SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLVIII, ISSUE 5
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2023
UNIVERSITY NEWS
TALO to vote on unionization March 2 Organizers, U. set election date, eligible voters to include UTAs, HTAs, MTAs
SAM LEVINEW/ HERALD
TALO will continue to host events like the rally it held in December, said TALO Organizer Julia McCauley ’23. gaining negotiations with the University. A group of CS TA organizers launched their campaign to unionize last December in order to negotiate with the University on TA wages, hours and responsibilities following complaints of overwork and other difficulties, The Herald previously reported. TALO filed its official petition — which proposed eligible members of the bargaining unit and details regarding the administration of the
While the rest of the country braces for a possible recession this year, Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed budget is at odds with the doom and gloom of economic forecasts. The state is heading into the 2023-24 fiscal year on track for a $610 million surplus, and the budget proposal contains several tax cuts, including energy rebates and a reduction in state sales tax for Rhode Islanders. The proposed budget aims to support citizens who have been struggling with the increasing cost of living and inflation, according to state Sen. Louis DiPalma MSc’89 P’08 (D-12), chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance. Earlier this year, utility rates rose almost 50% in Rhode Island, and increased gas and grocery prices have affected people worldwide. DiPalma said the budget re-
election — with the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 11 after the University initially declined its request for voluntary recognition in December. At filing, TALO received authorization cards from over 70% of TAs who worked during the fall semester and over 50% of TAs who are working for the current semester, according to Colton Rusch ’23, a TALO organizer.
SEE TALO PAGE 2
Since the Wayland House break-in last December, building resident Lena Henderson ’25 has had to reassess her perception of safety on campus. Nearly two months ago, Thony Greene was arrested and charged with willful trespass after reportedly breaking into Wayland House. Greene, who has a history of trespassing on University property, was caught living in Wayland unlawfully for an unknown amount of time and was spotted in students’ rooms, The Herald previously reported. Wayland resident Sherry Zhang ’25, whose room Greene broke into, said she was shocked and unsettled by the incident. “I couldn’t believe that it actually happened,” she said. “I don’t even feel safe going to the
bathroom without locking the door,” Henderson said, reflecting on how her behavior around residence halls has changed since the incident. In the wake of the break-in, the Department of Public Safety has bolstered its security protocols by providing lighted vests to DPS officers and implementing routine lock check-ins and community walks by community coordinators in residence halls, according to a Dec. 15 DPS email to the University community. ‘More communication is needed’ Following the break-in, DPS sent an update to Wayland residents on Dec. 6 “about a situation that had been addressed initially, with an active investigation then launched,” Chatman wrote in an email to The Herald. “DPS sends timely warning messages to the campus (community) when there’s an active threat,” but handled the situation at Wayland House differently because the sus-
SEE BREAK-IN PAGE 2
UNIVERSITY NEWS
McKee budget accounts for $610 million surplus
BY YAEL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Following Wayland breakin, DPS increases security
BY CHINMAYI RAJARAM STAFF WRITER
METRO
Critics say tax rebates lack sustainability, fail to address structural economic issues
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Students report continued anxieties following incident, lack of communication
BY SAM LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR The Teaching Assistant Labor Organization, a proposed union of undergraduate computer science teaching assistants, has reached a stipulated election agreement with the University to hold a workplace election Thursday, March 2. The election will be held from 12-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. via a secret-ballot process at a location that has yet to be determined, according to the signed agreement, which The Herald reviewed. TALO and the University agreed that all undergraduate, meta and head computer science teaching assistants who worked during the fall 2022 semester or are currently working during the spring 2023 semester are eligible to vote in the election. If the majority vote yes, the CS TAs will be represented by the Graduate Labor Organization in collective bar-
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
flects the priorities of the Senate: monitoring the economic impact of inflation on Rhode Island residents and businesses. He added that the budget is likely to change after it passes through the numerous legislative hoops standing in its way. “In my 15 years, no budget that’s come to the General Assembly came out the way it went in,” DiPalma said. “The committee … (is) gonna go back and look at what the residents want.” In an email to The Herald, Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-23) said the budget would undergo a “thorough vetting of proposals through the House Finance Committee process,” adding that he felt “confident that effort will yield a final product we can all be proud of.” How the surplus came to be This marks the second straight year that Rhode Island will be left with an excess of money. Rhode Island finished the last fiscal year with a surplus of $480 million, part
SEE BUDGET PAGE 4
Barsaat offers fusion music, community Group combines Western, Bollywood music, will perform at annual spring show BY SWARAJ AGARWAL SENIOR STAFF WRITER Like most members of Brown Barsaat, President Rohit Panse ’24 sang before he got to Brown, performing in a vocal jazz group throughout high school. He also grew up listening to both Bollywood and English music, which made joining a club where he could perform in both styles particularly exciting. Founded in the early 2000s, Barsaat is Brown’s South Asian fusion a cappella group. The 14-member group consists of singers with both classical South Asian and Western musical training, and draws upon both styles in their performances on campus and beyond. Panse highlighted the tight-knit community that Barsaat provides, noting that it makes the club unique. Growing up, former Barsaat Music Director Urvi Binjrajka ’23 kept busy by participating in musical groups. “I came to Brown looking for a similar community to get involved in and auditioned for several a cappella
COURTESY OF BROWN BARSAAT
Barsaat’s performances have taken them to neighboring campuses, such as Wellesley College for their South Asian culture show. groups,” Binjrajka said. “During callbacks, Barsaat made me feel especially at home, which instantly compelled me to join. Upperclassmen also played a huge role in mentoring ‘bar-babies’ and helped us navigate our way through the chaos of freshman year, and we’ve made lifelong friends.” Soumya Karwa ’23, former social chair at Barsaat, said that when she came to Brown as an international student, she experienced a major culture shock. Seeking a community on cam-
University News
Arts & Culture
Metro
Commentary
Overcrowding at Nelson leads to implementation of occupancy tracker Page 2
Avatar 2 premieres 13 years after first film, revamps technology Page 6
Community celebrates Wayland Bakery after 94 years, closure Page 8
Editorial: Professors should consider stressors during shopping period Page 7
TODAY
pus, Karwa auditioned for Barsaat and was accepted into the group. Barsaat is a group where “there are people looking out for you and people who will always be there for you,” Karwa said. “Despite the fact that we may not have any classes in common and we are not in the same year, we have music in common,” she added. “Barsaat is a group of diverse people brought
SEE BARSAAT PAGE 8
TOMORROW
DESIGNED BY MADDY CHERR '23 DESIGN EDITOR GRAY MARTENS ‘25 DESIGN EDITOR
32 / -3
19 / -8
SIRINE BENALI ‘23 DESIGN EDITOR