SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLX, ISSUE 7
UNIVERSITY NEWS
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
FRIDAY, MARCH 7
METRO
SPORTS
COMMENTARY
ARTS & CULTURE
SEE CONCERT PAGE 13
Shuttle drivers union at Brown, RISD ratifies first contract
Caffè Nero slated to open on Thayer this April
Men’s basketball weekend split steepens battle for Ivy Madness
Lair ’28: We should complain a little less — for our own sakes
SEE SHUTTLE PAGE 2
SEE NERO PAGE 5
SEE BASKETBALL PAGE 6
SEE LAIR PAGE 10
Brown, RISD artists capture music on paper at annual concert
Brown reduces PhD admission targets, warns of potential layoffs amid ongoing federal threats Federal actions could threaten research, U. endowment, student visas BY CATE LATIMER AND SAMAH HAMID UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Wednesday, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 reiterated her commitment to the University’s mission and academic freedom while warning of potential staff layoffs and financial steps
that could be taken as the federal political landscape continues to change. Her statement came as part of the University’s ongoing response to federal actions that threaten research funding, the taxation of the University’s endowment and international student visa status. At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, Paxson shared that federal actions are “threatening pretty much every major source of revenue that we get as an institution,” including tuition. In her message, Paxson identified a possible decrease in tuition revenue as
international student visas are threatened, research funding cuts and a potential increase in the current 1.4% federal endowment tax as “threats to our top three sources of revenue.” In light of this, Brown is taking action to address its “stubborn” structural budget deficit, Paxson wrote. Such steps previously included slowing faculty and staff growth and monitoring the cost of PhD programs. The University has also begun “more aggressively
pursuing these measures” by canceling ongoing faculty searches, reducing PhD admissions targets and leaving staff vacancies unfilled, Paxson explained Wednesday. Additionally, Brown is creating contingency plans should revenue and funding sources be severely impacted. Such plans could “force Brown to lay off some employees” and potentially “pull back” its investment in the William A. and Ami Kuan Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories, Brown’s planned seven-story laboratory in the Jewelry District. “This would harm affected Brown
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Brown is creating contingency plans should revenue and funding sources be severely impacted.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Female math students underrepresented in male-dominated field Upper-level TAs have been less than 23% female over the past six semesters BY ZARINA HAMILTON SENIOR STAFF WRITER Each time Anna Galer ’25 walks into a new math class, she counts the number of fellow women seated around her. In her experience at Brown, that number has almost always fit on just one hand. Despite campus-wide efforts to address gender disparities in STEM fields, including through the University-wide Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, Brown’s Department of Mathematics has remained largely male-dominated. For the past six semesters, only 23% of seats
employees, their families and the local economy, and slow potentially life-saving biomedical research. We do not want this to happen,” she wrote. Though they are not yet taking these concrete steps, “it is only prudent that we plan for this possibility,” Paxson wrote. In the Wednesday announcement, Paxson also emphasized Brown’s commitment to protecting its mission, calling it “our north star.” Defending the University’s mission means “protecting academic freedom” and “if necessary, defend-
in MATH 0350: “Multivariable Calculus with Theory,” MATH 0540: “Linear Algebra with Theory” and 1000-level courses were filled with female students, according to data provided by the department. The gender gap also extends to undergraduate teaching assistants: Since fall 2022, only 16% of UTA positions in upper-level math courses have been held by women. The University data provided to The Herald only included breakdowns of male and female students and may not accurately represent all gender identities. Gender balance “is something that we take very seriously at Brown, and are making progress on, albeit at too slow a pace,” Benoit Pausader, a math professor and the department
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
SEE MATH PAGE 3
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BEN KANG / HERALD
METRO
DHS agents spotted in Providence amid ICE detainments in RI Since Trump took office, immigration officers have been active across RI BY LEV KOTLER-BERKOWITZ AND ANDREA LI SENIOR STAFF WRITERS In the past two weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been active in several cities across Rhode Island. On March 4, ICE agents operating in Central Falls allegedly “surveilled and grabbed” an individual “off the street,” according to a social media post made by Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance Rhode Island, a community support network that advocates against deportation and violence. The individual is a parent of a Central Falls student, and the detainment took place near school
post- Magazine
grounds, according to Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera. The arrest was characterized as “brazen and inhumane” by Rhode Island State Senator Jonathon Acosta ’11 MA’16 MA’19 PhD’24.5 (D-Central Falls, Pawtucket) in an interview with The Herald. Acosta said that the arrest follows a “more combative” method of immigration enforcement under President Trump’s administration. Department of Homeland Security agents were also seen at the Providence Amtrak Station on multiple days last week, according to an Instagram post by the Deportation Defense Coalition. The Deportation Defense Coalition — consisting of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association, the Party for Socialism and Liberation Rhode Island
SEE ICE PAGE 5
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