that New York City would provide free tampons and pads in public schools, as well as by opposition to various tampon taxes, Nguyen said. “While there were similar conversations going on in the higher education realm, there wasn’t necessarily the same action, the same follow-through, and we saw this unique opportunity,” he added. Planning for the project began in the early summer so that the initiative could be launched immediately at the beginning of the school year. “We wanted to really set the tone for this year and let the student body and the administration know that it’s going to be a productive year,” Nguyen said. To expedite the process, UCS chose to organize and carry out the initiative independently, he added. “Our funding came from the (Undergraduate Finance Board), and our implementation was completely student-run,” Nyugen said, adding that UCS members will therefore be responsible for restocking and maintaining the tampons and pads on a weekly basis. Increased University involvement in the project, especially its funding, is a tentative goal, Naylor said. “I am cautiously optimistic that we can maybe have some sort of longer-term plan to have the University institutionalize this,” she added. Naylor also said that she hopes the project will make the discussion of menstruation and who menstruates more widespread and inclusive. As a Residential Peer Leader, “I have

condoms and dental dams on my door and that’s something that no one’s uncomfortable with, but I think there’s still this discomfort surrounding hygiene products,” she said. Though Health Services had no involvement in the UCS project, the initiative will hopefully promote conversation about every person’s right to healthy sexuality, said Director of Health Services Unab Khan. Given society’s stigmatization of menstruation, providing free products both supports and normalizes any and all students’ menstrual needs, Khan said, adding that her office has made similar efforts. Health Services encourages free and open discussions with any students coming in with menstrual concerns or looking for resources, she added. She cited the BWell Health Promotion and the associated Sexual Health Awareness Group as useful sources of information. The initial response to the initiative has been predominantly positive, indicating an impact felt beyond the University itself. Students at other institutions widely shared the press release announcing the project, Nyugen said. “People have reached out individually, via email and via the form included in the press release, asking how we did it and how they can replicate the effort,” he added. UCS intends to collect data in order to more accurately measure student satisfaction and the effectiveness of the initiative, Naylor said. Further efforts “will be shaped as this project unfolds and as people’s particular impressions and experiences with this project unfold,” she added.

» M. SOCCER, from page 1 the entirety of last season because of an injury. “A lot of guys were getting their first significant minutes, and I thought we had a really focused performance,” said Head Coach Patrick Laughlin. Bruno’s first five minutes set the tone for the rest of the game. The Bears remained in control of each possession, and the team’s defense pressed the Bulldogs (0-2), causing missed passes and lost balls. In spite of ample time with the ball, the team struggled to convert. One of the best opportunities for the Bears in the first half came from Quinn English ’18 off a cross. Will Cross ’16.5 redirected the ball on frame, but the Bulldog keeper saved it. By halftime, the Bears’ pacey offense had not yet found the back of the net. Most of the half was spent in the Bulldogs’ side of the field, with little offense strung together by the visitors. The Bears had amassed four corners and five shots on goal compared to Bryant’s one of each. It was more of the same in the beginning of the second half, as the play occurred mostly in Bryant’s defensive half. The Bulldogs eventually managed to create two almost-chances in the space of three minutes, but both sailed harmlessly over Brown’s goal. Subsequently, two consecutive crosses from English flashed across the face of goal but found no one. Brown finally made its breakthrough thanks to Pomeroy. A long kick up field from keeper Erik Hanson ’17 was flicked by Pomeroy to Nico Lozada ’18 out wide on the right. Pomeroy made a run into the box where Lozada’s pass found him.

He calmly slotted his shot into the bottom right corner, giving the Bears the lead. But Brown was not completely in the clear, as the Bulldogs were awarded a timely free kick just on the edge of the Brown box in the 90th minute. With time ticking down, Bryant had its shot blocked by the wall, sealing the Bears’ first triumph of the new season. Bruno continued its solid defensive play from last season by limiting the visiting Bulldogs to just five shots, only one of which was on target. Thanks to an organized backline, Bryant was kept at bay for a majority of the game. “We did a good job of playing the second ball and covering our men,” Myall said. Laughlin attributed this defensive success to the team’s communication. “We’re really working on that, and we hope to improve as we move forward,” he said. Offensively, Bruno terrorized its opponent down the flanks. The team ended the fixture with nine shots on target and numerous crosses into the box. Some of

the most dangerous chances were created from exposing the Bulldogs’ right and left backs. Brown’s speedy wingers gave them both troubles throughout the game. “We looked at the scouting of Bryant and saw that their guys on the flank were slower than what we had,” Pomeroy said. “We figured we should take advantage of that as much as we could.” Looking ahead to this weekend’s home games, the Bears play Georgia State on Friday and Southern Methodist University on Sunday as part of the Capitol City Classic. The former defeated the Bears last season in a high-scoring 3-2 match in which all goals were scored in the first half. In order to continue its winning ways, the team will have to step up its finishing rate while also maintaining its defensive rigidity. “Georgia State beat us last year down there, so they will be a tough team. SMU is real strong and a big program,” Laughlin said. “It’s a mental and physical challenge, but we’re looking forward to playing at home and playing two games in three days.”

NEWS

PAGE 4 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

U. researchers find proteins’ cancer-marking potential New binding formation discovery could inform creation of anti-cancer drugs in future By ELENA RENKEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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A University study published online Aug. 30 revealed a surprising discovery: a new binding formation used uniquely by two proteins during the final stages of cell division. The discovery could have implications for cancer treatment, as the proteins identified in the study play a role in cell division and therefore in the massive cell proliferation involved in cancer as well. The discovery was that RepoMan and Ki-67 — two regulator proteins — attached to protein phosphatase 1, a multifunctioning protein involved in mitosis, in a novel pattern. Scientists from the Research Institute for Environment, Health and Societies at Brunel University London and the Laboratory of Biosignaling and Therapeutics in Leuven, Belgium co-authored the study with University faculty members. The research relied on international collaboration among the three laboratories: The University’s lab specialized in x-ray crystallography, while the other two labs focused on cell biology, said Paola Vagnarelli, lecturer at the College of Health and Life Sciences at Brunel University London and co-author of the study. Once the University’s lab had determined the crystal structure of the complexes, the other two labs began experimenting with manipulations inside the cells, Vagnarelli said. “They came together to make a very strong case,” she added. The research showed how RepoMan and Ki-67 selectively interact with the gamma form of PP1, wrote Senthil Kumar, assistant professor of pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology and lead author of the study, in an email to The

Herald. About 200 different proteins are known to regulate PP1, but the way RepoMan and Ki-67 bind is unique, Kumar wrote. “This binding with PP1 is unusual, forming a ‘hairpin’ shape at the surface of PP1 at specific locations,” he added. The researchers named this interaction area KiR-SLiM, Page said. Discovering this new binding mechanism involved in cell division creates potential for new cancer drugs, according to the study. This research was not intended to concentrate on cancer, but PP1 is “absolutely critical for the cell cycle, and of course cell proliferation is one of the defining hallmarks of cancer,” Page said, adding that research into the molecular structures of these complexes can be done alongside the search for cancer drug targets. The rapid cell multiplication that characterizes cancer could potentially be interrupted by drugs created based on the discovery of the new binding mechanism with PP1. “Studies to date have really focused on kinases, which are sort of the opposite end of the chemistry equation, putting phosphate groups onto proteins,” Page said. This study investigates the proteins that separate them, and those events are necessary to stop the cell replication cycle, she added. Most drugs act on proteins, so creating drugs requires an understanding of the atomic structures of these proteins and their interactions with other proteins, Page said. “Now we know exactly the pocket we can target that is specific just to these two proteins, so we may be able to design drugs that are specific for that target.” But such medications may be a long way off. The concept of crafting anticancer drugs based on these findings is “a long-term perspective,” said Sara Cuylen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. “RepoMan could be an essential protein (to cancer),” Cuylen said. “We first need to show whether this is important for cell division.” Authors of the study were confident that the Ki-67 and RepoMan proteins play significant roles in targeting cancer cells. Page noted that Ki-67 has long been considered one of the “major markers for proliferating cells” and is used to track cancer advancement. Based on evidence she collected, Vagnarelli believes RepoMan is also “very important for cancer progression.” She added that if the function of this enzyme is stopped, cells will be prevented from growing and invading.

TODAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 • PAGE 5

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

t h e b r o w n b lu r

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Bacon and Feta, Harvest, Buffalo Chicken Cuban Sandwich JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Quesadillas

Naked Burritos Clam Chowder, Minestrone Soup

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Roast Pork Sandwich, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Red Rice, Summer Squash, Blondie Bars

Baked Chicken, Mashed Red Bliss Potatoes with Garlic, Green Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Breaded Chicken Fingers, Vegan Nuggets, New England Clam Chowder, Black Bean Soup

Chicken Laredo, Cheese Ravioli with Pink Vodka Sauce, Three Bean Casserole MARIANNA MCMURDOCK / HERALD

sudoku

Students flock to the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center for the annual Student Activities Fair. Over 400 student groups — from a cappella to martial arts — set up stands around the indoor track for the event.

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

“We wanted to really set the tone for this year and let the student body and administration know that it’s going to be a productive year.

”

— Viet Nguyen ’17, UCS president

See tampons on page 1. RELEASE DATE– Friday, September 9, 2016

Los Angeles Times Puzzle c r o sDaily s w oCrossword rd Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Crudités enhancers 5 __ puppet 9 Hot dogs and hams 14 With, on la carte 15 Tartan wearers 16 Lowest deck on a ship 17 Gadget that exercises the wrist 18 Spydom name 19 Crisp 20 Beer made in Johannesburg? 23 Lorry supply 24 Deck wood 25 Chi. setting 28 Citrus suffix 29 Letter before upsilon 31 Ranking 33 One who aspires to be the king of beers? 36 Run out 39 Larter of TV’s “Heroes” 40 Tip for a dealer 41 Sounds from a brewery? 46 “Life of Pi” Oscar winner 47 Justice dept. heads 48 Form 1040 fig. 51 Welker of the NFL 52 Highbrow 55 Oil once touted by Florence Henderson 57 Toast said while hoisting presidential beer? 60 Gourd fruit 62 Happy __ 63 Fluency 64 Mesmerizing designs 65 Dark cloud 66 They may not be quiet on the set 67 Fords a stream 68 Gps. with copays 69 Paris’ __ Neuf DOWN 1 Place for pampering 2 Polling place sticker words

3 Desert hallucinogen 4 Use a Brillo pad 5 Learned one 6 Evil count of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” 7 Stone measure 8 Word with bread and butter 9 Sobriquet 10 Los Angeles mayor Garcetti 11 Actor with eight Oscar nominations (and one win) 12 Cover 13 Many a character in “The Americans” 21 Wizard revealer 22 Coarse file 26 Tie up 27 One on a cartoon desert island 30 State with five national parks 32 Trifles 33 Marmalade ingredient 34 Nevada copper town

35 Beatles girl with a “little white book” 36 Weak spot 37 Hatcher’s “Lois & Clark” role 38 Sandwich spread 42 Feels sore about 43 Monopoly deed word 44 Sinclair Lewis nominated him for the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature

45 Tiny time meas. 48 Italian cheese 49 Takes the stage 50 Overrun 53 Energy 54 Players riding the pine 56 Docile sorts 58 Mythology 59 Circle overhead? 60 Do the lawn 61 AQI monitor

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

calendar

09/09/16

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER

09/09/16

Wellness At Brown: Mindful Meditation 12 P.M. Brown/RISD Hillel

Innovate on the Hill Picnic 4 P.M. Main Green

SATURDAY Sexual Health at Brown 12 P.M. Petteruti Lounge

Skorts Sketch Comedy Auditions 3 P.M. Sayles 014

SUNDAY Exhibition: Brewed for Thought 10 A.M. Haffenreffer Museum at Manning Hall

Capital One — What Is Consulting? 2 P.M. Wilson Hall 102

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Brown Bites

Money matters

E-raced The Department of Public Safety has virtually stopped including race in the description of suspects in campus-wide crime alerts since October 2015. The shift in department practices follows student protests and negotiations during the development of the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan last fall. While students who spoke to The Herald saw the exclusion of race in alerts as an indication that DPS will now be more open to listening to student concerns and addressing institutional racism, other community members are not as sure of the effectiveness of the new policy. Stefano Bloch, a presidential diversity research associate in urban studies, expressed concern that the policy change could be merely “an attempt by an institution to appear colorblind regardless of the (racially biased) policies.” Orange you glad? This week familiar faces may have reconvened to catch up in a notso-familiar Ratty for dinner. Upgraded service station and dining hall designs come on the heels of Dining Services’ new partnership with Bon Appétit Management Company. In addition to aesthetic enhancements, the “collaboration will focus on expanding menu offerings, enhancing food … at retail locations, augmenting our catering program and providing additional professional development opportunities for Dining Services staff,” said Peter Rossi, interim director of Dining Services. The improved Ratty has received mixed reviews from students, with some barely noticing any difference in the quality of the food offered.

To the Editor: The comment by University Librarian Harriette Hemmasi in the article on the SciLi refurbishment regarding a “guarantee” not to reduce staff number or salaries in the transition of the SciLi to a digital-age library and office complex is very troubling to me as an alumnus, who attended with loan aid, and as a regular recent donor to annual Brown giving. This comment suggests a poor commitment on the part of Brown management to restraining operating costs by making use of the increased productivity that the transition to online libraries has brought about. Even if the longer-term plan is to reduce staffing by attrition, as current staff retire, this represents an overly sluggish management response. This style of management and associated wasteful personnel policy may undermine the willingness of alumni to

donate to the Brown organization, which has thereby raised questions about whether it can be trusted to efficiently utilize donated monies to the benefit of students. Students and their families will end up paying for part of this “guarantee” through their tuition payments and through their education loans. The University should operate as a rational business. It must act as a good steward of donations and student tuition payments. This duty should not include guarantees of lifetime employment to staff or faculty members whose roles are made obsolete by technological improvements in productivity. Placement services and encouragement of lifetime vocational learning activities among staff would be a more effective use of moneys being committed to guarantee current salaries and positions for displaced workers. Preston C. Calvert ’76 MD’79

Lobster weekend For those not as impressed by the Ratty’s alleged enhancements, this weekend on College Hill will feature the Rhode Island Seafood Festival at India Point Park. According to Brianna McCain, marketing coordinator for event vendor TwoTen Oyster Bar, the festival is the “right kind of atmosphere to get a taste of everything (Rhode Island) has to offer.” And if you needed any more reason to make the trip to India Point Park, this year the festival comes with a good cause, as it will be sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. A room of one’s own The stacks of the upper levels of the SciLi have been transformed into a “hodgepodge of departments,” according to Steven Lavallee, head of the Friedman Study Center and SciLi building manager. Some of the centers and initiatives now calling the prominent building home are the Writing Center, First-Generation College and Low-Income Center, English Language Center, CIS Instructional Technology Group and the Language Resource Center, the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning and the Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative.

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 • PAGE 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Unpacking unplugging CLARE STEINMAN staff columnist Some words of encouragement for those first-week jitters: If you’re reading this article, you’re already one of the most educated people ever to exist. That’s not because you go to Brown, or even because you can read, but because you have access to everything humanity has ever figured out just by typing into a search bar. We take internet access as a given, and it’s becoming one for more and more people around the globe. The number of internet users looks set to pass the 3.5 billion mark later this year, with 50 percent of the global population achieving connectivity in the months thereafter. In the United States, where 88 percent of the population is online, the criticisms of constant connectivity are twofold: On the one hand, critique of social media as toxic to our relationships with other people is enormously widespread, mostly in the form of cross-generational finger-wagging. A Google autofill search (possibly the most meta thing I’ve ever done) for “social media is a …” returned “waste of time,” “dis-

traction,” “lie,” “drug” and “disease.” But another way that constant connection permeates our lives is much less discussed, at least in my experience. Google knows everything and is always there, making it the perfect backup memory. Our Google search histories are not just a cata-

ourselves the chance to search our brains before turning to Google. When we outsource so much of our memory, we’re losing something else along the way. One famous “Science” magazine study found that people with access to search engines are less likely to remember pieces of trivia.

sort of savored this strange impediment. We’d spent the week carrying 40-pound packs and scaling boulders, but when it came to something as simple as a search, we were stuck. We kept a “Google list,” mostly for the novelty of it. It included everything from what the percentages on a weather report mean to, ironically,

It’s worth viewing our access to near-infinite knowledge, some of it striking, much of it disposable, as a burden as well as a treasure.

log of our interests and desires but also of the random bits of information that enter and leave our minds in a constant flow. The name of that Hugh Grant movie, what time it is in Los Angeles, the restaurant you ate at just a few nights ago or the senator plagued by another scandal. Momentarily inaccessible, these tidbits might be gone forever, or they might come back after a minute of reflection, but usually we don’t give

But it’s not the trivia that concerns me. I didn’t think about any of this until I spent five days in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with Brown Outdoor Leadership Training, an outdoor program for incoming sophomores and transfers. None of us had our phones, and that was the last thing on our minds. But there were moments in our conversations when we would forget something, and we all

the word for when something is on the tip of your tongue. I didn’t think about the Google list much last week, but since coming back to campus I’ve reflected on how unique a situation like that has become. It took intention and remoteness to bring a group of intellectually curious college students to a place where we would talk about and try to figure out the things we couldn’t remember, rather than just

whipping out a phone and stopping the conversation. It was gratifying, and it made me realize how many of the things we process every day are just part of a steady stream of noise that the internet delivers. It’s impossible to recreate a situation like that here on campus, and the knowledge that the internet affords us is a precious gift, allowing us to find wonder in places and ideas that the generations before us could not access. For college students with a love of learning, there is no greater gift. But it’s worth viewing our access to near-infinite knowledge, some of it striking, much of it disposable, as a burden as well as a treasure. There is a jading effect produced by the instant gratification of a Google search, one I didn’t even recognize until it had been lifted. No one can or should forgo online searching entirely, but I know that the membrane between my real brain and my online one can be made much thicker. I’m making it a personal goal this year to cut down on the reflexGoogle and to embrace the feeling of not knowing. At the very least, it might make me better at trivia.

Clare Steinman ’19 can be reached at clare_steinman@brown.edu.

A pep talk for senior year NIKHIL KUMAR staff columnist The beginning of my senior year at Brown is not going according to plan. Growing up, and even as a first-year student, I looked up to college seniors as people who had everything figured out and were ready to transition seamlessly to adulthood. Though I imagine that’s an accurate description of some members of the Class of 2017, I’m not even sure of my course schedule this semester — and many of my classmates have echoed my uncertainty about the future. Some of my hesitation comes from within: Rather than helping me to narrow down my options, the courses and experiences to which I have been exposed as a Brown student have made it even more difficult to select a single pathway. But it seems that there’s also an external pressure at work, a general sense that the world into which we were born is dissolving and morphing into something new and terrifying. I don’t think I’m being dramatic. Scrolling through my Facebook timeline is a reminder of just a fraction of the suffering the world endured this summer: the Orlando massacre, Brexit, terrorist attacks and an attempted coup d’etat in Turkey, the Nice tragedy. And these events occurred in the excruciating context of ongoing civil war in Syria, the refugee crisis in Europe, the interminably divisive U.S. presidential election (is it November yet?) and the acceleration of climate change. My friends

regularly lament what a trying year 2016 has been. Indeed, it wouldn’t be a great shock to wake up one morning in the near future to the news that the sky is falling. Of course, life hasn’t been especially easy for any generation. From our privileged perch in the developed world of the 21st-century, we can only imagine what it’s like to live through a full-fledged World War or a great famine or the Black Death. That our predecessors were acquainted with grief comes as

as I sit on the launchpad of my penultimate semester as an undergraduate and begin to count down from 10. Olympic athletes are masters of pep talks, and they were one of the brightest spots of inspiration for me this grueling summer. Of course, the Olympic Games are a deeply flawed institution marred by doping scandals, the unjust displacement of local residents and wasteful spending. In my mind, though, there is no disputing the achievements of the Olympians themselves, who cap-

Our Brown education isn’t (only) about a prestigious diploma but about seeking stability in meaningful work even as the earth shifts beneath our feet.

no surprise, but the realization that we, too, may be burdened with a similar struggle has thrown me, and many others, for a loop. The myth of a species that is steadily and undeniably approaching a peaceful and prosperous endpoint has taken a serious blow in recent months. There is most certainly work to be done to advance the human condition on all fronts. My goal in writing this column isn’t to pen a lofty convocation or commencement address, but rather to give myself a pep talk

tivate the world as they break records and, in so doing, push against the limits of human potential. I rolled my eyes during the opening ceremony as International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach gushed about his utopian vision of the Olympics uniting the world, but I couldn’t help celebrating the success of this most international of events that takes place as if by magic every four years. Once the cloud of dust that the Olympics churn up has settled, something luminous and pure is revealed: optimism. Maybe, in

spite of the chaos that has become the new normal, we’re doing something right after all. And perhaps the action demanded by recent upheaval is cause for hope. The economic, technological, medical and political progress of the past several decades has been astonishing, and it certainly hasn’t been erased by the trials and tribulations of this summer. As students and soon-to-be professionals, we can find purpose in the collective wounds that have been exposed as of late. Together we can tackle global warming, Zika and space exploration. We can attempt to resolve conflict and create a more equitable, harmonious society. And we can find beauty in a changing world and inspire others to do the same. Our Brown education isn’t (only) about a prestigious diploma but about seeking stability in meaningful work even as the earth shifts beneath our feet. This semester, then, I’ll try to act more like an Olympian — and I don’t just mean that I’ll try to go to the gym more often, even though I desperately need to. Like an Olympian, I’ll strive to maximize the talents with which I have been bestowed to make the world slightly less frightening for all of us. And perhaps we all need to take a collective chill pill, because as long as we have the ability to panic about the state of the world and then do something about it, there’s hope yet, and more where that came from.

Nikhil Kumar ’17 can be reached at nikhil_kumar@brown.edu.

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SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

FIELD HOCKEY

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Bears encouraged despite pair of losses Strong start bodes well Team takes lessons from defeats, aspires to end season with Ivy League Championship By MATT BROWNSWORD NEWS EDITOR

The women’s field hockey team’s season got off to an inauspicious start with losses to Ball State University and No. 12 Louisville this past weekend. A hot start in the first half against Ball State was canceled out by a late overtime goal while the Bears (0-2) were overmatched by Louisville from the start. Brown came out flying against Ball State, accruing three shots in the opening 10 minutes — two from Jaclyn Torres ’17, a Herald arts and culture editor, and one from Lucy Green ’17. But the Cardinals managed to sneak the first goal past netminder Katie Hammaker ’19. Bruno continued to dominate offensively but was not able to score until the 31st minute, when Maggie Mostoller ’18 got her first collegiate goal. Zoey Miller ’20 and Leah Zavalick ’17 fired off two shots before Mostoller finished the rebound and got the Bears on the board for the first time this year. “It was an exciting first half,” said captain Katarina Angus ’17. “I’ve never seen a team come out that strong to start the season. We were aggressive and excited.” The second half ’s shot total was the reverse of the first half, as Ball State took five shots to Brown’s zero. But the Bears’

defense held and the game went into overtime, in which it took 11 minutes and 52 seconds before Ball State finished the game off with a strike from the top of the circle. The Bears fell 2-1 despite outshooting the Cardinals 12-10 for the whole game. “We just need to work on that finishing and being able to handle our nerves and our excitement,” Angus said. “It’ll come for us.” But the Bears did not open their second game of the weekend as well as the first, with Louisville scoring less than four minutes in and doubling its lead 13 minutes later. After making four saves against Ball State, Hammaker faced an onslaught of Louisville shots and made an impressive nine saves. After the Cardinals scored a third goal in the beginning of the second half, Green tallied her first goal of the year to give Brown a glimmer of hope. Three

years ago, when Angus was a first-year, the Bears beat a top 10-ranked Louisville team at its field. But this time was different, as the Cardinals scored a fourth two minutes later and a fifth one minute after that. Louisville tacked on two goals late in the second half to bring the score to its 7-1 final. “The score was disappointing,” Angus said. “We realized when we went back and watched the video that we needed to take care of the ball well, but I don’t think the scoreline reflected how we played in that game.” The two losses were the first of a fivegame set of nonconference games before the Bears welcome Columbia for their first Ivy League tilt of the season. “We set our goal before the season to win the Ivy championship,” Angus said. “It’s been the first time in a while that we’re all on the same page with that.”

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Lucy Green ’17 carries the ball downfield. The senior scored her first goal of the year against top-ranked Louisville despite a six-goal loss.

for 2016 campaign After two consecutive wins against URI, Stony Brook, Bruno aims high for new season By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After a 3-0 win against Rhode Island in its season opener and a 1-0 victory over Stony Brook Sunday, the women’s soccer team looks poised to make a run for the Ivy League crown. Bruno (2-0-1) will look to improve upon last year’s 7-7-2 record with a combination of fresh faces and veterans. This season marks a major transition for the team. Eight first-years join the roster, and many have already had opportunities to contribute. The exposure and involvement of the freshman class so far has been “significant” and “really impressive,” according to defender and team cocaptain Maclaine Lehan ’17. “Each player came into preseason with a great attitude. As they continue to develop and adjust to the speed of our games, I think they’ll continue to contribute.” Against Stony Brook (1-4-1), for example, rookie sensation and Massachusetts native Abby Carchio ’20 netted the game winner to secure the win for Brown and score her first career goal as a Bear. Most notably, though, Bruno begins the year with a new head coach, Kia McNeill — a former assistant coach at Northeastern and Boston College. This marks the first head coaching change in 39 years, after Brown legend Phil Pincince announced his retirement at the end of last season. “The transition has been amazing so far with the team,” McNeill said. “I feel lucky to have inherited a team that has wholeheartedly bought into all the change implemented in the past seven months. The seniors this fall and the ones who graduated in May have really helped with the integration of my staff with the team.” McNeill highlighted that the key to their success has been openness — among both coaches and teammates. “We have an open line of communication that helps us all stay on the same page in terms of expectations from the coaching staff and the players,” McNeill said. “One thing that really stood out to me when I started working with the team in January was how close this group was, and that team chemistry is really important for us to cultivate going forward.” In terms of schematic switches, Bruno under McNeill will look to play

a high-energy, organized possessionoriented style of play in order to be competitive in the Ivy League. Along with this new system, some players specifically have also switched roles. Veteran Katy Schmidt ’18, a starter at forward last year for Bruno, is now positioned at outside back position. Sarah Cobb ’18, a center back last year, has moved to defensive midfielder this season. “A theme for this season has been the concept of being ‘uncommon,’” McNeill said. “Nothing great in life comes easy, so if we want to achieve great things as a program we need to work harder than the rest and be ‘uncommon’ in our approach.” The team now warms up in t-shirts with this motto — “UNCOMMON” — emblazoned across the back. The Bears have embraced this notion from the get-go, even during preseason. According to McNeill, the team came in “physically fit and mentally engaged,” which allowed the new coaching staff to focus on the more technical and tactical aspects of team play. But the most critical factor for the team’s success will be upperclassman leadership, according to McNeill. Specifically, co-captains Jaclyn Alois ’17, Carly Gould ’17 and Lehan will have extremely important jobs leading the team to victory on the field and strengthening team culture off the field. At least so far, things are clicking for the Bears. Bruno has capitalized on pre-season efforts with an undefeated start, highlighted by three shutouts from goalie Christine Etzel ’19 over its first three games. Co-captains Gould and Lehan each netted goals for Brown in its win versus Rhode Island as well. Despite its success, Gould remained critical when evaluating the team’s play so far. “We are looking to attack and defend as a team for the full 90 minutes and minimize breakdowns so that individuals are not forced to make big-time plays,” she said. Moving forward, the Bears will travel to Easton, Pennsylvania this Sunday to face Lafayette. The team’s first Ivy League matchup will be at Dartmouth on September 25, which they hope will mirror the team’s nonconference success so far this season. “The Ivy League is extremely competitive, and I like the fact that every game is a battle to the last whistle,” McNeill said. “An obvious goal for this team this year is to win an Ivy League championship, but in order to do that we are just focusing on the details. … We can’t take short-cuts or take the easy way out.”

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Megan Grant ’20 dribbles through the Stony Brook defense during Bruno’s home game Sunday. The team plays at Lafayette next Sunday.