SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLVIII, ISSUE 41
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Undergraduate teaching assistants in two courses WHAT’S INSIDE faced job uncertainty, unexpected termination TAs from BIOL 0200, ENGN 0030 report hour cuts, abrupt termination, respectively BY ASHLEY CAI SENIOR STAFF WRITER Undergraduate teaching assistants in BIOL 0200: “The Foundation of Living Systems” were informed earlier this month that nearly half of the course’s staff would be let go before the course’s professors informed them that their hours would instead be reduced, three TAs for the course told The Herald. Separately, last spring, students who had been hired and trained to serve as TAs in ENGN 0030: “Introduction to Engi-
neering” were informed that the course had been canceled for the fall and that they would not work as TAs for the course, two TAs for the course told The Herald. Faculty overseeing both courses confirmed the layoffs and planned layoffs, respectively. In the case of the biology course, students claimed that professors cited a raise in the undergraduate minimum wage as one rationale for the cuts — a claim that the biology department’s undergraduate education office denied. Three teaching assistants between the courses spoke to The Herald on the condition of anonymity due to concerns about retaliation from their departments or current employers.
In April, after a month of training, ENGN 0030 TAs were abruptly let go and informed that the course would no longer be taught in the fall, two former ENGN 0030 TAs told The Herald. Before the course’s cancellation, both ENGN 0030 and ENGN 0032: “Introduction to Engineering: Design” were offered as introductory courses for engineering concentrators, with the former focusing on physics and the latter on design, according to the former ENGN 0030 TAs. “I was super happy to get hired,” said a student initially hired as one of 29 ENGN 0030 TAs. “The reason I (became) a TA was
because I really connected with my (TA) when I was in ENGN 0030.” TAs were let go during an abruptly announced meeting on April 27 after undergoing a month of training, the two TAs said. The department was unable to find faculty to take over the course following the retirement of former faculty, according to department leadership. “Last spring, as we were working on course planning for the fall — including identifying faculty to teach
SEE TA PAGE 14
METRO
A mission to restore native plants to Rhode Island SEE SEEDS PAGE 4
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Linguistics breaks from CLPS department SEE LINGUISTICS PAGE 3
UNIVERSITY NEWS
‘Birb’ scavenger hunt fosters community, fun
ENGN 0030: Termination and uncertainty
SEE BIRBS PAGE 11
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Student journalists discuss experiences covering shootings
SEE JOURNALISTS PAGE 14
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
ENGN 0030 teaching assistants told The Herald that they were let go during an abruptly announced meeting after undergoing a month of training.
BROWN & BEYOND
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
Students criticize proposed New coffee shop to open in voluntary payment agreements Brook Street dormitory Providence residents, activists, student groups praise, criticize proposed memoranda at public hearing BY AVANI GHOSH SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Student activists criticized the two proposed voluntary payment agreements between the city and non-profit educational institutions, including Brown, at a public hearing Tuesday evening. Other residents and officials voiced support for the memoranda. Under the memorandum of understanding, four institutions — Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design, Johnson and Wales University and Providence College — would pay a combined $177 million to Providence over the next 20 years in lieu of paying property taxes, The Herald previously reported. Under the proposed
memorandum of agreement, Brown would pay an additional $46 million to the city over the next 20 years. Providence residents, small business owners and other community members were in attendance at the public hearing. Students part of Brown Activist Coalition groups such as Sunrise Brown, Students for Educational Equity and the Student Labor Alliance, as well as members of the Graduate Labor Organization, also testified at the hearing. According to Isaac Slevin ’25, Sunrise hub coordinator, over 60 undergraduates were present at the hearing. In an interview with The Herald, student organizer Garrett Brand ’26 said that “because so much of the city’s land is owned by nonprofits — of which Brown is the biggest by far — the city government misses out on a huge amount of property taxes every year.” According to a January 2022 report from the Providence Finance
SEE PILOT PAGE 4
Co-owner Dulce Lopez spills beans about Hazel Origin Coffee’s offerings BY NEIL MEHTA UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Pawtucket-based coffee supplier Hazel Origin Coffee will open its second location in a first-floor retail space in the Chen Family Hall in mid-November, co-owner Dulce Lopez told The Herald. Construction in the space is scheduled to begin this week. The University announced that the coffee shop would come to College Hill in an Aug. 9 press release. The store will offer traditional coffee drinks — like espresso beverages and pour-over coffees — alongside salads, paninis and other food selections, Lopez said. The new location will also be carbon-neutral
by means of tree planting, she added. According to Lopez, the coffee shop received written messages from around 10 parents of University students expressing concerns about dietary restrictions after the coffee shop was first announced. Now, she said, the cafe plans on offering gluten-free, allergy-free and vegan selections. “We’re trying to have an option for everybody,” Lopez said. In the release, University leaders welcomed Lopez and her husband Olvin Lopez, who co-owns Hazel Origin Coffee with her, while noting the new location’s benefit to the Brown community. “As early as the first conversation, it was clear to us that Olvin and Dulce possess a deep dedication to the craftsmanship of coffee,” said John Luipold, vice president of business affairs, auxil-
SEE COFFEE PAGE 15
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