SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 28
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Watson celebrates 25th anniversary New Latinx House to
offer student housing
Growth of institute marked by integration, expansion of research, community outreach
Machado House to host new program of 21 students dedicated to fostering community
By MIA PATTILLO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016, highlighting its evolution from a relatively unknown internationally focused program to a prominent institute, said Provost Richard Locke, director of the Watson Institute from 2013 to 2015. Looking toward the institute’s future, leaders of the Watson Institute hope to continue engaging scholars in academic discourse and interdisciplinary integration. From a bottom drawer to an institute When Professor Emeritus of Political Science Newell Stultz first came to Brown in 1964, nothing like the Watson Institute existed. The few small, internationally focused programs with limited funds were a “woefully inadequate way” of engaging with the world, he said. When former University President Howard Swearer arrived at Brown in 1977, he brought along an unprecedented perspective as a political scientist and Russian studies specialist, Stultz said. Agreeing to Stultz’s proposition for a centralized unit for international studies, Swearer named Stultz director
By UGOCHI IHENATU STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF THE WATSON INSTITUTE
The Watson Institute, founded in 1991, has grown from a small-scale international studies program to a prominent name in global affairs. of the Council of International Studies, whose work fit into “the bottom drawer in (Stultz’s) basement desk,” Stultz said. The primary focus of the council was to better represent “international perspectives” to the rest of campus, Stultz said, though he noted the council ran into some challenges with a limited annual budget of $13,000 and a dearth of international students. In 1980, Thomas Watson Jr. ’37, who served as ambassador to the Soviet Union, offered the funding to create an academic “think tank” focused on reducing the danger of nuclear war,
Stultz said. Thus, the Center for Foreign Policy was founded and directed by Mark Garrison, Watson Jr.’s deputy in Moscow, he added. These two programs — the Council of International Studies and Center for Foreign Policy — were consolidated along with other internationally focused programs under one broad-based Institute for International Studies in 1983, Stultz said. “This was so much larger and more splendid than my bottom drawer in my office that I couldn’t believe what had » See WATSON, page 2
The Office of Residential Life has introduced a new housing option for students next semester: Latinx House. Plans for the house started as a conversation at a December Brown University Latinx Council meeting about Spanish House located in Machado. Many Latinx community members felt that even though Spanish House is seen as a space for Latinx students, those who identify as Latinx but do not speak Spanish often feel excluded, said Maryori Conde ’18, co-coordinator of Latinx House. “Because it’s called ‘Spanish House,’ … it perpetuates the stereotype that ‘Spanish’ equals all Latinx folks, when that’s not the case,” Conde said. Sam Ortiz, a community director for ResLife, met with other members of the Latinx community in December to start the process of creating the Latinx House. The deadline for submitting a proposal for the house was Jan. 5. Though there is already a Latino Affinity room in the Brown Center for
Students of Color, some students who aren’t confident in using social justice terminology aren’t comfortable having conversations in the BCSC, said Michelle Cruz ’18, co-coordinator of the Latinx House. The Latinx House will serve as a space where Latinx students can easily and freely communicate with each other, she added. Latinx community members involved in the creation of the house felt it was important for all members of the Latinx community at Brown to have a space where they felt comfortable, especially given the current political climate, said Camilla Ruiz Segovia ’18, co-coordinator of the Latinx house. Many community-related events and conversations happen within an intimate house setting, Ruiz Segovia said. They wanted to ensure that Latinx students at Brown had a safe space for those activities to occur. A lot of Latinx student groups on campus focus on national identity, so identities within Latinidad, such as AfroLatinx, queer Latinx, trans-Latinx and non-Spanish Latinx, are unintentionally excluded from Latinx dialogue. The Latinx House hopes to serve as a space where all who identify as Latinx feel welcome and can learn more about what it means to be Latinx. The Latinx House will also serve as a » See LATINX, page 4
Insomnia Cookies celebrates opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony Late-night cookie, dessert delivery service opens on College Hill across from Blue State Coffee By ELIZABETH TOLEDANO SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A small gathering of students, employees and Providence locals played host to a shift in the landscape of College Hill Monday afternoon — Insomnia Cookies has opened on 307 Thayer Street, across from Blue State Coffee. Yesterday’s ribbon cutting ceremony officially introduced the highly anticipated business to College Hill. Insomnia delivers cookies in flavors ranging from s’mores to white chocolate macadamia, along with other desserts until 2 a.m. Some of their specialties include “’wiches” made from cookies and ice cream, as well as brownies and cookies a la mode, with toppings and mix-ins available
ARTS & CULTURE
INSIDE
for a personalized dessert experience. Nick Lorence ’19, one of the few Brown students in attendance at the 11:55 a.m. ceremony, said he is looking forward to “more ways to ruin my diet at two in the morning.” The ceremony itself involved a group of employees poised with a giant pair of scissors, ready to cut a bright red ribbon. A few people present discussed the feasibility of the giant scissors industry. Others considered flavors and discussed their plans to make the best possible use of the new business. The crowd patiently waited through the prolonged photo shoot of the ribbon fluttering in front of the gray building. Then, after the ribbon-cut had been sufficiently documented, the crowd scrambled for the door. Naomi Altman ’19 had been sitting in class when a friend texted her to come to the event. She said she had to rush from her 11 a.m. class to make it into the inaugural line for Insomnia Cookies. “This is going to » See INSOMNIA, page 2
JULIA ROSENBERG / HERALD
Employees, students and community members gathered for the official opening of Insomnia Cookies Monday afternoon. The late-night delivery service offers desserts ranging from s’mores cookies to brownies a la mode.
WEATHER
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
NEWS Rhode Island seeks to reduce high probation rate in state through legislative reforms
NEWS Two new fellows at Swearer Center hope to engage students, Providence community
COMMENTARY Johnson ’19: Politics pervaded Oscars this year, should continue to do so
COMMENTARY Miller ’19: U. should expand graduate programs, incorporate professional degrees
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» WATSON, from page 1 happened,” Stultz said. The various aspects of the Watson Institute were brought even closer together by the creation of Watson’s current home on 111 Thayer St. in 2002, said David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, professor of social science, anthropology and Italian studies. Kertzer joined Watson in 1992 when it still “existed as a conglomerate of different centers.” He ultimately became director of the former Politics, Culture and Identity research area at Watson. “The new building made so much more possible, allowing the pedagogical role and undergraduate focus to be much more integrated,” Kertzer added. From 2006 to 2013, the Watson Institute underwent a period of high leadership turnover, with the transitions corresponding with the financial crisis, said Michael Kennedy, professor of sociology who served as director of the institute from 2009 to 2011. “When I came in, I was concerned about spending money when we had lost so much,” Kennedy added. In addition to financial issues, Kennedy said the upheaval could also be explained by structural contradictions, such as resolving “conflicting ambitions and interests among Watson and University faculty” and the lack of leadership alignment between the director of Watson, provost and University president. Looking back at his time as director, Kennedy said the Watson Institute could have been better led if Watson leadership had given more priority to the importance of undergraduate learning, recognized that the institute’s interests served the University and brought other University programs under Watson’s control, as Locke ultimately did. Locke “was right in recognizing that Watson needed to enhance what Brown needed,” Kennedy said. The rise of Watson Even before Locke left his
appointments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and officially started his position as director in 2013, he saw the potential for an institute with outstanding faculty and distinctive interdisciplinary integration. Immediately after his hire, Locke began travelling to Brown weekly to speak with faculty in various programs as well as look at other leading schools of international affairs. This “internal discussion and external benchmarking” helped him sketch out a strategic plan before he arrived, Locke said. “A lot of people initially didn’t even know what Watson was, and that seemed crazy,” Locke said. Since 2013, Watson has grown tremendously, hiring 19 new faculty members, integrating with regional programs, working with different centers on campus and building new spaces for intellectual discourse, said Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute who started his position in 2015 and continued refining Locke’s strategic plan. The plan focused on Watson’s efforts to address three major global challenges: security, development and governance. As others bought into this vision, enough funds were raised to hire new faculty members and integrate the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy with Watson in 2014. “We believe that training leaders for dealing with global problems from a public policy perspective is core to our mission,” Steinfeld said. With the integration of Taubman, “suddenly, you had all of this excitement in a building that had been somewhat empty a couple of years before,” Locke said. “All of the offices became filled, there were a ton of activities and seminars and people knew about Watson.” Integration and engagement “We want to bring (scholars) together so that there’s a unitary sense of ‘One Watson,’” said Steven Bloomfield, associate director of the Watson
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Institute. Watson currently houses a total of six regional programs: Africa Initiative, Brazil Initiative, Center for Contemporary South Asia, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, China Initiative, Humanitarian Innovation Initiative, Middle East Studies and Taubman. Prior to the recent growth, many of these programs either did not exist or were not formally a part of Watson, Steinfeld said. For example, for its first four years, the Center for Contemporary South Asia existed as an initiative — an experimental undertaking, said Ashutosh Varshney, director of the Center for Contemporary South Asia. When the University asked them to apply for the status of a center, “that was the University’s way of saying that they wanted these activities on a more durable basis,” Varshney said. The idea of “One Watson” also applies to the integration of its three undergraduate concentrations — international relations, development studies and public policy. This allows Watson to infuse undergraduate programs “with our research that can link to real-world issues,” Steinfeld said. “International relations is very interdisciplinary in nature, so it’s really nice to have Watson as a home where you can connect with other social sciences,” said Amelié-Sophie Vavrosky ’18, one of the international relations departmental undergraduate group leaders. Watson’s ability to connect disciplines has been particularly essential during President Trump’s administration. “In the aftermath of the election, it’s been powerful how Watson has drawn on our scholarly community and invited other people to talk about the dangerous policies (the election) may have resulted in,” said Elena Shih, assistant professor of American studies, who joined Watson as a post-doctorate. It is important that Watson focuses on institutions, governance and process
in the wake of polarizing daily politics, said Carrie Nordlund, associate director of public policy, adding that policies today “are not just international or domestic, but global.” Future of Watson With its academic expansion, Watson is making space — both physical and intellectual — to accommodate all of its initiatives. Watson is currently housed at two buildings, 111 Thayer St. and 59 Charlesfield St., but there are plans for a new building to be erected on Brook Street, Bloomfield said. Moving forward, Steinfeld says Watson is focused on growth in three areas: recruiting faculty, enhancing and expanding the PhD program and “increasingly consolidating across regional programs in a scholarly way.” But the institute is also looking for ways to be not only an institute for academic research, but also a community for scholars. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done between those (building) bricks to provide the sense of community and common purpose that an institution like (Watson) needs,” Bloomfield said. Watson plans to raise funds to support undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctorate fellows, programming and research, Bloomfield said. Watson provides the international relations studies department “a good amount of grants and research opportunities, but I think there’s a push for even more improvement in that area,” said Drashti Brahmbhatt ’19, one of the international relations DUG leaders. She added Watson could further support students by sponsoring more student-led research and hosting more events where they can present their research. One of the main aims for Watson’s immediate future is making the space more permeable to members of the undergraduate community, regardless of concentration, according to multiple sources.
Both Steinfeld and Bloomfield said the new building will place an emphasis on public space, with shared space and smaller study rooms for students. “I would love to have our current buildings filled with students,” Steinfeld said. “It will infuse us with even more energy and allow us to learn from them.” This sentiment is echoed by Edwin Portugal ’17.5, who often studies in 59 Charlesfield St., but feels as if “most undergraduate students don’t even know about it.” Portugal, a public policy concentrator, also said that he hoped to see more undergraduate focus in the institute, such as incorporating more informal events catered toward undergraduates. Another area for improvement is the diversity of its faculty, according to multiple sources. “The international relations department is still a mainly white-male dominated field,” Brahmbhatt said, “But there are a lot more voices coming in — important voices that should have been there the entire time.” The institute also has opportunities to continue its outreach beyond Brown. One program that strives to provide answers through community outreach is Watson’s Choices program, which takes issues of international affairs and public policy — such as Black Lives Matter or political upheaval in the Middle East — and develops curricula for high schools in the United States, Steinfeld said. “It’s right and appropriate that we are trying to deliver knowledge and thinking to communities that might not have exposure to the resources,” Steinfeld said. Shih hoped to see more of such community outreach. “I was particularly moved by the director of Watson’s give-back partnership with the Dorcas Institute” to support refugees and immigrants in Rhode Island, Shih said. “We have the resources and need to continue making these meaningful connections.”
» INSOMNIA, from page 1 be the go-to place,” she said, adding that she looked forward to grabbing herself a chocolate chunk cookie. Joshua Johnson, marketing manager for Insomnia Cookies, wrote in an email to The Herald that the business is “very excited to be open in Providence.” “The community and University have been extremely supportive,” he wrote. “We are happy to be able to spread the love of warm delicious cookies in Providence.”
NEWS
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 • PAGE 3
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Swearer appoints two community practitioner fellows Swearer Center’s fellows, practitioners to lead initiatives involving students in Providence By EMILY DAVIES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Claire Andrade-Watkins stares out the window of her car, parked at the corner of Planet and South Main streets. The Cable Car Cinema and Cafe in front of her used to be the heart of the thriving Cape Verdean community she called home. But the Fox Point neighborhood she sees before her — the same space she rollerbladed through and sledded down as a kid — was at the very center of John Brown’s vision for College Hill. “I had to come back to the belly of the beast that ate us,” Andrade-Watkins, a professor at Emerson College, said of the relationship between Fox Point’s Cape Verdean community and Brown. “Ultimately, we are inextricably intertwined — no matter who else comes to Brown, who else lives here. You exist because we do not. We cannot exist because you do.” As part of a pilot fellowship program
through the Swearer Center for Public Service, Cape Verdean-American filmmaker, historian and self-professed “force of nature,” Andrade-Watkins has been selected as a distinguished community practitioner and senior fellow-in-residence to increase students’ interaction with the Providence community. The Swearer Center also selected Marco McWilliams as its new junior fellow and practitioner-in-residence. McWilliams said he plans to engage the Brown and Providence communities in conversations of social justice through a critical and historical lens. Andrade-Watkins has been involved with the University for roughly 10 years as a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America from 2007 to 2014 and Center for Slavery and Justice since 2015, as well as a fellow at the Swearer Center since 2008. She looks forward to using her fellowship to engage even more intimately with the University’s campus as she further develops her acclaimed film and community-involvement projects. As the director of the Fox Point Cape Verdean Heritage Park, Andrade-Watkins wants to continue to
COURTESY OF MARCO MCWILLIAMS
Marco McWilliams will hold a series of workshops in addition to office hours. He hopes to engage Brown students to be social change agents.
tell the marginalized history of the Cape Verdean Fox Point community through a trilogy of documentaries and by way of other organizational and community-based initiatives. “My responsibility is to create a repository of well-organized knowledge that will be appropriately cited, that will not become remade into a narrative that has nothing to do with who we are,” Andrade-Watkins said. “Knowledge is power — who owns the story shapes the narrative; who asks the question owns the answer.” As part of an initiative founded by Cape Verdean Fox Point families to tell their stories, Andrade-Watkins is working with both Brown and the Cape Verdean community to design sustainable components, such as commemorative pieces, of the Heritage Park. Once the park is up and running, AndradeWatkins plans on giving walking tours. Through these tours, she said she hopes to help Rhode Islanders understand the real community that was uprooted by gentrification and provide the neighborhood with a clearer understanding of its roots. Andrade-Watkins also anticipates working with Brown students on the post-production of the final film in her acclaimed trilogy, titled “Atlantic: Full Circle.” Her first two films, “Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican? A Cape Verdean American story” and “Hi, Neighbor,” craft vivid images of the vibrant Cape Verdean community and its displacement from Fox Point. With the support of the Swearer Center, Andrade-Watkins will interact with the diverse voices of Providence through multiple screenings of Reoul Peck’s documentary on James Baldwin, “I Am Not Your Negro.” The screenings will be followed by open discussions of the documentary and supported by organizations including the Direct Action for Rights and Equality and the NAACP Providence Youth Council. Every Sunday, the Swearer Center will host free and open screenings to all local high school students. This community-oriented work is what the fellowship is all about, said
COURTESY OF CLAIRE ANDRADE-WATKINS
Claire Andrade-Watkins has been selected as a Distinguished Community Practitioner and Senior Fellow in Residence for the Swearer Center. Betsy Shimberg, director of community partnership at the Swearer Center. “We want students to be able to access knowledge in the community as they do so in academia,” Shimberg said. McWilliams will use his fellowship at the Swearer Center to work on scholarship that examines the ways black women used armed self-defense as a normative tool of resistance. He hopes to remove the perception of “protest” from this act of self-preservation by contextualizing the phenomenon in history. “Patriarchy sees men as the armed protectors,” McWilliams said. “But when we look at the historical record, black women have been central to this organizing tradition (of armed selfdefense). (History) always stick(s) the microphone in front of the face of the man. I want to take that down. Black women are my leaders.” McWilliams looks forward to using his fellowship as an opportunity to engage with students at Brown — especially with students of color — about acting as social change agents in various disciplines. He said he hopes to be a
resource to help students think about how they move through the world while amplifying marginalized voices in whatever career the students pursue. In addition to holding office hours, McWilliams will host a series of four workshops based on the autobiography of Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Panther party who escaped incarceration by fleeing to Cuba, where she lives today. McWilliams hopes his workshops will begin at the end of March or in early April. McWilliams said he is also looking to contribute to “Brown’s history of sensational student activism, ”adding that “theory and practice are two sides of the same coin.” McWilliams has “ been somebody who has asked really important questions of the Swearer Center about how we are preparing students to engage in communities,” Shimberg said. McWilliams led trainings and workshops in the past for the Swearer Center, making him a good fit for the launch of this fellowship given his history with the Brown and Providence community made, Shimberg added.
School of Public Health sponsors first Black History Month lecture New School Prof. Mindy Fullilove discusses racial inequality, promotes discourse on slavery By GWEN EVERETT SENIOR STAFF WRITER
2019 will mark the 400 year anniversary of the first Africans arriving in Jamestown to be sold as slaves, said Mindy Fullilove, professor of urban policy and health at The New School, to an audience of students, administrators and members of the public on Monday at the School of Public Health. Fullilove delivered the School of Public Health’s inaugural Black History Month lecture — co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America — which focused on de-industrialization and called on the public to keep the history of slavery present in national dialogue. Slavery set up inequality as “the fundamental operating principle in American society,” Fullilove said,
adding that commemorating its beginnings would not only allow people to reflect and heal, but also allow them to understand how the remnants of slavery continue to impact society today. Examples of inequality include health disparities between racial groups and the displacement of black people from their homes at the hands of local and municipal governments, she said. Fullilove highlighted moments of national history that had lasting impact on the country. For example, the Civil Rights Movement inspired the tactics used by protesters during the AIDS epidemic that began in the late 1970s. Decline in manufacturing employment has left cities “in catastrophe,” Fullilove said, creating a divide between economic winners and losers. Failure to address the effects of de-industrialization on economic inequality and national division led to the election of President Trump, she added. The idea for the talk began when three students at the School of Public Health — Nicole Aimua GS, Cat
Nwachukwu GS and Ewu Harrell GS — wanted to host an annual lecture focusing on public health topics specific to black populations. Aimua became involved in the effort because her thesis focuses on prisoner health, speaking to her interest in health care for underrepresented groups, she said. After Fullilove’s talk, the floor was opened for questions, and much of the audience’s concerns surrounded the threat Trump poses to vulnerable populations. One audience member found parallels between the rise of fascism and the current political climate, and another simply asked how to stand up against Trump. An audience member also felt that Trump’s “Urban Renewal” plan, a proposal Trump claimed would revitalize inner cities, was a serious threat to black populations. Fullilove dismissed the renewal plan out of hand, stating it would fail to truly help urban populations and is rather intended to bolster already wealthy Americans. More broadly, Fullilove urged the concerned audience
HUAYU OUYANG / HERALD
Mindy Fullilove, professor of urban policy and health at The New School addressed a room of roughly 75 yesterday evening in her talk. to “protect our democracy” through grassroots organizing. “Everybody needs to go to a meeting. You can’t do this on social media,” Fullilove said, adding that community meetings are valuable not only for base-forming and messaging, but also because simply “looking people in the eye” can help one feel less alienated in
a hostile political climate. Fullilove also called on the audience to be a little self-critical. “The left has failed to fully speak to those that have been left behind by de-industrialization,” she said. “How many conversations have you had recently where you said, ‘What are we going to do about de-industrialization?’”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
Rhode Island increases efforts to tackle high probation rate Second highest probation rate in country at odds with low incarceration rate, increases recidivism By SHAYNA TOH CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Rhode Island Senate passed a package of reforms Feb. 2 with aims to improve the state’s probation and parole system, one of the country’s worst. While Rhode Island’s incarceration rate remains one of the lowest in the United States, its probation rate is the second highest, with 24,000 people on probation every year, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. While previous efforts to pass similar bills have failed, the new reforms introduced by State Sen. Michael McCaffrey, D-Warwick, include bills to create a batterer’s intervention program and emphasize mental health treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Rhode Island’s large probation numbers are in part due to long probation sentences, which can last up to 30 years under state law. Other states typically dole out probation sentences from one to three years, according to Barry Weiner, associate director of rehabilitative services at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. “We have too many people on probation for too long periods of time. Our laws and our policies are antiquated,” said Shelley Cortese, associate director of community corrections at the Department of Corrections. The DOC is “fully supportive” of the bills, said Barry Weiner, the assistant director of the DOC. Shelley Cortese, the associate director of community corrections at the Department of Corrections, added that the reforms would strengthen the DOC’s
role in working with offenders on probation. The current long probation sentences assigned are unnecessary and can have negative effects on the lives of offenders, said Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU. “It imposes significant constraints on their liberty and holds over their heads the threat of imprisonment if they do the smallest thing wrong,” he said. Reforms around probation have recently gathered traction in the state. Prior to the passing of Rule 35C last year by the Rhode Island Superior Court, offenders on probation were not allowed to end their probation early, said Lisa Blanchette Chamoro, assistant parole and probation administrator for the Department of Corrections. Those re-offending and violating probation may be incarcerated for either a new charge or for technical reasons, including violations like failure to appear for a scheduled visit with probation officers or missing curfew, Chamoro said. Thirty-one percent of offenders return to prison due to probation violations, according to the RI DOC Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Population Report. As a result of these longer sentences, “people who might be a lower-risk pick up a new offence and end up in the violation status,” Cortese said. Despite this, representatives of the DOC assert that probation is a better alternative to incarceration. “There’s a lot of research that says prison makes people worse,” Weiner said. “The longer offenders are away from the community, the more difficult it is to re-integrate them thereafter and be productive,” he added. “People simply don’t need to be locked up or kept on probation for
the lengthy periods of time that they currently are,” Brown said, adding that “prevention or mental health services would be much more effective in addressing crime.” “There’s also an economic impact of not incarcerating somebody,” Weiner said, adding that incarceration prevents people from supporting their families and paying taxes. “You could put eight people on probation for every person that’s incarcerated.” Probation costs less than incarceration, accounting for only 8 percent of the DOC’s budget, while the majority of funding is allocated to the Adult Correctional Institutions — the DOC’s main prison complex, Weiner said. The package has not been universally well-received, however, and House Speaker Nicholas Mattielo, DCranston, has come out against the reforms in the past, calling identical bills “soft on crime.” Brown rejected such a conclusion and said that the reforms’ impact on crime will likely be “negligible.” Contrary to its high probation rate, Rhode Island has the sixthlowest rate of incarceration in the country, but Brown said that this is partially owed to the state’s small population and lack of big-city crime. To keep incarceration, probation and recidivism rates low, Professor of History Amy Remensnyder said that an effort must be made to invest in schools and programs to help people out of poverty, combat racism and get rid of mandatory minimum sentencing. “Having all of those things in mind can help lower incarceration rates back to what (they are) for other industrialized Western nations,” Remensynder said. “We have a very punitive attitude towards people who are perceived to have committed wrongdoings.”
LAURA FELENSTEIN / HERALD
UGOCHI IHENATU / HERALD
Camilla Ruiz Segovia ’18, Maryori Conde ’18 and Michelle Cruz ’18, co-coordinators of the new Latinx House, aim to use the house as a space for student discourse and an opportunity to celebrate Latinx identity.
» LATINX, from page 1 venue for celebrations of Latin American traditions, such as Día de los Muertos and Carnaval. The house will also host political conversations involving and events supporting Latinx community members. Students who identify as Latinx are given priority in membership of the
house, but anyone who is interested in learning about Latinx culture can apply to live in the house, Conde said. The house will have 21 members next semester and occupy the rooms in Machado that were previously allocated to students living in the building who were not affiliated with French House or Spanish House. Unlike French and Spanish house, Latinx house members will not have to
pay house dues. This will ensure that all members of the Latinx community at Brown can feel comfortable applying to live in the house, regardless of their financial status, Ruiz Segovia said. Since Latinx House will not receive any funding from dues, the house will host fundraising events throughout the semester. Applications to join Latinx House will close on March 8.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 • PAGE 5
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
menu
ta l k t o t h e h a n d s
SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS
Pizza: Spinach and Feta, Meatball and Penne, Mac and Cheese Make Your Own Panini JOSIAH’S
BLUE ROOM
Spicy Chicken
Chicken Saag Avial Vegetable Curry
DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH
DINNER
White Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa, Red Rice, Steamed Corn, Fudge Bar
Stir Fried Vegetables in Soy Sauce, Fried Catfish Sandwich, Banana Cream Pie
VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH
DINNER
Enchilada Bar, Jamie’s Spiced Chicken Wings, Oven Roasted Tofu, Snickerdoodle Cookies
Shepherd’s Pie, Penne with Veggies and Proscuitto, Pacific Vegetable Blend, Cheese Bread
sudoku
ELI WHITE / HERALD
Rhonda Magee, professor of law at San Francisco University, speaks about contemplative pedagogy. Magee also specializes in the intersections of race, law and immigration.
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Q U O T E O F T H E D AY
“I had to come back to the belly of the beast that ate us.” — Claire Andrade-Watkins, senior-fellow-in-residence
See swearer on page 3. CORRECTION A previous version of the article “Political science professors contextualize global populism” stated that the event was hosted by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. In fact, the event was hosted by the political science departmental undergraduate group. The Herald regrets the error.
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Introduction Network Analysis with Gephi 11:00 A.M. Rockefeller Library
Meet the Academic Deans Luncheon 12:00 P.M. Sciences Library, 520
The World of Diego Valadés 2:30 P.M. John Carter Brown Library
The Future of the Republican Party 5:00 P.M. List Art Building, 120
TOMORROW Quaker Meeting for Worship 12:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 409
GLISP Info Session 1:00 P.M. J. Walter Wilson, 440
Enduring Hope: A Lecture and Performance 6:30 P.M. Metcalf Research Building
Designing Accessible Music Interfaces 6:00 P.M. Orwig Music Building, 109
COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
You get what you pay for To the Editor: Monday’s editorial on Brown sports underscores Bruno’s plight since the very beginning of intercollegiate athletic competition in 1859 with a crew race against Harvard and Yale. Historically, Brown has been cast as the underdog, especially against the so-called Big Three — Harvard, Yale and Princeton. University President Henry Wriston was not in favor of joining the Ivy League because of the enrollment and financial disparities enjoyed by the four titans — Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Penn — and our lack of consistent success against them in football. Brown’s dilemma was that we were “too small to be big, and too big to be small” in terms of finding the correct level of athletic competition. The alumni wanted to be part of the exclusive Ivy Group, and Brown was eventually admitted to membership. As The Herald points out, the scenario today reveals Brown’s downward trend in Ivy championship success, despite some bright spots. The idealistic original premise of the Ivy League as a level playing field with teams of nonrecruited athletes is now long gone. The current balkanization of the Ivy
League by Harvard, Yale and Princeton — which routinely pluck Ivy titles like low-hanging fruit — results from a multitude of factors, not the least of which is financial. From recruiting budgets to coaches’ salaries and financial aid packages, Brown continues to be Sisyphus, fighting an uphill battle. Institutional size is fortunately no longer a determining factor in athletic success or failure; athletic slots are. Selective recruiting, support from admissions and financial aid are as well. No one works harder than our coaches and athletic administrators in the face of the daunting challenges Brown faces. If Brown is to become a serious across-the-board player in the increasingly competitive Ivy League, it will require increased outlays of financial support from alumni and the University, including improved facilities. Successful teams create campus interest, cultivate Brown pride and develop happy future alumni. Brown simply cannot afford to languish in the wake of our Ivy counterparts.
K I M B E R LY S A LT Z
Peter Mackie ’59 Sports Archivist, Edward North Robinson Collection of Brown Athletics
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COMMENTARY TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 • PAGE 7
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
An even more political Oscars, please? GRACE JOHNSON staff columnist
One of many moments of discomfort at this year’s Academy Awards was when a group of Hollywood tourists walked through the front row of the Dolby Theatre in the middle of the show. Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the night, led the tour group in front of the stage, introducing them to icons like Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington. The tourists’ average street clothes appeared ridiculous in the theater full of sparkling gowns and diamonds. Their shocked faces and effusive disbelief were filmed as jokes, offered as tributes to light-hearted comedy relief. But Kimmel, pressured to include crowd interaction, instead created a condescending parade of stars. And on top of the elitist taste of the segment, Kimmel went on to imply that a tourist, Yulerie, had an illegitimate name because it didn’t sound American enough. “Now that’s a name,” Kimmel said to the man named Patrick next to her. The Oscars are meant to celebrate the art of film — but, of course, nothing can escape politics. Discomforting moments like the tourists’ detour were sprinkled throughout the evening: Kimmel made light of Maher-
shala Ali’s name after he became the first black Muslim actor to win an Oscar; Mel Gibson, a vocal anti-Semite, reentered Hollywood’s graces; and Casey Affleck, who was accused of sexual harassment, received his Oscar from Brie Larson — the actress who played an assault survivor in “Room.” The Oscars race became politicized long before the awards night itself. Leading up to the event, “La La Land” became a symbol of Holly-
The Herald critiquing the emphasis on this political binary between the two films. But we shouldn’t make art less political — we should embrace the opportunity art provides for discourse. Aren’t more words, rather than less, needed to address racism and intolerance? Award shows — especially ones on the scale of the Oscars — are powerful platforms. The Oscars reached a startling 32.9 million view-
phone to denounce hatred and those who failed to use this platform. President Trump’s policies are not just conservative — they are racist. Given the enormous platform the Oscars offers, speakers can and should have used their reach to oppose his intolerance. This was not the time for a bevy of apolitical platitudes in acceptance speeches. The most powerful and moving speeches acknowledged and critiqued the current political cli-
There was tension in this year’s Oscars, and it wasn’t between the polarized right and left. The tension was between those who used their microphone to denounce hatred and those who failed to use this platform.
wood’s past, playing on the nostalgia that many still feel for the film industry’s “glory days” — an era when Hollywood was even more homogenous and inward-looking than it is now. “Moonlight,” by comparison, was hailed as the a groundbreaking film that broke stereotypes and featured diverse narratives. Last week, Daniel Wayland ’18 (“Polarized political binary should not extend to popular culture,” March 1) wrote a column in
ers this year, making the connection between the films’ messages and national politics more important than ever. Politics will always be relevant to arts and culture because politics affect every aspect of life. Art does not exist in a vacuum — it operates in the context of social and political change. There was tension in this year’s Oscars, and it wasn’t between the polarized right and left. The tension was between those who used their micro-
mate. A few acceptance speeches were eloquent and powerful. Viola Davis stressed the importance of telling the stories of those who cannot tell their own. Iranian award recipient Asghar Farhardi did not attend, and his acceptance statement dedicated his absence to those affected by Trump’s immigration ban. But many celebrities fell short where Davis and Farhardi shone. Emma Stone subtly wore a Planned
Parenthood pin, but never vocalized her support for women’s reproductive health. Many others did not attempt to use their fame to call on the millions of viewers. Just like in the segment with the star-struck Hollywood tourists, there was a divide between the artificial glamor and reality. Political acceptance speeches are nothing new, nor do they adversely affect the Oscars viewership. According to CNN, these speeches have never dissuaded conservatives from tuning in at 8:30 p.m. on a Sunday night. These speeches were a chance for artists to move beyond “echo chambers” and reach people from all political spheres. Of course the Oscars is an award show designed to entertain. But our nation is not normal right now. Kimmel’s jokes, often mean and problematic, will not unite our country. Unity takes compassion and awareness of other perspectives; our nation’s politics simply don’t reflect those ideals right now. As Viola Davis said in her speech, we need to exhume and exalt the ordinary people. Even the Oscars, with its red carpet and glittering stars, has the potential to teach us that.
Grace Johnson ’19 can be reached at grace_johnson@brown.edu.
Why not Brown? EMILY MILLER staff columnist Since President Christina Paxson P’19 announced her Building on Distinction plan in 2013, the administration has had to negotiate how it will reconcile its long-term strategy with our university-college model. Here is one suggestion: Brown should reinvigorate its long dormant effort to expand and create graduate professional schools. Brown, along with Princeton and Dartmouth, remains one of the only schools in the Ivy League without a law school, while Princeton and Brown are the only two without a business school. The remaining Ivy League schools collectively enroll thousands of students in some of the finest graduate and post-graduate professional programs in the country. Why not Brown? There are several factors that explain the absence of more professional schools at Brown. These include former University President Henry Wriston’s opposition to professional schools, a narrow interpretation of the college charter and its definition of a liberal arts education and Brown’s focus on the undergraduate experience. The cost, physical space and diversion of administrative energy are also major constraints. But in the 21st century, it is anachronistic to view professional schools, including law schools and business schools, as trade schools rather than extensions of a liberal arts education. Indeed, many would argue they are a natural culmination of that education. Not everyone needs to love or even appreciate these fields of study, but the presence of these schools on campus will undoubtedly encourage the cross-pollination of ideas — a value
entirely consistent with a liberal arts education. In this way, every student at Brown may benefit from exposure to the same knowledge and platforms offered by Brown’s Ivy League counterparts with professional schools. With such schools, Brown will only be better positioned to further its mission and attract a new generation of graduate students and faculty. This is why Brown should focus its longterm energy on creating and expanding its graduate program to include professional de-
The snowball cannot begin to run without a deliberate push forward. Brown’s College Charter does not discourage professional graduate schools and, in fact, supports them. The charter charges the University’s Trustees and Fellows “to found a College or University … for promoting liberal arts and universal literature.” Graduate professional studies like law or business emphasize universal literature and align with the goals of a liberal arts model. Professional
Graduate professional studies like law or business emphasize universal literature and align with the goals of a liberal arts model. Professional schools would not only train future professionals and executives, but also further legal jurisprudence and corporate responsibility, improving the lives of individuals and communities nationwide.
grees. It would be inconceivable to produce a high-quality professional school in a matter of years, but Brown should consider factoring this into its long-term vision. Other U.S. schools have implemented similar large-scale expansions despite the effort, expense and risk. These universities have been rewarded with additional revenue that outweighs the short-term costs, providing a useful model for Brown’s future. Brown must start somewhere:
schools would not only train future professionals and executives, but also further legal jurisprudence and corporate responsibility, improving the lives of individuals and communities nationwide. The idea of establishing a new graduate school within the University is not unprecedented. Brown’s Alpert Medical School was founded in 1975, a fairly recent event in the annals of academic history. Alpert has seen
success, attracting funding and new applicants to Brown. In its short life, it has been acclaimed as one of the best medical schools in the United States, enhancing Brown’s reputation while providing resources and staff to local hospitals serving the region. In 2013, research conducted by the faculty and the clinical departments of Alpert attracted $280 million in external funding. Alpert has allowed students interested in medicine to participate firsthand in medical research, thereby enhancing the pre-medical experience. The number of pre-medical applications to Brown has risen since the medical school was created, and we can likely attribute this to the fount of knowledge and access created by Alpert. Brown has already begun to redefine its university-college model with its School of Professional Studies and the addition of the School of Public Health in 2013. Dean of the School of Public Health Terrie Wetle said during the School of Public Health’s inception that it would serve as a “recruitment magnet” and appeal to the highest quality of graduate students and faculty. The addition of other professional schools would serve a similar purpose. Brown’s unique political climate and highly motivated student body present an ideal setting for the learning opportunities provided by professional schools. Brown’s mission states that the University should serve “the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry, and by educating and preparing students to discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation.” Wouldn’t an expansion of our professional schools do just that?
Emily Miller ’19 can be reached at emily_miller@brown.edu.
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
Paralysis patients achieve fastest typing yet with new brain-computer interface Improved technology allows patients to type up to eight words per minute, but not yet marketable By ELENA RENKEN SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR
Even simple communication is a constant struggle for paralyzed patients, but a collaborative project from BrainGate neurotechnology researchers, which included scientists from Brown, recently found a way for these patients to type at the fastest speeds achieved yet. Actions, such as moving a cursor across an on-screen keyboard and selecting a letter, have become a reality for paralyzed patients with the help of a brain-computer interface. Researchers implanted a tiny array of 100 electrodes in the brain so only the top of a silver plug was visible outside the patient’s skull. These electrodes recorded the firing of certain cells inside the brain and sent the information through a series of wires and connectors to reach a decoder — a computer system that interprets the information, said Leigh Hochberg ’90, professor of engineering. The most recent data from the ongoing research shows that typing assisted by brain-computer interfaces is approaching speeds that would be useful for the public, Hochberg said.
For patients who cannot move or speak, “even the ability to say yes or no is meaningful communication,” he added. The three subjects were able to type at 1.4 to 4.2 times the speeds previously achieved by paralysis patients using similar systems, according to the study. With the interface, one subject reached a typing speed of nearly eight words per minute. All three typed at rates above 3.5 words per minute, which would satisfy the majority of paralysis patients, wrote Chethan Pandarinath, postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and lead author of the study, in an email to The Herald. Though these typing speeds are the fastest yet, they remain “painfully slow,” said Elizabeth Tyler-Kabara, director of the Neural Enhancement Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. Predictive typing systems, like those that complete your words and phrases as you text, might increase those speeds dramatically, she added. Advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence could also enhance the interfaces, allowing for more natural control, Pandarinath wrote. The interface is not yet a marketable device, said Paul Nuyujukian, director of the Brain Interfacing Laboratory at Stanford and co-author of the study. The interface needs to be able to work anywhere, without wires or a trained technician, he added. Still, this increase in typing speed
CATHERINE HABGOOD / HERALD
is “a hugely significant increase,” said Michael Boninger, vice chair for research at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “There’s no doubt that this brain-computer interface work has the ability to be transformative.” Researchers in multiple locations across the country have engaged in
human research with this implanted chip since around 2004, Hochberg said. More recently, the team developed algorithms for the decoder that allowed subjects to point and click on a screen, he added. BrainGate researchers and other experts not involved with the project noted the study’s reliance on the
research participants. Through their generous feedback about the device, they allow scientists to help more people with paralysis in the future, Hochberg said. The subjects are “heroic,” Nuyujukian said. “All of medicine owes them a huge debt of gratitude.”
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