Friday, April 5, 2019

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 44

WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Alum talks Chinese-Italian fashion industry City court enforces lead

code with steep fines Housing court key to ensuring homeowners repair, reduce threat of lead in rental properties By MAIA ROSENFELD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SOPHIE CULPEPPER / HERALD

Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz Lisa Rofel ’75 delivered the fourth lecture of the East Asian Colloquium series in the Joukowsky Forum Thursday.

Professor Lisa Rofel ’75 uses fashion industry to explore transnational capitalism By SOPHIE CULPEPPER METRO EDITOR

For the modern woman, silk garments are a rarity. “How many of you (women) have

any silk clothing?” A smattering of hands responded. “One … two …three … four … not bad!” At the close of the 20th century, “the increase in women’s employment meant that women no longer had time nor interest to care for silk clothing,” explained Professor Emeritus at University of California, Santa Cruz Lisa Rofel ’75. Male ownership of silk clothing also declined, she noted. Rofel took students and faculty

Providence’s abandoned property problem persists Vacancies increased since 2017, rate of occurrence higher west of I-95, lower east of highway By HENRY DAWSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Before 2011, 5,000 square feet of land near Armory Park was abandoned. The owner was not paying property taxes and the plot was lead-ridden. Since 2016, Providence has identified 860 similarly vacant and abandoned properties as of April 1, wrote Kevin Aherne, director of communications for Providence Planning and Development, in an email to The Herald. This number is up from November 2017, when there were 747 vacant and abandoned properties, according to a Community Conversation Presentation by Everyhome, a housing rehabilitation program. The vacant and abandoned properties have been a problem for the city,

INSIDE

primarily since the foreclosure bubble in the late 2000s. “Rhode Island, and Providence in particular, were identified as areas ‘hardest hit’ by the foreclosure crisis at the end of the last decade according to the U.S. Treasury,” Aherne wrote. “The mortgage foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s created an epidemic of vacant and abandoned properties throughout neighborhoods and cities across the United States.” Within the city, the rate of occurrence of vacant and abandoned properties is higher west of the I-95 and lower on the east, which is where College Hill is situated, according to a HeatMap from Everyhome. Differences in poverty, median house prices and the ratio of renters to owners all contribute to the disparity in the number of vacant and abandoned properties throughout Providence, said Sharon Steele, acting president of the Jewelry District Association. The median household income in the East Side of Providence is $64,447, » See VACANCY, page 2

members on a journey through Italian-fashion textile factories in China throughout the last decades of the 20th century as she delivered the fourth lecture of the University’s East Asia Colloquium series to a crowd at the Joukowsky Forum Thursday. Rofel’s talk drew from her latest book, “Fabricating Transnational Capitalism,” co-authored by Stanford Professor Sylvia Yanagisako. The book » See FASHION, page 9

It is well known that lead violations can cost kids their health, but it turns out in Providence, they can also cost property owners a pretty penny. On Thursday morning, Chief Justice of Providence Housing Court William Rampone issued a fine of $44,050 and an additional $50 per day to the owner of a property on Atwells Street for noncompliance with Rhode Island lead legislation. That ruling was just one of 17 cases the judge heard yesterday in Providence’s monthly lead court, which he has presided over for 15 years. “I’ve seen children affected by lead, and it is not a pretty sight,” Rampone said, “but I see tremendous enforcement being performed by the city on lead abatement.” From October 2017 through September 2018, Providence issued 628 Notices of Violation for lack of lead certificates, which resulted in 267 properties becoming lead-compliant, according to information provided by Executive Director of the Childhood Lead Action Project Laura Brion.

Obtaining a lead certificate “is a minimum housing code standard … baked into the basic idea of what it means to have a safe rental property,” said Brion, who works to eliminate lead poisoning through education, parent support and advocacy. Lead is commonly spread through lead paint — which was used on about 80 percent of houses before it was banned in 1978 — and through soil contaminated by lead gasoline, which was outlawed in 1986. Preventing lead poisoning usually involves covering up lead paint, removing or covering contaminated soil and replacing surfaces that grind paint, such as old windows, which Brion calls “little lead dust machines.” But taking these precautions can be costly, and as a result, some landlords neglect them, she added. “Lead poisoning is one of those tricky multifaceted issues that requires a lot of different people to be involved in solving it, and (requires) approaches to changing behavior, breaking down barriers (and) making resources available,” Brion said. In 2016, 5 percent of Rhode Island children under the age of six exhibited elevated blood lead levels, which was down from 6 percent in 2012. Still, as of October 2018, there were 361 active Providence properties without lead certificates. Additionally, some » See LEAD, page 9

U. supports healthcare in Rwanda Warren Alpert program works with Rwandan Ministry of Health to advance emergency care By JANET CHANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In a country trying to build one of the world’s best universal healthcare systems, Rwanda has made the University one factor in its strategic plan for healthcare success. Faculty and physicians in Warren Alpert’s Global Emergency Medicine Program are collaborating with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda and ten institutions across the United States to aid in the development of improved emergency medicine education in Rwanda. Now in its second year of operation, the program is designed to train Rwandan general practitioners and nurses in procedures and techniques to address common emergency medical needs in Rwandan hospitals, such as the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali.

COURTESY OF NAZ KARIM

Warren Alpert’s Global Emergency Medicine Program, along with other U.S. institutions, is collaborating with the Ministry of Health in Rwanda. Because the University offers one of the few global emergency medicine programs available in the United States, the program secured funding from the U.S. government and Ministry of Health in Rwanda to implement the training and development curriculum. “We’re very fortunate to (have funding) and approval from the Ministry of Health … (They) have a strategic plan in place to improve the (emergency medicine)

workforce and increase the numbers. In the last 6-7 years, their efforts have been phenomenal,” said Naz Karim, the newly appointed director of the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship. The training program was not intended to make Rwandan residents continue to rely on U.S. emergency medicine physicians, but instead aimed to develop “a sustainable program run » See RWANDA, page 2

WEATHER

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

METRO Mayor Elorza requests withdrawal of water monetization bill after community disapproval

COMMENTARY Editorial: UCS has made effective changes to elections code, but still has more work to do

COMMENTARY Allums ’21: The privilege of traveling for spring break is nuanced

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Medicare for all expert offers insight into controversial plan Ezekiel Emanuel says Medicare for all is financially feasible but politically unrealistic By ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

As the 2020 election field is already fueled by conversations around healthcare, Ezekiel Emanuel, noted oncologist and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, navigated the intricacies and complexities of the controversial “Medicare for all” proposal as a part of the Watson Institute’s “Politics in Action” lectures series Thursday. Emanuel, who discussed the pros and cons of the issue at the lecture “Medicare for All: Policy, Politics, and Practicalities,” began by asking the audience, “Do you support Medicare for all?” About half the room raised their hands, and Emanuel began to question those who did and those who didn’t on the reasoning behind their decisions. Medicare for all aims to provide universal healthcare and effectively eliminates the need for private health insurance. Advocates argue that it would provide coverage for those who are currently unable to afford health insurance, while some critics

say that the plan would be too costly. Emanuel said that actually, under the current national healthcare plan, the “sum total” of spending is going to be “roundabout 60 trillion dollars over 10 years.” In contrast, the Medicare for all plan will cost two trillion dollars less over a ten-year period, Emanuel said. But Emanuel also argued that just because Medicare for all may be cheaper doesn’t mean that the plan is likely to succeed politically. The health insurance industry raises $1.1 trillion of revenue each year, according to Emanuel. “When was the last time we put an industry with $1.1 trillion of revenue out of business? Never,” he said. The difficulty of introducing legislation not supported by the health care industry was exemplified in President Bill Clinton’s failed 1993 health care campaign, Emanuel said, which was aggressively opposed by insurance companies. The Health Insurance Association of America, a health insurance lobby group, funded a set of critical and powerful ads called “Harry and Louise” during the ClintonCare campaign. Health insurance companies would “have nothing to lose” in their efforts to oppose Medicare for all, Emanuel said, adding that they would have no limits to how much money they would spend on lobbying efforts

LEON JIANG / HERALD

Ezekiel Emanuel, noted oncologist and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, discussed the pros and cons of the controversial “Medicare for all” proposal. against it. “I don’t think that Medicare for all, in the Bernie version, is realistic in the political standpoint.” Attendees of the event hoped to gain a better understanding about the intricate policy plan, as it has been a common subject for discussion in the upcoming 2020 election.

Erika Bussmann ’22, who attended the event, said that Emanuel’s arguments have been discussed in her PHP 0310: “Healthcare in the US” class. “Obviously, this is a really relevant policy, and I want to know more about it,” she said. Robert Kemp, another attendee of

the event, echoed Bussmann’s comment. “It’s an important and complicated issue, so any chance we have to hear from someone who’s knowledgeable about the issues involved adds to our store of knowledge,” he said.

» VACANCY, from page 1

» RWANDA, from page 1

while the median household income everywhere else is $32,599, according to HousingWorksRI’s 2018 Housing Fact Book. Median single family house prices sit around $570,000 in the East Side and $168,000 in the rest of the city. The ratio of renters to owners is 43-57 in the East Side and 32-68 in the rest of the city. The different rates of vacancies exacerbate socioeconomic differences between the two regions of Providence, Steele said. Steele said the East Side has “high demand and limited supply. … If those forces are at play, clearly, those neighborhoods are not going to be ripe for the kinds of, shall we say, negative aspects that befall communities that are not blessed with the same demandsupply economics.” Economic activity such as the historic rehabilitation of Downtown Providence and the development of the Jewelry District also contributes to lower vacancy rates, she added. Aherne works with EveryHome, which aims “to revitalize and fill every vacant and abandoned home in the City of Providence,” according to their website. The program hopes to preemptively spot potential vacant properties and support the residents within. “The city is aggressively working to abate this issue, and significant progress has been made during the short existence of the program,” Aherne wrote. The work of spotting and restoring these properties is complicated by the fact that each vacancy violates different portions of the housing code, requiring a unique solution. “Trying to figure out who owns (the vacant property) and who’s responsible

by Rwandans in the future …We’ve shifted from running the program to working alongside Rwandan colleagues in managing the program … It’s really exciting,” said Adam Levine, the former director of the program and current director of Global Emergency Medicine at Warren Alpert and director for the Humanitarian Innovation Initiative at the Watson Institute. Unlike in the United States, where emergency medicine is a common and expected practice in hospitals, emergency medicine has not yet developed in Rwanda as a medical specialty. “Emergency medicine has only been around since the ’70s, so it’s a relatively new field,” said Catalina Gonzalez Marques, one of the four physicians selected for the two-year Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship. Although general practitioners and nurses have worked hard to become familiar with the needs of their patients and develop methods to treat them effectively, there are still gaps of knowledge that the training program aims to specifically address. “When you go in, you have to go in with an understanding of the sociopolitics and cultural norms,” Karim said. The three most common emergency medical cases in Rwanda involve traumatic injuries from motor vehicle accidents, infectious disease and “noncommunicable” diseases like heart disease, Levine said. Traumatic injuries account for more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria — diseases typically associated with the developing world — combined. “If you add them up, that’s 6 million deaths per year. Trauma creates a higher burden,” said John Foggle, a faculty member and Global Emergency Medicine Trauma

Course facilitator for the Med School’s Division of Global Emergency Medicine, who was not involved in the training program. Because infections are easily managed with antibiotics and since noncommunicable diseases are treatable with basic medications, much of the emergency medicine program focuses on addressing trauma. In working with the Rwandan medical teams, the fellows tailored the curriculum to local needs. “We don’t just bring an intervention and leave … we see what works for them. They don’t necessarily have to learn everything in Western medicine,” said Gonzalez Marques. The disparity in availability of expensive X-rays and CT scans has led to highly-skilled use of ultrasound by Rwandan physicians in various scenarios not immediately apparent to U.S.-trained physicians. “When (an) ultrasound is the only thing (you have), you become very good at reading them. …We were very impressed,” said Fellow Kyle Martin. In addition to helping run training programs for medical residents in Rwanda, physicians in the Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship assisted the Rwandan medical staff in piloting their own research projects, as well as piloting other projects that can potentially be applied to other parts of the developing world. Fellow Stephanie Chow Garbern used the University’s partnerships with biotechnology companies to develop biosensor patches for patients with sepsis — a common life-threatening condition in Rwanda resulting from infection — and a mobile app for nurses to quickly triage patients. Martin spearheaded a research program to address the high proportion of motor vehicle accidents appearing in the emergency room.

COURTESY OF KENNETH ZIRKEL

From 2016 to April 2019, Providence identified 860 vacant and abandoned properties. In 2017, there were 747 such properties. for it has been the consistent problem for the city,” said Brenda Clement, director of HousingWorksRI at Roger Williams University. “Obviously, every city that went through the foreclosure bubble has the same problem.” “We were essentially the subprime capital of the world right before the bubble burst in 2008 and 2009, so we had disproportionately higher numbers of those properties fall into foreclosure and fall into that whole cycle,” Clement said. “We also are in a state where we do not put a lot of resources into housing from our state budget.” To return properties to local ownership and bring them up to code, Clement suggested residents work on their own to rehabilitate these properties as long as they are not too dilapidated for safe work. Sidewalk Ends Farm is one such example, a chemical-free farming operation that runs in the formerly abandoned plot of land near Armory Park. “(The farmers) somehow got a hold of (the owner) and got his permission to farm there,” said Dawn King, director of undergraduate studies for the

Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, describing the potential for urban gardens to move in to vacant lots. Clement added that Providence’s “anchor institutions,” such as hospitals and universities, should contribute to housing in the city. These institutions need to “contribute to a trust fund or agree to build two more graduate housing dorms or something like that. As a city, we also haven’t necessarily been as artful about that in negotiating with them.” “I think Brown and others are starting to realize they have pretty big market impacts,” Clement said. “They need to do more,” but Providence also needs to incentivize these contributions from institutions. “Providence is not just the East Providence or Downtown areas, we’re 25 neighborhoods in total,” said Rachel Robinson, director of preservation for the Providence Preservation Society. Robinson also pointed to preservation as a possible tool for helping neighborhoods unduly affected by historically low housing prices and high rates of vacancy.

In This Issue

Heritage Speaker

Naomi Kim 3

Working Out Working Out

Sydney Lo 2 Siena Capone 4

The Language of a Place Griffin Plaag 5

Lonely Arts Club Band Nicole Fegan 5

Haunted Caretaker

postCover by Lauren Marin

APR 5

VOL 23 —

ISSUE 21

FEATURE

Working Out Working Out Navigating Fitness in University By Sydney Lo Illustrated by Sabrina Arezo content warning: Mentions of over-exercise, eating disorders, body insecurity

I

t's 7:55 a.m. on a Saturday, and I’m sliding weights onto a barbell in the corner of Studio 1 of the Nelson, fidgeting with the metal clamps that keep them in place. Fitness Instructor Kay Rutherford tests the sound system while other students and community members chat and grab multicolored weights from the side of the room. “Good morning, Saturday BodyPumpers,” Kay greets us, smiling widely. “This Is What You Came For” by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna fades in. I stand and stifle a yawn, smiling at a few of the regulars. “Pick up your bars.” I follow her command and shrug my shoulders back, checking my form in one of the mirrors. Let’s get going. I began going to Saturday morning BodyPump classes during the first week of my freshman year and I’ve missed only a handful of classes in the three years since. My mom had attended BodyPump classes back home in Minnesota for years, but I had never gone with

her. It was only after I traveled more than a thousand miles away from home that I finally decided to try it. The class is taught all over the world and focuses on “light to moderate weights with lots of repetition,” according to its official website. I only used five-pound weights during my first class, but the next day I was so sore I could barely move. I began to exercise regularly on my own the summer before college. Stressed about my impending move across the country, I needed an outlet. I knew that physical activity had improved my mood in the past, and studies like “The association between exercise participation and well-being” in the journal Preventive Medicines had found that regular exercise correlates significantly with increased happiness and lower stress levels. Coincidentally, I’d also begun to watch action TV shows like Arrow and Continuum, which both kept me entertained on the treadmill and

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, Hope you all had a lovely spring break and used this time to refresh for the (rapidly approaching) end of the semester! School is officially in full swing again, if you haven't noticed. Mornings spent sleeping in have turned into all-nighters at the SciLi. Binge-watching has transformed from leisurely catching up on your favorite sitcoms to desperately consuming lecture capture. While you’re probably not thrilled about this return to the daily drudgery of school, don’t despair. The weather is getting warmer, and Spring Weekend is just around the corner. In the meantime, post- is here to welcome you back to campus. Flip through the pages of our latest issue, and let us guide you through the stressful few weeks before reading period. 2!post–

Our feature piece will inspire your newest fitness routine and help you release those stress-reducing endorphins. Narrative will encourage you to take some time out of this busy season to reflect on the power of language and its ability to shape one’s sense of belonging. Feeling the need to escape? One A&C piece endorses taking a nighttime stroll, while the other provides ambient music suggestions to transport you into the world of horror movies (still an escape from the real horror movie that is your workload postspring break). Keep your spirits high—we’re in the final stretch. Remember, post- will be here beside you through it all. Warmly,

Jasmine

Narrative Section Editor

motivated me to steel myself for the dangers of “bigcity living” (Providence, at the time, was incredibly daunting to this Midwestern small-town woman). Moreover, exercise was one of my first moves to independence; I was entirely in charge of when I exercised and what I did. Every little physical change, like being able to do another bicep curl or jog for 20 minutes straight, was a personal milestone, and I was determined not to lose my progress to the bustle of college. So the moment I learned of the Nelson’s group fitness pass during orientation, I signed up, attending my first BodyPump class a few days later. I had a great albeit exhausting time, and left inspired by the friendly instructor and my fellow participants. Along with BodyPump, I began attending cardio kickboxing, barre, and yoga classes. I ran on the treadmills on the second floor of the Nelson and lifted weights on the days I didn’t take classes. Despite

Beach Captions You Wish You Wrote 1. Where my beaches at? 2. Wanderlust *heart eyes* 3. About last night… 4. Tans fade, but memories last forever 5. Good times with better people 6. (Coco)nuts for this place 7. Felt cute, might delete this later 8. Salt in the air, sand in my hair 9. All you need is a good dose of vitamin SEA 10. i am burnt

some struggles in the first few weeks, my fitness began to improve exponentially. I increased my weights, stretched farther, and ran for longer distances. More than that, I found a community of students and instructors who were equally excited to see my progress. It was a welcome break from the pressure of academics and extracurriculars, a place where I was defined by nothing but my enthusiasm. It was also just plain fun. By the end of my first year, Studio 1 was my second home, and with a little push from an instructor, I decided it could also be a workplace. I obtained my certification in group fitness instruction from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America over the summer and began teaching my own cardio kickboxing classes during my sophomore fall, adding strength and conditioning classes in the spring. Currently, I teach three classes a week on Wednesday and Friday evenings, while also attending other instructors’ classes on the days I don’t teach. My exercise routine has brought countless benefits—improved sleep (take that, dorm party across the hall) and increased confidence, to name a couple. I share these benefits with many other students. A study of 14,804 undergraduate students conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that students who exercised for at least 20 minutes three times a week reported better moods and lower stress, and that socializing mediated some part of these benefits. Charlene Gamaldo, medical director of the John Hopkins Center for Sleep, asserts that “exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality.” A study from North Carolina State University even found that students who exercised regularly had higher GPAs and graduation rates. Of course, none of this means that exercise is a cure-all, or that I waltz around campus stress-free, but I know that college would be a lot harder for me without it. More than that, exercise has allowed me to connect with others, to learn about myself, and to grow. However, it’s important to note that exercise can also present an opportunity for dangerous, toxic mindsets to kick in. During my sophomore year, exercise became more than a fun, empowering activity; it became an obsession. Deep down, there was another reason I had wanted to exercise regularly: to look fit and to be more fit than those around me. Despite playing two varsity sports in high school, I had lagged behind most of my peers in all things physical, from strength to cardio endurance. As the chubbier member of my family and friends, I received regular, unsolicited advice on dieting, training, hiding my double chin. Exercising and getting fit in college slowly moved beyond health; it became my vengeance, as well as an attempt to permanently rid myself of my insecurities. When academic classes got harder and a family tragedy struck, exercise became the only thing I wasn’t insecure about. I began exercising more than two-and-a-half hours a day. This alone wouldn’t have been terrible—I currently exercise around an hour and 45 minutes a day, and I know many athletes work out for much longer. However, I also started intensely reducing my diet, rigorously counting my calories, and planning my meals. At my worst, I ate fewer than 1200 calories a day, compared to the 2000 calories recommended for a sedentary woman between 19 and 20 by the USDA (2400 for an active woman). In my head, I had to appear “fit”—but by fit, I really meant

unhealthily toned and skinny. In a way, I did appear “fit.” Indeed, peers said I’d never looked better. When I visited a family friend one weekend, she complimented me on how thin and healthy I appeared. A stranger said she wished she had my “naturally slimmer” figure, unaware of how much excessive effort had been put into it. But to me, “imperfections” remained no matter how many crunches or push-ups I did, like my round arms or the slight bulge of my stomach. I was frustrated that even with my diet and exercise I couldn’t make myself look how I wanted. I was miserable, always counting down to the next time I told myself I could eat or look up diet recipes and nutrition information on the internet. My issues with body image and over-exercise are not uncommon among women. Several studies (such as a 2000 study in South Australia) have found that, at a point, self-esteem actually decreases with increased exercise for women. This could be explained in part by the findings that working out for weight control and appearance, rather than health or mental improvement, is associated with decreased body satisfaction; and women are statistically more likely to exercise for weight control and appearance compared to men. This motivation has been attributed to Tomi-Ann Roberts and Barbara Fredrickson's Objectification Theory, which argues that women in Western cultures are constantly subjected to bodily objectification, causing them to unconsciously value themselves based on their appearance. This often leads to unhealthy self-surveillance via exercise and diet, as well as body shame. A 2005 study in the journal of Psychology of Sports and Exercise even found that exercising in a fitness center environment, rather than at home, heightens this body dissatisfaction. On a personal level, I knew my behavior was risky and unhealthy from the start. I had seen the PSAs and studies on eating disorders and body dysmorphia. I’d looked over articles on the dangers of dieting and uselessness of calorie counting. I’d gotten a certification in promoting healthy relationships with physical activity and eating, for crying out loud. But I didn’t look like the women featured in those warnings. I still had fat all over my body, and I still ate semiregularly. I thought I was approaching a dangerous lifestyle, not already living one. This stemmed from the popular idea that being fit or unfit is absolutely linked to weight and physical appearance—that is, if your BMI says you’re overweight, you’re unfit—even more so if you look it. However, as reducing obesity has become a national prerogative, many medical professionals and researchers have deemed that this idea is remarkably flawed. According to an article in the Huffington Post, studies have determined “that anywhere from onethird to three-quarters of people classified as obese are metabolically healthy.” Moreover, genetics have a lot to do with predisposing people’s bodies to allocate fat in certain limbs or to burn calories more or less efficiently. In particular, there are also a lot of myths about ideal female anatomy that are nearly impossible to achieve. For example, a woman cannot just “get rid” of cellulite; it exists due to the way that female bodies circulate blood through the body, and is actually theorized to help women survive longer in starvation conditions by storing fat more efficiently. It’s also difficult for women to get a flat stomach (without naturally being born with

one), because women are predisposed to store fat in their abdomens to protect their reproductive organs. I finally stopped my obsessive behaviors after my parents came to visit over Thanksgiving break and my dad told me I looked sick. When classes started back up, I decided to listen to my body, go a little easier during workouts, and make time for rest. I stopped restricting my intake and ate what I wanted when I was hungry. I stopped trying to “fix” the parts of my body that had never needed fixing in the first place. I focused on the things that had made me love exercise in the first place: reducing stress, feeling healthy, and making friends. Over a year later, exercise and teaching fitness classes are just good old-fashioned passions, a happy escape from schoolwork that brightens my day. However, the process of unlearning my restrictive behaviors has been a slow one. It took months to stop skipping lunches, to stop feeling like I had to exercise, to stop comparing my habits with those of others. Even today, I have to constantly fight the urge not to revert, to not feel shamed by eating or defined by how fit or unfit I am. I also have to deal with the residual physical effects of my excessive level of exertion, including knee issues and injuries I didn't let heal properly. Nonetheless, I try to use my expertise to advise others on how to address fitness in university (for example, please don’t exercise just to get rid of something you don’t like on your body and try to find activities that make you feel empowered instead—if jogging isn’t your thing, don’t do it). And I try to use my experiences to connect with those who have had similar struggles. It's 5:15 p.m. on a Friday, and I’m standing in front of my cardio kickboxing class, wearing my favorite gray work shirt and a microphone headset. The Spotify playlist I created blasts “Elevate” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack. I smile and hope to bring all that’s good about fitness into this class. I shrug my shoulders back and announce, “Alright, let’s get going.”

Heritage Speaker Trying to Articulate My Korean-ness by Naomi Kim Illustrated by Hanna Rashidi Before preschool, I didn’t know any English. I could only parrot the things adults said to me. Bye-bye, sweetheart. See you later. I could say yes and no without knowing what I was agreeing or disagreeing with. All I understood and spoke was Korean. Then I started preschool—a Korean-only toddler thrown into an English-only environment. My mother told me that the first few times I went, I would come home and lay still and quiet on the floor, worn out from the overwhelming experience. * Once, my mother asked me what language I dreamed in, Korean or English. I dream in English. I have no memory of ever dreaming in Korean, although when I was a child and didn’t know any English at all, I must have. Every dream that blossomed in the night must have been in Korean.

“What are they? Ear buds? Air buds? Air pods? Juul pods?” “I’m going to send out an aggressive email… It’s going to have a lot of hearts and GIFs.” april 5, 2019&3

NARRATIVE

But not so long ago, I did have a dream involving Korean. I was taking an exam, and the text—just a simple children’s story—was in Korean. I stared at the passage, stumbling through the words, seeing shapes instead of letters. I swallowed hard, my heart rate soaring. My eyes jumped from one word to the next and the minutes evaporated into nothing and isn’t this just an easy story? Come on, please, you can do this, oh God oh God oh God. * English is the language I speak and read and write—effortlessly, easily. I never have to think before words well up in my mind and spill forth from my lips. I never have to force myself to concentrate so that the marks on signposts and pages transform into words. But there’s one thing I cannot ever express, even in English. The one language I’m fluent in fails me utterly when I try to talk of being Korean, of being Korean American. It seems unfair, how little I can say, how much the words fail me, how none of them seem right at all—and this is the only language I have at my disposal. How much, then, will I never be able to articulate, even to myself? * Many nights, I stand in the stairwell in flipflops and socks, talking to my mother. I find myself using less and less Korean as the weeks go by. I start sentences and trail off, realizing that something in the structure sounds wrong. I break off in the middle of words, tripping over pronunciations. I patch the many holes in my Korean with English—or is it that I’m just inserting some Korean words and phrases into English sentences? I can’t manage to get through a whole conversation in Korean without relying on English to fill in the blanks, and some conversations—the ones where I talk about serious things, important things— have me saying everything, every word, in English. My mother reassures me every time I vent my frustrations. She tells me this is only natural, this imperfect, fading Korean, for someone who’s grown up in America—particularly in a part of America where there are hardly any Asians at all. She tells me what I speak is enough because, after all, I can still communicate with my grandparents. But I can’t help looking at the other Korean Americans I see every day, all around me at Brown, so many of them fluent and bilingual, and wondering with a bitter ache what that must be like. To be able to say everything they want to say. To have this definitive marker, this confirmation, of Korean-ness. Me, what do I have? I did not grow up with Korean church or Korean grocery stores or Korean communities or Korean traditional holidays. (Maybe this is why, after all this time, after all the confused thoughts, I still have no way to write or speak of a Korean-ness, a Korean American-ness.) All I have, it seems, is the language, and I have so precious little of it. Sometimes I wonder what kind of inheritance I’ll pass along to generations after me. What kind of broken Korean will my children speak? Will they speak it at all? Will I simply give up trying to talk to them in a 4!post–

language I myself don’t fully grasp? I imagine gathering up the bits and pieces of Korean I have and holding them in my hands, the words cracked and sharp-edged rocks—or maybe just eroding sediment and bleeding colors. A sorry kind of gift, a meager inheritance. But even worse, what if one day, all I have left are the scars from holding on too tightly or just the fading stains of crumbled earth? * Once, I asked my mother what Koreans could be proud of, aching to know what I could hold on to and value amidst my growing awareness of all the ugly parts of the society: the narrow beauty standard, the sexism and racism, the intense academic competition, the grueling work culture. My mother said to me, Hangul, and I turned away, tears suddenly springing from my eyes. Hangul, the alphabet developed by a king, that which Koreans could be proud of, the thing which eluded me. I could barely, barely, read Hangul, and writing it was nearly impossible. * If I can learn to speak and read and write Korean fluently, I tell myself, then the tension, the frustration, will sigh and melt away. Surely there is a Korean-ness somewhere inside of me, waiting to be awoken by the right words, the magic words. But nothing is as easy as that. Maybe there will always be something I cannot fully articulate, in either language, in any language, and maybe I will have to rest in the restlessness and find certainty in my uncertainty. Maybe that’s all I can ask for.

The Language of a Place Finding Fluency at Brown

By Siena Capone Illustrated by Brenda Rodriguez During my first few months at Brown, I discovered a lot of things that I wished people had told me before. I worked hard to not let these nondisclosures feel like little betrayals, redacted knowledge nesting behind the starry-eyed smiles of neighborhood parents, relatives, and others who clasped their hands and joyfully informed me: “You’re going to LOVE it!” And I do love it. Now. I think I would’ve been more willing to love it sooner if I had known about the entire pile of asterisks sitting in the bottom drawer of that sentiment. You will be homesick, and that’s okay! Orientation will be about as socially helpful as a trip to the dog park is for a goldfish! But the number one thing I wish I had known was how often in college you have no freaking idea where you’re going. And Google Maps cannot save you. Google Maps laughs at your pain as it hands you 20-minute route after 20-minute route to places that, if you were familiar with the campus, you could probably reach in fewer than 10 minutes. I’ve spoken with first-years many times now

about those precarious first weeks of walking in one direction, realizing you’re going the wrong way, and wheeling around to pass everyone you saw on the way there. You pass a guy in an orange hat as you make your way to an English seminar with a spring in your step—only to realize the class is in the exact opposite direction. You pivot, briskly passing the same guy and pretending not to notice, wondering what it's like to inhabit the part of society that knows where it’s going, that isn’t ruled by the looming automated voice of the Maps woman. The walk of shame runs deep, and it runs on nonfluency. My first month, I endlessly tried to interact with others in a language full of nuances I didn’t quite understand. College felt like a hamster ball, both a barrier and something that spun erratically out of control, a constantly turning sphere of activities I should be joining and people I wasn’t meeting. It was nauseating, on the soul level. * It’s about 10 p.m. some night in September and a wink of light comes from my phone: a message from my dad. He’s at home in Michigan, probably working or looking at tropical fish forums (long story). Ciao bellissima, come va? Okay, not hard to respond to. My thumbs momentarily hover over the keyboard before replying. Così così. E tu? Learning Italian was a disjointed road I had wandered off and swerved back onto throughout my life. My dad, born to two Italian immigrants, had persistently attempted (and been refuted by childish impatience when I was little) to make me learn the language: from him, from tutors, from the everthreatening Duolingo owl. At Brown, I took comfort in learning Italian. In a new place where every day felt farther and farther from home, studying Italian brought me closer to a piece of myself and my history. Texting in Italian wasn’t always easy. Sometimes I’d forget whether the e that means and or the e that means is has an accent (the latter, in case you were curious). I often returned begrudgingly to the mocking arms of Google Translate to figure out how to say lost my key and ID today or changing my concentration to “lost cause.” But my dad has always been patient. The fact that he tries at all is proof that he believes in me—proof that one day, we’ll find ourselves at the center of lofty cathedrals in Florence, and the language will dance out of us. No matter how long it took me, or how many mistakes I made, only two things mattered: that I listened, and that I tried again. A knock on my door. I pad over and peek out; it’s my hallmate. My old anxiety is at the door beside him. Just be yourself... But who is “myself ”? Why am I (or anyone, for that matter) expected to know and quantify myself at the age of 18? Just say you’re tired. You have work to do. You— I realized, then, that this was why I felt like I didn’t speak “the language” of this place. Because I had

ARTS&CULTURE "The colored shoes, the empty trains"

reduced it to just that—one language. A language that I could hardly hear over my own rigid expectations of what life here should be. I had tuned out every effort of this place to communicate with me: the bass of the party next door, the din of the V-Dub, the smiles of people who I had dismissed as “not here to stay” before I even waited to see if they did. We’re all here, trying to learn the language of this place—regardless of whether we are first-years or seniors. Trying to tie ourselves to some notion of home with giant (sometimes blue) bear statues and ugly libraries and ridiculously good muffins. This place speaks to us; we may never hear, or let ourselves hear, but it keeps trying. In the months that would follow, it spoke to me through people I can’t imagine not knowing now. I had to start adding accents to e's, even if it meant mixing up and with is sometimes. The importance was in trying, even if I didn’t know whether I’d be right every time. It didn’t matter if I walked the wrong way by a long shot. Because the sidewalk wasn’t going anywhere. I could always, always turn around. No matter how long it takes me, or how many mistakes I make, only two things matter: that I listen, and that I try again. My phone lights up. Un abbraccio grande grande. Even if I hadn’t known what the words meant, I would’ve felt it anyway. My dad's great big hug, conveyed in a small gray bubble. I open the door.

Lonely Arts Club Band Cultural Picks for Late Night By Griffin Plaag Illustrated by Gaby Trevino

And then there’s the profoundly unsettling stuff, the art that exposes the dark underbelly of urban life. Check out the photography of Nan Goldin, and try looking at the fellow lonely souls wandering the gumchoked streets the same way you used to. It won’t work, I promise. Walk the residential areas under the dappled light of the neighborhood trees and listen to Cat Power’s Moon Pix and imagine feeling happy again (the secret: you won’t be able to). Pull up a Basic Channel EP, and let the cold metalloid of the throbbing bass remind you just how much concrete and steel which is still sitting on a shelf in my room, grimy and

and glass there is all around you, all separating people

unassuming, full of the mad scribbling of an artist).

from each other, from the land, from themselves. And

Without wasting any time, she roped me into jumping

can you really listen to Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The

the wrought iron fence around the massive concrete

Killing Moon” without feeling as though you’ve just

statue of Roger Williams. Narrowly escaping death,

murdered someone under the light of a full moon? I

we took a seat to its right, the wind rising up from the

think not. But even these disquieting experiences can

glittering lights of the city and brushing our cheeks

be a comfort; independent and alone in the world for

with the slight chill exclusive to early September.

the first time in our lives, this art allows us college

She fired up the speaker, I pressed play on the list of

students to engage with our surroundings. It’s an

music I’d thrown together, and we settled in next to

avenue of expression for all that isolation; it is, in

each other with the tentative closeness of strangers

friendless times, a companion, a place to turn.

to listen to “The Downtown Lights” by the Blue Nile—a neon-washed, late-’80s, sophisti-pop song

"I’m tired of crying on the stairs"

I was familiar with but had never fully appreciated

But for all of you, you fellow lonely souls of

until this particular moment. The latticed grid of

Providence (and I know you’re all lonely—has anyone

the city spread out before me, the Seekonk winding

else read the Blueno Bears Admirers pages lately?), I

lazily by under the glimmering blues, the red of

have one central recommendation: Take a night walk this

the Biltmore facade visible on the hairline of the

week, if you feel comfortable. Bring your headphones.

darkening horizon, the distant cupolas of Federal

Find a place to camp out—follow in my footsteps and

Hill resplendent and gold. It was at this moment, the

head to Prospect Park, wander the neighborhoods to the

warmth of her shoulder faintly present next to mine,

north, take a seat on the quay down by the Seekonk. Bring

the Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan waxing poetic about

a book or a collection of poetry, if you like. Be nocturnal.

the emptiness of the twilight city, that I fell in love.

Be alive. Stop for a moment and absorb your singularity

Not with her, mind you—with the night.

amid a collection of blank buildings, under a canopy of mute stars, accompanied by only a few small artistic

"Chimney tops and trumpets"

weapons to stave off the silence of solitude, and be glad

Since that evening, the malign indifference

that you are here. If you make the night your friend, you

shown by the city to its inhabitants hasn’t seemed

can conquer anything—even college. And that’s saying

quite so daunting. Indeed, the network of roads west

something.

of College Hill suddenly beckoned to me, but only past

"The neons and the cigarettes"

sunset. You see, there’s a vast wealth of art designed,

When I arrived at Brown University three years

in part, for lonely people, and a lot of its power is only

ago, I didn’t have friends. I mean, I’d had friends —

activated in the dead of the night. Which is not to say

past tense—but here, immured in the red brick walls

it’s all suited for the same mood; wandering the city

of a main green, under the skyline of an alien city, I felt

after watching David Lynch’s masterpiece Mulholland

completely and utterly alone. Sure, there were plenty

Drive is bound to evoke a sense of profound horror

of orientation events designed to get me to go out and

when one contemplates the glittering highrises, but

actually meet people, but, cynically, I eschewed those

the same walk set to DJ Shadow’s “plunderphonics”

functions on the pretext that they were superficial

magnum opus Endtroducing..... is more likely to make

and vapid. Which...was probably true, but it didn’t

the shadowy figures of workers on the wharf seem

make the decision to hang back in my room any less

entrancing and beautiful (seriously though, if you

ill-advised.

haven’t listened to “Midnight in a Perfect World” at

"The downtown lights..."

Haunted Caretaker

The Shining, Ambient Music, and Forgetting By Nicole Fegan illustrated by Ashley Hernandez

night on a city street once in your life, you’ve been "Rented shoes and rented cars"

doing it wrong). All of it, though, belongs to the hours

In those first few months of social flailing,

after dusk when the shadows have deepened and the

I only did one thing right. A girl in my hall had

lights have blinked out on the storefronts.

posted a collection of music recommendations on a whiteboard outside her room. A complete sucker

"The golden lights, the loving prayers"

for people with moderately artsy music taste, I slid a

Not all night-wanderer art is necessarily subdued

note under her door hoping it’d net me what all those

and isolating. Throw on “Drive Slow” from Kanye

orientation gatherings couldn’t: a friend. Somehow,

West’s Late Registration and cruise the streets in your

this uncharacteristic embrace of carpe diem actually

beater of a car. Trust me, it’ll make you feel supremely

paid off. A reply letter turned up with instruction to

alive. Pick up a copy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney

meet at Prospect Park and bring a playlist with me,

Island of the Mind, and read it under a streetlight as

and, only a few days into my college experience, I

the taxis drive by, their passengers silhouetted in the

found myself ambling along the sidewalk under the

grimy windows. Tell me you don’t love this country

velvet sky to meet up with someone whose face I’d

just a little bit more after doing that. Hell, I wandered

never seen—all because she was cool enough to tell

out of an art gallery the other week after looking at

people to listen to Belle & Sebastian.

René Magritte’s L’Empire des Lumieres and felt as though I’d never really seen light before; suddenly,

"The crowded streets, the empty bars"

the interplay of the stars and the headlights and the

When I got to Prospect Park she was waiting

“open” signs in the windows of Chinese restaurants

there with a Bluetooth speaker and a small black notebook of poetry that she gave to me to keep (and

all seemed a part of a beautiful dance.

The first time I ever watched The Shining, it was well past midnight. I was wedged in between my best friends on a couch in a New Hampshire cabin, the stars alight outside. This was last December—during a brief weekend respite amid finals week, when I could concern myself with nothing but the sound of ping-pong balls hitting the table and the solace of cigarette smoke on the porch. Our first evening there, we foolishly threw on Kubrick’s famous horror movie on the small, old-fashioned, box-style television. I was a newbie to the world of horror movies, so I expected a vapid story—an excuse for jump scares and gore. Instead, I encountered the harrowing tale of Jack Torrance—a man fighting his alcoholismridden past, hoping to move on and make life better for his family. A caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel is supposed to be his fresh start, but the hotel doesn’t work like that—it taps into the ghosts you are trying to forget and swallows you whole if you aren’t strong enough to fend it off. I found myself clinging to every scene, wanting to inhabit the walls of the Overlook april 5, 2019&5

ARTS&CULTURE so I could hear what the spirits whispered at night. I wanted to enter the ballroom and sit at the bar with Jack as the nighttime danced around us. The eerie universe of the film called to me like the hotel itself, begging me to spend a night there, leave something of myself behind, and come back again soon. I spent most of winter break thinking about it, wondering what the Overlook would dig up about me if it ever had the chance. One night back on campus the following January, hoping to fill the empty space of my room as I did a philosophy reading, I decided to play an album that I’d been meaning to listen to for months—An Empty Bliss Beyond This World by The Caretaker, a.k.a. ambient musician Leyland Kirby. Though I’d later learn that Kirby chose this name as a reference to Jack Torrance’s job at the Overlook, my selection at the time was pure coincidence (with ambient artists having names like A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Ricky Eat Acid, there’s simply no time to dissect every name you encounter). So understand that when I found myself transported back to the Overlook within the first few moments of the album, I was completely unprepared. Once again, I was dancing with ghosts at the edge of the universe as the snow outside laughed coldly on. This was not music I would be able to blindly absorb while reading some Noam Chomsky. This was music for letting the deepest side of myself take hold—the part that daydreams about being the last person left alive on Earth as music somehow rises from the rubble. Since 1999, Kirby has been making hauntingly evocative ambient music that attempts to mirror the aesthetic of The Shining’s famous ballroom scene. And I’m not being speculative; his first album is literally named Selected Memories From the Haunted Ballroom. The music of his early projects is composed primarily of samples from 1930s ballroom jazz music, manipulated to sound staticy and far away. It is unsettling and captivating, and though it almost verges on artistic thievery (the music is not even his own, but borrowed for his personal aesthetic project), it is so damn effective that I don’t care if it’s not wholly original. I discovered something else upon listening to this album and exploring The Caretaker further: I had arrived just as he was nearing the end of his story. In 2016, Kirby announced on his Bandcamp page that he was embarking on a six-album journey called Everywhere at the End of Time, to be released in stages over the next few years, tracking the progression of dementia—not in himself, but in the fictionalized Caretaker alter-ego. What had begun for Kirby as a fixation with the ghosts of the Overlook turned into an expression of what the hotel embodies—who we are, what we leave behind, and what we have left. Kirby was

going to become The Caretaker, fully and completely, until there was nothing left of himself to give. Stages 1-5 had already been released, and Stage 6 was slated to come out in March. I had arrived just in time to watch The Caretaker die. But Kirby was going to be kinder than the hotel: The Overlook brought Jack Torrance’s demons back from the dead and consumed him whole, never allowing him to escape. Kirby was going to show us The Caretaker’s memories, and then let him slowly forget, and forget, and forget. The journey begins rather simply in Stage 1: The ballroom music that I had grown to love is present in full force, hardly manipulated at all. Stage 1 doesn’t feel like memories—it feels like life is still happening, simply, plainly, right in front of you. Artistically, this rehash of Kirby’s old themes is kind of cheap, but at the back of my mind, I know that this will all come crashing down, and I cling to every note I am able to hear clearly. Stage 2 leaves me speechless; the sampled songs are heart-wrenching, and the audio is the perfect level of hazy and brooding, never letting me get too comfortable. By Stage 3, the ballroom schtick feels almost like a crutch, like Kirby doesn’t know where else to go from here. The music is fuzzy and further away. I know the descent from here on out will be full of a chaos that the music will never recover from, but I am ready. Stage 4 begins with two tracks, both entitled “Post Awareness Confusions.” The melodies are becoming obscured, replaced by harsh, horrific noise that makes me long for the serenity of the stages I had been so ready to leave. Unlike previous stages, there are not dozens of tracks on Stage 4; instead, four tracks compose an 87-minute-long horror show of an album. Stage 5 is more of the same, adding to the chaotic crescendo of forgetting who you are and forgetting

“Featuring disturbingly high-resolution penguins and promises of ‘non-stop action!’, it was a blatant bid by Disney to transfer the charms of Club Penguin to a more profitable medium.” - Joshua Lu, “A Penguin at the End of the World” 4.6.17

“What we had taken for granted—a cup of tea—was transformed into a political prop. The liquid was no longer an infusion of herbs but a crossgrounds, a battlefield, melding the natural and the machine, ambiguously pure and toxic.” - Tal Frieden, “Cyborgs, Not Goddesses” 3.23.18

6!post–

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Anita Sheih a FEATURE Managing Editor Sydney Lo Section Editors Kathy Luo Sara Shapiro Staff Writers Sarah Lettes Caroline Ribet ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Julian Towers Section Editors Griffin Plaag Emily Teng Staff Writers Rob Capron Kaela Hines Pia Mileaf-Patel

who you have been and wanting, desperately, to find yourself again. I finish Stage 5 two days before Stage 6 is meant to be released, fully expecting an album of pure sonic terror. All Kirby has revealed is this: "Stage 6 is without description.” It is now March. Stage 6 is released, and out of the madness emerges an unexpectedly sparse atmosphere, only the faintest remembrance of melody haunting the backgrounds of the hollowed tracks. I turn the lights off and let the music fill the space between my dorm room walls for an hour and a half. I shut my eyes as any lasting trace of the ballroom fades into obscurity and an hour passes and then a sudden nothing and I gasp—the needle audibly falls off the record, and there is nothing but silent static. And somehow, there are still seven minutes of the album remaining. As those final minutes play through my laptop speakers, the world outside stops. A faint cough is heard in the background of the track. A soft piano melody is introduced, a hazy and obstructed chorus entering a few moments later. At the end of everything, the ethereal takes over, and the final minute is pure silence—wholly without static. As I listen to The Caretaker die, I experience a melancholy so profound that it feels like soaring. Leyland Kirby does not know exactly how it feels to die, and neither do I, but I know that when he first encountered the Overlook Hotel he had the same paralyzing realization that I did: We want our ghosts to leave us alone, but we’re afraid of who we are without them. Kirby knew what the Overlook would reveal about him and decided that forgetting and losing everything was the better bliss. The Caretaker may be dead, but as Kirby says: May the ballroom remain eternal. NARRATIVE Managing Editor Celina Sun Section Editors Liza Edwards-Levin Jasmine Ngai Staff Writers Danielle Emerson Abbie Hui Naomi Kim Anneliese Mair Kahini Mehta

SOCIAL MEDIA Caleigh Aviv Camila Pavon HEAD ILLUSTRATOR Rémy Poisson BUSINESS LIAISON Saanya Jain

CO-LAYOUT CHIEFS Jacob Lee Nina Yuchi COPY CHIEF Layout Designers Amanda Ngo Amy Choi Assistant Copy Editors Steve Ju Sonya Bui Nicole Fegan WEB MASTER Mohima Sattar Jeff Demanche

Want to be involved? Email: post@browndailyherald.com!

NEWS

PAGE 9 • FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Mayor Elorza rescinds support for water monetization Water monetization drew community backlash, worries about rate hikes, water quality By ISABEL INADOMI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Mayor Jorge Elorza withdrew his support from his original legislative proposal to monetize the water supply for the city of Providence Thursday. The Municipal Water Supply Systems Transaction Act, intended to address the city’s pension debt, has faced backlash from communities throughout the state that are worried the bill would raise water rates, The Herald previously reported. After holding three community meetings about the bill throughout March, Elorza asked General Assembly sponsors of the bill to withdraw the versions of the legislation currently in the House and Senate. “The feedback we received from stakeholders helped us understand that the community had

» FASHION, from page 1 “is a collaborative ethnography of Italian-Chinese ventures in the fashion industry that we hope offers a new methodology for the study of transnational capitalism in a global era,” Rofel said. Rofel and Yanagisako emphasize an interdisciplinary approach in their investigation of capitalism. “We refuse to treat the economic as a domain separate from the social, cultural and historical. We emphasize instead this way in which different life projects that are not always recognized as economic converge together with the way accumulation and wealth emerges,” Rofel said. Her research had consequences beyond the classroom. While working on the project, Rofel had to step up her own fashion game. “I did have to start learning how to dress for this project,” she admitted to laughter. Rofel began her research in China in 1984, in the Hangzhou silk district, “just as economic reform was taking off in China’s urban center.” Rofel “witnessed the devolution of central planning, the ability of state-run silk factories to profit, the beginnings of hiring migrant labor and the desires of young urban factory workers to leave the factory and become small household businesses.” She “was interested in finding out what was happening to women workers in the context of this economic reform.” At the same time, Yanagisako initiated research on “family firms in the silk industry” in Como, Italy. On the Italian end, “anxieties about competition from China were already pervasive,” Rofel said. Rofel illustrated cultural tensions between Italian and Chinese fashion industrialists by describing anecdotes

significant questions and deep concerns about this proposal,” Elorza wrote in a newsletter. Victor Morente, spokesperson for Elorza, added that “we also heard some environmental concerns” and that residents wanted more clarity on the legislation. Gillian Kiley, an activist who previously spoke out against water monetization in Providence, said that the community meetings showcased a lack of support for the bill. “A few people raised their hands indicating they supported the legislation, but an overwhelming majority opposed it and a few noted they were undecided,” Kiley wrote in an email to The Herald. In particular, members of The Land and Water Sovereignty Campaign worked to raise community support against the legislation. They “started a petition, met with city and state legislators, consulted with policy writers, environmental engineers, and a range of community groups and indigenous groups,” Kiley wrote. Leaders of the group, Cristina Cabrera and John Gonzalez, are both members of Native

American tribes and have been working closely with those communities, according to Kiley. In terms of addressing the city’s debt, Elorza is “still open to looking at our options,” Morente said. Addressing the $1 billion pension obligation has been a key point in Elorza’s administration. They are in the process of “organizing more community conversations, and those will be focusing on alternate or other forms of ways or options that we might be able to tackle this,” Morente said. Elorza stressed the importance of collaboration between both residents and administrators in combating the city’s financial problems. “We want to ensure that we take our next steps to address Providence’s long-term finances together, as a city,” he wrote in the newsletter. Kiley commended Elorza’s decision to withdraw his support from the bill. “I think that it is difficult for political leaders to change their positions on public issues, but that doing so in this case is an act of leadership,” she wrote.

from her fieldwork. She has observed from interactions with fashion industrialists that “Italian-Chinese collaborations are a series of ongoing negotiations – not always smooth.” Foreigners were not permitted to make direct arrangements with textile factories in China until the early ‘90s. Once they could, “Chinese companies were, in fact, vigorously searching for foreign production and trade partners.” But “at the same time, silk began a precipitous decline.” The ‘90s saw China’s market economy explode as a “sea change” swept the country, Rofel explained. The growth prompted “the emergence of a new middle class who have embraced the state’s fostering of consumerism — including the consumption of Italian fashion.” But the growth also exacerbated inequalities, including and beyond rural-urban divisions. “The overwhelming majority of workers in the factories that produce Italian fashion clothing, as in other sectors, are migrants from the countryside,” she said. “Multinational corporations, along with the involvement of various Chinese government agencies and independent entrepreneurs have together produced the horrendous working conditions these migrants experience.” Workers are erratically paid per the piece of clothing they produce, she added — meaning some days they are not paid at all. “China grapples with being both the sweatshop of the world and with searching for natural resources to fuel economic growth,” she added. Rofel also shared pieces of her own history with the audience. She recalled coming to Brown the first year Pembroke merged with the rest of the University, when History concentrators

were still required to study Europe. In her studies of China at the University, Rofel’s professors taught her that in China, the sense of historical consciousness runs deeper than it does in the United States. These amount to “real differences in ways that we grapple with history,” she added. Ji Soo Hong is a second-year PhD student in History at the University. She usually tries to come to the East Asia Colloquium lectures, and yesterday’s “subject was really interesting, because I’m also really interested in transnational capitalism,” which is connected to her studies, she said. Her friend, an anthropologist, had informed her about the talk, and she jumped at the chance “to meet a really prestigious scholar” who shares her academic interests. Nathaniel Conrad ’19 concentrates in East Asian Studies and presented his thesis in a previous Colloquium, which also discussed multi-sited ethnographies. “I came here with some questions about her and her fellow researcher’s seemingly unique method of approaching issues of capitalism, and I was really impressed … about how they approached capitalism from a very humanistic perspective,” he said. “It’s really important to be always humanizing as much as possible … sort of abstract concepts like capitalism. You could definitely approach it by way of models. You could make very sophisticated models, and I think many have been made. But what’s very important about this kind of research … It can provide a little more of a glimpse of how these larger systems affect individuals, so that policymakers can understand them a little better and hopefully write better policies.”

» LEAD, from page 1 properties can evade lead inspection through loopholes in the Lead Hazard Mitigation Act — which has relaxed regulation on owner occupied, elder zoned and temporary properties. In one of yesterday’s cases, a lead count was dismissed after the property was discovered to be owner occupied. KellyAnn Cameron, a member of Childhood Lead Action Project, lives in an apartment in the same building as its owner and as a result, her home does not need a lead certificate. “It’s still important to get lead abated and be aware and be doing inspections,” she said. While Cameron does have a personal stake in lead code enforcement, her frequent appearances in lead court are on behalf of a greater constituency. She maintains a presence in the courthouse for the Childhood Lead Action Project, keeping tabs on current cases involving lead violations and how the city is dealing with them. She notes trends in the hearings and flags cases of interest, such

as those involving recurring property owners or tenant-occupied properties. “The big thing that we often are looking at is how people are talking about lead in the court,” Cameron said. “How is the judge talking about it, how is the assistant city solicitor, how are the banks, the lawyers, the owners, … how are they phrasing the lead issues?” Many cases in lead court end with abatement, making Providence homes safer for tenants. Yesterday, four cases were dismissed for having had all counts abated. “People are doing what they’re supposed to,” Rampone said after a series of dismissals. “That makes me happy.” Still, Brion emphasized the need to remain vigilant in the prevention of lead poisoning across all of Providence. “It’s really important for us to not rest on our laurels and brag about what a great lead poisoning prevention system we have … when it’s painfully obvious that there are plenty of people … who are falling through the cracks of the system as it exists,” Brion said.

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COMMENTARY PAGE 10 • FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

EDITORIAL

Elections at Brown have improved, but not enough Just before spring break, the student body voted in new representatives to the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board. William Zhou ’20 defeated two challengers with 50.1 percent of the vote to become the next UCS president, while Julian DeGeorgia ’20 was narrowly elected the next UFB chair with 51.9 percent of the vote. The Brown Divest student coalition’s referendum that was attached to the ballot — widely discussed around campus in weeks approaching the election — was supported by approximately 69 percent of students who voted on the question. Last year, The Herald’s editorial page board critiqued the UCS and UFB election process — referencing low voter turnout, a rushed timeline and conflict of interest in debate moderation. A year later, elections at Brown have improved in a number of ways: more candidates ran, more students voted and as a result, the election process was more representative of the student body. While we applaud these developments, there remain a number of aspects of this year’s election that must be addressed in order for UCS and UFB to adequately reflect the student body. Specifically, we find the recent changes to the elections code insufficient, reminders to vote lacking and, regrettably, the phrasing of the referendum inconsistent with standards set by polling experts. As students of the University, we want nothing more than for our student government to improve; it is in this earnest desire that we offer these critical appraisals and suggest potential remedies. It is important to acknowledge the

improvements of this year’s student government elections before focusing on the shortcomings that persist. Forty-four percent of students voted in this year’s election, a substantial increase from the 36 percent who voted in 2018, the 20 percent in 2017 and the 29 percent in 2016. This year’s elections also improved with regards to the number of candidates running for executive level positions. This year, three candidates ran for UCS president and two for vice president, while two candidates vied for UFB chair and three for vice chair. Fewer students have vied for these highly significant positions in the most recent past, and in some instances, like in 2017, some candidates ran unopposed. We are heartened by these improvements and see them as a step in the right direction toward enhancing democratic representation of the student body. Thanks to increased voter turnout, this year’s election process included greater student voice in the voting process; and with more candidates vying for these positions, the election highlighted a greater variety of interests, backgrounds and identities. We are hopeful that candidate and voter participation in our student government’s election process will continue to grow, thereby affording the elected representatives an increased sense of legitimacy on campus. However, though UCS implemented a number of changes to the elections code before this year’s elections, its effectiveness at improving voting rates and the number of candidates vying for chair positions seem limited. Most notably, all four UCS chair positions were uncontested in this year’s elec-

tion, signaling a decrease in competitiveness from three contested races in 2018. This unfortunate turn comes in spite of UCS’s effort to encourage students to run for UCS chair positions by decreasing the number of signatures required to declare candidacy from 200 to 100. Further, the other changes to the elections code — though important — were too limited in scope to provide widespread change. Permitting students on leave and abroad to vote was long overdue but is unlikely to generate, on its own, the significant voter turnout needed to make Brown student government elections more representative. Our institutional practices should yield voter turnout far above 44 percent. Furthermore, we take issue with the wording of this year’s divest referendum, which failed to give students an opportunity to vote on an unbiased question. Most flagrantly, the question violated a key tenant of polling by containing a “double-barreled” question — requiring one answer to two separate questions. The resolution asks “should the Brown University administration divest all stocks, funds, endowment, and other monetary instruments from companies complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine” and also asks if University administration should “establish a means of implementing financial transparency and student oversight of the University’s investments?” These questions are quite clearly distinct — one focuses on Palestinian human rights while the other asks about transparency — which makes the results difficult to assess and draw conclusions from, according to guidelines set by the

Pew Research Center and many other groups. In addition, the referendum includes leading language; phrases such as “human rights abuses,” the “Israeli military occupation” and “violent acts” are clearly non-neutral and therefore can naturally lead respondents to a certain conclusion. As Survey Monkey writes, “Questions should never be worded in a way that’ll sway the reader to one side of the argument.” We recognize and appreciate UCS for asking students about divestment, but the inherent value of including the question was likely undermined by its suggestive language. Looking forward, we believe UCS can implement changes to the elections code that would improve crucial aspects of its election process. To increase voter turnout, UCS should consider physical voting booths during ballot dates as an extra method of collecting votes. Carefully located booths — one in Faunce Arch, for example — could provide a visual reminder for students to vote. UCS should also increase the length of its election; this year’s election — from campaign announcements to final votes — spanned under two weeks. Extending the length of the election would allow candidates more opportunities to express their positions to voters and generate interest in the election. Finally, UCS should consider further improvements to its moderating structure. While we believe UCS granting The Herald a moderating seat at this year’s candidate debate was a critical step toward a more impartial debate structure, we remain concerned that the current leaders of UCS continue to

be moderators. As we wrote last year, though UCS executives are certainly well-intentioned, “the conflict of interest inherent to such an arrangement — even the most magnanimous of presidents have an incentive to implicitly support the candidate most likely to preserve their legacy — seriously jeopardizes the very purpose of a candidate debate.” Instead, a panel of student journalists from an array of student-led media sources should serve as moderators. This is not an extreme notion: despite certain dysfunctionalities of the U.S. elections process, the sitting president of the United States does not moderate the debate for their successors, but leaves it to journalists to question candidates under impartial scrutiny. If UCS truly seeks to become more representative of the University’s student body, it should not be complacent with this year’s upticks and should continue to implement election reforms to increase voter turnout, breadth of candidacy and neutrality of ballot language. Perhaps then would more students be interested in their student government and its activity — a sentiment not reflected in the Herald’s 2019 poll, in which 49.9 percent of students polled had “no opinion” on the way UCS handles its job.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Grace Layer ’20 and Krista Stapleford ’21, and its members, Elisheva Goldberg ’22, Eduard Muñoz-Suñé ’20 and Riley Pestorius ’21. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

CORRECTION The April 4 article “‘Your Ocean, My Ocean’ explores environmentalism” stated that John Crawford is the associate professor of dance and media arts at UCI. In fact, he is a professor and associate dean in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UCI. The Herald regrets the error.

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COMMENTARY FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019 • PAGE 11

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Final Four preview GEORGE KLEIN SPORTS COLUMNIST The college basketball season has revolved around Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils. Williamson captured the attention of sports fans around the country with his incredible dunks, blocks and force of will. But the surprising elimination of Duke at the hands of Michigan State has left a void in the NCAA Tournament. What is left to watch in this Duke-less Final Four? Fortunately for us, an abundance of top talent remains on the Spartans, Texas Tech University, University of Virginia and Auburn University squads. The last three games of the season should be battles, but who will take home the crown? Let’s start with those Michigan State Spartans, who defeated Duke in the Elite Eight. Under Tom Izzo, the team resembles an “old-school” college basketball team — no oneand-done players and a group of upperclassmen who know each other’s tendencies inside and out. Izzo is looking for his second national championship, and beating Duke, his long time nemesis, was a big step in the right direction. Cassius Winston, a gritty junior point guard who gets the job done, leads Michigan State. He uses herky-jerky movements to throw defensive players off balance, scoring at will even

if it may not look pretty. The key for the Spartans may be Nick Ward, a junior with an injured left hand. He provided a major post presence for Michigan State this season, but has had trouble adapting to his new hand brace, missing plenty of open shots. Texas Tech will present an enormous challenge for Michigan State. The Red Raiders will use plenty of Jarrett Culver, a projected top-seven pick in June’s NBA draft. The

overcome Texas Tech with Winston at the helm. A college basketball veteran, he won’t be shaken by the Red Raiders as easily as some of Texas Tech’s earlier tournament targets. I’m expecting the Spartans to emerge from this side of the bracket. But who will win the other semifinal to face Michigan State in Monday’s championship game? Virginia is the favorite. We all know that the Cavaliers became the first one seed

to dispatch Gardner-Webb, Oregon and Purdue so far, and they are still in the Final Four. Watch out. Auburn can accurately be called the year’s most unexpected Final Four team. They’ve already defeated Kansas, UNC and Kentucky, so Virginia certainly won’t scare them. The Tigers survived the absence of Chuma Okeke (to a torn ACL) last game, but as time goes on, Auburn will miss its best player more and more. The Tigers relied on guards

What is left to watch in this Duke-less Final Four? Fortunately for us, an abundance of top talent remains.

sophomore possesses dynamic athleticism, which stands out on defense, where his long arms and supreme jumping ability threaten any offensive player who seeks to make a move toward the basket. The entire Texas Tech team wants to limit offense. The Red Raiders muck up the game, slowing the pace down and forcing teams to grind for every bucket. Texas Tech would love to see a game with scoring in the 50s: ugly basketball, but tremendously effective at rattling and frustrating opponents. In the end, Michigan State can

in tournament history to lose to a sixteen seed last year. But this season’s group has returned hungrier and better overall. Kyle Guy is prone to inconsistency, but when he gets on a scoring roll, he becomes virtually impossible to stop. De’Andre Hunter will be picked in the NBA draft and provides a stabilizing force for the Cavaliers on both ends — able to guard opposing teams’ best players and calm Virginia’s offense with a steady scoring touch. The Cavaliers haven’t even played their best basketball yet. They have struggled

Jared Harper and Bryce Brown against Kentucky, with no one else providing much scoring punch. UVA, using the famed pack line defense, will allow Harper and Brown to shoot three-pointers. If enough go in, then Auburn can win. But if Harper and Brown go cold for any extended stretch, the Tigers will have trouble keeping up. Still, Auburn is used to this — the team has prioritized three-point shooting this entire season and has made enough shots throughout the tournament. They just need the magic to last for two more games.

I expect Virginia to win, though. For the Auburn Tigers, the loss of Okeke and a return to the mean in shooting percentage spell danger. Virginia is the more complete team, with a number of players who can contribute on offense, serving them better in the long run than Auburn’s current one-dimensional scoring style. Harper and Brown will need to play almost perfectly for Auburn to put up enough points to win against the Cavaliers. That means we have Michigan State against Virginia in the championship game — a battle of two heavyweights. I’m picking the Spartans to win. I have more trust that they will bring their best Monday night. Virginia always seems to disappoint in big moments, so will their propensity to choke come into play? If anyone can solve UVA’s pack line defense, it’s Winston, who will poke and prod to find holes. When the game reaches the final minutes, no one on Virginia can match Winston’s ability on offense. Taking all of this into account, it seems probable that the Spartans will capture another championship.

George Klein ’20 can be reached at george_klein@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Is it always a privilege to travel for spring break? JORDAN ALLUMS STAFF COLUMNIST Based on the Instagram feeds of countless Brown students, it seemed as if many of us dispersed to one of three locations for spring break: Spain, Mexico or California. In the torturous weeks leading up to break, we longed for the moment at which we could abandon Brown’s demanding schedule and morph into more carefree versions of ourselves. Indeed, vacationing has long been a quintessential aspect of spring break culture. The week-long respite from school is sensationalized as an opportunity to gather a group of friends and explore an exciting new city. It could be that spring break trips are a subcategory of college culture more broadly. The break is just one part of a four-year period that is expected to be the most adventurous and liberating of our lives. By now it has been recognized that mainstream spring break culture can be a toxic subject. This is especially true in the context of social media, in which we curate our feeds to display only the most fascinating segments of our lives, including our vacations. On the other hand, there will always be students who opt either to go home for spring break or not travel at all. For some of these individuals, seeing snapshots of others’ travels can make them feel inadequate. In other words, if one is not going on vacation for spring break, they might feel as if they are losing an opportunity to create a meaningful youth experience. Wealth and class play an important role in

who gets to enjoy the “typical” spring break experience. Vacations are undoubtedly more accessible to those with substantial disposable income. At the same time, traveling may now be slightly more accessible across socioeconomic classes. For example, it is easier for a group of friends to save money by splitting lodging, food and transportation costs. However, these costs, in addition to expensive flights, still add up and pose a barrier to traveling. Shortly before break, an anonymous user on Dear Blueno expressed a similar sentiment: “If you’re going home or away for spring break, then you’re privileged.

whom I shared the costs of our Airbnb, food and transportation. Even so, throughout the week I was concerned about running out of money. When this eventually did happen, and I had to request more funds from my parents, I had to be mindful of the bills and other responsibilities they had at home. Upon returning from break, I was completely out of money until the following Friday, when I was paid again. In light of these considerations, I was hesitant to count myself among those wealthy enough to go on vacation without it putting a dent in their disposable income.

There is a difference between a student who saves money over a long period of time to afford a vacation and one who has the funds readily available to pay for a trip with ease.

It really sucks for those that can’t and have to stay here. Please be mindful of that when asking about spring break plans.” As a moderate-income student, I initially had reservations about being included under the label of “privileged,” due to the fact that I happened to be going on a trip for break. After all, the ability to afford a vacation for myself or any other low-to-moderate income student is a much different process than that of a wealthy student. I had never traveled abroad before this spring break. The trip I took to Mexico was partly made possible by traveling with friends, with

On the other hand, whenever I was running low on money during break, I could rely on my parents to lend me the funds for food or a souvenir. Moreover, after break, my parents transferred even more cash to my checking account to last until I received my next check. Whenever I refrained from asking my parents for financial assistance, it was mostly my personal preference not to depend on them to subsidize my vacation. Furthermore, I was fortunate to be able to allocate the majority of my most recent check from my part-time job to my trip rather than to basic necessities. Overall, the fact that

my parents still assume most financial responsibility for me is a privilege that allowed me to use my personal income solely for recreational purposes. In addition, that privilege enabled me to depend on my parents even after my own resources ran out. My particular privileges do not negate the wealth disparities at Brown. I maintain that vacations are more accessible and carefree for wealthy students who can spend money without worrying about exhausting their resources. What I am arguing is that if we are to be critical of the privilege inherent in spring break vacations, the definition of privilege must be nuanced. In my case, I recognize that it is a privilege to be able to allocate my personal income toward a vacation rather than toward basic needs. However, there is a difference between a student who saves money over a long period of time to afford a vacation and one who has the funds readily available to pay for a trip with ease. Some of us are privileged in more areas of our lives and to a higher degree than others. Those disparities merit critique. At the same time, every student, regardless of class, is capable of identifying their set of privileges whether they are large or small in number. Of course, this can be done while still respecting the differences between socioeconomic classes.

Jordan Allums ’21 can be reached at jordan_allums@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019

Masood ’19 wins First Team Men’s Foil to close out college career

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Masood, a two time NCAA Championships qualifier and captain of Brown’s men’s fencing team, closed out his college career with a 93.33 win percentage and 28-2 record. He was previously NFC’s Men’s Rookie of the Year in 2016 and has won All-Ivy honors. For his performances this season, Masood has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.

Senior captures fourth NFC All-Star title to cap accomplished career, closes with 28-2 record By AMELIA SPALTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fencing Captain Umar Masood ’19 took home First Team Men’s Foil with a 93.33 win percentage and a 28-2 record to close out his college career Saturday. Masood also boasts three prior NFC All-Star titles. Since winning the NFC’s Men’s Rookie of the Year in 2016, he has qualified twice for the NCAA Championships and has earned All-Ivy honors. Before coming to Brown, Masood fenced for the Rochester Fencing Club and competed at the USA Fencing National Championships. For his outstanding performances this season, Masood has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. Herald: Congratulations on your fourth NFC Championship title!

What does this victory mean for you and for the team? Masood: We compete in the Northeast Fencing Conference. A lot of our really big rivals are in that region, like Boston College and Brandeis (University). We’ve struggled a lot in the last few years to get any really big wins there. This weekend, (we ended up) getting six fencers being NFC All-Stars — a lot were repeat All-Stars — so that was really cool. We had great contributions from our outgoing senior class and a lot of freshmen really stepped up too. For me to be NFC champion was a really good way to end my senior season, so I was happy about that. How did you first get into fencing? The Olympic training center used to be right down the street from me. One of my older sister’s guy friends fenced there and he introduced me one day when I was around eight years old. After that, I was hooked on it. Do you have any pre-match rituals?

I’ll listen to music a lot. I listen to Migos and Future. Other than that, I’m not a superstitious person, so I just hear my music and warm up and do my thing. How do you feel you’ve grown as an athlete in your time at Brown? I think the biggest things are definitely maturity and leadership. A lot of times when I was a freshman, I’d go out there, get nervous and not know how to handle situations that hadn’t gone my way. I think now having four years of experience underneath my belt, I’m able to handle adverse situations a lot better. I know how to prepare for a competition and I’m able to achieve my full potential.

What are the spectator perks of Brown fencing? (Fencing) is something you won’t really see many places. There are only about 30-40 schools in the country that have fencing. Out of those schools, maybe half will host a meet during the year. At Brown, we have a home meet every single year. It’s a chance to see an Olympic sport you might not have seen before, other than on TV. I personally think it’s really exciting to watch. There (are) a bunch of matches going on at once. If you go to the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center during the meet, you’ll probably see 30 to 40 people fencing at one time. I’d encourage people to check it out.

Do you have a signature move or style? I think people would describe my fencing as really fast. I’m not the biggest guy out there. A lot of guys are over six feet or super strong, so I think speed is something that really helps me in my fencing.

What should we expect to see from our fencing team in the coming year? It’s our coach’s third year next year, so he’s kind of established the team culture he wants … of accountability and approaching fencing not as an individual, but as a member of a team.

… Everyone’s morale is really great. … I know everyone’s committed to work hard in the off-season, too. We have three new captains next year. I’m outgoing, so I might help out. I think you can expect some really good results, definitely some more NFC Champions, probably a lot more All-Ivy fencers. We could send some more fencers to the NCAA nationals which would be cool too. I think we’re on the upward trend, which is nice. You’re about to graduate, so what’s next? I think I’m going to take a little time off fencing. I’ve been working hard the last four years, putting a lot of hours in every day and in the offseason. I’ll probably take a couple weeks off. I’m thinking about staying for a fifth-year masters at Brown. If so, I would love to help out the team. Maybe you’ll see me on the sidelines next year doing some coaching, but we’ll see. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.