SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 50
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Extended eruv removes barrier for Jewish community members BASEBALL
Bears open Red Rolfe division play 1-3
Extension allows observant Jews to carry items around College Hill during Sabbath By RHAIME KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Providence’s eruv — a symbolic bounded area that allows Orthodox Jews to do tasks they are usually barred from on the Sabbath, like carrying items — was extended to include the Brown and RISD campuses Apr. 4. The decision reflects a commitment to “Jews for whom Jewish law is central,” such as those from orthodox and conservative denominations, said University Rabbi Michelle Dardashti. Carrying items in public is one of the 39 prohibited activities during the Sabbath, Dardashti said. The prohibition on carrying extends not only to items such as bags and keys but also to carrying children and using canes, she said. Currently a minority of the Jewish community at Brown and RISD strictly adhere to the restriction on carrying items during the Sabbath, said Brown/ RISD Hillel Executive Director Marshall Einhorn. The absence of an eruv “represented a significant barrier” for
Deere ’20, Homza ’19 lead Bears to victory over Dartmouth in extrainning contest Sunday By ALEXANDRA RUSSELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
The extension of the Providence Eruv will open Brown up as a possibility for strict observers of Jewish law who previously might not have considered coming due to certain mobility restrictions during the Sabbath. observant students and community Now that the eruv has been extended to an eruv — Dartmouth is now the only members over the years, he said, adding College Hill, “future students, faculty Ivy League school that is not included that parents of potential students have (members) and community members” within an eruv’s borders, Marshall said. contacted him to ask whether Brown who follow the prohibition “may be The Apr. 4 eruv dedication ceremowas bounded by an eruv. The extension able to put Brown and RISD on the ny was attended by President Christina of the eruv is “an important way that list of schools they would consider,” Paxson P’19 and Mayor Jorge Elorza. we continue to make Brown and RISD he added. The extension “couldn’t have been done schools where Jewish students of all Brown is now the seventh school without the city’s support and help,” practices feel welcomed,” Einhorn said. in the Ivy League to be bounded by » See EXTENSION, page 2
The baseball team opened Red Rolfe division play with a four-game series at Dartmouth this weekend, falling to the Big Green Saturday by tallies of 5-1 and 7-1, and splitting Sunday’s contests with a 3-1 loss and a 9-8 victory. “(We’re) obviously disappointed with the outcome, and I thought we certainly could have given ourselves a better chance in the games we lost,” said Head Coach Grant Achilles. “They’re a good team that took advantage of the mistakes that we made.” » See BASEBALL, page 3
Study challenges internet use, Bootstrap launches data science course political polarization link Latest course provides Professor of economics finds polarization increasing across all age demographics By CLEMENTINE QUITTNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In the months surrounding the election, many were quick to place blame on the internet and social media for increased political polarization. But a new study by a University economist shows that the echo chambers of social media may not be so resonant after all. In his study, Professor of Economics Jesse Shapiro found that internet and social media use have not contributed greatly to increased political polarization between 1996 and 2012. To test this, Shapiro and co-authors Levi Boxell and Matthew Gentzkow from Stanford University used data from the American National Election Studies, which questions respondents about their political preferences, Boxell said. Researchers found that Americans aged 75 and older became more politically polarized over time than their younger counterparts but used social media less frequently.
INSIDE
“Essentially what we see is that the people with the lowest exposure to internet have experienced the largest changes in polarization (from) 1996 to 2012,” Boxell said. This finding is counter to their hypothesis, as the researchers expected that younger Americans would experience more polarization. The upward trend in political polarization is not limited to eras with internet use, Boxell said. “At least for the measures we looked at and the index we constructed, we see a consistent upwards trend in political polarization since 1972.” The paper did not address what could be causing the increased political polarization but emphasized that the trend occurs across all demographics. “It seems likely that whatever it is, (it’s) something that’s also demographically fairly broad,” Shapiro said. He cited the United States’ growth in inequality as a possible contributing factor. “Our paper doesn’t rule out that the internet may play a role,” Boxell said. But if it does,“it’s most likely a small role relative to the overall big picture.” Since the 2016 presidential election, political polarization in America » See INTERNET, page 2
tools to help middle, high school students understand data analysis By CINDY ZENG CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As the world becomes increasingly data-oriented, one faculty-developed program aims to provide high school students with tools to understand and analyze the role of data. Bootstrap, a K-12 computer science curriculum, has recently launched a data science program, adding a fifth course to Bootstrap’s current four courses: Hour of Code, Reactive, Physics and Algebra, the most widely used program. The program will be mainly designed for eighth grade classes and beyond, though a sixth grade class has used it, said Shriram Krishnamurthi, co-founder of Bootstrap and professor of computer science. Four teachers have piloted the new program this past academic year, and more teachers will be trained this summer, he said. “I feel it’s vital for every student to have a basic understanding of a processing of data,” Krishnamurthi said. “People are being sent to jail and granted parole on the basis of data analysis.
COURTESY OF BOOTSTRAP
Bootstrap is a free program aimed at educating groups traditionally underrepresented in the field of computer science. People are getting loans and … schools are being allocated funds on the basis of data analysis.” In order to be informed citizens, students need to understand what data exists, how it is processed and how it is used, he added. Bootstrap is one of the programs featured at Computer Science Professional Development Week, a large
professional teacher training that will take place this summer, Krishnamurthi said. The data science training will be offered in addition to the other four courses, Krishnamurthi added. “These programs take five to six years to fully mature, so in about five years, (the data science program) will be as » See BOOTSTRAP, page 2
WEATHER
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
SPORTS Women’s lacrosse falls to Harvard 19-12, out of running for Ivy League Tournament berth
SPORTS Despite keeping game close in the first half, men’s lacrosse cannot withstand Yale offensive surge
SPORTS Women’s softball falls to Dartmouth 0-4 in North Division Ivy League Play over weekend
COMMENTARY Cardoso ’19: Implementation of Swearer’s strategic plan isolates volunteers, community partners
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TODAY
TOMORROW
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NEWS
PAGE 2 • MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
» EXTENSION, from page 1 said Hillel Trustee David London ’64. In accordance with Jewish law, a plaque with a silver dollar — a coin of value — was given to the mayor in exchange for the right of observant Jews to carry items on the Sabbath, London said. The Providence Eruv was originally established 30 years ago to cover most of the East Side of Providence and adjacent areas in Pawtucket. There had been discussions on and off at Hillel about its extension, but efforts to extend the existing eruv began four years ago with a discussion with the Providence Eruv Corporation, Einhorn said. The eruv was extended according
» BOOTSTRAP, from page 1 comprehensive as Algebra. But the material is already out there, and people are already using it.” Sam Dooman GS co-taught the pilot program at Providence’s Central High School in a social studies class in March. “I’m the main author of the curriculum, so this was the first test of the material in the hands of students and a teacher who didn’t have a big programming background but wanted to expose her students to … data science in the context of sociology,” Dooman said. The pilot helped Bootstrap designers
» INTERNET, from page 1 has been a focus of national discussion. Though the researchers had been
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
to Jewish law, and its borders are physically marked by a thin wire strung between telephone and electric poles, with the Providence River serving as the western border. London helped lead the extension efforts, which involved coordinating with Brown and RISD staff members, local officials and a telecommunication company to use their poles. London worked with Paxson, University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, Assistant Vice President of Real Estate John Luipold, the Office of Student Life and the RISD facilities department. Sam Zuridr, city councilman of the College Hill council district, helped London connect with the Property
Department, Solicitors Office and Public Works department, among other groups. London, who does not observe the carrying prohibition, said he wished “to broaden the appeal of Brown and RISD as (places where) anyone who’s Jewish, regardless of their level of observance, would feel comfortable coming.” Before the eruv was extended to Brown, Dardashti, who has three small children, was unable to keep this prohibition during the Sabbath. For this reason, the extension is both personally and professionally exciting, she said. Vice President for Social Engagement at Hillel Shoshana Rosenzweig
’19 went to Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School in New York City, a modern orthodox Jewish school where “a lot of students wouldn’t even consider Brown because (there was no eruv). So now it opens the possibility to a lot more observant Jews coming to Brown.” “In terms of getting more diversity in Brown’s Jewish community, I think it’s a really important step. (Because) our community is largely nonorthodox,” said Hillel Shabbat Committee Chair Cameron Chaleff ’20. “There’s very, very few of us who are observant of (the carrying prohibition) simply because” people who are would not have previously chosen to come to Brown
as it did not support “that kind of religious lifestyle,” Chaleff said. Before the eruv was extended, on Sabbath or holidays with Sabbath restrictions, Chaleff wore her keys on a necklace, as using a keychain “would have constituted moving them from place to place.” The day before the Sabbath, Chaleff would put all the items she needed for the day, such as her books and her epipen, in Hillel. After the eruv extension, “I’ve been able to sit outside and read. And just having the ability to make (fewer) preparations. … I’m just a lot more mobile. … I can take a walk and bring a water bottle with me on Jewish holidays. It’s honestly fantastic,” Chaleff said.
figure out where errors in the material existed and places where students needed additional support, Dooman said, adding that the experience allowed the writers of the curriculum to refine the programming language, Pyret, that is used in the curriculum and was developed by Brown faculty. The students Dooman taught were quickly able to “latch onto the core concepts,” and they all produced a final project using data related to public schools in Rhode Island, he said. “In order to properly motivate the use of these data sets, students need to be working with real data that have
real implications,” Dooman said. “We’re in the process of gathering a bunch of different real world data sets” to be used in this course, he added. Bootstrap is currently a free program, funded by various organizations, including the National Science Foundation. One of Bootstrap’s goals is to provide equitable computer science education to underrepresented groups according to race, gender, income and ability, Krishnamurthi said. “We work a lot with public schools. We do not cherry pick schools,” he added. “In fact, when we admit schools for CSPdWeek, we explicitly give preferential treatment
to schools that” are more diverse, he said, adding that the curriculum and structure of Bootstrap is designed to be accessible for students of all backgrounds. “Getting computer science into (underfunded) schools isn’t easy,” so incorporating computer science into already existing classes can “save a lot of logistical headaches to the school,” said Kathryn Fisler, co-founder of Bootstrap and adjunct professor of computer science. “If you just let computer science be a class that students can opt into as an elective, we get a very skewed
demographic of students opting in. But if you can get computer science into a class that everyone is already taking, then you smooth out the diversity profile,” Fisler said. Students should not have to take a specific computer science course just to get exposed to the tools of data analysis, which supplement their learning in other classes, Fisler added. “There is a huge need for computer scientists in the education space, and I hope that more people who are lucky enough to have the Brown computer science education will help push it forward,” Dooman said.
interested in these topics for a long time, “the election obviously brought them to the foreground and made it even more exciting to be working on
these problems,” Shapiro said. Susan Short, director of the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown, which supported the research,
echoed Shapiro’s statement and emphasized the need for scientific studies that investigate political trends.
COURTESY OF JESSE SHAPIRO
COURTESY OF JESSE SHAPIRO
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NEWS
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017 • PAGE 3
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ELI WHITE / HERALD BEN SHUMATE / HERALD
» BASEBALL, from page 1 Brown 1, Dartmouth 5 Saturday, the Bears (10-17, 4-8 Ivy) were unable to recover from an early deficit in the series opener. Outfielder Sam Grigo ’18 led Bruno with a pair of hits and a run, but the team could not generate enough offensive output to match the Big Green (18-12, 8-4). Dartmouth opened scoring with four runs — including two unearned on a fielding error — in the bottom of the second. First baseman Marc Sredojevic ’17 responded with an RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the third, sending Grigo home to narrow the deficit. But Matt Feinstein added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth — his third RBI of the contest — to
put the game out of reach. Starter Christian Taugner ’17 allowed five runs, although just one earned, with two strikeouts in six innings for his fourth loss of the season. Brown 1, Dartmouth 7 Saturday afternoon’s contest unfolded much like the first game. Sredojevic paced the Bears with two hits, while catcher Josh Huntley ’17 posted an RBI in the loss. Huntley opened scoring in the top of the first, driving outfielder Rob Henry ’17 home on a sacrifice fly. But the Big Green slowly put the game out of reach, responding with multiple runs in each of the second, third and seventh inning. Starter Reid Anderson ’18 allowed five earned runs over two innings while Cameron Deere ’20 and
Right hander Reid Anderson ’18 pitches at the mound. Against Dartmouth, Anderson pitched two innings, allowing four hits and five runs. The Bears will continue their season Tuesday against UMass Lowell. Calvin Farris ’20 combined to limit Dartmouth to one earned run in six innings of relief. Brown 1, Dartmouth 3 The following day saw the Bears fall to Dartmouth in a closer matchup. Five different players posted hits, but Bruno was not able to apply enough offensive pressure to top the Big Green. Grigo crossed the plate on an error in the top of the first to give the Bears an early advantage, but Michael Ketchmark notched a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to reclaim the lead. Ketchmark added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to secure the victory for Dartmouth. Starter Max Ritchie ’17 allowed three earned runs with two strikeouts
Song: I Want a Witness A Memorial Tribute for Michael S. Harper Tuesday, 18 April 2017 3 pm Lownes Room, John Hay Library 20 Prospect Street, Providence Talks on Michael Harper’s place in the literary landscape by Robert Stepto and Anthony Walton 7 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street, Providence Reminiscences and readings from Michael Harper’s poetry by friends, colleagues and former students, hosted by Afaa Weaver This memorial tribute was made possible by the Literary Arts Department and by the Brown University Library
over six innings in the loss. Brown 9, Dartmouth 8 (F/10) Sunday afternoon, the Bears edged the Big Green in extra innings. Deere led the Bears with three hits and three RBIs, while third baseman Willy Homza ’19 notched a pair of hits and three RBIs, including a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Led by Deere and Huntley, Brown jumped out to a four run lead in the first inning. Homza added an RBI double in the top of the fifth, but the Big Green responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to narrow the deficit. Michael Calamari’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth sent the teams into the ninth tied at five. After Sredojevic scored on a passed ball in the top of the ninth, Homza
drove a two-run a home run to left. The Big Green then responded with three runs to send the game into extra innings. Huntley sent shortstop Rich Ciufo ’20 home on a single in the top of the tenth to clinch the victory. Starter Will Tomlinson ’20 allowed four runs with three strikeouts over five innings, before Dante Bosnic ’18, JJ Sliepka ’19 and Garett Delano ’20 combined to finish the game in relief. The Bears return to action with a doubleheader at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell Tuesday, before resuming conference play against Harvard at home Saturday and Sunday. “It’s a good opportunity at home, it’s alumni weekend, there should be a lot of excitement,” Achilles said. “We’re just really looking to gain some momentum.”
NEWS
PAGE 4 • MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
W. LACROSSE
Two Harvard runs defeat Bears in Saturday contest After falling to Harvard Saturday, the women’s lacrosse team sits last in the Ivy League By CAL BARASH-DAVID SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The women’s lacrosse team hosted Harvard Saturday at Stevenson-Pincince field in the first contest of a three-game April homestand. While the Bears kept it close initially, two unanswered six-goal runs spelled victory for the Crimson (8-5, 4-1 Ivy). Having lost five of their last six games and without a conference victory on the season, the Bears (4-8, 0-5) share last place in the Ivy League with Dartmouth (5-7, 0-5). A competitive first eight minutes saw the Bears take a slight 2-3 advantage over the Crimson. But in the ensuing 5:30, Harvard mounted its first run, finding the back of the net six straight times to grab an 8-3 advantage. “Despite the runs Harvard went on, we didn’t stop believing that we would come away with the win and trusted that we could bounce back,” said Hafsa Moinuddin ’19. “As a team, we tried to just revert back to playing Brown lacrosse, executing our game plan and trusting everyone to do their job as best they could.” A 5-0 run for Bruno, including two free position goals from Moinuddin,
two tallies from Emma Dahle ’18 and a solo goal from KC Williams ’20, brought the Bears within one. But Harvard answered with three straight for a 12-8 halftime lead. The beginning of the second half saw Moinuddin bag another goal from a free position shot and Zoe Verni ’19 find the net off an assist from Dahle. In response to their narrowing advantage, Harvard went on another run, again netting six unanswered to grab a 19-10 lead with only 5:51 to play in the second half. The run all but ensured the win for the Crimson. Rachel Vercillo ’20 and Carolyn Paletta ’18.5 tallied the game’s final two goals, but Bruno fell 19-12 — the team’s third straight loss. Harvard picked up 20 ground balls to Brown’s eight and outshot Bruno by a 40-31 margin. Though the Bears were a perfect 2-2 from free position shots in the first half, Brown only finished two of its six free position shots in the second half to go 4-8 on the game. Harvard was a perfect 4-4 from free position shots. The loss mathematically eliminates Brown from the Ivy League Championship Series. Still, Moinuddin was a bright spot in the defeat, tallying a career-high seven points with four assists and three goals. “I definitely felt good during the game and just kept trusting our systems, knowing we would find the openings,” Moinuddin said. “I knew
ELI WHITE / HERALD
Veteran midfielder Jillian Lee ’17 carries the ball down the field in Brown’s 19-12 loss to Harvard Saturday. With the loss, the Bears fall out of contention for a spot in the Ivy League tournament. I needed to challenge hard, and if I got effort, each netting two goals and add“Going forward, we want to finfouled, I wanted to make them pay by ing an assist. ish out the rest of the season 3-0,” finishing my free position shots. My Bruno will play at home Wednes- Moinuddin said. “Our team has imteammates did a great job of getting day under the lights of Stevenson- mense pride in this program and in open and finishing on the feeds I was Pincince field, when the Bears take each other, and despite not being able able to get to them.” on the University of Massachusetts to make it to the Ivy Tournament, it Paletta and Dahle were also no- Lowell — a squad that has also lost will still feel good to get wins against table contributors to Brown’s offensive five of its last six matchups. Columbia and Dartmouth.”
M. LACROSSE
Bruno falls to Yale in its fourth Ivy League matchup Second half offensive blitz downs Bruno as Bulldogs take the win, Bears fall to 2-2 in conference play By NICHOLAS WEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The men’s lacrosse team faced Yale Saturday with the chance to take a pivotal win over the No. 15 Bulldogs (8-3, 5-0 Ivy) and remain in the top half of the conference standings. But despite a 7-7 score at halftime, Yale pulled ahead of the Bears (5-5, 2-2 Ivy) in the second half, defeating Brown 18-12. “We had great energy coming into the game again this past weekend,” said midfielder Stephen Hudak ’18. “All of the Ivy games bring out the best in our players.” Yale scored first, with Ben Reeves beating first-year goalie Phil Goss ’20 a minute and a half into the game. Reeves caused problems for Bruno through the course of the game, finishing with five goals and five assists. Brown quickly responded, with returning All-American and team co-captain Dylan Molloy ’17 feeding attackman Jackson Newsome ’19 for the score under a minute later. With Yale leading 3-1, Hudak and co-captain defenseman Alec Tulett ’17 each added goals to even the score again Yale took the lead for the third time with another two-goal run, bringing the score to 5-3. But like clockwork, the Bears’ offense struck twice with two goals in the final 90 seconds of the quarter by Michael Panepinto ’19 and
ELI WHITE / HERALD
Midfielder Luke McCaleb ’20 carries the ball up the field for Brown. McCaleb contributed three assists and three ground balls in the team’s 16-12 loss to Yale Saturday. Brown will compete in its last home game Saturday against Cornell, which wil be its penultimate conference matchup of the season. long stick midfielder Larken Kemp ’17 to tie the game at five. With four seconds left, Matt Gaudet converted after a quick face-off win for Yale, giving the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead as the first quarter closed. Yale kept its momentum, with another goal at 12:33 in the second quarter to take another two-goal lead. Molloy contributed a pair of goals twenty seconds apart to tie up the game for a fourth time. The teams exchanged blows for the remainder of the quarter, but Goss made two saves and Phil
Huffard notched one to keep the score even at seven going into halftime. “We played a good first half,” Hudak said. “We battled at the face off X, we had good shots, and the defense had a great second quarter.” Yale went on another offensive surge to begin the third quarter, taking a 10-7 lead that Brown could not erase. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Molloy scored on a man up opportunity to bring the score to 15-11. But the Bears could not crawl back any further. Instead, the Bulldogs went on
a 4-0 run to close out the remainder of the fourth quarter and take the 1812 win. “We made mistakes that they capitalized on,” Hudak said. “We still have not put together a complete 60-minute game this season and that is what we need to work on.” Goss made 15 saves in the loss, one week after a career-high 19 saves against Penn. Yale took 54 shots to Brown’s 46 and held the advantage in ground balls, turnovers forced and face-offs . The Bears currently sit in a tie with
Cornell for the fourth spot in the Ivy League table and will continue their season Tuesday at Providence College. Saturday, Brown will host the Big Red (4-7, 2-2) for its final home game of the season. Brown will need to maintain its top-four position in the league in order to qualify for the Ivy League tournament and retain the chance to play in the NCAA Championship. “We will focus on each day and not look ahead,” Hudak said. “Right now we’re focused on getting better tomorrow at Monday practice.”
TODAY
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
one, two, three, pull!
menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Kate’s Entree Salad, Rhode Island Fried Rice JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl, Mac and Cheese, Honey Chicken Club
Soup: Turkey Chili, Chicken Noodle, Spinach and Feta
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Arroz con Pollo, Green Bean Saute with Mushrooms, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Fudge Bars
Roast Beef Au Jus, Creamy Smashed Sweet Potatoes, Braised Fennel, Jelly Donuts
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Pulled Pork Sandwich, Macaroni and Cheese, Carrots in Orange Sauce, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ziti Pasta, Apricot Beef with Lo Mein Noodles, Eggplant Parmesan, Jelly Filled Donuts
sudoku
ELI WHITE / HERALD
Members of the men’s crew team compete at Harvard Saturday. Bruno secured a trio of wins over the Crimson, claiming victory in the 2V, 4V and 5V races. The Bears will continue their season Saturday against Northeastern.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“I can take a walk and bring a water bottle with me on Jewish holidays. It’s honestly fantastic.” — Cameron Chaleff ’20
See Eruv on page 1.
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Bike Rides with Bikes@Brown 3:00 P.M. Urban Environmental Lab
Physics Colloquium: Laura Newburgh 4:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, 168
Schwarzman Scholars Information Session 5:00 P.M. Petteruti Lounge, 201
Earth Week Open Mic Night 6:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno, 106
TOMORROW The Whole Story on Whole Grains 12:00 P.M. Salomon, 003
[ChemDUG] Tuesday Tea Talk 4:00 P.M. MacMillan Hall, 115
Open Forum on the First 100 Days 4:00 P.M. Churchill House
Civic Engagement Series: What’s Next? 7:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, 166
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Master of Public Affairs
Response to ‘State of Brown’
5th-Year MPA
address To the Editor:
Apply by May 1 to join the class of 2018!
I am writing to comment on Friday’s article on the ‘State of Brown’ address given by President Christina Paxson P’19 (“Paxson P’19 stresses advocacy, diversity in ‘State of Brown’ address,” Apr. 14). One of the most important elements included in the article is Paxson’s stated commitment to “increase the socioeconomic diversity of (Brown’s) international students.” It is gratifying to see that the administration is cognizant that issues of diversity apply equally to those who come from outside the United States. After all, every society oppresses different groups of people, whether because of their socioeconomic status, gender or membership in a marginalized racial, religious or ethic group, to name just a few of many intersecting identities. As a university, Brown has not done enough to include international students from all these backgrounds in its admissions process. The most significant reason for this is that admission for international applicants is still not need-blind; by and large, the ability to pay still plays a significant role in admissions decisions about international students. The administration must make every effort to make admission need-blind for everybody as soon as possible. At the same time, we must continue to highlight the significant yet often neglected barriers many international students face when pursuing admission to universities like Brown. If we truly believe that diversity of experience enriches our university, it behooves us to commit to including students of all backgrounds — domestic and international — in the Brown community.
5th-Year MPA Information Session Tuesday, April 18, 12:00 p.m. Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street Birkelund Boardroom
Lunch with Current 5th-Year MPAs Thursday, April 20, 12:00 p.m. Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street McKinney Conference Room Pizza served at both events. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or at watson.brown.edu/mpa
Aliosha Bielenberg ’20
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COMMENTARY MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Dear Swearer
CONNOR CARDOSO staff columnist To many community members, the Swearer Center for Public Service — home to over 100 student-run community programs — is probably among the lesser-known parts of the University, but its relative obscurity might belie the sweeping implications of its recent reorientation. Last year, the Swearer Center began to implement the provisions of its long-term strategic plan. The plan places a premium on combining academic learning with community engagement, pairing all Swearer Center programs with relevant “community partners” and establishing long-term relationships between students and the communities they serve. These changes were intended to address pressing concerns that have chronically plagued Swearer Center programs — volunteer turnover, elitism and program redundancy — and the Center should be commended for recognizing and seeking to address these issues. However, the broader reorientation is a case study in how not to implement an ambitious reform program. Indeed, Swearer Center administrators have demonstrated an almost cavalier disregard for the effects of their changes on the established programs under their supervision. A lack of transparency, an inflexible commitment to “best practices” and an unwillingness to cooperate with student community fellows have created an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty certain to discourage student community engagement. While the purpose of the Swearer Center is to help Brown students engage meaningfully with the Providence and Rhode Island communities as effectively as possible, its patronizing and rigid approach to modernization undermines not only its own objectives but the efforts of the students working in it. Perhaps the most glaring issue with the Swearer Center’s efforts so far has been its inflexibility in adopting what it considers “best practices.” These reforms are often well-intentioned and, in fact, seem poised for success with many programs, but the Swearer Center has all but rejected the extenuating circumstances of certain programs that may demand modification or even obviate the need for changes at all. That there is no paucity of examples only underscores the center’s unaccommodating approach to modernization. For example, the Swearer Center has clashed with community
fellows over geographically centralizing certain programs — that is, moving the community population to a single location and working with it there. This arrangement may seem logical, but, upon further inspection, actually evinces what is, at best, ignorance of the conditions of the communities served or, at worst, rank classism. Requiring certain community populations to travel to centralized locations is often unworkable and expensive, which makes the program functionally inaccessible. Indeed, as The Her-
one-on-one, in-home tutoring. Yet, the Swearer Center demanded that they replace this model with a geographically localized model, citing issues like liability and effectiveness. However, this disrupts the pedagogical model of a program that has seen extreme success. Ultimately, the Swearer Center’s obstinance forced BRYTE to seek alternative sponsorship. Fortunately, it has since partnered with the Alpert Medical School, but the Swearer Center’s willingness to abandon its largest tutoring program demon-
tegic Plan — has instructed several programs to reshape their leadership structures and cut community fellow positions, often with minimal consultation with existing community fellows. This type of opacity alienates students, foments distrust among community fellows and contributes to an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty. BRYTE is not alone in experiencing this type of neglect. As a volunteer with the Swearer Tutoring and Enrichment in Math and Sciences program, I’ve been able to observe myself the consequences
DOROTHY WINDHAM / HERALD
ald has reported, this has been the case for certain programs like the Outdoor Leadership Environmental Education Program, whose current model of traveling to the students served, rather than the other way around, leaves both the program and its community partner, the Met High School, content. Even more notoriously, the Swearer Center has demonstrated a similar unwillingness to consider the concerns of the Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment program. The cornerstone of BRYTE’s engagement model is
strates a dangerous and unsettling reluctance to cooperate with its student liaisons. Equally problematic is the Swearer Center’s willingness to make decisions without consulting student leaders — decisions that frequently pose serious obstacles to programs’ futures. For example, the Swearer Center, in an effort to gradually phase out the current crop of community fellows and replace them with Bonner fellows — members of a program that trains students in the type of community engagement espoused by Johnson and the Stra-
of this lack of transparency. Budget cuts in fall 2016 have made even the most basic forms of community engagement beyond in-class tutoring, like workshops and holiday parties, impossible. Despite my deep involvement with the program, Swearer Center has neglected to explain to me or my fellow volunteers why the funding has been cut or where it’s been diverted. It goes without saying that this type of reluctance to be transparent is not conducive to a healthy working environment and is profoundly patronizing. Johnson has noted that
while the Swearer Center tries to incorporate the voices of students whenever possible, sometimes, “what students want contradicts best practices in the field.” This, however, both is inconsistent with what some community partners have expressed — recall that the Met High School was perfectly content with its arrangement with OLEEP, yet this did not stop the Swearer Center from intervening and does not address the fact that students are often not consulted when these decisions are made the first place. Actual attempts by the Swearer Center to include student voices in its decision-making process have been hollow and superficial. For example, the Student Advisory Committee, which was established by Johnson following his arrival and is staffed by student participants in Swearer Center programs, is ostensibly charged with assisting the administrators in developing and implementing policy. However, according to several students involved, participation on the committee is wholly futile. As The Herald has reported, committee members have resigned in protest over the SAC’s lack of agency and frustration with the adminstrators’ disregard for the input of its members. Ultimately, rather than providing the Swearer center with a valuable source of student input, the SAC merely highlights the Center’s reluctance to seriously engage with students over what are often legitimate concerns. None of this is to say that the Swearer Center’s plans for engaged scholarship or long-term studentcommunity relationships are inherently destructive. The Swearer Center is right to address past problems such as insufficient volunteer commitments and community engagement neophytes trying to independently address community issues without the necessary skills or resources. To oppose these goals is to subscribe to a brand of institutional conservatism that is just as corrosive to the success of Brown’s community engagement as the Swearer Center’s fumbled reform efforts. But the sclerosis of the Swearer Center’s vision for reform and its divisive, alienating approach to implementation will surely continue driving out established programs at the expense of Brown’s volunteers. Perhaps most tragically, its reckless and tone deaf reorientation will ultimately disadvantage the very communities that the Swearer Center claims it assists, and for this, its administrators deserve the harshest opprobrium.
Connor Cardoso ’19 can be reached at connor_cardoso@brown.edu.
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NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
SOFTBALL
Softball goes 0-4 in weekend series against Dartmouth North Division favorite Big Green cruises past Bruno in Hanover as Bears fall in four games By TESS DEMEYER STAFF WRITER
After a narrow loss to the College of the Holy Cross Thursday, the softball team traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire to face off against Dartmouth in a four-game weekend series. The Bears (11-24, 3-9 Ivy) opened Ivy League North Division play with four losses to the second-ranked Big Green (10-21-1, 9-3 Ivy) and remain at the bottom of league standings. Brown 1, Dartmouth 5 The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader remained scoreless until Dartmouth went up 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Bruno was able to hold the Big Green to a one-run advantage until the bottom of the sixth when Dartmouth racked up four more runs, bringing the score to 5-0. Grayson Metzger ’18 responded with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the four-run deficit. Brown was held to just three hits by Dartmouth starter Breanna Ethridge, who threw a complete game with eight strikeouts. “After the first game on Saturday, we knew we were close,” said Kaitlin
Okimoto ’20. “We just wanted to string hits together because we were really proud of our defense, and we really wanted to up it a little bit on the offensive side.”
Brown 3, Dartmouth 4 The afternoon game unfolded in similar fashion, as Dartmouth gained a one-run lead in the bottom of the first and clung to it. But in the top of the fifth, Okimoto evened the score with a RBI single. The Bears went up 2-1 the following inning with an RBI single from Julia Schoenewald ’17, but Dartmouth evened the score in the bottom of the frame. An error in the top of the seventh brought Sofia Venegas ’19 home to make the score 3-2. But a walk-off two-run home run by Maddie Damore in the bottom of the seventh gave Dartmouth the victory. “We adjusted a lot better to the pitcher, and we allowed ourselves to get runs off of consecutive hits, which helped us a lot,” Okimoto said. Venegas led Brown with two hits, and starter Meghan Wimmer ’19 threw five innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Brown 5, Dartmouth 13 Annie McGregor ’18 opened Sunday’s double-header with a two-run home run in the first inning, but Bruno struggled to contain the Big Green for the rest of the game. Eight unanswered runs in the first two innings from
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Grayson Metzger ’18 faces off at the plate for the Bears. Metzger had eight at-bats over Bruno’s four-game series against Dartmouth, notching three hits. Brown continues its season Tuesday at Rhode Island. Dartmouth stunned the Bears until Cat Seitz ’19 knocked a two-run bomb into left center in the top of the fourth. Dartmouth closed the inning with five more runs, bringing the score to 13-4. Despite another home run from McGregor, the game ended in the fifth due to the mercy rule. Dartmouth took advantage of five errors committed by Brown in the contest. Brown 5, Dartmouth 7 The final game of the series was
dominated by Dartmouth, who took a five-run lead into the fourth inning. Seitz and Wimmer each hit solo home runs to left field, and Okimoto followed with a three-run shot to left center, evening the score at five. The tie held until the bottom of the sixth when Dartmouth surged ahead by two, and Brown had no response in the seventh. With the 0-4 weekend, Brown falls six games behind the Big Green for first place in the North Division. “Our team played hard, and we did our best,” Okimoto said. “We’re going
to try and come out against Harvard and in the next weekend against Yale. We still think we’re in this and that we can accomplish a lot more.” The Bears will be back in action Tuesday for a double-header at the University of Rhode Island followed by a four-game series at home against Harvard over the weekend. “During (the game against URI) we’re going to really have to try to make sure, as a team, we string hits together and play solid defense all around,” Okimoto said.
Islam, Islamophobia, and Teaching ‘Difficult Subjects’ in the Age of Trumpism Nancy Khalek
Associate Professor of Religious Studies Brown University
Monday, April 17, 2017 4:00 p.m. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Joukowsky Forum, Room 155 111 Thayer Street Providence, Rhode Island