SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 101
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Meme page gains popularity at U. ResLife clarifies policy on
RPL-resident relationships
Over 13,000 students, community members engage with ‘Brown Dank Stash of Memes’
Violating ‘romantic relationship’ rule in Code of Ethics could result in RPL relocation
By BAYLOR KNOBLOCH SENIOR REPORTER
Facebook meme pages have exploded on campuses across the country in the past year, cranking out membersubmitted images that combine humor with school-specific references. With just over 13,400 members to date and new content posted daily, the “Brown Dank Stash of Memes for Unproductive Teens” is no exception. A meme is an image containing an established joke that “gets mutated and turned into other jokes and concepts,” said Matthew Ellis GS, who studies cinema and new media in the Department of Modern Culture and Media. The memes on a page like Brown Dank Stash of Memes are “designed for an in-group specifically,” he said. “We try to avoid posting generic memes,” said Lucy Duda ’20, one of the page’s five administrators. The page is set up on Facebook so that memes must be approved by the five
By MELANIE PINCUS STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF LUCY DUDA
Combining University-specific humor and internet jokes, the meme group has five administrators that approve content before it is posted. administrators before the content is posted. Brown Dank Stash of Memes was created by current administrator Anina Hitt ’20 in December 2016. At its inception, Hitt and Dylan Garcia ’20 served as the page’s only two administrators, but the original idea for
the page came from Arya Ökten ’20. As the Brown Dank Stash of Memes page garnered popularity, experiencing exponential growth in March, three additional moderators were taken on: Ökten, Duda and Elijah Broussard ’20, the self-proclaimed » See MEMES, page 2
The Office of Residential Life clarified its policy about relationships between Residential Peer Leaders and their residents this year, explicitly stating that any RPL in a “romantic relationship” with a resident under their responsibility could be “relocated elsewhere on campus,” according to the 2017-18 Residential Peer Leader Code of Ethics, which was obtained by The Herald. In comparison, the 2016-17 Code of Ethics instructed RPLs to “not pursue, develop or engage in any inappropriate emotional and/or physical relationship with residents,” though it did not outline any clear consequences of relationships with their residents. The policy prohibiting relationships between RPLs and their residents is “not new,” but ResLife has
been updating documentation and processes “to provide transparency to both students and student staff ,” wrote Kate Tompkins, associate director of ResLife, in an email to The Herald. “The update to the RPL Code of Ethics occurred with the last hiring cycle which occurred in spring 2017,” she wrote. Tompkins declined to comment further because ResLife “looking at all of (its) policies” and is undergoing a program review, which will be finalized in the spring. Policies regarding relationships between students employed in dorms and their residents vary by university. At Penn, resident advisors may not engage in any “sexual or exploitive” relationship with a resident on their hall, and they can be investigated by the university for doing so, according to the resident advisor contract. At Northwestern University, a residential assistant can be fired for dating a resident, according to North by Northwestern. According to three RPLs who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to speak to the » See RPL, page 2
VOLLEYBALL
Bruno defeats Crimson in 3-2 senior-day comeback Cairo ’18, Tooloee ’18, Tierney ’18 combine for 10 service aces in last home match for Bruno By MARI HERREMA SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Libero Captain Melissa Cairo ’18 and outside hitters Shirin Tooloee ’18 and Casey Tierney ’18 combined for 10 service aces to power the volleyball team through a comeback win, three sets to two, on Brown’s Senior Day match against Harvard Saturday. Rookie outsider hitter Gabrielle Moriconi ’21 also posted a career-high 18 kills in the victory, which snapped Brown’s five-game losing streak. After losing in a close 3-1 match against Dartmouth (8-13, 4-8 Ivy) Friday, the Bears (7-16, 2-10) were eager to bounce back. “I was a little hard on them last night,” said Head Coach Diane Short of Friday’s game. “I was very disappointed, and so were they. … I told them, ‘Look, you gotta play for the seniors tomorrow.’ You want to end it on a good note.” After equalizing two Harvard (12-9, 7-5) match-score leads and narrowly taking the fifth set 15-13,
INSIDE
ELI WHITE / HERALD
Outside hitter Shirin Tooloee ’18 bumps the ball in the seniors’ final home game of the season. The win against Harvard was Brown’s first after five straight losses to conference opponents. Bruno could not have ended their home-court matches for the season on a more positive note. The fifth set felt “fantastic,” Cairo said. “It was like a movie ending.”
The Bears quickly fell behind 5-2 in the first set, and were caught on their heels defensively and lacking in offensive precision. Though Brown utilized increasingly complex attacks
as the match progressed, its defense still struggled against Harvard’s surprise tips, and Bruno dropped the first set 18-25. The second set opened with a
tone-setting combination block by Moriconi and Courtney Palm ’19. Brown and Harvard went pointfor-point until the Bears gained an 11-9 edge and never looked back. Between discovering a weakness in the Crimson’s inability to effectively return short serves and utilizing a full range of deceptive set plays, Bruno scrambled Harvard’s defense and took the set 25-20. The momentum swung back the Crimson’s way in the third set, as Harvard took advantage of a suddenly sluggish Brown defense. Harvard stepped up its blocking in particular, thwarting Bruno’s cross-court spike attempts and swiftly claiming the set 12-25. But the Crimson’s lead was shortlived, and the Bears exploded into the fourth set with an uncontested sixpoint streak. A well-called timeout and a few controversial calls in Harvard’s favor put Bruno’s opposition back in the competition, but the Bears stayed calm and composed. “Once we started extending the play, we were winning points,” Short said. “Volleyball is about having no fear, because every mistake is a point. You gotta go out and you gotta be » See VOLLEYBALL, page 3
WEATHER
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
COMMENTARY Okin ’19: Sexual harassment toward women perpetuated by small, intangible aggressions
COMMENTARY Oke ’20: Students should engage with Providence in meangingful, non-patronizing way
SPORTS Men’s hockey falls to Dartmouth, third-ranked Harvard in two-day Ivy roadtrip
SPORTS Football loses 34-7 to Yale Friday, faces Dartmouth at Fenway Park Friday night
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BACK
TODAY
TOMORROW
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NEWS
PAGE 2 • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
» MEMES, from page 1 “meme purist” and “task master” of the group. By the end of March, the page had reached 5,000 members. The success of Brown Dank Stash of Memes “should be accounted for partially by the general tidal wave of (meme) pages,” Ökten said. “The youth are flocking back to Facebook for memes,” Duda said. She follows 750 meme pages on Facebook and is the most frequent meme producer of the five administrators, with well over 100 Brown Dank Stash of Memes posts to date, she said. The page was originally titled “Brown Dank Stash of Memes for Broke Teens,” but the socioeconomic term “broke” was contested as being offensive and was changed to “unproductive.” “Good memes are spicy, as long as they’re not offending someone,” Garcia said. Controversial memes are often described as “spicy” in internet culture. The admins of Brown Dank Stash of Memes agreed that the gold standard in the world of college meme pages is “UC Berkeley Memes For Edgy Teens,” which has over 120,000 members. But the page can see more controversial content than admins would allow on their own. Berkeley’s meme page “had the word ‘retard’ in one of their memes,” which Brown Dank Stash of Memes would never allow, Ökten said. “We err on the side of caution” when approving memes, she added. Miguel Zavaia Herrera, a Berkeley law student and one of the 14 administrators for the school’s meme page, takes pride in the page’s “spiciness,” but the administrators do respond to criticism from the page’s members, he said. “We had one a few months ago making fun of undocumented students that was taken down,” he said. “We have some that get reported that we either delete or keep.” Columbia’s meme page, “columbia buy sell memes,” is set up as a Facebook advertising platform, which typically allows individuals to buy or sell items from people around them. Because of this format, the page’s memes are posted automatically and are not subject to any screening process. “We think it’s fun to have controversy and dumb memes,” said Evan de Lara, a junior at Columbia and one of the page’s nine administrators. A community meme page is successful because it “delineates who is able to understand the reference of the joke,” and, in so doing, it “gives a particular kind of pleasure, because you feel like you belong to a small community,” Ellis said. For instance, on the Brown Dank Stash of Memes page, there are memes referencing Chicken Finger Friday, the Program in Liberal Medical Education,
the “Untitled (Lamp/Bear)” statue and the recent replacement of Morning Mail with Today@Brown. The jokes in Brown Dank Stash of Memes find humor in “some kind of shared suffering,” Ellis said. This accounts for the memes about midterms, papers, unpopular dining halls, dismal study spots and general college struggles. College meme pages are in no way sponsored or moderated by the institutions themselves, but University administrators sometimes see certain memes on the page. “A meme from the page might make its way to a member of the University leadership from time to time, usually sent by a student who wants to share a bit of humor,” wrote Cass Cliatt, vice president of communications, in an email to The Herald. For example, a student sent Cliatt various memes referencing Today@ Brown because of her office’s involvement with the daily digest, Cliatt wrote. “I laughed out loud at a couple of them, because we know that Today@ Brown is still just a test right now,” Cliatt wrote. “In this case, the memes were somewhat of a litmus test.” While some of the memes on the page reference current events, like the introduction of Today@Brown, many pertain to elements of campus that endure over time. “I’m horrible at breaking news memes because I don’t meme well under pressure,” said J.J. Bellasai Breuer ’19, Brown Dank Stash of Memes’s most active member. Over the summer, Bellasai Breuer produced one meme every day but has since dialed back his production to one a week. None of the five administrators have ever met Bellasai Breuer in person. “I want to know if he has a focus group, because he produces so much good content,” Hitt said of Bellasai Breuer. In fact, Bellasai Breuer’s posts do go through “various screening processes” with his friends, he said. He often displays potential memes on his common room’s television, with roommates and friends gathered around to workshop them. “We take it seriously, sarcastically,” Bellasai Breuer said. In addition to producing his own memes for the page, one of Bellasai Breuer’s signature moves is commenting “nice” on every post. “I saw it happen in another meme group, and it just took off,” he said. Part of what keeps Bellasai Breuer posting is the excitement of not knowing how successfully a meme will do on the page. “There’s definitely a drive to get a certain number of ‘likes,’ but it stopped being about ‘likes’ a while ago, and now it’s just about seeing how far it can go,” he said. “When will it stop being funny?”
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Residential Peer Leader Code of Ethics 2015-16, 2016-17:
2017-18:
“RPLs are expected to... Not pursue, develop or engage in any inappropriate emotional and/or physical relationship with residents.”
“RPLs are expected to... Not have romantic relationships with students in their unit/under their responsibility. In the instance this occurs the RPL may be relocated elsewhere on campus.”
Source: 2015, 2016, 2017 Residential Peer Leader Code of Ethics KATE TALERICO / HERALD
PHOEBE AYRES / HERALD
» RPL, from page 1 media as RPLs, the policy change came after an RPL dated their first-year resident last fall. While ResLife relocated this RPL, incidents like this are not always reported or addressed, the RPLs said.
“It’s just a weird balance of power, having this person — who’s your (RPL) — date (you),” one RPL said. “If you’re a freshman, you’re very vulnerable.” RPLs undergo training before the start of the fall semester, but they do not spend much time discussing rules regarding relationships with residents,
according to the three RPLs. “Not one of our (hour-long training) sessions is dedicated just to ResLife policy,” said another RPL, adding that when discussing the policy amongst coworkers, many RPLs were unaware of the existence of the RPL Code of Ethics.
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NEWS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
» VOLLEYBALL, from page 1 aggressive, and you can’t be afraid to do this or do that.” Fearlessness indeed characterized Bruno’s play, as it found ways to overpower Harvard’s blocking and confuse its defense. Rookie setters Emma Chow ’21 and Bailie Salk ’21 successfully ran multiple set plays, registering a combined 43 assists and
three kills in the match. Bruno claimed the set 25-23, taking the Bears to a fifth set for only the second time since conference play began. The tension was palpable when the Crimson opened the last set with three unanswered points, but Coach Short was not worried. “Even though we were down 0-3, I felt we could win the set and they all felt it too,” she said. Brown rallied to take the lead at 5-4,
after which neither team had a lead larger than two points. In the set, Bruno’s three seniors each had a service ace and Moriconi posted four kills, the last of which secured the stanza and the match victory for the Bears. “The seniors … we’ve dedicated our entire lives to the sport,” Cairo said. “The entire team’s parents are here, and just playing for all the people that have supported us for so long
— it’s a really fun way to end it.” “I’m so proud of the seniors, performing like they did,” Short said. “I’m very fond of them. They’ve just done incredible things, not only being on the volleyball team but with their teammates, and what they’ve done for my family.” Throughout the season, the team has been raising funds and awareness for ALS research, a neurological disease that has affected Short’s
immediate family. With only two matches left in the season, the nostalgia is creeping in. But the Bears will stay focused as they hit the road next weekend. “They really had the will to win tonight and hopefully this will carry us on to the last weekend,” Short said. Brown will finish the season by traveling to Columbia Friday and Cornell Saturday.
NEWS
PAGE 4 • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
M. SOCCER
Bears battle to scoreless draw against Bulldogs Bruno unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, eliminated from Ivy League title hunt By ALEX SMOLAR CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The men’s soccer team entered its final away game of the season in third place, taking on the last-placed Yale Bulldogs Saturday. Neither squad was able to take control of the match, which ended in a 0-0 tie. With the tie and with Dartmouth’s win earlier in the day, Brown was officially eliminated from contention for the Ivy League title. “(Defense) is something we have prided ourselves on the entire season — getting good pressure on the ball, forcing them wide and limiting their chances,” said Louis Zingas ’18. “We created dangerous opportunities to score from turnovers and probably should have scored on a couple of different occasions.” The start of the game was marked by inaccurate passes from both squads and neither team could maintain possession to create a sustained attack. In the 12th minute, a long pass allowed Quinn English ’18 to break through the defense to rocket a shot that landed directly in the chest of Yale goalkeeper Andrew Bortey. Moments later, Josh Totte managed to sneak through the Brown defense to launch a wide open shot, which required a diving save from goalkeeper Joey Cipicchio ’18. For the rest of the half, both offenses relied on controlling 50/50 balls that were not converted into any likely scoring opportunities. At halftime, Yale led Brown 5-2 in shots while
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Though both teams managed double-digit shots and overtime opportunities, Brown and Yale fought to a scoreless overtime tie. Bruno will close out its season against league-leader Dartmouth at Stevenson-Pincince Field Saturday for the seniors’ final home game of their careers. the Bears led 3-2 in corner kicks. Both teams had just one shot on goal throughout the first period. The second half began much more aggressively for both sides. In the 51st minute, Bruno was able to work the ball into the 18-yard box but could not convert a shot in the face of Yale’s strong defense. Just a minute later, Jack Hagstrom ’19 managed to head a dangerous ball that was handled by Bortey. In the 59th minute, Miguel Yuste used his speed to open up a lane and shoot from the top of the box.
A diving Cipicchio was barely able to handle the low shot and keep the score level. Ten minutes later, Cameron Riach got open on a corner kick and sent a wide-open shot high of the net to squander a Yale opportunity. In the 74th minute, the Bulldogs had another scoring chance when Ryan Matteo delivered a low, sluggish shot just wide of the net. Nico Lozada ’18 almost gave Brown the lead in the 86th minute when he delivered a powerful shot from the top of the box that was saved by a leaping Bortey, who sent the ball high and out of play.
At the end of regulation, Yale led 14-13 in shots while the Bears led 10-6 in corner kicks. Each team earned a yellow card for a combined total of 23 fouls. Zingas almost ended the game in the 98th minute with a header, but the ball sailed high of the net, preserving the tie. Yuste responded in the 100th minute with a curling shot, but it was handled by Cipicchio as the end of the first overtime neared. In the second period of extra time, the Bears and Bulldogs showed the fatigue of a 100-minute-game, as the clock ran
down, ending the game in a scoreless tie. “Overall, this season hasn’t been exactly as we wanted it,” Zingas said. “But we proved early on that we could play with and beat the best teams in the country. The challenge for the squad next year is just finding the consistency needed to win week in and week out.” The Bears will return home to Stevenson-Pincince Field for senior night Saturday to play Dartmouth, this year’s Ivy League champion, in the final game of the season at 5 p.m.
TODAY
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
menu
jam sesh
SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pizza: Caprese, Chicken Ranch, Sammy Special Grinder, Pho Bar, Poke Bowl JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Chicken Pot Pie Bowl, Mushroom Swiss Burger
Turkey Chili, Spinach & Feta Soup, Grain Bowl, Tom’s Bao Bao
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Country Wedding Soup, Cheese Tortellini with Italian Pork Sausage, S’mores Cupcakes
Roasted Tomato Soup, Baked Stuff Pollock, Roasted Spaghetti Squash, Lemon Squares
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Minestrone Soup, Spicy Pepper Pulled Chicken, Oatmeal Raisin Stuffed Cookies
Potato Vegetable Chowder with Ham, Pork Carnitas, Mexican Ribbon Cake
sudoku
TIMOTHY MUELLER-HARDER / HERALD
Students performed at B-Side Tent Shows at Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle Friday, Nov. 3. The semi-annual show featured 16 musical acts by Brown and RISD students that spanned over two and a half hours total.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“I’m horrible at breaking news memes because I don’t meme well under pressure.” R
AS
DA
A
A
c r o s s w o rDd
C
—JJ Bellasai Breuer ’19, most active member of “Brown Dank Stash of Memes
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Pink drink, briefly 6 Arson aftermath 9 Hutt crime lord of sci-fi 14 According to 15 Grazing area 16 Light purple 17 O’Neill drama set in Harry Hope’s saloon 20 Tailor’s target 21 Many a Beethoven sonata ender 22 Popeye’s __’ Pea 23 Jabber on and on 24 __ in November 25 Likable prez 27 More than feasts (on) 28 With 30-Across, drama based on ’70s presidential interviews 30 See 28-Across 32 Aspiring doc’s course 33 Walked alongside one’s master 35 On the Pacific 36 Fertilizable cells 38 “Just __!”: “Be right there!” 40 Drama about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine 45 “Friendly skies” co. 46 Greatly feared 47 Comstock Lode find 48 Fred of “My Cousin Vinny” 50 Oozed 52 With 54-Across, “Viva La Vida” rock group, and what 17-, 28-/30and 40-Across each is? 54 See 52-Across 55 Pottery “pet” 58 Smooth transition 60 Pastoral poem 64 Invisible vibes 65 More than most 66 Wine tasting criterion
for Unproductive Teens”
53 “Whip It” band 67 Quilting parties 34 Tractor 54 Like the driven manufacturer 68 Corrida cheer snow 69 Neuter, horsewise 35 Give __: yank 55 Red wine choice, 37 By way of for short 39 Believability on DOWN the street, slangily 56 Tint 1 Slyly spiteful 41 Driver’s license fig. 57 Wrath 2 Irish actor Milo 59 Salon goop 3 Say what you will 42 Threat words 61 Mommy deer 43 Actor Snipes 4 Golda of Israel 62 Initials on 44 Thought 5 “The Lord of the L’Homme 49 “March Madness” Rings” baddie fragrance games, informally 6 Answering the 63 Took the reins penultimate exam 51 Sizing up question, say ANSW R O R O S 7 Actor Connery 8 How lovers walk 9 “Jersey Girl” actress, to fans 10 Goals 11 Emulated Mt. St. Helens? 12 With __ breath: expectantly 13 Pains’ partner 18 Answering machine button 19 Journalist Roberts 24 Name, in Nîmes 26 Program file suffix 29 Not counterfeit 31 “The Good Earth” mother 32 “Nonsense!”
See memes on page 1.
calendar TODAY NOVEMBER MARCH
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Massage Mondays 12:00 P.M. Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, 229
The Great Rochambeau House Bake Off 12:15 P.M. Rochambeau House
Politics in the Age of Trump 4:00 P.M. Watson, Joukowsky Forum
Bereavement Group 7:30 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 411
TOMORROW
By John Verel and Jeff Chen (c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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Build Your Social Confidence 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 501
Diversity in Law School 5:00 P.M. CareerLAB
Telescope Observing Night 7:00 P.M. Ladd Observatory
Brown EMS Information Session 8:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno, 106
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL
Renaming Magee Street On Nov. 16, the Providence City Council will decide whether a street on College Hill will continue to share the name of a slave trader or if it should instead find a new namesake in two of Providence’s most influential black activists. The decision is clear — Providence should change the name of Magee Street to Bannister Street. The Bannisters represent some of the best Providence’s history has to offer. Edward Bannister was a gifted painter, and his wife Christiana was perhaps even more savvy — a local businesswoman, she founded Providence’s Home for Aged Colored Women, which lives on to this day as the Bannister Center on Dodge Street. Already, the University has taken steps to honor the Bannisters by renovating the family’s former residence at 93 Benevolent St. Now the opportunity falls to the city, and it should make the same decision. Providence’s role in the slave trade cannot be erased, and we must continue to acknowledge that history. But by commemorating a man who profited from racism and slavery, we are not making progress. Historic wrongs must be confronted, not ingrained into the built environment to a point where they may go unnoticed by passersby. We support Stages of Freedom’s initiative to rename a street in honor of the Bannisters, and what better street than Magee?
P HO E B E AY R E S
Editorials are written by The Herald’s 127th Editorial Board: Kate Talerico ’18, Lauren Aratani ’18, Matthew Brownsword ’18 and Rebecca Ellis ’18.
comic Comic | Ceyhun Firat
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COMMENTARY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
The little things REBECCA OKIN staff columnist It was the perfect day for a run last semester, when I found myself lost on a route to Blackstone Boulevard, one I’ve taken so many times. What a wonderful opportunity to turn off my mind and let Katy Perry in my earphones guide me through unexplored Providence streets! Oh, how getting lost is such a glorious chance to find yourself! Wait. I’m a woman. This means that when I realize I’m at the entrance of a woody area rather than the familiar jogging path, I do not smile to myself, stopping to breathe the air and inspect the spring flowers. I do not consider laying on the earth’s soft floor, letting the moment of spring and sunshine and youth enclose me in warm thoughts. I do not dare to close my eyes, even for a second, to let the scent of the dirt saturate my skin — of course I do not. While male friends might enjoy the moment of peaceful refuge — the adventurous ones even seeking to explore further into the woods — the thought of doing anything of the sort is absurd to me. Instead, my heart pounds loudly. I turn my music off, try to calmly figure out the correct route without cell service.
There’s a figure in the distance with a dog, standing in the woods. I sprint away. A never-ending stream of Facebook posts, with the content warning “Sexual Harassment.” A Sunday morning conversation in the Ratty about a Saturday night, featuring the typical “very creepy guy” at a party and taking an Uber five blocks at 2 a.m. to avoid the dark streets. I’m not painting a picture you haven’t heard before. In fact, I’m sure many are se-
testament to how numbed we are to our training: the way we hold our keys walking in the dark (between the knuckle, pointing toward potential harm), the way we focus our vision when we jog (straight ahead, not wandering your eyes at the risk of making any contact), the way we can never, ever be inattentive to our surroundings (you know what happened to her, don’t you?). Activities I watch my male peers do that I wish I could: taking the subway at 1 a.m. alone, trying
near and far. These truths are inextricable from our identities, as they have become a learned part of how we conduct our lives. They will follow us as long as the man on the corner calling us “baby” does. The unspeakable things will not stop — the chilling news stories that feature a picture of a girl that reminds you of a friend — if we continue to allow the seemingly smaller things to go uncontested. These ostensibly lesser occurrences perpetuate a culture of
It’s the little things, the things women have learned to do to protect themselves, these things that actually aren’t little at all, that define being a woman today.
cretly tired of hearing about the saga of being a woman in our current world. Or perhaps you don’t mind hearing our chronicles — or maybe you even genuinely care. I don’t know. But whatever the case may be, we will never successfully combat this culture until we begin to recognize the seemingly mundane behaviors that perpetuate it. Women live a life of different norms. And to use the word “norms” is the greatest tragedy of all — a true
a new path home at night without hesitation, getting dressed up for a party without thinking that “too tight” or “too short” means “too bad!” It’s the little things, the things women have learned to do to protect themselves, these things that actually aren’t little at all, that define being a woman today. Furthermore, it’s the paradox of working my butt off at Brown only to look forward to the sexual harassment that plagues every potential field I work toward entering,
greater horrors. To my male peers: Share some of our burden of constant attentiveness and intervene. What we “let slide” generates the norms that make the modern-day Daisy Buchanan cry when she learns she will introduce a daughter to the world. It’s the jokes in the privacy of a fraternity about rape that you don’t shut down that make the guy to your left think assault is not so serious. It’s quietly listening to someone lament over how a victim ruined an athletic career. It’s
making light of consent. We students are the future leaders of the business, governmental and nonprofit world. We will shape the country — indeed, we are already shaping the country. To my male peers: With as much zeal as you have when you pursue your own professional goals, pledge to never tolerate sexual harassment in your workplace. Teach your son that there are no funny jokes about assault. It is not enough to simply believe that the paranoia women carry around is disheartening; our values are found in our goals more than our thoughts. Make it a goal, an ambition as true as any one you hold close to your heart, to lead your family and your business and your country with this explicit message in mind. I wish I could get lost on a run, but that would simply be irresponsible. I can be as smart and passionate and ambitious as I want. I can argue in class and write opinions columns. But you should know: Every ounce of this confidence crumbles in the face of a man following me home after leaving the library. And if you think this is sad, consider this issue personally urgent. If not, our daughters will continue to endure very separate norms than our sons.
Rebecca Okin ’19 can be reached at rebecca_okin@brown.edu.
Our place in Providence BAMI OKE staff columnist I don’t have a defined answer for improving community relations between college students and local residents, but if we stop fooling ourselves and acknowledge the effect that genuine, substantive actions can have, maybe then we’ll be able to find a rightful place in Providence. When I first sat down to write this article, the only thing that I was certain of was that I wanted to write about Providence. My previous three columns have either been about the University or national news, and seeing as Providence is my home for the time being, why not give her some of the attention she deserves? I flipped to The Herald’s metro section, saw that local candidates are gearing up for next year’s mayoral election and thought, “Perfect! I’ll write about that.” As I searched for background on Mayor Jorge Elorza and his possible opponents, I soon realized the problem: I knew very little about Providence’s government and the inner workings of the city itself. Like so many others, I had been tempted to use Providence as my temporary object of interest rather than a place on which I can leave an actual impact. If we students on College Hill want to actually consider ourselves part of Providence, we should engage with this city in a way that is neither superficial nor patronizing. I’ll be honest, before coming to Brown, the only thing I knew about Providence was that it was somewhere on the East Coast tucked between Boston and New York. And yet here I was a year later, ready to give my two cents on the “right” candidate in a local election whose impact will be felt long after I’ve graduated. I had
heard mixed reviews on Elorza’s performance as mayor, and of course heard the stories about crooked former Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, but after only eight months on College Hill, I was by no means the right person to publish that kind of political opinion. At first as I was thinking about this column, I didn’t care. Despite my lack of knowledge, I felt entitled to write about Providence because I’m
articles you’ll find a quote about a Brown student or faculty member’s involvement in a local demonstration. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — protests need the physical presence of people in solidarity to make an impact — but at what point are we contributing to the city rather than taking away from it? This past summer I, along with four local Rhode Islanders, traveled to San Francis-
If we students on College Hill want to actually consider ourselves part of Providence, we should engage with this city in a way that is neither superficial, nor patronizing.
a Brown student and I should be writing about Providence. Isn’t that the point? To indulge our savior complexes and supposedly “give back” to the city we’re constantly profiting from? In reality, the act of getting off College Hill and interacting with the community has become a shallow trend, which more often than not fails to translate into meaningful action. We look to Providence’s public events and organizations as charity cases desperate for our participation. Certain classes at Brown include walking tours, mandatory volunteer hours or fieldwork with government agencies and noprofits as part of their curricula. If you Google the terms “protest” and “Providence,” in several
co to represent Providence at an international slam poetry festival. We were the youth team of ProvSlam, a competitive slam organization that holds bi-weekly open mics at AS220, which was established as a space specifically for local Providence artists during Cianci’s “Providence Renaissance,” which called for skilled artists and creatives seemingly from everywhere but Providence itself. When I first made the team, I couldn’t stop thinking about off-campus experiences I was about to enjoy. It wasn’t until after I heard my teammates talk about life in their neighborhoods that I began to question my rightful place in the group. I was the only Brown student and the only non-Providence native,
taking up a space that was intended for underprivileged youths to represent their hometown. In spite of all our flaws, students on College Hill have contributed some amazing additions to the city of Providence. After graduating from Brown, Barnaby Evans ’75 created WaterFire, the famed urban ritual that brings thousands of people to the heart of Providence several times a year. On the other side of the city is the Steel Yard, an industrial arts center founded by privileged Brown and RISD graduates. The nonprofit organization provides low-cost courses, workspaces and tools available for anyone living in the Providence area with a desire to improve their neighborhood. What sets these former students apart is that they invested time and energy into the city, without seeking anything in return. These projects are not intended to change the face of Providence; they are small-scale contributions meant to celebrate, not just benefit from, the Ocean State capital. That is how you give back to a community. If our only interactions with the city are meant to boost our own egos, what’s the point of leaving College Hill in the first place? Did I feel good about being on the ProvSlam team? Yes. But at what cost? I was proud to be taking up space that was never mine to begin with. I don’t have a defined answer for improving community relations between college students and local residents, but if we stop fooling ourselves and acknowledge the effect that genuine, substantive actions can have, maybe then we’ll be able to find a rightful place in Providence.
Bami Oke ’20 can be reached at bamidele_oke@brown.edu.
SPORTS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2017
M. HOCKEY
Bears fall to Dartmouth, No. 3 Harvard in Ivy roadtrip Aibel ’20, Dodd ’20, Maguire ’20 each record multiple points in 4-3 loss to Big Green By ALEXANDRA RUSSELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Following a split home-and-home series against Yale last weekend, the men’s hockey team suffered a pair of losses to Ivy rivals Dartmouth and No. 3 Harvard on the road Friday and Saturday, respectively. Bruno fell to the Big Green 4-3 in Hanover before dropping a 3-0 shutout to the Crimson in Cambridge. Trey Dodd ’20 and Nolan Aibel ’20 delivered multiple-point efforts in Friday’s matchup, recording a goal and an assist each. Joe Maguire ’20 also added a pair of helpers. Dartmouth 4, Brown 3 Despite outshooting the Big Green 27-22, the Bears (1-3, 1-3 ECAC) were unable to recover from a trio of early Dartmouth goals Friday night. “We know how we want to play — it’s a matter of how we’re executing and how hard we’re working as a team,” Aibel said. “We weren’t focused off the start and we dug ourselves into a hole, which is never easy to come back from.” The Big Green (2-2, 2-1) scored twice in the first six and a half minutes of the contest before widening the lead with a shorthanded goal 22 seconds into the second period. The Bears responded quickly, when Dodd and Aibel scored within half a minute of one another in the second stanza. Dodd capitalized on a rebound,
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Trey Dodd ’20, left, and Alex Brink ’19, right, power down the ice. The men’s hockey team was unable to recover from deficits of three to Ivy foes Dartmouth and No. 3 Harvard on the road this weekend. Bruno will host Clarkson and St. Lawrence Friday and Saturday at Meehan Auditorium. sending the puck into the right corner of the net at 1:57. Thirty-one seconds later, Aibel collected a feed from Tony Stillwell ’21 and fired a shot from the slot past Big Green goaltender Devin Buffalo to trim the deficit to one. Conner Wynne ’19 answered a Dartmouth power play goal in the third period, sending the puck over the shoulder of Buffalo with five minutes remaining. But the Big Green closed Bruno out in the final stretch. In the net, rookie goaltender Luke Kania ’21 made his first career appearance with the Bears, stopping 18 shots in the loss. Harvard 3, Brown 0 The following day in Cambridge, Brown fell at the hands of third-ranked
Harvard (2-1, 2-1), conceding two power play goals from defenseman Ryan Weiss in the final two frames. The consistency of Bruno’s penalty kill has been a strength, said Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94. The Bears entered the weekend at 100 percent on the penalty kill and held the Crimson at 2-for-8 on the power play in Saturday’s loss. “Penalty kill has been excellent — the power play for Harvard is one of the best in the country and was last year,” Whittet said. “They have elite personnel that can move pucks, and we have to do a better job of not putting ourselves at that disadvantage, to make sure we are disciplined and don’t get needless penalties.” Zach Giuttari ’20 led the Bears with five shots and Alex Brink ’19 recorded
four. Harvard outshot Bruno 36-26 in the contest. Goalkeeper Gavin Nieto ’20 returned to the crease, posting 33 saves. Looking forward, Whittet emphasized the importance of achieving simplicity on the power play. “We’ve done a pretty good job on the killing side,” Whittet said. “On the power play we’ve just got to simplify what we’re doing, outwork the opposition and make sure we’re putting pucks in the net and not over-passing.” Mentally, the Bears remain poised and focused on the process of improvement as they delve deeper into conference play. With the bulk of its season lying ahead, Bruno seeks to maintain its work ethic in practice and competition. “If we’re lazy in practice and we’re
not winning battles, that’ll most likely show up in the games,” Aibel said. “It’s a matter of being 100 percent focused, being locked in for a full practice and just constantly competing with each other.” If the team continues to devote attention to its development, the results will take care of themselves, Whittet said. “We have a team that wants to leave Brown hockey better than when they arrived — there’s a lot of good seniors on our team, and they’ve done things the right way this year,” Whittet said. “I don’t look at where we are four games in in November as where we’re going to be at the end of the season — we’re just going to keep getting better.” The Bears return home to host No. 13 Clarkson and St. Lawrence at Meehan Auditorium Friday and Saturday.
FOOTBALL
Bears falter against Bulldogs on the road in fifth straight loss Bruno’s offense struggles against stout Yale defense, amassing 235 yards, one touchdown By TESS DEMEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Despite the return of veteran quarterback Thomas “TJ” Linta ’18, Brown failed to find an offensive rhythm its 34-7 loss to Ivy League leaders Yale Friday night. A last-minute touchdown reception by Livingstone “LJ” Harriott ’20 prevented the shutout, but the Bears (2-6, 0-5) couldn’t overcome the deficit and suffered their fifth consecutive defeat. “We had a good week of practice, and it just didn’t translate well into the game,” Harriott said. “We had a lot of missed assignments. We didn’t execute the way we needed to, and the game went exactly how it should’ve. Yale made plays and we didn’t. It’s just what it came down to.” Yale (7-1, 4-1) jumped to an early lead, rushing 68 yards to the endzone on its second play of the game and scoring twice more in the opening quarter. An 83-yard touchdown reception by JP Shohfi gave Yale a comfortable 27-0 lead going into the half and helped the Bulldogs on their way to 563 yards of total offense. The Bears made most of their
offensive progress through the air after the team’s early deficit as Linta completed 12 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. David Moodie ’19 led the Bears on the ground, picking up 57 of Brown’s 91 rushing yards. Bruno got on the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter after defensive back Terrell Smith ’18 intercepted a Yale pass with 5:25 left in the game. Linta hit Jakob Prall ’20 on a crossing route for 49 yards and a crucial fourthdown conversion before connecting with Jaelon Blandburg ’20 for 19 more. A four-yard grab in the corner of the endzone by Harriott gave Bruno its lone touchdown of the night and settled the final score at 34-7 as Yale took a knee to drain the game clock. “Our offense definitely needs to get going,” Harriott said. “We have a lot of playmakers on offense, and we just need to figure out how to find the ball in better situations. Offense is probably the biggest thing we’ve got to focus on. We’ve got to help out our defense, get them off the field and just produce.” With only two games remaining, Bruno cannot come away with a winning record but can shake up conference rankings in its game against thirdplace Dartmouth (6-2, 3-2) at Fenway Park Friday. Sports broadcasting icon Chris Berman ’77 P’08 P’09 will serve as an honorary captain for the Bears as the teams continue their rivalry for the 95th year, and the game will be aired
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The Yale offense accrued 563 yards in its blowout win over Brown. Livingstone “LJ” Harriott ’20 caught a fouryard pass from Thomas “TJ” Linta ’18 to put the Bears on the board. live on NBC Sports Network. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for our seniors,” Harriott said. “They gave up their last home
game to play at Fenway and they’re all-in for it. We’re all pretty excited. It’s another opportunity on national television to show everyone what we got
and how good of a team we truly are. Everyone is pretty hyped. We jumped right into preparation really early, so we’ll be ready.”