SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
VOLUME CLIII, ISSUE 55
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Student housing shapes economics of College Hill
FOLLOWING SOFI TUKKER: A journey from College Hill to Coachella
Ordinance under consideration would limit student density in off-campus housing By HENRY DAWSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF XANDER WRIGHT
Alums Hawley-Weld, Halpern reflect on two Coachella weekends, Brown’s influence By ELISE RYAN ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Earlier this month, while students eagerly awaited the arrival of Spring Weekend’s rising stars, Sophie Hawley-Weld ’14 and Tucker Halpern ’14 brightened a different, grander arena: Coachella’s Mojave stage. Hawley-Weld and Halpern joined
forces five years ago in the spring of their senior year, combining Halpern’s beats with Hawley-Weld’s Brazilian bossa nova style to create electronicdance-music duo Sofi Tukker. The band’s rise to prominence includes a number of commercial features, two Grammy nominations and their second Coachella appearance. Now, they are set to embark on an international tour. As Hawley-Weld and Halpern begin the tour’s Australian leg this weekend — bringing their neon style and upbeat sounds to 10 venues across the continent — University students will finally descend upon the Main Green
for Brown’s smaller but equally anticipated music festival. Halpern fondly recalled his experiences at Spring Weekend. His first year at Brown marked the fiftieth anniversary of the festival, which was celebrated with a star-studded lineup including Snoop Dogg, MGMT, Major Lazer and the Black Keyes. Hawley-Weld’s recollections were accompanied with advice for today’s attendees: “It’s super cool if you go out and enjoy it, but you can be sober and you can take care of yourself.” At this, the two descended into » See SOFI TUKKER, page 2
An ordinance being considered by the City of Providence could make big house parties a thing of the past on College Hill. According to the proposed ordinance, off-campus single-family housing would be limited to three college undergraduates per residential unit. The amendment, which is now under consideration in the City Council Committee on Ordinances, specifically targets rented properties with single-, two- or three-family homes within certain types of residential districts. The ordinance proposal also requires universities or college educational facilities to submit a statement detailing the number of students who are living off-campus, the behavioral expectations for those students and procedures for keeping
undergraduates accountable for following city ordinances. “A lot of this arose out of two houses on King Street,” said Sam Zurier, former Providence City councilman representing College Hill, explaining that the houses’ neighbors discovered that a six-bedroom house was being leased to 13 students, “which just didn’t make sense.” Current Providence City Councilwoman Helen Anthony, representing much of the University’s campus and surrounding College Hill, supports the ordinance. She is especially in favor of the components that increase University oversight of students living off-campus. “I don’t think anyone wants to limit students from living in those neighbourhoods. I do think they want to have students be respectful,” Anthony said. “If the students living in the residential neighbourhoods are not being respectful of the neighbors, … there needs to be some action taken by Brown in addition to action taken by the City.” That said, the councilwoman » See HOUSING, page 4
Dave Binder may perform last Spring Weekend show after over 30 years Theta Alpha fraternity takes charge in organizing Spring Weekend tradition this year By EMILY TENG SENIOR STAFF WRITER
After more than 30 years of singing American classics on the Sunday of Spring Weekend, local musician Dave Binder may be giving his last Spring Weekend concert at the University this year, according to the event’s Facebook page. He also will not be performing during Senior Week. Binder has performed at every Spring Weekend since 1986, leading sing-alongs to the golden oldies and hits from the current top charts alike. Traditionally held on Ruth Simmons Quadrangle, this year’s concert will take place on Pembroke Field. Binder’s performance is notably more relaxed than those of the artists who precede him on Friday and Saturday. His act features a smaller stage, acoustic music and “songs that people know from their childhood and can sing along to,” according to Rory Tait ’20, Theta Alpha fraternity’s social chair. Historically, Binder’s concert has been coordinated by the Greek Council and funded by the Undergraduate
INSIDE
Finance Board. But this year, the Greek Council withdrew administrative support due to issues with staffing the concert, according to Megan Fox, the assistant director for Greek and Program House Engagement. The students who would have to staff Binder’s concerts “want to enjoy the activities like other students on campus, and it was hard to get volunteers to make the time commitment,” wrote Fox in an email to The Herald. Fox added that though the Greek Council did not organize the 2019 concert, they still requested the money required to fund it from the UFB. After learning that the show would not necessarily go on, members of Theta Alpha “quickly jumped at the opportunity” to plan and staff this year’s concert, according to Tait. “Assuming responsibility for the (Dave Binder concert) was not necessarily a small task, but the reward of doing it, both for members of the fraternity and for members of the student body who love Dave Binder, is huge,” Tait said. It is unclear whether UFB will fund Dave Binder’s show in the future. Fox explained that UFB “does not fund individual group events” and therefore will not be able to fund Binder’s concert if it is sponsored by Theta Alpha alone.
HERALD FILE PHOTO
Spring Weekend veteran Dave Binder has been performing on the Sundays of Spring Weekends for over 30 years. This year, his performance will move from Ruth Simmons Quad to the larger Pembroke Field. Tait explained that if the Greek Council is unwilling to resume responsibility for the event next year, Theta Alpha would potentially organize fundraisers to continue Binder’s performances. “His performances have become such a tradition that
one student, a member of the class of 2015, even petitioned the University to give Binder an honorary degree for the 30th anniversary of his show,” he added. For reasons that have not yet been disclosed, Dave Binder will not be performing during Senior Week,
as he has in past years. The Brown University Class Coordinating Board is currently drafting a statement explaining why he is not performing during Senior Week but did not comment by press time.
WEATHER
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
METRO City working on Climate Justice Plan to address inequality in effects of climate change
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH Meir ’99, astronaut, will spend 6 months on International Space Station with Russian cosmonaut
COMMENTARY Sacks ’22: U. should bring more ideologically diverse speakers to campus following SPEAK report
COMMENTARY Meszaros GS: U. health insurance has difficulties in accounting for dependents
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PAGE 2 • THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SUGSE, U. begin collective bargaining negotiations Negotiations began April 8 following Nov. unionization vote, lay groundwork for deal By KAMRAN KING SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Following graduate students’ vote to unionize in late November, bargaining committees representing Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees and the University began negotiations toward a collective bargaining agreement earlier this month. Brian Clark, the University’s director of news and editorial development, wrote in an email to The Herald that “the initial sessions were successful in beginning to establish the productive working relationships that will be essential for a robust and candid exchange of ideas and proposals.” Kaitlyn Quaranta GS, a member of SUGSE’s bargaining committee, said their committee put forth one proposal concerning standard recognition of the Union and another regarding diversity and harassment. The latter will hopefully lead to a grievance procedure that graduate student workers can pursue if they face discrimination, she added. After meeting April 8 and 9, SUGSE and the University plan to continue meeting every three weeks on two consecutive business days in two-hour meetings for the rest of the negotiation process, Clark wrote. This
» SOFI TUKKER, from page 1 friendly banter. “But also go crazy and have fun,” Halpern added. Hawley-Weld and Halpern brought this same fun and wild energy to Coachella with an electric setlist and guest appearances by Brazilian drag queen and singer Pabllo Vittar and Li Saumet of Colombian band Bomba Estéreo. “There is something really special about Coachella,” Halpern said, describing the unique vibe that has made it “the most hyped festival in the world.” With a combination of consistently impressive lineups, culinary temptations and artistic installations, Coachella incites a feeling that resonates with Sofi Tukker’s “exciting, energetic set and vibe.” The duo’s performance was framed by a landscape of neon hues and animal projections, which sit at the heart of their new live show touring internationally this summer. “It’s really our dream show. We’ve always talked about having a diorama on stage and just fully enveloping ourselves and the audience in a neon jungle that … transports you to another world,” Hawley-Weld said. Sofi Tukker concluded their April 14 Coachella set with a performance of their newest release, “Fantasy.” In the last minutes of their performance, Halpern paused, leading the thousands of people crowded in the Mojave tent in a swaying dance. “You look so beautiful!” he said from behind his turntable and drums. “Thank you for the experience, thank you for the love!” The new single also received attention for its music video which featured, a dreamscape saturated with neon colors, follows Hawley-Weld and Halpern as they traverse a forest rich with vibrant fauna. Decked in sparkling, iridescent blues and greens that compliment
structure allows both sides time between meetings to prepare responses to each other’s proposals, Quaranta said. The length of the bargaining process is still uncertain. “We look forward to advancing discussions over the coming weeks and months as part of a collegial, respectful and productive bargaining process,” Clark wrote. SUGSE’s bargaining committee comprises 12 members from all disciplines in the Graduate School. Graduate students who had signed union cards — which indicated they wanted to join a union — were eligible to run for a position on the bargaining committee and to cast votes for committee members, who were elected in early March. SUGSE also receives negotiation aid in meetings with the University from a lawyer from the American Federation of Teachers, SUGSE’s union affiliate. Though AFT is providing support, “everything in terms of proposals is coming from the Union,” Quaranta said. The University’s bargaining committee comprises four members from the offices of the President and Vice President, the Grad School and the University’s human resources department. But “members of that team are also conferring widely with others, given the importance of the topics under discussion during bargaining,” Clark wrote. President of the Graduate Student Council Alastair Tulloch GS said GSC will be holding elections for a liaison
Halpern’s aquamarine hair and HawleyWeld’s highlighter-pink makeup, the duo navigates an Avatar-esque land of their own creation. “In the comfort of my daydream / You’re everything that I need,” HawleyWeld sings over Halpern’s beats. “Don’t step on my fantasy,” the chorus continues. Like their shows, the video is meant to carry the viewer and listener to “another planet” while remaining “an ode to the Earth,” Hawley-Weld said. The first weekend of Coachella marked the one-year anniversary of Sofi Tukker’s debut studio album, “Treehouse.” The record earned the band their second Grammy nomination, this time for Best Dance/Electronic Album. “Treehouse” featured the single “Best Friend” which appeared in an iPhone X commercial and then in the film “Ocean’s 8.” Halpern sees each festival stage, high-profile performance or new release as a single brick on their pathway forward. While they are proud of and grateful for their accomplishments, there is no time to dwell on the past. “It’s all sort of part of the journey, and we definitely appreciate it. … We are so excited and driven by what’s coming ahead of us, that we just want to keep growing and keep spreading the good vibes around the world.” This journey — Coachella, “Treehouse,” stumbling into that “Fantasy” — would not be possible without a fateful encounter that united Hawley-Weld and Halpern during their final year at the University. After Halpern fell sick with a severe strain of the Epstein-Barr virus, he took a year off from the University. During this time, he took up DJing to replace the intense focus and commitment his life-long basketball career once required, the New York
COURTESY OF SUGSE
SUGSE held a rally April 8 ahead of the start of negotiations with the University to establish a collective bargaining agreement. The University and SUGSE will meet every three weeks for the rest of the negotiations. between GSC and the Union. GSC discussed this position at its April 4 meeting, as The Herald previously reported. In the meantime, GSC will continue to talk informally with members of the Union’s bargaining committee, Tulloch said. Because graduate students voted to unionize recently, the bargaining unit can learn from GSC’s experience
Times reported. In his first-year season, The Herald once named him athlete of the week. Upon his return, Halpern brought his music to venues on campus and in Providence. He first heard HawleyWeld play her bossa nova music at an art gallery where he was also scheduled to perform. They collaborated on the spot: After he heard her music, he was inspired to put a track to her melody, speeding up the beat. It was their senior spring, and they were meeting and performing together for the first time. But Brown’s influence on the duo stems from earlier than this first encounter. For Hawley-Weld, the University offered an introduction to Portuguese and improvisation, skills that both she and Halpern constantly use when writing and performing their music. After finding herself drawn to bossa nova music, Hawley-Weld was encouraged by a voice teacher to pursue Portuguese. “I ended up taking the intensive Portuguese course and loving it,” she said. She would go on to study abroad in Rio and concentrate in Development Studies with a focus in Brazil and conflict resolution. “When Tucker and I started the band, it seemed like a natural thing to continue including (Portuguese) in what we were doing.” Even now, Hawley-Weld still recalls and appreciates all that she learned in the University’s Electroacoustic Improv ensemble. In the course, dancers, videographers, musicians and artists of various disciplines came together to improvise and create what HawleyWeld called “weird stuff.” But this stuff was inspiring and career-shaping. “In a nutshell,” she said, those skills encapsulated her experience at the University, where she constantly pushed herself to
working with University administration, he added. “They will want to formulate bylaws and initiatives to pursue over the long term,” and SUGSE’s priorities are a “really good starting point,” Tulloch said. Further, as “both entities are advocating for graduate students, I don’t see us ever coming at odds with each other.”
On April 8, ahead of negotiations, SUGSE held a rally in support of its bargaining committee. They held the rally “to show that Brown graduate workers didn’t just vote for a union in November and forget about it,” and that “we’re still excited about the Union,” Quaranta said.
DAPHNE ZHAO / HERALD
The members of Sofi Tukker met at Brown University during their senior year. They have since been nominated for two Grammys. experiment, explore and employ her creativity. During his time at Brown, Halpern took a number of music courses to supplement his concentration in History of Art and Architecture. But it was DJing parties at friend’s houses and in the apartments above then-Johnny Rockets that offered him a crash-course in adapting and playing to a crowd. “That stuff really influences me still when I’m making music. I put myself in those parties.” The day after Hawley-Weld completed her last final exam, she received a call from Halpern. “He was like ‘Hey, let’s form a band and move to New York.” And so they did. Sometime within the next couple of days, the duo headed to a studio in Steinert Hall, where they wrote most
of their first song, called “Drinkee.” The song features poetry from Brazilian poet Chacal, whom Hawley-Weld met after he spoke at a poetry reading at the University. “Drinkee” was discovered by Apple, featured in a 2015 Apple Watch commercial and received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording in 2016. But before “Drinkee’s” fame, Sofi Tukker’s move to New York City and any thoughts of Coachella, the two had to graduate. “We do love Brown, a lot,” HawleyWeld said. “It’s a big part of our story, and … we love being a part of Brown,” Halpern concluded.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 3
Paxson answers UCS questions on divestment, admissions Members of Brown Divest debated with Paxson, asked about University political stance By KAYLA GUO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
President Christina Paxson P’19 presented on divestment and the national admissions scandal at the Undergraduate Council of Students’ general body meeting Wednesday evening. The general body also discussed club categorization and re-activation at the end of the meeting. During her address, Paxson maintained her position against divestment from companies that conduct business in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Members of student coalition Brown Divest engaged in debate with Paxson during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, with some students wearing red to indicate support for Brown Divest. “In an academic institution devoted to academic freedom, we have to wade in very cautiously to take political stances,” Paxson said. “The University provides a forum for discussion and debate and learning, not as an institution that is taking advocacy positions on a set of different issues.” The companies Brown Divest has asked the Corporation to divest from are “big U.S. companies that are engaged in business activities all over the world,” Paxson said. “They would be included in any index fund, any stock portfolio, … so it’s pretty hard to avoid them.” Paxson also asked whether demands to divest are truly about what the listed companies are doing, “or whether it’s really a political issue about what’s going on in Israel and Palestine, which is something that’s a concern to many of us.” The Corporation has “a fiduciary duty to grow and protect the endowment,” Paxson said. “I don’t think it can be used as a tool to broadcast political views.” Instead, Paxson said the endowment should be used to create the highest, most sustainable returns. Paxson acknowledged “rare” situations in which divestment “makes sense,” referencing past University actions to divest from Sudan and tobacco. In 2012 and 2013, the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies — a body
that considers issues of the University’s moral responsibility in its investments — considered divestment from companies with business ties to Israel, according to Paxson’s presentation. “This has been an ongoing process. There’s a history here,” she said. “The Brown community is so far from consensus on this issue.” Following her presentation, students and Paxson engaged in a contentious debate. A member of Brown Divest asked Paxson how she plans to remain “accountable to this conversation on divestment next semester without projecting your own political views,” adding that “what happened in 2013 was a threeyear stall by the administration about divestment.” In response, Paxson said that divestment is a “symbolic statement,” disagreeing with the assertion that not divesting is political. Several audience members laughed following Paxson’s comment. Another Brown Divest member referenced the United Nations’ criteria for companies doing business in occupied territories. “This isn’t something we’re making up. All of our criteria are rooted in international law,” the student said, who requested anonymity for fear of personal repercussions. “So my question is where is the politics in that. … I see this as companies violating international law.” Paxson answered that ACCRIP is tasked with evaluating such considerations. “I will look at their recommendation and the Corporation will look at it with a very open mind,” she said. Paxson also spoke about the national college admissions scandal and the University’s response to it. She said that all varsity athlete recruitments were legitimate, and that the University is reviewing the practices of the Office of Advancement, the Office of Campus Life and the Office of Dean of the College. “I believe really strongly that when students come to campus that everybody should be treated equitably, fairly and equally,” Paxson said. The recently created Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Integrity in Admissions, a joint committee of faculty and corporation members, will examine if the University has “adequate safeguards to protect the integrity of the admissions process,” and if admission practices align with institutional goals of academic excellence and accessibility, according to Paxson’s presentation.
KAYLA GUO / HERALD
President Paxson has voiced her opposition to the divestment movement before, stating that the University cannot wade into political stances and advocate on behalf of certain issues. The committee will conduct a review Student Activities Alex Song ’20 presentThe Student Activities Committee and analysis of University practices over ed on the Student Activities Committee’s approved the creation of 15 new student the summer to issue a report in the decisions on student group applications groups and 13 out of 17 applications for fall. All parts of the report that do not for categorization and reactivation this re-categorization. Two student groups contain confidential information will be semester. Student groups may be con- were reactivated. shared with the University community, sidered Category I, II or III depending The Council voted to approve the Paxson said. on factors including their age and need Committee’s decisions after a period At the end of the meeting, Chair of for funding. of discussion.
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PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Director of Dining Services Peter Rossi to step down in May Rossi has worked at University for 20 years, leaves to pursue ‘new opportunity’ By ALLIE REED UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Peter Rossi, director of Dining Services, is stepping down from his position after 20 years at the University. In his role, Rossi led the “strategic,
tactical planning and execution” of Dining Services, according to his LinkedIn. He previously served as associate director of Dining Services before becoming director in 2016. Rossi’s resignation comes on the heels of a class action lawsuit filed by two former BuDS workers alleging the University did not compensate them properly for their work. In addition, students have recently complained about policy changes, leadership changes and unhealthy
pressures within BuDS, The Herald previously reported. Rossi wished to convey his “sincere appreciation for the team’s collective accomplishments” during his time at the University, he wrote in an email to The Herald. “It has been a pleasure working with the dedicated and supportive members of the Dining Services team.” Rossi left the University to pursue “a new opportunity.” His last day will be May 3. The University is currently
reassessing the leadership structure of BuDS and expect to make final decisions about it this summer, The Herald previously reported. “As plans for both the short-term and longterm come together, Brown Dining Services is fortunate to have talented managers and a dedicated team of staff members across its campus locations,” wrote Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald. Barbara Chernow, executive vice
president for finance and administration, will work with Dining Services to “ensure effective operations in meeting campus dining needs and a smooth transition to follow,” Clark wrote. The Herald reached out to all 12 members of the BuDS student management team. Four declined to comment, two expressed their appreciation for Rossi and six did not respond by press time.
BENJI TORUÑO / HERALD
Rossi’s resignation follows student complaints and a class action lawsuit filed by two former BuDS workers, alleging that the University did not fairly compensate them for their work.
» HOUSING, from page 1 stressed the University’s positive presence in the neighborhood. “I think the Brown students are a wonderful addition to our neighborhood,” she said. The ordinance’s impact would extend beyond student life — potentially influencing the costs of living for all residents on College Hill. As student enrollment has increased over the past few decades and more and more students have moved off campus, there has been heightened tension between Brown and its neighbors, Zurier said. In addition to new luxury apartments like 257 Thayer, student housing is expanding into family-style homes off Thayer street — and driving up their rents. College students tend to rent in groups of two or more rather than by themselves, which allows landlords to charge higher rates per unit, said Peter Asen ’04, director of strategy and development at Providence Housing Authority. This relationship between college students and rental prices contributes to the expensive market in the area, which makes College Hill especially inaccessible to low-income prospective renters. The East Side, where the University is located, has historically high housing prices — and those prices have been increasing. Without factoring in the East Side, the median single-family home in Providence costs $168,000, and the average
BILAL ISMAIL AHMED / HERALD
two-bedroom unit rent is $1,289 per month, according to the Rhode Island Housing Works 2018 Factbook. When looking at the East Side alone,
the median single-family home price rises to $570,000 and average twobedroom rent increases to $1,532. Rents on the University’s side of the
river have also increased nine percent between 2012 to 2017. “The rental cost is so high the amount we can pay (through housing
vouchers) just isn’t enough,” Asen said. Asen also mentioned the importance of increasing availability of affordable housing throughout the city in accordance with Section 8 program goals, which include deconcentrating poverty and increasing access to housing in higher-opportunity areas. “Personally, as an alum, I do feel that it’s important for Brown and other institutions to be aware of the impact that they are having on the cost of housing in the city and try to be part of the solution,” he said. The University is working to address issues related to its economic impact in the area, wrote Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark in an email to The Herald. “Brown is in conversation routinely with local neighbors and community organizations about off-campus housing. Much of that conversation focuses on encouraging mutual respect and communication among students and their neighbors in Providence,” Clark wrote. “Planning for Brown’s evolving campus is a process that happens continually, and that process carefully considers opportunities for on-campus housing options, which can in turn reduce demands on the external housing market.” “Brown is wonderful,” Anthony said, “I think they’re great partners in everything we do in the city. They’re a powerful force. Anything that they can do to help us with the affordable housing issue is certainly welcome and encouraged.”
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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Climate change disproportionately affects low-income communities in PVD City’s Office of Sustainability to continue work on Climate Justice Plan By ALEX REICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
As climate change contributes to a warming Providence, symptoms of already present urban inequality in Providence may worsen as a result. With longer and more severe heat waves and increased flooding already occurring, city officials and researchers say that low-income neighborhoods in the city will bear the worst of these effects. To combat the growing threats of climate change that low-income neighborhoods will face, the City’s Office of Sustainability is continuing its work on its Climate Justice Plan. While not finalized, the plan is set to be released in the coming months, wrote Leah Bamberger, director of the Office of Sustainability, in an email to The Herald. Climate Change exacerbates city inequities Over the last four decades, the number of days in Providence with a heat index over 80 went from roughly 55 days in a year to 75 days, said J. Timmons Roberts, professor of environmental studies and sociology. Low income neighborhoods are most vulnerable to the effects of the heat’s growing intensity, he added. Specifically, in Olneyville, the South and the West End of Providence, “you see almost no green space or very little green space” which makes people living in the areas more vulnerable to the effects of heat waves, such as heat stress and stroke, he said. Without trees and green space, the areas become urban heat islands as the sun warms up the pavement and buildings. The pavement does not cool off overnight, which would allow people to recover from the heat’s intensity. Smog will also be much worse during heat waves, which also presents health hazards to the communities most affected, Roberts said. Currently, low-income communities in Providence experience “a lot of the worst pollution,” while the East Side sees “few to no pollution emitting facilities,” Roberts said. Plans to construct a liquified natural gas plant in South Providence were approved in October, to the dismay of many community members and environmental advocates. The root of pollution in low-income neighborhoods can also be attributed to their proximity to highways and fossil fuel infrastructure. “The closer you are to the highway the more that impacts you,” Bamberger wrote. South Providence, which is located next to the Port of Providence, also faces increased pollution due to a higher concentration of diesel burning ships
As of 2007, the neighborhoods with the highest percentages of tree coverage in Providence included Blackstone, College Hill, Wayland, Manton and South Elmwood. Wanskuck
Charles
Elmhurst
Blackstone
Hope
Mt Hope
Mt Pleasant Smith Hill Manton
College Hill
Valley Olneyville Hartford
Federal Hill
West End
Silver Lake
Wayland
Downtown
Upper South Prov
Tree Canopy % Fox Point
Lower South Prov
Elmwood Reservoir
Washington Park
<10% 10%-20% 20%-30% 30-40% >40%
South Elmwood
Source: City of Providence SARAH MARTINEZ / HERALD
and large petrochemical tanks. “The folks that live there not only deal with the smell, but also the other toxins being released into the community, and it’s having an impact on the health of our children and other folks in that area,” said Lucy Rios, a member of the city’s Racial and Environmental Justice Committee. “No one seems to care about that,” she said. As the increasing heat risks producing more smog, the already high rate of asthma in Rhode Island is expected to grow. The state has the ninth highest prevalence of asthma in the country, according to Julian Rodriguez-Drix ’08, the asthma program manager at the Rhode Island Department of Health. Additionally, studies show Providence’s low-income neighborhoods have the highest asthma rates in the state, Bamberger wrote. With climate change exacerbating these rates, the state Department of Health is currently working with other agencies to consider policy changes around healthy housing, air quality, transportation
and lower emissions. “Asthma is a huge concern, especially in the area around the port,” Rios said, adding that addressing it is among the REJC’s top priorities. One of her fellow committee member’s children have been “in and out of the hospital for days sometimes because of their asthma. … They feel like it’s invisible to the state of Rhode Island,” she added. The fossil fuel infrastructure also exacerbates health risks during heavy rainstorms and increased flooding, which have occurred more frequently and intensely with climate change. Heavy precipitation and flooding along the rivers can dislodge chemicals found in soil and sediment in industrial areas, Drix said. This can impact nearby communities, like Olneyville. “We have a legacy of contamination in an old historic city like Rhode Island with industry, so that’s something that comes up when you’re thinking about what happens after a storm,” Drix said. Providence races against time to
address climate change threats To confront the dire realities of climate change, Providence’s Office of Sustainability is working to complete its Climate Justice Plan. The Providence City Council originally anticipated reviewing and considering the plan in March, ecoRI reported. The Climate Justice Plan will lay out a path to meet Mayor Jorge Elorza’s goal of a carbon neutral Providence by 2050 in an equitable way, according to Bamberger. It will set forth concrete carbon reduction targets in the areas of buildings, clean energy and transportation, Bamberger wrote. To protect low-income communities that lack tree canopy coverage and experience smog, the Climate Justice Plan intends to offer solutions and mitigation such as reducing local carbon emissions and co-pollutants from existing fossil fuel infrastructure. The plan was originally created “through a collaborative planning process with folks who are most impacted by climate change — including low-income communities of color,”
Bamberger wrote. The city convened the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee in 2016 to inform the plan and address concerns around environmental inequality within these communities. The group, which is still working today, also aims to create a long-term dialogue with the Office of Sustainability. From its interviews with community members, the REJC noted concerns over the lack of trees and open space in their neighborhoods, as well as the announced LNG facility and a high number of gas leaks, Rios said. While the results of the Office of Sustainability’s and the REJC’s work remain to be seen, the city aims to raise awareness over climate change’s effects on existing environmental inequalities. People living in the communities that will likely be the most affected by climate change may not be “connecting those dots,” Rios said. “Their lived experiences are what we’re trying to capture,” she added, which will allow the committee and city to “make solutions that will work for all people.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Providence Public School lunches lack halal options Food management company Sodexo USA provides food to PVD Public Schools By DYLAN CLARK SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Though Providence Public Schools serve lunch to tens of thousands of students each year, not every student can look forward to a school-provided meal. Students who keep halal — or only eat food that has been prepared in accordance to Islamic law as specified in the Quran — are unlikely to find acceptable options in their school cafeterias. At lunch, “there is no such thing as halal food in any of these school(s),” wrote Abdourahim Akimana, Providence Public School liaison for Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island in an email to The Herald. While the state must ensure that every school district follows state and federal nutrition guidelines, the state does not review the specific food options districts provide, wrote Megan Geoghegan, communications director for the Rhode Island Department of Education, in an email to The Herald. The Providence Public School Department provides food through Sodexo USA, a national food and facilities management company. Among the state’s Muslim residents are those who have resettled from Muslim-majority nations. Since 2007, 283 refugees from Iraq and 40 from Afghanistan have relocated to Rhode Island, according to data from the Refugee Processing Center within
the U.S. Department of State. Up to 136 Syrians have also come to call Rhode Island home, as the Providence Journal reported in November. Akimana, who has helped resettle families from Syria, Somalia and Iraq, wrote that parents’ first concern when enrolling their children into the public school system is whether or not they will have access to halal food options. “Most of these Muslims’ children would rather starve than eat non-halal food,” he added. About a dozen halal grocers operate in the Providence area, so parents may send their kids to school with homemade lunches. But some Muslims, including refugees, are on food stamps, Akimana noted, so for some families, the absence of subsidized halal meals at school is an economic “burden on parents or children,” Akimana wrote. While Sodexo does not regularly offer halal lunches, “its food service staff does work with students who have special dietary requirements,” wrote Laura Hart, director of communications for Providence Public Schools, in an email to The Herald. She added that parents can request specific food restrictions directly through the schools. Halal is not the only dietary classification missing from the average Providence Public School lunch menu. For example, observant Jewish students may not find kosher food. But only a handful of observant Jewish students in the Providence Public Schools could not find satisfactory meal options, according to kosher-keeping Penina Satlow ’22, who graduated from Classical High School last year and was able to
DAPHNE ZHAO / HERALD
eat vegetarian food at school. Sodexo has provided kosher and halal options in the past to various schools that contract with the company. In 2018, for instance, a Change.org petition from a Florida State University student brought Sodexo-catered halal dining to campus. Akimana noted that
he has not seen any local advocacy to bring halal food options to Providence Public Schools. Mark Jeffrey, Sodexo’s district manager for Providence schools, expressed commitment to providing food choices to all of Providence’s public school students. He stressed that if Sodexo could
not provide kosher or halal options for students, the company could outsource the request. “We’re obligated to source that product for them, and we’d be happy to do so,” he said. — With additional reporting by Sophie Culpepper.
Facilities to replace rusty hot water tanks in Wriston dorms Students reported concerns to Residential Life, repairs to cost tens of thousands of dollars By KARINA FONSTAD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Department of Facilities Management has started a project to replace hot water tanks in dorms on Wriston Quad that have been emitting water discolored by rust. Facilities began working to address issues with the hot water tanks after plumbers “noticed the discolored water” while performing routine maintenance after winter break, said Anthony Casello, director of design and construction at Facilities. During and after winter break, the University’s Environmental Health and Safety Office also tested the water for any health risks at the request of Facilities, Casello said. The EHS Office did not respond to request for comment on the test’s results. Two tanks in Marcy House, which Facilities determined needed the most immediate attention, were replaced over spring break. “We replaced the ones in Marcy because those tanks were of the older vintage, but were also having some visible signs of wear and tear on the outside too,” Casello said. Facilities also replaced the tanks in Marcy first because they could access that tank size quickly, Casello wrote in a follow-up
email to The Herald. For other affected dorms on Wriston, “Facilities is looking at pricing it right now and looking at what it would take to actually replace the tanks,” Casello said. Facilities has not set a timeline for those replacements. In total, Casello estimated that the project will cost tens of thousands of dollars, though he did not disclose an exact amount. The water has been discolored since at least the beginning of the fall semester, according to students living on Wriston this year. “ResLife had gotten some traffic” about the water quality, Casello said. Jason Carroll ’21, who lives in Marcy, first noticed problems with the water in his dorm when he moved in at the beginning of this academic year. Four dorms he subsequently visited seemed to suffer from the same issue. To address concerns about the water, Carroll contacted Facilities two times, but he noticed no change in the water quality. Carroll addressed the problem in his successful campaign for vice president of the Undergraduate Council of Students last month. “Brown students deserve to have water in the dorms that they are comfortable drinking — that’s clean and isn’t filled with sediment,” Carroll said. Though this improvement “may be expensive,” Carroll noted that the University pursues many large-scale projects. “I would love to see Brown put that money into a renovation specifically on Wriston and dorms and other academic
TALIA MERMIN / HERALD
buildings that need that work.” Ryan Rose ’21, a resident of South Wayland House, said he first noticed the rusty water in October. In one instance, Rose said a faucet broke off one of the
sinks, and it began to stream water of an even darker color. After Facilities addressed the broken faucet and the water pressure returned to normal, the color returned to a light brown shade, he said.
Overall, Carroll is “glad that Facilities is working on the issue” and hopes that “this can be the first of many long-term steps on student housing,” he said.
NEWS
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 7
SPEAK report reveals lack of political diversity in U. speakers In 2018, 94.4 percent of guest speakers with explicit political leanings ‘leaned left’ By SPENCER SCHULTZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A report published Monday by the University coalition SPEAK found that 94.4 percent of speakers invited to Brown in 2018 who demonstrated an explicit political leaning leaned left. Of the 325 speakers evaluated by the report who spoke about United States politics, 200 — or 61.5 percent — demonstrated no discernible political leaning, according to the report. Consisting of University students, faculty and organizations, SPEAK advocates for “the University (to) help expose students to a variety of beliefs,” by promoting engagement with “ideologically diverse ideas,” according to the group’s website. SPEAK’s findings show that the political breakdown of campus speakers in 2018 has hardly changed when compared to 2017, said Jimmy Thompson ’20, the leader of SPEAK. 94.5 percent of speakers who demonstrated an explicit political leaning leaned left in SPEAK’s 2017 report, The Herald previously reported. “There are some differences in the speakers series, but by and large, in the aggregate, the makeup of speakers is about the same,” Thompson said. SPEAK collected data on speakers hosted by University departments and institutes that support the study of politics at Brown, according to SPEAK’s website. The data does not consider speakers who have never lived in the United States or event moderators, according to the report. Because a majority of Brown students and faculty hold liberal views, “a crucial source of diverse viewpoints is Brown’s guest speakers,” according to the report. The report considered a total of 161 speakers. To determine where a speaker fell on the political spectrum, SPEAK used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative assessments, Thompson said. In their quantitative assessment, SPEAK looked at Federal Elections Commission data on contributions to political campaigns. Since only 18 percent of speakers made political contributions, SPEAK also expanded its analysis by examining qualitative metrics, such as prior career positions and social media posts, according to the group’s 2018 report. Based on this framework, the coalition categorized speakers into two groups: “lean left,” and “lean right.” If there was not enough data to categorize a speaker or if no political inclination was found, the coalition labeled the speaker as having “no discernible leaning,” Thompson said. To distinguish between left and right-wing ideologies, SPEAK compared the data gathered on an individual with the Democratic and Republican party platforms, Thompson said. Though SPEAK is a “well-intended effort” to foster diversity of thought and expression, “labelling
TIFFANY DING / HERALD
SPEAK, a campus group consisting of students, faculty and organizations, aims to increase the ideological diversity of speakers on campus. people is a fraught exercise,” said Ed- even split of liberal and conservative be from our education,” he added. constructively,” he said. ward Steinfeld, director of the Watson speakers would “limit Brown’s capacSPEAK also outlined long-term Watson has recently made efInstitute for International and Public ity to host discussions of the wide objectives that the University should forts to expand diversity of thought Affairs. Separating individuals based range of diverse ideas and perspec- undertake to increase ideological di- through a new military fellowship on a binary categorization of “lean tives of the global left,” they added. versity and tolerance, which include program, Steinfeld said. “Having In addition to classifying speak- creating an exploratory committee military fellows here — it’s not about left” or “lean right” may not “fully encompass the totality of someone’s ers’ political leanings, SPEAK offered to examine “structural biases which whether they are on the left or the views or the totality of a person’s recommendations to help encour- limit the free exchange of ideas,” es- right — but military society does learning experience,” he added. age more thoughtful discussion of tablishing an annual University award represent a particular kind of perIn recent years, both the national political issues on campus. These honoring the “most politically diverse spective and I think it’s not one that’s and global definitions of liberalism recommendations include increas- speaker series” and promoting First been broadly represented at Brown,” and conservatism have changed, ing student involvement in lectures, Year Readings that focus on ideo- Steinfeld said. “We’re determined to Steinfeld said. “There is a lot of flux providing funding for ideologically logical diversity, according to their keep moving in that direction of havin the way people are thinking about diverse speakers, connecting with report. ing lots of different voices,” he added. issues,” he said. Certain positions, on student groups and framing event “Brown is a campus that routinely Thompson recognized that by topics such as free trade and immi- topics to promote meaningful and hosts debates and discussions where itself, increasing the diversity of gration “that used to be considered respectful dialogue, according to the speakers with varying and opposing speakers brought to campus canabsolutely sacrosanct for Republicans report. perspectives confront many of the not meaningfully improve political Though many of the group’s rec- most difficult issues facing society discourse at Brown, he said. Other are not sacrosanct anymore for people on the right,” he added. ommendations have not changed today. Ensuring a broad diversity of measures must be taken to ensure that Dheraj Ganjikunta ’22 and Jessica since 2017, SPEAK decided to elim- perspectives on campus is essential students receive an education that is Burbank GS, president and vice-chair inate the quota recommendations — and we fully support the coalition’s ideologically equitable, he added. As of the Young Democratic Socialists, included in last year’s report, Thomp- goal of increasing engagement with a research group, SPEAK, “can point expressed similar concerns with the son said. Previously, SPEAK recom- ideologically diverse ideas,” wrote to the problem, but I think the only binary of “lean left” or “lean right,” mended increasing the proportion of Brian Clark, the University’s director way to make up for what might be according to a statement published in conservative speakers at Brown to at of news and editorial development. missing in individual students’ lives SPEAK’s report. “We ask: lean left or least 30 percent. “On a personal level, While Steinfeld fully embraces is simply for them to come up with lean right in respect to what? Well, I don’t think that (quotas) are the “the idea of making sure we have best solutions for themselves.” Such the entire political paradigm in the right way to go about change or dis- as broad a range of views expressed solutions can include “taking a class United States has shifted right,” they cussion on campus,” Thompson said. here as possible,” maintaining an en- that challenges their world view, or wrote. “At the end of the day, what SPEAK is vironment conducive to thoughtful reading different books in the library. “When the center of our paradigm really about is trying to create growth discourse should be a priority. “We It’s nothing flashy,” Thompson said. shifts right, we consequently catego- and dialogue on campus by pointing want to encourage people to express “The problem is way bigger than rize a larger proportion of scholars out that there might be this problem their views with evidence, and also SPEAK, we can just identify it.” in the world as ‘left,’” Ganjikunta and that we all personally might not to be willing to listen to other people and Burbank wrote. Encouraging an be benefiting as much as we could express their views and to engage
NEWS
PAGE 8 • THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Astronaut Jessica Meir ’99 scheduled for first space voyage Meir to spend six months on International Space Station, co-pilot Russian Soyuz spacecraft By CATE RYAN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH EDITOR
NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir ’99 will blast through Earth’s atmosphere Sept. 25 in her first ever space flight, propelling into six months of orbit on the International Space Station. Meir will co-pilot a Soyuz spacecraft alongside a Russian cosmonaut commander and the United Arab Emirates’ first astronaut in space. Launching from Kazakhstan, the flight itself will last only eight minutes, but it will take the team roughly six hours to dock the spacecraft onto the ISS. Then, Meir will spend six months living roughly 240 miles above the Earth’s surface. Though the news of her space flight broke only last week, she has been training for the mission since January 2018, splitting time mostly between the Johnson Space Center in Houston and a cosmonaut training center in Star City, Russia. “As a scientist, I’m really, really excited to contribute to all the different kinds of experiments. … The other thing that I’m really excited for is to hopefully do a spacewalk,” Meir said. Though no space walks are guaranteed, she believes the chances are high that she will have her first opportunity to float in space. “That’s … a thing that I’ve always dreamed about my whole life — being out there in a space suit looking back on Earth.” Meir has been preparing for this moment for more or less her entire life — her career aspirations have been aimed at the sky since she was five years old. She attended Purdue University’s space camp before her freshman year of high school, and she later spent six weeks at the Space and Life Sciences Training Program at the Kennedy Space Center after her sophomore year at the University. “The driving force of everything that I’ve done in my life has been exploration,” she said. Meir came to the University hoping to study biology and cited the introductory course taught by Professor of Biology Kenneth Miller, who still teaches BIOL 0200: “The Foundations of Living Systems,” as an influence that kept her on that path through college and life. Miller “realized how important it was to … capture people early and get them excited about it.” She went on to complete an honors thesis under Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Herman Vandenburgh at the University and Miriam Hospital. “There really aren’t that many (astronauts) that are life scientists like I am. … A vast majority of astronauts do have a degree in engineering,” Meir said. “But for me, that just wasn’t what I was most excited about. I thought it was really important to do what I really loved, even if it maybe wasn’t the most direct path to becoming an astronaut.” On campus, Meir was an active
member of Women in Science and Engineering and the space and flying clubs — she started taking flight lessons while an undergraduate. She also loved playing the flute and saxophone, first in the wind symphony and later in the pit for theater performances. The latter activity aligns with her love for musical theater. After graduation, Meir applied to the International Space University in Strasbourg, France to get her Master’s in “Space Studies.” This was the first of many postbaccalaureate pursuits that have defined Meir’s scientific career. Following her time in France, she worked at the Johnson Space Center and later received her PhD from the University of California at San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Meir is a veteran of extreme environments. To study animal physiology in extreme habitats, she often pushed herself deep below sea-level, scuba-diving in the Antarctic under sea ice. Her PhD research explored the diving physiology of emperor penguins and elephant seals. After spending years studying animals in physically grueling environments, she will be studied in a similar context. “It kind of is full circle,” Meir said. “Now I’m going to be the subject, and they are going to be recording all sorts of different parameters on me while I’m in space.” To become an astronaut as a civilian — the process is slightly different for those in the military — one must complete a standard application on the USAJOBS website. Thousands of people apply, and that list is whittled down to 400 people and then down to 120. Those 120 candidates are flown to Houston for two days of interviews, team building activities and psychological tests. Between 40 and 50 people are selected as finalists to return to NASA for a more intensive week of evaluations. Finally, one year later, about eight to fourteen individuals are chosen as a new class of astronauts. Meir first applied in 2004, before she had gone to graduate school. She applied again in 2008 and made it to the final round, but was ultimately not selected. The next chance to apply came in 2013. “I was really happy in my career as a scientist, and I was doing my postdoc at the University of British Columbia, … but I still had to apply, just to see, since it was always my dream.” This time, she was chosen as one of eight in the 21st NASA astronaut class. After selection, astronauts enter candidate training, which involves everything from flight and space walk practice to literacy in the Russian language and the mechanics of systems aboard spacecrafts. After her class graduated in 2015, she was ready for her first mission. “When we got selected (in 2013), they told us it would be between five and ten years before we started flying, and they were absolutely right.” Now, six years later, she finally will get to execute her first space adventure. While on the ISS, “I will be doing lots of different experiments ranging from physiology and medicine to … material science,” she said. “Really any type of science that you
COURTESY OF NASA
While at the University, Meir studied biology, took flight lessons and played in the pit for theater performances. She cited Professor of Biology Kenneth Miller as an early influence in her scientific career.
SUMMER ZHANG / HERALD
need, we are doing it up there.” The next few months will be packed with final preparations — first to Germany in July and then Russia for her “final exams” before the big launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
“My friends at Brown and all of my professors at Brown were really instrumental in me getting where I am today,” Meir said. Meir will be in Russia preparing for her space flight when her
twentieth reunion is celebrated on campus next month. “I think my friends are going to try to have a big cardboard cutout of me with them so I can be there in spirit — so you’ll have to look out for that.”
NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 9
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Economics Department receives $25 million donation Orlando Bravo ’92 donation to fund new research center, increase faculty positions By AURIA ZHANG AND OLIVIA GEORGE SENIOR STAFF WRITER AND STAFF WRITER
The Department of Economics is receiving a $25 million donation from Orlando Bravo ’92, according to a University press release. Of this total, $15 million will be allotted to founding the Orlando Bravo Center for Economics Research, and the remaining $10 million will be used to attract eight to 10 new faculty — including two endowed chairs. The “inspired donation” will help strengthen the department’s reputation and quality of work, said President Christina Paxson P’19.
“The intent (of the Bravo Center) is to really amplify the amount and quality of research that (is) coming out of the Brown Economics Department,” Paxson said. With the new Center, the faculty’s research capabilities will be enhanced, particularly in obtaining and analyzing data, said Chair of the Department of Economics Anna Aizer, adding that there has recently been a significant increase in the type of data available as well as methods to analyze the data. The data and data-mining methods address issues including “inequities in health care, education and earning potential,” according to the press release. “This gift will really help us … develop some of these data sets and employ some of these methods to help us answer some of the most important policy questions,” she said. Bravo named research as one of the primary reasons he made the donation. “The (economics) department at
Brown right now is at the forefront of some incredible research around areas that are very important to me, like income inequality and social mobility,” he said. “I come from … Puerto Rico where there wasn’t that much opportunity.” Bravo concentrated in economics and political science at the University and is the co-founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm, according to the press release. Faculty interviewed by The Herald were also enthusiastic about the portion of the gift that will go toward faculty retention. David Weil, professor of economics and former chair of the department, noted that adding more faculty will help increase the size of the department, a problem the University has long struggled with. “We are actually small by the standards of top research departments,” Weil said, adding that other schools are generally bigger and have business, public
policy or law schools, which increase the number of economists. “We basically have almost all of our economists sitting here” in Robinson Hall, he said. The plan to boost the number of faculty in the department by eight to 10 “is quite a lot,” Aizer said. In a follow-up email to The Herald, Aizer wrote that this would also help move the University’s number of endowed chairs closer to those of other Ivy League schools. The additional faculty will also allow the department to offer more courses. “This year our enrollments are about 4,500,” Aizer said. “We have something like 32 faculty.” Economics was the second largest concentration in 2018, according to the Office of Institutional Research. The gift is also expected to increase both the size of the graduate student population and the number of research assistants hired, Aizer said. The Herald’s spring 2019 poll found
that students concentrating in either Economics or Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations interact less frequently with faculty than students in other concentrations. Of the students polled, 27.8 percent of concentrators in Economics or BEO reported that they interact with faculty at least a few times per week, compared to 40.4 percent of non-business concentrators. Aizer cited the shortage of department faculty as a potential reason for less frequent student-faculty interactions. “This is the kind of gift that can be transformational for the department, and I expect will be,” Paxson said. “The department is already one of the top departments in the country,” Bravo said. “I hope that this strengthens it. I hope that it provides more room for the faculty to both grow and … invest more in its research capabilities. And through all that, I also hope it provides an even more meaningful experience for Brown students.”
TIFFANY DING / HERALD
The department aims to add eight to 10 new faculty members, including two endowed chairs, which should help to increase faculty interaction with undergraduates.
STUDENT RESEARCHERS SOUGHT
Alum author seeks research assistants for book about Brown. Should be sociable and outgoing.
Pay approximately $40/hour Send resume to: Richard Montauk rmontauk@aol.com
NEWS
PAGE 10 • THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Over 150 students to be housed via summer assignment Summer assignment consistent with past years, students fear being split from housing group By TYLER JACOBSON STAFF WRITER
Approximately 160 students will receive on-campus housing for the 2019-20 academic year through the summer assignment process. Of these students, 130 are rising juniors, wrote Melissa Flowers, senior director of residential education and operations in the Office of Residential Life, in an email to The Herald. This amount is consistent with previous years, she added. “Each year, (ResLife) works to place over 3,200 returning students into sophomore and upper-division housing assignments,” Flowers wrote. “The vast majority of these assignments are completed during the routine housing lottery and pre-lottery processes, but we typically run out of spaces during (the) lottery.” For next year, all residence halls not designated as first-year dorms are currently filled. But “a number of students will separate from the University during the summer months” for personal leaves, medical leaves or to study abroad or away, Flowers wrote. Additionally, “a number of rising seniors participate in (the) Housing Lottery but later choose to live off campus,” she wrote. Based on previous years, the University anticipates that 110 to 150 students who received rooms through the housing lottery will go abroad next semester and enough upperclassmen will move off campus to free up space for students currently without a housing assignment. ResLife only places students into residence halls for summer assignment “once they receive official notification from a departing student that they are canceling their housing assignment.” Assigning housing over the summer is a rolling process that allows ResLife to maintain group requests when possible, Flowers wrote. ResLife is working to improve the housing selection process in the future, Flowers wrote. “We are actively working (to better predict) the number of students we can anticipate will
be on the summer housing waitlist, … exploring better housing management software systems to make for more seamless housing selection processes … and considering policies that may help us receive earlier indicators of students who select rooms through (the) housing lottery but will ultimately live off campus.” In addition, the construction of the new health and wellness residence hall at 450 Brook St. should decrease the need for summer assignments, Flowers wrote. Students interviewed by The Herald were disappointed to be in the summer assignment process. Oscar Newman ’21, who participated in the housing lottery in a group of eight, said his group wanted
to avoid splitting up at all costs. “We crunched the numbers and thought we’d be alright,” Newman said, adding that his group was on the second to last page of the lottery. “We printed out maps of every single dorm at Brown, … but eventually we realized there was no way we’d be getting housing. … We gave up and resigned ourselves to our fate.” “(We) were not super excited to be in summer assignment because we knew there is a good chance we’ll get split up or not know where we will get to live until the end of August,” Newman added. Elena Jin ’21 and her group were on the last page of the housing lottery. “This was after being on the last page of the lottery last year,” Jin
said. “It was two non-ideal situations back-to-back.” By the time her group’s slot came up, Jin said there were no rooms available. The only option they had was to pass, sending them to the summer assignment process. Flowers understands that “it is naturally somewhat disconcerting to not have solidified housing arrangements for the following year, especially when many of your peers have already made arrangements,” she wrote. But ResLife is “able to accommodate the vast majority of roommate pairings, and we work to keep groups together as best we’re able.” Even though the housing lottery is usually unable to assign housing to every participating student, ResLife
ANNIE WANG / HERALD
does not grant more off-campus housing permission to upperclassmen to avoid the summer assignment process. “We feel that living on campus is critically important to the overall educational experience,” Flowers wrote. Still, Newman is unsatisfied that students are required to live on-campus for three years unless they receive off-campus permission. “ResLife chooses not to give more off-campus permission when there are many students able and willing to go live off campus,” Newman said, “especially given that it’s usually cheaper than living at Brown.” ResLife gives summer assignment to “way more people than they have to,” Newman said. “It’s unfortunate.”
TODAY
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
an ode to poe tic ducks
LEON JIANG / HERALD
We present to you the following limerick. In case you don’t recall eighth-grade English or arithmetic, it consists of three long lines, then short two times, and the rhyme scheme is aabba— so slick! Here be the best swimming in all of Rhode Island, just eight thousand miles from Thailand. Ducks do here swim, though not to keep slim, but just to keep away from dry land.
sudoku
menu SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Baked Pasta, Pho Bar, BBQ Bam Bam Pizza, Make Your Own Salad, Grinder, Cous Cous Entree, Make Your Own Pasta JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Ceviche, Quesadilla Station, Southwestern Bean Burger
Earth Week, Eat by CHLOE., Focaccia Bar, Minestrone Soup
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Roasted Summer Squash, Korean Style BBQ Chicken, Siberian Style Grain Bowl, Italian Beef
Catch of the Day with Chourico and Sweet Corn, Jambalaya, Banana Coconut Whoopie Pie
VERNEY-WOOLLEY
crossword
LUNCH
DINNER
Fried Tofu, French Fried Onion Rings, Mac and Cheese Bar, Brown Rice Pilaf, M&M Bars
Cheesy Polenta, Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Chunky Marinara Sauce, Fagioli Soup
CORRECTION A graphic in the April 24 article titled “State high school students push for suicide prevention bill” identified Rhode Island as a state that had passed the Jason Flatt Act. In fact, Rhode Island has not passed the Jason Flatt Act. The Herald regrets the error.
calendar TODAY
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Paul Celan Symposium 8:30 A.M. Faculty Club
Puppy Dogs and Hot Dogs 12:00 P.M. Sciences Library Patio
Relationships with Your Smartphone 12:00 P.M. Salomon, Room 003
LingLangLunch, Anna Bjurman Pautz 2:00 P.M. Metcalf Research Building
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Professor Meyer on Religion in Ming China 12:00 P.M. Smith-Buonanno Hall
Medicine and Compassion Workshop 12:00 P.M. Rhode Island Hospital
Women’s Water Polo Plays Harvard 4:00 P.M. Coleman Aquatics Center
Spring Jazz Dinner & Dance 6:00 P.M. Faculty Club
COMMENTARY PAGE 12 • THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Mueller, Trump, presidential authority ANDREW REED staff columnist Last week, when the Department of Justice released the partially redacted Mueller Report, liberals and conservatives alike rushed to claim vindication. The report was something of a Rorschach test of confirmation bias. Many conservatives saw confirmation of the President Trump’s cries of “no collusion.” Many liberals saw the president’s attempts to stymie the special counsel’s investigation as evidence that he obstructed justice. Mueller has seemingly given everyone the ability to frame the report as a win for their side, though recently the President has described aspects of the document as both a “total exoneration” and “total bullshit.” Questions regarding the proper interpretation of the report can only be answered with a resounding “it’s complicated.” When I read it, what stood out was neither the lack of collusion nor the evidence of obstruction. What was most alarming, and to what few outlets have devoted many column inches, is the documented pattern of Trump’s advisors defying his directives. There are several instances in the report where the president gives one of his advisors an or-
der, the person says “I’ll get right on that” and walks out of the room with no intention of doing what he asked. I’ve heard some say, approvingly, that these people provide a buffer against some of Trump’s worst impulses. The problem is, no one elected these advisors — and in many cases they are the ones essentially wielding the president’s powers. When you don’t like
quest.” In another instance, Trump ordered then-Chief-of-Staff Reince Priebus to obtain a letter of resignation from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Even though (he) did not intend to carry out the president’s directive, he told the president he would get Sessions to resign.” Mueller’s report includes several more anecdotes like these.
— and not the president who decided whether to fire the Attorney General and the Special Counsel and whether Assad should live or die. It would be easy to dismiss these incidents as the President’s advisors and cabinet members saving him from himself and saving the country from harmful or even illegal actions. But the deception is where this explanation fails
If the people making the biggest decisions in the country are not those whom we have elected, what’s the point of a democracy?
the president, it’s easy to think that’s a good thing. But, in truth, it’s a double-edged sword, and one edge cuts far deeper than the other. Mueller describes multiple occasions like these. In one instance, President Trump instructed White House Counsel Don McGahn to call the Deputy Attorney General and order him to remove the special counsel. McGahn, at home on a Saturday, and after having received a second call from the president with the same order, “left the president with the impression that (he) would call (the Deputy Attorney General]),” though he “did not intend to act on the re-
But it’s not only personnel matters and it’s not only the Mueller report where we see this kind of defiance. Last year, the Washington Post reported that, on a call with now-former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Trump ordered him to draw up plans to assassinate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Mattis agreed with the President and said he would begin the planning, but when the call ended, he told an aide, “we’re not going to do any of that.” In these cases, it was a general, a bureaucrat and a lawyer — none of whom are elected, none of whom are accountable to the American people
to pass muster. When the president gives an illegal order or one that your principles forbid you from following, you say so. You say, “No, Mr. President, that’s not right. I won’t do it, and here are the reasons why...” And if after that, he remains unconvinced, you resign. That’s how it’s supposed to work. But that’s not what happened here. Thus far, Trump’s advisors’ attempts to neuter his presidency have had little effect. However, one could foresee a scenario in which this propensity toward defiance wreaks havoc on the government and the country. Imagine the president decides to
launch a pre-emptive strike on North Korea. Would we then not be worried that such an order may or may not be dismissed as “Trump’s crazy talk”? If the president and his cabinet were sending conflicting messages to the armed services, would this not make us and the world less safe? These questions should trouble everyone, liberal or conservative. The person we elect to serve as president is the one who must make the big decisions, like them or hate them, trust their judgment or question it. You may not like Trump making the decisions, but it’s far better than someone pulling the strings from behind a veil of unaccountability and, to many Americans, anonymity. If the people making the biggest decisions in the country are not those whom we have elected, what’s the point of a democracy? When a small group of people can not only make the decisions of the president but also actively defy his orders through deception, they have thwarted the democratic will of the people who elected him.
Andrew Reed ’21 can be reached at andrew_reed@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Re-evaluate University health insurance for dependents E.L. MESZAROS staff columnist Brown students are required to have health insurance, which is provided by default through the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan. Although graduate students often are older, have their own families, conduct research and teach for the University, they do not have access to the three plans offered to University employees, but are offered the same Student Health Insurance Plan instead. Combined with efforts from Health Services, the overall health care provided to those on the student insurance plan is generally fairly good. But it fails dependents on the Student Health Insurance plan — children, spouses and partners. According to a Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees statement, the University has agreed to pay for 50 percent of dependent health insurance coverage. This is a step in the right direction, but does not address vital issues — like the lack of local health care options, or the fact that dependents cannot unenroll mid-year. Brown should re-evaluate how its health insurance helps care for them. Dependents receive different health care at Brown. Health Services provide students with a number of different health-related services beyond just easy-to-make doctor’s appointments. Through the plan, students have access to free flu shots, a pharmacy that can contact their doctor for renewals, easy-to-reach nursing staff who can provide guidance and doctor’s notes, etc. But these services are only available to Brown students, not dependents on the Brown Student Health Insurance Plan. This means that depen-
dents have to seek out such services elsewhere. While it may not be difficult to find another location to get a flu shot, it does mean that one family will have to manage at least two different plans for health care, which can be complex, time-consuming and expensive. More than that, when forced to look outside of Brown Health Services for care, dependents can struggle to find options in the community that accept Brown’s health insurance. My spouse has reached out to multiple local practices, only to be turned away by those that bother to respond. Having encountered such difficulty, I reached out to the graduate student email bul-
versity’s own health insurance information page. While the Gallagher website outlines the numerous qualifying events that would allow a student to terminate their own coverage, or even permit them to enroll in Brown health insurance during the middle of the year, dependents are not granted as much leniency. Allowing for changes in enrollment is an important and necessary part of insurance plans. My spouse recently found employment that offered him health insurance as a benefit — a standard practice among employers. With this life change of finding a new job, he should be able to unenroll from his current plan. Yet the
Dependents already have a difficult time getting the same ease and level of care that regular students receive, and despite this they are unable to leave the plan for better options, costing potentially thousands of dollars for subpar care. letin board for recommendations of practices that would accept Brown’s insurance plan, only to find that other graduate students with dependents have experienced the same problem. If dependents cannot utilize Health Services, they must have other options in the local community. The most difficult part of navigating Brown health insurance for a dependent, however, is leaving it. After enrolling a dependent, there is no way to terminate their coverage for the year unless the “student loses eligibility.” This information is presented in the online FAQ from Gallagher Student Health, the insurance plan’s broker, but is nowhere to be found on the Uni-
Brown health insurance plan does not allow him to do so. Accounting for these qualifying events should be a necessary part of health insurance, and has always been incorporated into every other health insurance plan I’ve seen. Being unable to unenroll dependents due to qualifying life events presents some distinct financial issues. As of now, I’ve spent more than $600 that I can ill-afford paying for my spouse’s second health insurance plan — a plan on which he has been able to receive little care. I’ll continue to pay for this extraneous plan until the beginning of the next school year, so by September I’ll have handed over $2,000 for this un-cancel-
lable insurance. I asked a Gallagher representative for help, and they told me that I signed the contract so their hands were tied. I then called an insurance and purchasing services specialist for the Brown insurance plan, who left me an unsympathetic message suggesting I just not pay for my spouse’s plan. Left with no other options, I attempted to follow her advice, yet Gallagher requires automatic payments hooked up not to a credit or debit card, but directly to my bank account. Dependents already have a difficult time getting the same ease and level of care that regular students receive, and despite this they are unable to leave the plan for better options, costing potentially thousands of dollars for subpar care. Brown needs to address these problems with dependent care under the health insurance plan that they offer their students. If it’s impossible to include dependents in on-campus health services, working with the community to find good options for dependents is necessary. More than that, those in charge of designing and implementing Brown student health insurance should revisit their policy of not allowing dependents to unenroll. Qualifying events should extend to dependents as well, offering them the standard opportunities for modifying their insurance and, therefore, health care. At the very least, Brown should work to make very clear the unusual characteristics of health insurance enrollment for dependents, so that others do not needlessly find themselves in my situation.
E.L. Meszaros GS can be reached at e.l.meszaros@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
COMMENTARY THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 13
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
University needs greater diversity of speakers DAVID SACKS
op-ed contributor SPEAK was originally founded in 2017 in order to help ensure the survival of healthy discourse and diversity of thought at Brown. Our 2017 Speaker Report showed that 94.5 percent of the 237 University invited speakers who demonstrated explicit political leanings leaned left politically. A year later, not much has changed. Our 2018 Speaker Report shows that of the 161 speakers invited to Brown who demonstrated an explicit political leaning, 94.4 percent leaned left. These numbers are not perfectly representative; many speakers who came to Brown could not be identified as having a distinct political leaning. But is there any reason to believe that those speakers who could be identified using our methods are unrepresentative of the sample size at large? Though we welcome campus feedback on this point, we feel compelled also to ask the
opposite question: Could the fact that the majority of speakers are “unknown” politically actually understate, surprisingly enough, the level of ideological bias? There is cause for hope. Since last year, we have had conservative speakers such as Jeb Bush, Arthur Brooks, Bill Kristol and Michael Steele. Such events show the Brown University community that the administration is willing to
the viewpoint diversity required in such an outstanding institution. Why should we be concerned about the fact that we have such poor representation of conservative views on campus? Put another way: what happens when we do not facilitate engagement with a diversity of opinions? The answer is probably put best by John Stuart Mill: “If (an idea) is not fully, frequently and fearlessly discussed, it will be held
sentative of the world. If we look at polls or venture beyond the College Hill and Ivy League bubble, we would doubtless notice that our country is not nearly so homogenous in its political opinions. Accordingly, the University has a responsibility to prepare its students to engage with views they oppose if it really does seek to equip students to make a difference in the world. Moreover, this responsibility is not one of indoctrina-
We must therefore face anew the fact that Brown University fails on the whole to provide the viewpoint diversity required in such an outstanding institution. broaden the spectrum of viewpoints to which its students are exposed. Nonetheless, our data show that despite these improvements, there has not yet been a significant change in the uniformity of ideology among invited speakers. A handful of prominent conservative speakers brings attention to a conservative presence at Brown, but a few speakers do not make substantive discourse a routine part of student life. We must therefore face anew the fact that Brown University fails on the whole to provide
as a dead dogma, not a living truth.” In other words, ideas grow stale without proper discussion. While the average Brown student seems to hold a position to the left of political center, we must not universally conform to a homogeneity of ideas. Our ideas would grow stale and weak were we not afforded ample opportunity to engage critically with data, experiences and opinions different from our own. It is, after all, necessary to remember that Brown University is not repre-
tion: the University must expose its students to various perspectives, even if students consequently change their minds. Mutual empathy is impossible without mutual respect, and true understanding is impossible without honest exploration. Former President Ruth Simmons understood this reality, this need for viewpoint diversity and rigorous debate in the university. In her opening convocation in 2001, she stated these powerful and critical words: “The protection
of speech that is offensive or insulting to us is one of the most difficult things that we do. But it is this same freedom that protects us when we are in turn powerless. It is easy enough to exist in a realm where everyone is like-minded and speaks only of unimportant matters. That’s easy. While comfort may be found in silence, truth cannot dwell there.” It is this commitment that SPEAK seeks to uphold; we reaffirm formerPresident Simmons’ words with urgency nearly 18 years later. The Speaker Report for 2018 shows that we still have a long way to go to achieve our goal of free expression and true diversity of thought.
David Sacks ’22 is a ThoughtLeader at SPEAK and Director of Communications for the 2018-19 year. He can be reached at david_ sacks@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Why we suspended our MA program in history ROBERT SELF
op-ed contributor In response to The Herald’s April 19 editorial, “The terminal master’s in history should come back,” I wish to clarify the history department’s rationale for suspending that program. I’m grateful for The Herald’s keen interest in, and impassioned defense of, the study of history as a critical element of “our institution’s commitment to advancing education in the humanities.” I could not agree more. For this precise reason, in the last decade the department has deepened its commitment to a global curriculum, hired faculty in dynamic new fields and redesigned its introductory undergraduate courses around large-scale historical phenomenon that contextualize the present in a useable past (e.g., capitalism, imprisonment, piracy and refugees), among many other initiatives. The history faculty’s commitment to advancing education in the humanities is something I marvel at every day I come to work. The question, rightly raised by The Herald’s editorial page board, is how an MA program serves that objective. It’s a question the history faculty considered at great length before deciding earlier this year to suspend the program. As chair of the department, I consider it an honor to work at a university where such a decision is criticized in the student newspaper. Far too much damage is being done to the humanities in far too many provinces of American higher education with far too little opposition. That the suspension of a small history MA program that annually serves about six to eight students could be met with such rigorous resistance is a testament to Brown’s thriving intellectual culture, a culture I value enormously. I would be pleased to rise to the editorial page board’s challenge to “do more to explain” the program’s suspension while along the way correcting a few misperceptions. Among the latter, the most critical to correct is the contention that “the suspension is inherently exclusionary.” It’s actually just the opposite. Equity was at the forefront of faculty minds in our deliberations. Unlike undergraduate and PhD programs,
masters programs at Brown do not receive dedicated university financial aid. Students must either pay out of pocket or borrow. With a high price tag and the potential to encourage burdensome debt, a responsible, ethical MA program has to deliver a clear individual and public good. There are many MA programs at Brown that do so. We were not convinced that ours did. This is not the case because the department lacks any faith in its teaching. The relevant matter is the nature of PhD programs and non-academic job markets and the role of MA programs in preparing people for them. To deliver a clear individual and public good, MA programs should either have a low financial barrier of entry, so that cost is a minor issue, or a curriculum oriented toward academic or professional outcomes that justify a high cost. Ideally, programs should have both a low barrier of entry and a high quality curriculum. A general History MA at Brown fits neither
because it’s a sign that the APC, under the provost’s encouragement, is demanding that every academic program at Brown, at every degree level, meets the highest standards. In that context, what we found was telling. Most of Brown’s peers have either suspended their History MA programs (this is the case, as your editorial observes, at Harvard, Princeton, Cornell and Dartmouth) or have created focused and rigorous two-year thematic MA degrees. The best examples are Columbia’s program in International and World History, which includes a year of study at the London School of Economics; Georgetown University’s, which is run in conjunction with the Georgetown Institute for Global History and takes advantage of Washington D.C.’s large government and NGO sectors for internships and job placement; and New York University’s MA in World History with major and minor fields and a foreign language requirement.
With a high price tag and the potential to encourage burdensome debt, a responsible, ethical MA program has to deliver a clear individual and public good.
mandate. As an undergraduate concentration, history offers a foundational liberal arts education in critical thinking, writing, data analysis, reasoning and the challenge of confronting human societies not like our own. History is, in my obviously self-interested view, the foundation of an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. But a graduate degree in history must offer more than a BA. Last year, the Academic Priorities Committee, the university-wide faculty committee responsible for overseeing academic departments and programs, issued a mandate to all of Brown’s MA programs. The mandate was straightforward: Be an exceptional program among your peers, with a distinct purpose, or consider suspending operation. This was a welcome charge,
To be exceptional in that environment would require a restructuring of the History MA program on a significant scale that would of necessity include both academic strengthening and the development of a financial model consistent with equity and access. It would require distinguishing our History MA program not just from ones like Columbia’s, Georgetown’s and NYU’s, but also from ones closer to home, like Brown’s own excellent and highly regarded two-year MA program through the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. Such a restructuring could be undertaken, to be sure. But it’s not clear that such a restructured program, to serve a small number of students, would be distinct enough to be successful and
represent the best use of faculty time and energy. Thus, in responding to the APC’s charge, we’ve made realistic assessments of the best use of our current resources. This has meant focusing the department’s considerable energies on the undergraduate concentration and the PhD program, two areas where we can be truly exceptional and attract the highest quality students. In fact, it is our involvement with the American Historical Association’s Career Diversity for Historians program that has focused our acute awareness on the career prospects for holders of graduate degrees in history and deepens our commitment to training graduate students responsibly. Moreover, when opportunities have arisen to broaden the department’s influence in history education in ways that are consistent with our vision and resources, we’ve done so. Just this past year, for instance, the department launched a new partnership with the Choices Program, a thirty-year-old Brown program, based of late in the School of Professional Studies, that produces history and social science curricula from academic research conducted by Brown faculty. In another example, Amy Remensnyder founded the Brown History Educational Prison Program in 2012 and for the last seven years has organized a cohort of history faculty who teach in Rhode Island’s Adult Correctional Institute. The decision by the history faculty to suspend the MA program was not an easy one and was not undertaken lightly. There was much debate, and the views I’ve expressed above are not shared by every member of the faculty. It may be revived and restructured in time. But whatever the future of that specific degree, I want to assure The Herald, and all Brown students, that the department is as committed as ever to making the study of history indispensable to the intellectual life of our campus.
Robert Self is the chair of the University’s Department of History and can be reached at robert_self@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and opeds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
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NEWS
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2019 • PAGE 15
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL
U. should be a leader in fair food practices On April 16 at a Brown University Community Council meeting, a group of students proposed a resolution to create a Fair Food Committee, which would set environmental and trade standards for food used on Brown’s campus. The students promoting this campaign commended the University’s past efforts toward improving food awareness and sustainable sourcing, yet also recognized that there is more work to be done. Over the past few years, Brown’s progress toward achieving the highest possible standards of fair food has slowed. In light of our room for growth in this area, we greatly appreciate the student advocates for calling attention back to the importance of fair food practices on campus and urge the University to make further strides in this area. Student activism surrounding fair food issues is not new to this campus. In 2008, the national campaign known as the “Real Food Challenge” made its way to Brown. Co-founded by David Schwartz ’09, it urged college students to challenge their campuses to source “local, sustainable, fair and humane food sources.” Brown Dining Services rose to the occasion, creating four paid student positions and allocating $25,000 in funds to support the project. The University certainly deserves credit for showing their commitment to the challenge, which has resulted in positive change on campus. Brown Dining Services has reported that BDS has already surpassed its 2020 goal of sourcing 20 percent of its food according to the standards set forth by the campaign. This progress is important to the community on College Hill and beyond, but we seem to have become complacent in recent years. Today, the percentage of food purchased by Brown Dining Services that meets Real Food standards hovers only 3 percent above our 20 percent goal. Further, in the last
year, the share of food we purchase from producers who practice fair trade has decreased: In FY18, 2 percent of purchases were from fair trade producers, which marks a 1 percent decrease from the 3 percent in FY17. While past efforts have helped the University make considerable headway in addressing the issue, these metrics show that the student resolution draws necessary attention back to sustainability and ethical food sourcing on campus. While we recognize that sourcing more ethically-produced and ecologically friendly foods will be costly for the University, our commitment to this cause will contribute to a greater global effort to address the negative externalities of the massive food industry. The food system’s contributions to the world’s total carbon emissions are astounding: 83 percent of total emissions come from food production, while 11 percent come from the transportation of this food. In working to reduce the food industry’s toxicity, we should continue to aspire to the standards outlined by the original Real Food Challenge. “Real food,” as outlined in the annual sustainability report, must uphold standards of local sourcing, fair trading, ecologically sound production and humane animal treatment. Universities inherently have incredible purchasing power, and BDS can use this to make ethical and sustainable food choices more of a norm on College Hill and beyond. For example, in placing greater emphasis on purchasing from ecologically conscious producers, the University will play an important role in supporting a broader trend that places new expectations on food companies to meet higher standards for preservation in their production. The University clearly acknowledges that working with ecologically sound producers is an important practice to pursue; it has publicly tracked its success in sourcing from these producers since its Annual
Sustainability Report from 2013. However, their recognition has not resulted in tremendous action: In 2018, only 6 percent of total food purchased by BDS was deemed ecologically sound. We must do better. In addition to encouraging a system with ecological preservation in mind, the University has the power to lead by example in upholding fair trade standards. Individuals who work in food production often lack safe working conditions and are not given a living wage. In an effort to combat this, Fairtrade International has set standards for the international community to follow. Fairtrade certification ensures that goods are produced in humane working environments, that producers were offered fair prices for their goods and that workers were adequately compensated for their labor. As students, it is troubling to learn that an overwhelming majority of the food on campus contributes to the peril of a myriad of agricultural laborers. Brown has an obligation to remain true to its values, for the good of its students and for the good of the environment and labor from which it benefits. We urge Brown to listen to the passionate individuals who are willing to take on ventures for crucial issues. For Brown to remain true to its values as a sustainable and principled organization, it should take on this project that has the opportunity to benefit not only its students but the global community for generations to come.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editors, Grace Layer ’20 and Krista Stapleford ’21, and its members, Elisheva Goldberg ’22, Eduard Muñoz-Suñé ’20 and Riley Pestorius ’21. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com. Send comments to editorials@ browndailyherald.com.
SUM M E R Z HA N G / H E R A L D
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Culture of Computer Science department is inclusive, growth oriented To the Editor: While we acknowledge the concerns expressed in the April 23 article “CS department grapples with collaboration policy, diversity,” we, as Head Teaching Assistants for CSCI 0150: “Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science,” feel the article misdescribed current policies and failed to acknowledge the improvements the CS department has made to address feelings of isolation and alienation. One PhD student quoted in the article claimed that the collaboration policy “silences (the) opportunity” to learn through teaching other students. In response, we would like to pull a direct quote from our collaboration policy: “You may absolutely discuss general … CS15 concepts with anyone, including other current students.” For example, students may together go over “CS15 lecture slides, our (non-assignment) handouts, Javadocs, discussing objectoriented programming concepts, etc.”
Although we appreciate the PhD student’s concern, we feel his quote was not completely informed — as this student has never taken any of the CS department’s intro sequences. Further, as students and TAs who have seen CS15 and the department in general develop over the last three years, we feel this article misrepresented the culture of the department — which is centered around growth and self-reflection. While the collaboration policy, particularly in a course like CS15, is by no means perfect, it is constantly in a state of revision. For example, in 2018, we introduced partner programming to labs for the first time, following the steps of CSCI 0170: “Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction.” Soon after, we added a mentorship program, which gave new CS students direct connections to faces in the department to supplement the students and TAs they work with during weekly sections. CSCI 0160: “Introduction to Algorithms and
Data Structures ,” the next course in the sequence, offers “Clinic,” which is a time when students can spontaneously come together and discuss homework questions under the supervision of a TA. CS15 adopted this concept last fall, and we plan to entirely integrate it in the course alongside regular TA hours in 2019. That said, there is a lot of room for progress in terms of accessibility and diversity in the CS department, and we are constantly thinking of ways to make our course more approachable to students of all backgrounds. We are open to all feedback and ideas about how we can make CS15 the best course it can be. If you would like to contact us or discuss your concerns or thoughts about the course, feel free to email us at cs0150headtas@lists.brown.edu. Julie Wang ’21, Angel Rodriguez ’21, Noah Korotzer ’20, Taylor Auten ’20, Lucy Reyes ’21 2019 CS15 HTAs
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