SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 51
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Daily Show host Trevor New restaurants to come to Thayer Street Nice Slice, Johnny Noah to speak at U. Rockets, Rockstar to leave, By KYLE BOROWSKI METRO EDITOR
Host of Daily Show, NYT best-selling author chosen by Brown Lecture Board to speak April 30
has since become the most-watched and highest-rated daily late night talk show among viewers ages adult 18-49, according to a Comedy Central press release. » See NOAH, page 2
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Chopsticks move in
By JACKSON CHAIKEN SPORTS EDITOR
Trevor Noah will speak at the University April 30, Brown Lecture Board announced Monday. Noah, a South African writer, comedian and television host, is best known for his work as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. In November 2016, Noah released his first book, “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.” The book was named a New York Times bestseller shortly after its release, according to Noah’s website. Noah became a recurring contributor on the Daily Show December 2014 and was named host March 2015. Though Comedy Central’s announcement of Noah as the new host of the Daily Show was originally met with criticism for Noah’s past controversial tweets, as the New York Times reported, Noah’s show
DOROTHY WINDHAM / HERALD
First-year dorms to undergo renovations ResLife plans $5 million renovation, to replace beds, carpets, improve lounges in Morris, Emery By AILEEN SEO STAFF WRITER
Following the renovations of Perkins Hall and Barbour Hall last summer, the Office of Residential Life will be renovating first-year residence halls Emery, Woolley, Morris and Champlin and upper-year halls Young Orchard #2, #4, and #10 this summer. In the past six years, Residential Life has focused on renovations in both first-year and upper-year housing, with projects in Keeney Quadrangle, Miller Hall, Metcalf Hall, Andrews Hall, Wayland House, Wriston Quadrangle, Perkins Hall and Barbour Hall, wrote Richard Hilton, assistant director of Residential Life, in an email to The Herald. While the last three summers focused exclusively on upperyear housing, ResLife is returning to refreshing first-year buildings this summer, he added. Hilton noted that the halls will be newly painted and carpeted, new
INSIDE
While the recently announced departure of Thayer Street staples like Nice Slice, Rockstar and Johnny Rockets may have been a blow to the College Hill community, director of the Thayer Street Dis-
beds will be installed and the hallway and big lounges on the ground floors of Morris and Emery will undergo improvements. Expenses for the summer renovations are expected to run about $5 million. James Feinberg ’20, who lived in Emery this year, said he did not believe the dorms required renovations. “Emery is really fine on most counts aside from being less than easy on the eyes and the fact that the showerheads are pretty low,” Feinberg said. “There are locking bathrooms — one to every two rooms — which are great, and some of the rooms are pretty spacious.” On the other hand, Malwina Skowron ’18, who resided in Young Orchard #10 this year, noted that her dorm could use a refresh. “The suite I live in definitely has some character,” Skowron said. “When the heat is on, the radiator makes clanging noises that I’ve gotten used to but is still definitely strange.” Skowron also pointed out that while she was able to control the thermostat last semester, “it has been out of our control for some time,” requiring her to resort to opening the windows on » See RESLIFE, page 2
trict Management Authority Donna Personeus confirmed that the blow may be softened by the establishment of two new restaurants — Tropical Smoothie Café and Chopsticks — on Thayer Street. Chopsticks will be located at 277 Thayer St., between the Army/Navy Surplus store and Durk’s Bar-B-Q while Tropical Smoothie Café will occupy the vacant lot above Soban Korean Eatery at 272 Thayer St. Tropical Smoothie Cafe — which has a location in Wayland Square and hundreds nationwide — is known for its wide array of smoothies, ranging from “indulgent” offerings on their menu like the Mocha Madness — made with chocolate, coffee, cappuccino and non-fat yogurt — to “superfood” smoothies, which contain more salutary ingredients like kale, spinach and a variety of fruits. For those unwilling to imbibe their nutrients in blended form, the chain also offers a selection of wraps, sandwiches and flatbreads including the featured “Cha Cha Sriracha Flatbread,” which consists of grilled chicken, mozzarella, pineapple salsa and a caramelized pineapple Sriracha sauce. The restaurant’s opening date is uncertain, but Personeus placed it around May of this year. » See THAYER, page 2
U. addresses academic code violations Forty-nine undergrads charged with violations, more than half in computer science By MIA PATTILLO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Though measures have been taken to reduce academic code violations, the numbers remain high, with over 50 percent of violations occurring in the computer science department, said Thomas Doeppner, associate professor of computer science and co-chair of the standing committee on the Academic Code that recently released a report on academic code violations. From the most recent data available, 49 undergraduate students were charged with academic code violations during the 2015-16 academic year, Doeppner said. While 13 students ultimately received no violation, two received reprimands, two received loss of credit in the exercise, 21 received a direct No Credit in the course, 10 received a No Credit with transcript notation and one was suspended, he added. There are eight total possible sanctions, all listed in the University’s Academic Code. Of the seven graduate students charged with violations, one received
LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD
a direct No Credit, three received a direct No Credit with transcript notation and three were dismissed from the University, Doeppner said. The standing committee on the Academic Code is requesting to increase the number of faculty committee members from five to nine due to the large number of cases being heard, Doeppner wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald.
The main effort to reduce academic code violations involves “an online tutorial which guides students through the academic code,” said Deputy Dean of the College Christopher Dennis. All students are required to take this tutorial prior to matriculating to Brown, he added. In addition, faculty members are encouraged to include their standards » See CODE, page 3
WEATHER
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
NEWS Professor Nancy Khalek explores Islam, Islamophobia in the age of Trump at Watson Institute talk
NEWS Herald poll shows respondents displeased with replacement of UEL, U’s handling of budget
COMMENTARY Okin ‘19: Casual nudity, quirky characters, ‘bad’ protagonists make ‘Girls’ a relatable show
COMMENTARY Mitra ’18: In the wake of this year’s election, students should not quit pursuing jobs in public service
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NEWS
PAGE 2 • TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
» THAYER, from page 1 Chopsticks is a new business that will function like a grab-and-go establishment, offering Chinese stir-fry options to the residents of College Hill. Personeus said the restaurant will open sometime around June or July — fully operational in time for classes in the fall. While no establishment has billed itself in exactly the same manner, Chopsticks will have to find a niche of its own on a hill that is already saturated with restaurants offering a wide range of Asian cuisines. Along with the recently announced Chinese-skewer joint Wow Barbecue, Chopsticks must also compete with Soban, Haruki Express, Shanghai, Sushi Express, Yan’s Cuisine, Wong’s Kitchen and Den-Den’s College Hill outpost Korean
» RESLIFE, from page 1 warm days during the winter season. Skowron noted that the furniture and walls are still in good condition, but the dorms do have an “ant problem” with ants crawling out from cracks in the caulk in the kitchen and bathtub. Yet, despite these problems, she said that “considering that there are four bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and living room in one space, there (are) not many problems that wouldn’t also be an issue in a regular off-campus house.” For now, Skowron said the most useful change would be to the vents in the bathroom that often do not remove any heat or steam, leaving the room soaked when someone uses the shower. Renovations to residence halls are often well-received. Alex Daigle ’19, who lives in Barbour this year, said he
Fried Chicken. “Property owners are trying to move in businesses that are going to be successful in the long-run,” Personeus said. “But they’re trying to listen to students and other members of the community at the same time.” Personeus pointed to the soon-tobe arrival of restaurants like by CHLOE — known for its offering of 100 percent vegan and kosher-certified food — and southern-style Durk’s Bar-B-Q as evidence of this receptiveness. While Personeus could only confirm the establishment of Chopsticks and Tropical Smoothie, she acknowledged that new businesses would be opening in the spaces formerly occupied by English Cellar Alehouse and Nice Slice in the near future. Additionally, the legal details of a
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD development on the abandoned building at 249 Thayer St. are currently being worked out. While negotiations are still underway, Personeus said she anticipated that the lot will be converted into a four-story building, the first floor of which will have space available for a business. Two floors would serve as office space while the top floor would function as space for highend condominiums. Personeus said that these developments, as well as others currently in the works that cannot yet be confirmed, are evidence of positive development for a street whose future once seemed uncertain. “It looked for a long time like Thayer was dying,” Personeus said. “But the Thayer Renaissance is on, and you never know what’s going to come next.”
enjoys living in the hall because of its updated appearance and its effectiveness as a “communal living space.” While the layout of the building can create an “echo chamber,” he likes the open courtyard and the kitchen amenities in the suites. Hilton writes that there are several considerations made in ultimately deciding to pursue the renovations. We consider the “overall condition of building, functionality (and) what other buildings were renovated recently,” Hilton wrote. “We try to balance attention to different class years, and we have to attend both to upgrades that students see — the visible things — and necessary work like heat and the roof that are not as visible to students when we improve them.” All renovations are expected to be completed by the first week of August.
KATE TALERICO / HERALD
» NOAH, from page 1 The Lecture Board event will be a “moderated lecture” with Tricia Rose, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, associate dean of the faculty for special initiatives and professor of Africana studies, according to the event’s Facebook page. The event is not open to the general public, and tickets will be available via lottery with three drawings occurring April 20, 21 and 22.
DOROTHY WINDHAM / HERALD CREDIT
Song: I Want a Witness A Memorial Tribute for Michael S. Harper Tuesday, 18 April 2017 3 pm Lownes Room, John Hay Library 20 Prospect Street, Providence Talks on Michael Harper’s place in the literary landscape by Robert Stepto and Anthony Walton 7 pm McCormack Family Theater 70 Brown Street, Providence Reminiscences and readings from Michael Harper’s poetry by friends, colleagues and former students, hosted by Afaa Weaver This memorial tribute was made possible by the Literary Arts Department and by the Brown University Library
NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Professor talks intersection of Trump, Islamophobia Nancy Khalek cautions against reductionist thinking, offers advice on teaching tough topics By GWEN EVERETT SENIOR STAFF WRITER
“How do we tell the story of Islamophobia, … and how do we tell the story of Trumpism?” asked Nancy Khalek, associate professor of religious studies, as she opened her talk, “Islam, Islamophobia, and Teaching ‘Difficult Subjects’ in the Age of Trumpism” Monday afternoon in the Joukowsky Forum at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Islamophobia and Trumpism are anti-intellectual yet politically powerful movements, Khalek said, and both employ similar tactics — binary reasoning and generalizing assumptions — to gain popular traction. Provost Richard Locke introduced Khalek’s talk as part of the University’s ongoing “Reaffirming University Values” series. The series was initiated before Donald Trump ascended to the Presidency, Locke said, and was intended to discuss topics like free speech. But the Trump administration gave a new meaningto this series given the way his administration’s actions and rhetoric have threatened Brown’s values in unexpected ways, Locke added. Islamophobia is based on an image
» CODE, from page 1 for academic integrity in the class syllabi, Dennis said. In the computer science department, explaining these standards sometimes includes online skits or quizzes, Doeppner said. Students must sign the collaboration policy, which they are immediately tested on and reminded of periodically throughout the semester, he added. Although the majority of academic code violations occur in the computer science department, this may be partially attributed to the fact that “the tool for accessing collaboration is more robust,” said Dean of the College Maud Mandel. The department utilizes Measure Of Software Similarity, or MOSS, a system that detects plagiarism in programming. After MOSS identifies a suspicious case, the professor investigates further, Doeppner said. “In many cases, it’s not that students directly copied each other but that they worked together on something,” which is against course policy, Doeppner said. Another common form of violation is known as furnishing, which is when one student receives answers from another — often someone who previously took the class, Mandel said. In such a case, both students are punished. There is also a slight overrepresentation of international students compared to domestic students in total academic code violations, as well as first-years compared to other years, Dennis said. “Most of this has to do with students coming from places with very different schooling systems and rules,” Mandel said. For example, writing conventions may vary widely between cultures, and expectations in college differ
of Islam that is “reductive, simplistic and rooted in the clash of civilizations,” Khalek said. Islamophobic logic is based on myths such as the idea that Islam is inherently violent and fundamentally different from Christianity or Judaism and that Muslims are intent on subjugating non-Muslim populations, she said. The idea that radical Islam is the single greatest threat to U.S. safety is also a myth, she added. Many of these myths have been actively cultivated by members of Trump’s inner circle, said Khalek. For example, though only 0.0066 percent of the world’s Muslims are inclined toward religious-based violence, Brigitte Gabriel, a conservative journalist with a close relationship to the Trump administration, has said the number is 15-20 percent. This numerical disparity speaks to a desire in the “Islamophobia industry” to exaggerate the threat radical Islam poses to the United States, Khalek said. In one year, there were five deaths by jihadist attack in the U.S. compared to 406 deaths by drowning in a bathtub, Khalek said. Trumpism profits from Islamophobia and exacerbates it, Khalek said, explaining that Trump’s anti-Islamic rhetoric is not so much based on a real fear of terrorism or violence, but rather on an aversion to racial diversity. She cited “The Flight 93 Election,” a blog post that garnered attention during Trump’s campaign, written by Trump advisor Michael Anton under the pen name Publius Decius Mus, as evidence
of Trumpism using Islamophobia as a tool. In the piece, Anton wrote that Muslim immigration inevitably hurts the United States and argued that the United States is not a nation of immigrants but a nation of settlers that later chose to admit immigrants — and can stop at any time. U.S. media is also responsible for cultivating American’s conviction that terrorism is uniquely Islamic and Western-oriented, Khalek said. She displayed a list of every terrorist attack that had occurred in the past year. The vast majority had occurred in the Middle East and did not receive headline news coverage from major U.S. media outlets — those that had were attacks against Western cities. Given this political context, the challenge for a professor is teaching difficult and politically fraught topics, Khalek said. When she has discussed the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in her classes, she has had students of Iraqi descent and students with family in the U.S. military in the same classroom, she said. “While some students may find the airing of controversial issues unsettling, … I’m not in a position” to avoid controversial topics, Khalek said. Instead, she said her mission as a professor is twofold: “How do I allow students to voice contentious, ugly or even ignorant views, so that they can learn without fear of recrimination? And how do I foster respect and care for students who may be adversely
from those in high school, she added. In response to these trends, the University revised the international student orientation two years ago to include presentations on academic code and integrity expectations in the United States and at the University, Dennis said. “Part of the education we provide as a university is helping students
learn what the rules are and how to follow them,” Mandel said. In an effort to help students succeed, Mandel has been talking to the Undergraduate Council of Students about having an academic integrity panel or even an academic integrity week, she added. Another idea that has been considered is whether or not the
Master of Public Affairs
5th-Year MPA Apply by May 1 to join the class of 2018!
5th-Year MPA Information Session Tuesday, April 18, 12:00 p.m. Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street Birkelund Boardroom
Lunch with Current 5th-Year MPAs Thursday, April 20, 12:00 p.m. Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street McKinney Conference Room Pizza served at both events. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or at watson.brown.edu/mpa
ANITA SHEIH / HERALD
Professor Nancy Khalek discussed the distinction between dialogue and debate in the classroom, arguing that the former is more constructive. affected by that process?” In the question and answer period, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Andre Willis asked why Khalek chose to situate anti-Muslim sentiment as a phobia, “instead of as anti-Islamic activism” or racism. “It’s kind of a terminological thing. Some people prefer not to use the term (Islamophobia)” and instead use terms like anti-Islamic racism, which is U.S.specific given this country’s history of racism, Khalek said. “Phobia” can make sense, because a big part of anti-Islamic racism is based in fear, she added.
Another audience member asked whether Trump’s populism should be contextualized as a uniquely American phenomenon or if it should be looked at through an international lens. Khalek said that the “genealogical ancestor” of Trumpism is colonialism, which is an international issue, but that we should not bunch populist movements together as having more in common than they actually do. French populism and Turkish populism are distinct due to their different roots, she said, adding “there seems to be a lot of populism around, but that might just be because empires breed populism.”
University would benefit from an honor code, Dennis said. In such a system, the panel that reviews academic code violations would be comprised not of faculty and administrators, as it currently is, but of students. “(Academic integrity) really is a community standard,” Dennis said. “Students are responsible for their own work, and if a student cheats, it
diminishes the work of every … student.” Though professors recognize the teachable moment in students making mistakes, they take the academic code and sanctions very seriously, he added. “We’re not looking to permanently damage students,” Mandel said. “We want to help all students be successful in the long run.”
Brown University Community Council Tuesday, April 18, 2017 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Updates from the President Response to the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan Annual Report
Meetings are open to members of the Brown Community. Meeting will be held in Pembroke Hall, Room 305, 172 Meeting Street To learn more about the Community Council visit: www.brown.edu/about/administration/community-council
NEWS
PAGE 4 • TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
APRIL 5, 6 & 7 POLL RESULTS AND ME THODOLOGY 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Christina Paxson is handling her job as president of the University? 11.0% Strongly approve 42.9% Somewhat approve 33.8% No opinion 11.7% Somewhat disapprove 0.7% Strongly disapprove 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Undergraduate Council of Students is handling its job representing and addressing the concerns of the undergraduate student body? 16.3% Strongly approve 33.2% Somewhat approve 42.0% No opinion 7.5% Somewhat disapprove 1.0% Strongly disapprove 3. How informed do you feel on the initiatives of the Undergraduate Council of Students and their implementations? 5.0% Very informed 37.8% Somewhat informed 17.6% No opinion 17.8% Somewhat uninformed 21.9% Not at all informed 4. Do you agree or disagree that the University should build a new performing arts center on
the site of the current Urban Environmental Lab? 10.3% Strongly agree 16.1% Somewhat agree 33.7% No opinion 25.2% Somewhat disagree 14.6% Strongly disagree 5. Did you alter your social media accounts before applying to college ?(Circle all that apply.) 11.4% Changed profile name on account 17.6% Deleted certain posts on account 1.5% Deleted entire account 68.7% Did not make changes 3.8% Other 6. How many times have you used Brown’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the past academic school year for drug-or alcoholrelated instances? 88.8% I have not used EMS in the past year 8.7% 1 time 1.3% 2 times 0.8% 3 times 0.0% 4 times 0.3% 5+ times 7. Have you ever decided not to call EMS for yourself or a peer for a fear of University or other repercussions?
91.0% No 9.0% Yes 8. How often do you participate in religious activities at Brown (church, fellowships, religious associations)? 9.6% Once a week 5.5% Once or twice a month 8.1% Once or twice a semester 7.7% Once a year 69.1% Never 9. Before coming to Brown, how often did you participate in religious activities? 23.8% Once a week 10.2% Once or twice a month 9.2% Once or twice a semester 14.1% Once a year 42.7% Never 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the University is handling its budget? 1.9% Strongly approve 18.5% Somewhat approve 37.5% No opinion 35.7% Somewhat disapprove 6.4% Strongly disapprove
cases of sexual and gender-based harassment, how comfortable would you feel going to the office for assistance and support? 18.6% Very comfortable 40.0% Somewhat comfortable 16.9% No opinion 18.8% Somewhat uncomfortable 5.7% Very uncomfortable 12. Do you plan to pursue a career in visual, performing or literary arts immediately after graduation? 6.5% Yes 81.4% No 12.0% Unsure 13. Have you gone on a new or different birth control recently in response to the political climate? 5.8% I have gone on a new or different birth control, but not in response to the political climate 4.4% Yes 48.4% No 41.3% This question does not apply to me
11. If you were in a situation that fell under the jurisdiction of the Title IX office, which handles
Methodology The results come from 861 surveys that were collected at J. Walter Wilson, the Stephen Roberts ’62 Campus Center and the Sciences Library over the course of three days — April 5-7. The margin of error is 3.2 percent with 95 percent confidence. The margin of error for specific subsets are as follow: 4.6 percent for females, 4.7 percent for males, 5.8 percent for first-years, 6.0 percent for sophomores, 7.5 percent for juniors, 7.9 percent for seniors, 4.5 percent for students who receive financial aid and 4.8 percent for students who do not receive financial aid. The sample of students who took the poll is demographically similar to the undergraduate student body. The sample was 48.4 percent male and 51.6 percent female. First-years made up 32.1
percent, sophomores 30.7 percent, juniors 19.7 percent and seniors 17.5 percent of the poll. Of students who receive financial aid represented in the poll, 5.8 percent receive just loans, 17.9 receive grants and loans, 16.2 percent receive grants covering some costs, 6.9 percent receive grants covering all costs and 53.2 percent receive no financial aid. Varsity athletes made up 8.8 percent, while non-athletes made up 91.2 percent. Of students surveyed, 77.7 percent identify as heterosexual, 7.3 percent as gay, 10.3 percent as bisexual and 4.7 percent as other. Students reported all of the races/ethnicities they identify with — 56.3 percent of students identify as white, 31.3 percent as Asian, 11.8 percent as Hispanic, 8.2 percent as black, 0.9 percent as American
Indian/Alaska Native, 0.7 percent as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 4.6 percent as other. Students also marked the concentration area(s) that they are in — 30.0 percent are in the humanities/arts, 22.2 percent in life sciences and 36.9 percent in physical science and 27.8 percent in social sciences. Of students polled, 15 percent of students are legacy students, meaning they have a parent, grandparent or sibling who attended Brown, and 85 percent are not. Firstgeneration students make up 17.1 percent and non-first-gen students made up 82.9 percent of the sample. Of students surveyed, 67.3 percent of students described their political affiliation as democrat, 13.9 percent as independent, 13.7 percent as other and 5.1 percent as republican.
Statistical significance was established at 0.05 level. All cross-tabulations are statistically significant. Arts & Culture Editor Julianne Center ’19, Graphics Editor Laura Felenstien ’19, News Editors Alex Skidmore ’19, Suvy Quin ’19, and Kasturi Pananjady ’19, Science and Research Editors Hattie Xu ’19 and Elena Renken ’19, and Senior Staff Writer Rhaime Kim ’20 coordinated the poll. Herald section editors, senior staff writers, and other staff members conducted the poll. Over the next several weeks, The Herald will publish a series of articles about individual poll questions. Find results of previous polls at thebdh.org/poll.
39.8 percent of students oppose building performing arts center on UEL site Poll shows attendance at religious events among students declines while attending U. By JULIE CENTER AND LAURA FELENSTEIN ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR AND GRAPHICS EDITOR
SPRING 2017 POLL The Herald’s spring undergraduate poll, conducted April 5-7 in J. Walter Wilson, the Stephen Roberts ’62 Campus Center and the Sciences Library, found that students reported a drop in religious activity while attending the University. While about 24 percent of students participated in religious activities, such as attending church, religious fellowships or religious associations before attending Brown, only about 10 percent reported doing so while attending the University. The number of students who participated in religious events once or twice a month before attendance dropped from 10.2
percent to 5.5. Similarly, 42.7 percent of students surveyed reported not actively participating in religious events before attending Brown. But 69.1 percent of students reported that they do not actively participate in religious events while at Brown. Following the February announcement by the Corporation that the Urban Environmental Lab may face demolition and the subsequent activism to save the building, about 40 percent of students strongly or somewhat disagree that the University should build a new performing arts center on the site of the current UEL. About 26 percent of surveyed students agreed that the performing arts center should be built, while about 34 percent had no opinion. Following the Corporation’s February approval of a $1.061 billion operating budget plan for fiscal year 2018, which includes a 4.4 percent increase in undergraduate tuition and fees, the poll found that about 42 percent of students disapprove of the way the University is handling the budget. About 20 percent of students approved of the University’s
handling of the budget, while about 38 percent had no opinion. About 49 percent of students surveyed said they would feel comfortable going to the Title IX office, which handles cases of sexual and gender-based harassment, for assistance and support if they were ever in a situation that fell under its jurisdiction. Twenty five percent said they would feel uncomfortable going to the Title IX office for support, while 17 percent said they had no opinion. The results come in light of the recent resignation of the University’s Title IX
program officer, Amanda Walsh, which left management of the office to an interim director. The student body is roughly split regarding the University’s governance. Fifty four percent of students approve of the way President Christina Paxson P’19 is handling her position as president of the University, with about 12 percent reporting disapproval and 34 percent without opinion. Similarly, 49 percent of students polled approve of the way the Undergraduate Council of Students is handling its job representing
and addressing the concerns of the undergraduate student body. About seven percent of students polled disapproved of UCS and 42 percent lacked an opinion. In a period in which students, specifically women and those from historically underrepresented groups, are questioning the impact of President Donald Trump’s election in their lives, 4.4 percent of students reported changing their birth control in response to the current political climate.
» See GRAPHICS, page 8
TODAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
menu
a towering vie w
SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pizza: Bacon Chicken Ranch, Spinach and Feta, Meatball and Penne JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Asian Salad, Mac and Cheese, Quesadilla
Soup: Three Bean Chili, Turkey Sausage and Kale Soup
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
Lentil Soup, Broccoli Rabe Roasted Paprika Potatoes, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Polenta Bread, Bratwurst, Golden Corn and Rice Casserole, Jelly Cake Roll
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Tofu Veggie Ravioli & Sauce, Krinkle Cut French Fries, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Elbow Macaroni Pasta, Cajun Chicken Rice Bowl, Tuscan Pork Roast, Polenta Bread SAM BERUBE / HERALD
sudoku
The Carrie Tower looms above Brown students’ heads on a beautiful spring day. Meanwhile, piles of work have begun to tower over Brown students’ heads as well, with final exams quickly approaching.
Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“The Thayer Renaissance is back, and you never know what’s going to come back.” — Donna Personeus, director of the Thayer Street District Management Authority
See Thayer on Page 1. crossword
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Test Anxiety: What is It and How to Manage It 12:00 P.M. J Walter Wilson, 203
Open Forum on the First 100 Days 4:00 P.M. Churchill House
The Future of the Democratic Party 5:00 P.M. IBES, 130
Civic Engagement Series: What Next? 7:00 P.M. Barus and Holley, 166
TOMORROW Wellness at Brown!: Yoga to Energize 12:00 P.M. 200 Dyre Street
Wriston Recycles Trash Sort 12:00 P.M. Wriston Quad
What Fire Does 3:00 P.M. IBES
Environmental Justice on Top of the Hill 7:00 P.M. Brown Center for Students of Color
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL
Why Brown?
D
ear Class of 2021, You may have spent hours pondering over your response to the simple question “Why Brown?” when completing you application. Now, as the University’s A Day on College Hill begins and hundreds of prospective students ascend upon College Hill, it is our time to answer the question — and, this time, we aren’t limited to a character count. Whether it be the flexibility of the open curriculum, the opportunity to learn from esteemed (and, often, incredibly cool) faculty members or the ability to say you go to the school that Emma Watson ’14 graduated from, we at The Herald can offer many compelling answers to “Why Brown?” While we can’t honestly say that Brown is anything akin to Hogwarts, we can say that the magic of Brown comes from the people within this community. Here, you’ll meet students from around the world who genuinely love what they do on campus and combine that passion with concrete action. As often as the promotional pamphlets and brochures mention the open curriculum, we can attest to how it allows students to tailor their pathway during their time in college — and allows room for a little exploration along the way. You will always have the opportunity to carve your own course path. At Brown, you won’t be surprised to come across the aspiring medical student dabbling in history or the computer scientist who does aerial arts on the side. The same person you just played basketball with at the OMAC could be your teaching assistant. As the editors of The Herald, we know that, even with the amazing people here, the University is not always the perfect bastion of academic learning. Many of the voices featured in our paper critique the campus and its shortcomings, often from a desire to see positive change that will affect future generations of students, such as yourselves. We hope that, in choosing Brown, you will help us to continue improving this school we love. Brown has already been a school that inspires change. This is the school where its own female student-athletes led the charge in defending Title IX policies. It’s a school that created one of the first centers of public service in 1986, and, in 2016, unveiled the first-generation and low-income student center — not to mention the wide-ranging hubs of discourse and action that have been created in between. Brown fosters a culture of choice, independence and personal action in a way that few other schools can. We hope you’ll join us.
P IA M I L E A F- PAT E L
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial board: Lauren Aratani ’18, Matt Brownsword ’18, Rebecca Ellis ’18 and Kate Talerico ’18.
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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
That kind of girl around Hannah’s three-day affair with a stranger, the unlucky friend subjected to my monologue finally cracked: “Stop overthinking it!” But how could I not? From abortion to addiction, coming-out to career choices: The vast scope of topics covered by “Girls” is paralleled in size only by the quantity of criticism the show has received. Reaching past the blogosphere and into the likes of the New Yorker and the New York Times, the conversations about the show’s lack of diversity,
REBECCA OKIN staff columnist As “Girls” came to a close this Sunday, I couldn’t help but think of the first time Lena Dunham’s unapologetic nakedness graced my screen. While Venus of Urbino may have prompted nervous laughter and blushing the first time I saw it in a high school art history class, my first reaction to Dunham’s nudity was personally revolutionary. Though I was in awe of both nude forms, the latter stirred a reaction that can only be caused by an immediate visceral connection to something. As I watched a protagonist eat cereal in her underwear, brush her teeth without a top and video chat a friend from the toilet, I began to realize how different this show was going to be from any other I had experienced. Dunham’s character, Hannah, was not baring it all on account of preparing to have sex or going skinny-dipping or marching on the streets to make a statement — she was naked because in our lives, sometimes, we do things without clothes on. And from that beginning, I knew the show was going to be ground-breaking in its honesty and rawness. One day, after a lengthy and self-indulgent speech about the importance of an episode centering
metaphorically speaking. In baring more than just tattoos and flesh, true nude forms — composed of personality warts and the scars of bad decisions — were exposed in “Girls.” Among the show’s commentary, what has interested me the most is the noted absence of any obviously likable main character. To simplify: Marnie is uptight, Jessa is careless, Shoshana is strange and Hannah is melodramatic. All four are coated with membranes of narcissism that are as impenetrable as
either; rather, the show simply does not work on this binary. Perhaps the argument is that even fictitious lives are far too complicated to fit under a standard of “this or that.” Regardless, the characters vacillate on a continuum, and often the question of general decency is not at the crux of any of the central quartet’s decisions. The truth is, I find “Girls” so easy to identify with because I’m not sure if I would be a likeable protagonist in my own story. Among embody-
Regardless, the characters of ‘Girls’ vacillate on a continuum, and most of the time the question of general decency is not at the crux of any of the central quartet’s decisions. In this obvious reason why the four characters are often unlikable, the origin of the show’s immeasurable realness is contained. extent to which Hannah is representative of Dunham and advancement of feminism — or the advancement of white feminism — is everywhere. “Girls” has proven to be something worth “overthinking.” While Hannah’s literal nudity in mundane moments was what initially spoke to me, I am primarily left appreciating the characters’ willingness to expose themselves,
they are familiar to us viewers. After years of being primed to latch onto the token smart or charming or perfect heroine of a story laden with admirable men, I left the first few episodes of “Girls” feeling disoriented. Maybe, I thought, I don’t “get” Hannah. Regardless of her personality quirks, she’s probably a good person. Wrong. And that is not to say Hannah is a “bad” person
ing every unpleasant quality of the “Girls” girls at different moments, I have additional sour attributes that would probably pan out grossly on screen. But the show seems to argue that it’s fine — it’s real — to not be someone that others seek to identify with. Instead, Girls says, live a life of choices where you can identify the you in yourself. This is not an excuse to do whatever you want with-
out regard for others: Instead, the show preaches acting via your own intuition rather than in accordance with a feeling of being watched. All this said, Dunham’s show will not make it on the list of ones I watch over and over in times of stress (which also happen to be the times when watching TV is the last thing I should be doing). As appalling as this sounds after my lengthy ode, let me explain: While the Office’s jokes and Gossip Girl’s drama will always be as entertaining as they are distracting, the aforementioned sentiments of relatability I find in the “Girls” characters will prevent me from ever re-watching the series for hours on end. This is partially because I would prefer more mindless diversion during finals period when a binge is in order. But mainly, I am confident that I will be graced by reminders of the “Girls” girls for the rest of my time at Brown and afterwards. Being human, we are peculiar and make unwise choices — no one is exempt from having moments of being severely unlikable. As one tearful character says to another during the series’ penultimate episode, in a moment that seems to encapsulate the show’s entire premise: “We were all just doing our best.”
Rebecca Okin ’19 is looking for a new show to overthink and can be reached at rebecca_okin@brown.edu.
Don’t give up on public service MILI MITRA opinions editor I still visibly flinch when I think about the day after the election. Like many others at Brown, I was simultaneously numb and furious. But the worst moment of the day wasn’t when I heard that former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had unexpectedly lost Florida, or when I saw the New York Times alert on my phone announcing President Trump’s victory, or even when I forced myself to sit through Clinton’s heartbreaking concession speech. It was heading down to the State House that morning for my part-time internship, knowing all the while that our government would never be the same. That day, for the first time since I arrived in Providence, the sight of the State House dome didn’t fill me with adrenaline; I walked down the historic hallways feeling claustrophobic and disillusioned. The prospect of a government job had lost its charm, and all I wanted to do was run in the other direction. But a couple of hours later, I heard my coworkers comforting each other: “It’s moments like these that remind us why we do what we do. Because in four years, we’re still going to be here and our work is still going to matter.” And then, someone else told me a few days later: “You’re too young to be this jaded. We need our young workers to stay passionate and engaged for the future.” In the months since the election, these ideas have been echoed time and time again, often as
trite platitudes before a barrage of doomsday predictions about the Trump administration. Yet, there was something about these moments — and frankly, my emotional vulnerability in the days following the election — that kept the words at the forefront of my mind. It might be a cliche, it might be overused, but it is true nonetheless: Now more than ever, it is vital that millennials who care about government and public service find their way into those sectors. Evidence suggests that our generation is one of the most service-minded, diverse and progressive. We’re more willing to catalyze large-scale change, and more likely to believe in the importance of government
ment employees, as opposed to 33.7 percent of the corporate world. More significantly, we simply don’t see government as the best venue for substantial change anymore. There is not enough data to assess the federal government’s generational makeup under Trump. Yet, given that just 37 percent of young voters voted for Trump, it is safe to say that many millennials who would have pursued jobs in government are having second thoughts. These misgivings actually seem to permeate partisan lines: After conservative experts criticized Trump’s credentials during the campaign, many young Republicans are also doubtful about working in the public
It might be a cliche, it might be overused, but it is true nonetheless: Now more than ever, it is vital that millennials who care about government and public service find their way into those sectors. work as a whole. Unfortunately, we are also part of the generation least likely to pursue public service. Even before the election of Trump, younger workers were less than thrilled by the prospect of a government-related job. The percentage of the federal workforce under 30 dropped by 7 percent over the course of 2014, resulting in the lowest under-30 federal employment rate in over a decade. In 2015, millennials made up just 24.5 percent of govern-
sector. Trump’s budget cuts could also further reduce millennial employment in all levels of government and government-funded organizations, dissuading many from even considering these positions. These considerations have been prevalent at Brown: Many students are rethinking their entire career plans in light of the election, wondering if they would be able to make a difference in the political arena or if they would just be complicit. Since November, I have heard
many friends — people who have spent years believing they were going to work in politics — articulate how they have given up on government and policy altogether. Now, I can understand wanting to avoid the federal government at all costs: Many of us would find it difficult, if not impossible, to stomach the idea of working under a Trump administration and implementing his capricious policies. But state and local governments, non-profit organizations, campaigns, research institutions and many others are all contributing in their own way to the movement against regressive policies. Many of them are simultaneously expanding their employee base to respond to the unique challenges of the current presidency. Their work — in a period of unforeseen adversity and frustration — holds the Trump administration accountable and ensures that in four years, the (hopefully) new administration will have the platform and tools to pick up the pieces. We can’t let the skills and experience needed to oversee the reestablishment and growth of progressive policies lapse over the next four years. As Brown students — particularly those concentrating in the social sciences — increasingly re-evaluate their career choices in the wake of the election, it is understandable that the public sector might not hold the appeal that it once did. But we shouldn’t abandon it just yet. There are many other venues to enact governmental change in the long term, and there’s no better time to do it. Progress is, after all, more than just immediate change.
Mili Mitra ’18 can be reached at mili_mitra@brown.edu.
NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
APRIL 5, 6 & 7 POLL RESULTS
KATE TALERICO / HERALD
LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD
Not calling EMS for fear of repercussions Almost twice as many females than males report they have decided not to call Emergency Medical Services for fear of Universtiy or other repercussions.
6.6% MALE 11.1% FEMALE Source: Spring 2017 Herald Poll LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD
LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD
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